Cruel Intentions. I went in to see the flick itself for cheap laughs and the kiss. (See also.) I walked out astonished that it was (A) very very good and (B) blessed with the best marriage of music-to-movie I’d ever heard in a cinema. And then paid to see it again a few nights later. That good.
I’m listening to the soundtrack right now. It is fantastic all the way through. Every You Every Me, Coffee & TV, Colorblind, Comin’ Up From Behind, Secretly, You Blew Me Off, Bitter Sweet Symphony… Seriously, can anyone offer a challenger? (Excepting orchestral scores, here.) The Crow and The Lost Boys and others have their champions, but, man. This is what the pop music during the movies is all about.
Amazon has samples.
(In future, the pervasive network will detect our emotional state and play appropriate soundtrack music based on what is happening to us and those around us, yes.) (Billy – chateaux. Oui.)
20 thoughts on “Best Movie Soundtrack Ever”
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Morgue is this like Back to the Future or something? Cruel Intentions is old isn’t it?
Er, yes. The movie is old. The soundtrack is old. For clarification 🙂
We’ve had this conversation before =)
Yes, the ‘Cruel Intentions’ soundtrack is one of the best out there, but I think the best at capturing the film’s themes, moods, and progress is the soundtrack is ‘Dead Man Walking.’
Or, perhaps, the soundtrack to ‘O’ Brother Where Art Thou?’
(I guess, though, I’ll conceed the point. Both those soundtracks are not pop, they’re country. So, yes, perhaps, ‘Cruel Intentions’ wins).
I was also there at the IRL version of said conversation, and although I agree and I adore the Cruel Intentions soundtrack dearly I have to put in a vote for Baz Luhrman’s Romeo and Juliet.
#1 Crush, Local God, Angel, Kissing You, To You I bestow.
I will always have this conversation. I don’t think I’ve had it online before. I might have.
I suspect Pearce has heard me have this conversation about eighty times by now.
I love both of these soundtracks other great soundtracks rather than scores
The matrix
Spawn – Crap movie great Rap/Rock crossovers
Bitter sweet symphony always reminds me of Cruel Intentions now
Aaaaaaarrrghh, not another one! You have SO dropped 56,000 places on the respectability ladder for being Verve fan Morgan. Tsk. For shame!
But as The Dude says- That’s just, like, my opinion, man.
(Incidentally, The Big Lebowski also has a killer soundtrack)
Joes appartment – singing cockroaches.
Need i say more.
I’ve always been partial to the Grosse Point Blank soundtrack.
I agree. Cruel Intentions has a great sound-track. I was dubious when a friend reccommended it to me (said friend having owned not only the first, but the second and third Hootie and the Blowfish CDs)- but was happily surprised. I love the ‘Colour Blind’ song.
Ooh, ooh – and the Magnolia soundtrack is great. But mostly because of one artist – I think it’s a harder job for a soundtrack to bring together lots of different artists in some kind of thematic way ….. But yeah, Magnolia.
“I suspect Pearce has heard me have this conversation about eighty times by now.”
Not that I recall, but then I’m not particularly fond of the movie or music in question (don’t like Placebo, Counting Crows, Aimee Man or The Verve at all).
My idea of a really great pop soundtrack is Vanilla Sky. I also second Jenni’s vote for Romeo + Juliet. But my favourite is Mean Streets.
I’m dubious of most pop soundtracks, which seem to be more marketing campaign-driven (corporations cross-advertising their products with each other) than concerned with matching image to music.
Hoo sez I’m a Verve fan? Bittersweet Symphony plays *brilliantly* in this flick, and as the capper to the soundtrack album. Heck, Fatboy Slim’s usually tiresome Praise You sounds fantastic in this context. But judge me as you see fit 🙂 See also: Placebo, Counting Crows, Aimee Mann, etc.
All other suggestions from commenters are good, but wrong, because I am right, so there.
the Grosse Point Blank soundtrack was… uhhh… curated by Joe Strummer, which might’ve helped it get round the problem of bringing together lots of different artists in some kind of thematic way.
To a lesser extent it may have helped with the problem Pearce points out, that pop soundtracks usually *are* (rather than seeming to be) driven by marketing – it’s a common experience for directors to find that in order to get one song licenced they have to take another song that the record label wants to push.
Vis a vis the National Pride we were expected to show when Zed licenced one of their songs to an American Pie sequel.
see also: soundtrack albums featuring music “from and inspired by”
ps: Pearce nearly gets to saying this: Martin Scorsese is an excellent director for marrying music to his films.
I second the “Grosse Pointe Blank” recommendation, and will throw “Singles” in for consideration.
The Cruel Intentions album is definitely a favourite. My fave track is the Kristin Berry ‘Ordinary Life’, but I’ve been unable to find any album of hers anywhere!
Anyway Morgue, I think I actually have your Cruel Intentions video at the moment. Stole it while you were in Edinburgh and failed to return as yet 🙂
The only two soundtracks I recall owning are to High Art (mostly by Shudder to Think) and Dead Man (Neil Young), both of which are ace.
Already mentioned my two faves (Magnolia and O Brother). I’m amazed got this far without a mention of Tarantino. I know his affectations have become a turnoff for some, but movie and soundtrack are inextricably intertwined for both Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction; and Kill Bill (first at least) had a couple of oddly satisfying selections.
Finally, a classic example of Pearce’s complaint of slickly chosen music as a marketing tool – indeed I think this changed the way films were sold to the masses. But judged solely on number of killer songs, you can’t go past The Big Chill (the movie itself, I vaguely remember, was totally unworthy of the soundtrack).
“Pearce nearly gets to saying this: Martin Scorsese is an excellent director for marrying music to his films.”
Yeah, he usually is, even in his lesser later works like Casino and The Departed.
“But judged solely on number of killer songs, you can’t go past The Big Chill (the movie itself, I vaguely remember, was totally unworthy of the soundtrack).”
Yes, and yes. Especially the CD version which includes The Same Old Song etc. But when your entire soundtrack is ’60s Motown songs, it’s hard to go wrong without trying.
Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants by Stevie Wonder is awesome, though like almost everyone I’ve never seen the movie (it’s never been properly released). So is High Fidelity, which ends with one of Stevie’s (or anyone’s) best love songs: “I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)”
If you don’t already have it, you should go buy Stevie’s album Talking Book right now. You’ll never regret it.