DETAILS OF THE soundtrack for Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby are out, and it looks pretty special.
Executive producer Jay-Z has pulled together an incredible mix of artists, from Jack White to Lana Del Ray and they’re singing songs of their own as well putting new twists on songs by other artists.
It’s pretty much guaranteed to join a long list of soundtracks which are as iconic, if not more iconic, than the films their attached to.
‘What list?’ we hear you asking? Well, lists like this one!
Here are 19 iconic soundtracks you probably already have, but if not, you should get your hands on ASAP.
Romeo and Juliet
Everyone who was anyone owned this soundtrack in 1996, possibly because it had something for everyone. From a track by our own Mundy to the Des’ree’s Kissing You.
YouTube/Sabrina Molina
That scene! The fish tank! Leonardo DiCaprio! Couldn’t you have just died with the romance?
O Brother Where Art Thou
Music played an integral role in much-loved film, so it’s no surprise the soundtrack was such a hit.
YouTube/Sal Puro
Pulp Fiction
All of Quentin Tarantino’s films use music carefully, its use in some of Pulp Fiction’s now iconic scenes, along with the diverse range of styles used made this soundtrack a hit.
YouTube/nehoria
The Lion King
The Disney films of the 90s featured incredible music, and Elton John’s soundtrack for The Lion King was enjoyed by adults and children alike.
Hakuna Matata and I Just Can’t Wait to Be King are joyful songs to sing along to, but the darker Be Prepared (sung by Jeremy Irons) is really super.
YouTube/TheOfficialKovu10
See also: Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin
Empire Records
Everybody wanted to be as cool as the characters in Empire Records, and as the film centred around a record store there was a lot of music for you to listen to while pretending to be said characters.
YouTube/Random1x
Saturday Night Fever
Everybody knows this John Travolta film centres on the dancefloor, but you might not know that some people classify this soundtrack as the best disco album of all time.
YouTube/tableartegypt
Pretty in Pink
This classic film starring Molly Ringwald has a soundtrack which includes New Order, The Smiths and Echo and the Bunnymen amongst others.
You can’t really argue with that for a snapshot of the 80s.
YouTube/nileqt1987
Moulin Rouge
This musical from Baz Luhrmann featured a mix of original music and classic songs you already knew, and boy was it a hit.
Some of us probably still know every word to the Elephant Love Medley.
Not any of us in here or anything…but maybe you do…ahem.
YouTube/TheLeonBM
Purple Rain
This soundtrack is frequently ranked among the best albums of all time on musical merit alone, so as a soundtrack it’s obviously outstanding.
YouTube/lucianlovemusic
High Fidelity
Another film set in a record shop, another great soundtrack. The motley crew of musos that this film centres on know music inside out, so obviously the soundtrack is filled with ‘credible’ artists.
YouTube/tinmachine08
Trainspotting
The song everyone thinks of with Trainspotting is Born Slippy, but the film was full of great songs so the soundtrack is chockablock too.
(NSFW language in the video.)
YouTube/hyromonoxide
A Hard Day’s Night
Unsurprisingly, all the Beatles films have pretty incredible soundtracks.
This one, featuring Can’t Buy Me Love, Things We Said Today and of course the title track, is exceptional.
YouTube/movieclips
Mary Poppins
Everyone knows the songs from this Disney classic, and some would say it was Julie Andrews at her best.
From Chim-Chim-Cheree and Supercalifradulisticexpialidocious to the slightly melancholy Feed the Birds, the film features songs that families have been singing, and will continue to sing, for generations.
YouTube/Barbara Sally Humphries
8 Mile
This film starring Eminem about someone who isn’t Eminem but really has an awful lot in common with Eminem featured a lot of Eminem’s music.
A lot of the songs on the soundtrack were ‘inspired by’ the film rather than actually being in the film, but that doesn’t matter really, as it captures the kind of rap culture featured in the film.
YouTube/Dungoth
The Graduate
This soundtrack primarily featured the music of Simon and Garfunkel, perhaps most iconically The Sound of Silence. It was also the inspiration for the classic, Mrs Robinson.
YouTube/wittydud
Almost Famous
This album features an incredible list of musicians, from The Beach Boys to Led Zeppelin and David Bowie, but it’s probably Elton John’s Tiny Dancer that most people think of in relation to the film.
This is why.
YouTube/muadregal
Drive
Drive is such a stylised nod to B movie classics, it’s no surprise that its synthy electropop score stayed with the audience.
A Real Hero went round and round in lots of people’s heads for weeks after seeing the film.
YouTube/Antonia Georgieva
The Bodyguard
Whitney Houston singing a Dolly Parton song. What more could you want? Several other incredible Whitney Houston songs? Grand, because that’s what this soundtrack delivered.
YouTube/Selehpotsihpem
It’s the best-selling soundtrack of all time.
Boogie Nights
The film is a snapshot of California in the in the late 70s and music plays a key role (as seen below). As a result, the soundtrack is an incredible blend of disco, pop and soul.
YouTube/jake jans
