4 Best Movie Soundtracks of All Time

BOOM! Top 5 list again. I almost broke this little vicious (nah, not really vicious) cycle of Top 5 lists by writing about how awesome The Smiths are and how utterly refreshing it was that the soundtrack for [500] Days of Summer was framed by the band. Then I started thinking how great a lot of movie soundtracks are. Now, we have to think about the two different kinds of movie soundtracks. One type includes mostly a film score, the orchestral music composed for the purpose of the film, and the other includes music by different bands that contribute to the background. I am going to be ranking the latter, but  I might tackle the former in the next blog posting.

SO LET'S GET STARTED.

5. Vanilla Sky 

1.	"All the Right Friends" - R.E.M.
2.	"Everything In Its Right Place" - Radiohead
3.	"Vanilla Sky" - Paul McCartney
4.	"Solsbury Hill" - Peter Gabriel
5.	"I Fall Apart" - Julianna Gianni
6.	"Porpoise Song (Theme from "Head")" - The Monkees
7.	"Mondo '77" - Looper featuring Francis MacDonald
8.	"Have You Forgotten" - Red House Painters
9.	"Directions" - Josh Rouse
10.	"Afrika Shox" - Leftfield / Afrika Bambaataa
11.	"Svenfn-g-englar" - Sigur Ros
12.	"Last Goodbye" - Jeff Buckley
13.	"Can We Still Be Friends" - Todd Rundgren
14.	"Fourth Time Around" - Bob Dylan
15.	"Elevator Beat" - Nancy Wilson
16.	"Sweetness Follows" - R.E.M.
17.	"Where Do I Begin" - The Chemical Brothers

I know a lot of people that hate this movie. I, however, am not one of them. Whether you like the movie or not, it has a great soundtrack. Some of the artists are more recognizable than others on this soundtrack, and I really like how there is a plethora of music, from the Monkees to Sigur Ros. Each song works perfectly with the mood of every scene. Top 3 songs for me in this list: Everything in Its Right Place, Solsbury Hill, and Svenfn-g-englar, although Sigur Ros' other song, Njosnavelin (The Nothing Song), is also superb in the movie, and I have no idea why it's not listed here. (BTW, if you're unfamiliar with Sigur Ros, they are an Icelandic band, singing in Icelandic. I don't know what the hell they're saying, but they transfix me.)


Here's a clip of the ending of Vanilla Sky. The song in the background is Njosnavelin. BY THE WAY, THIS IS GOING TO SPOIL THE ENDING. DON'T WATCH IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MOVIE AND PLAN TO SOMEDAY. YOU CAN'T BLAME ME. THIS IS ALL IN CAPS.











4. Hedwig and the Angry Inch

1.	Tear Me Down
2.	Origin of Love
3.	Angry Inch
4.	Wicked Little Town (Tonny Gnosis version)
5.	Wig in a Box
6.	The Long Grift
7.	Hedwig's Lament
8.	Exquisite Corpse
9.	Midnight Radio
10.	Nailed
11.	Sugar Daddy
12.	Freaks
13.	In Your Arms Tonight
14.	Wicked Little Town (Hedwig version)

Prepare to meet on of the most rocking transvestites (since Tim Curry) you've ever seen on film. I absolutely adore Hedwig and the Angry Inch for two reasons: 1. Hedwig and 2. Hedwig's songs. Let me fill you in a little on the plot. Hedwig, a victim of a botched sex change operation (thus the angry inch, haha) is a phenomenal singer/songwriter who is dreaming to make it big. However, his ex-boyfriend, Tommy Knossos, has stolen his songs and is making it big on his own. This movie is a journey through Hedwig's past and present and is filled to the brim with catchy songs, especially "The Origin of Love."


3. The Virgin Suicides

1. Magic Man - Heart 


2. Hello It's Me - Todd Rundgren

3. Everything You've Done Wrong - Sloan 

4. Ce Matin La - Air

5. Air That I Breathe - The Hollies 

6. How Can You Mend a Broken Heart? - Al Green 

7. Alone Again (Naturally) - Gilbert O'Sullivan 

8. I'm Not in Love - 10cc

9. Dream Goes on Forever - Todd Rundgren 

10. Crazy on You - Heart

11. Playground Love [Vibraphone Version] - Air

12. Come Sail Away - Styx 


I am a huge fan of Sofia Coppola (Lost in Translation, Marie Antoinette) and the soundtrack to this movie fit the atmosphere perfectly. A story about 4 sisters, desired by all, obtained by none, who commit suicide in the 1970's is an intriguing story, and I found myself as immersed in the music of the movie as the movie itself. Highlighted by French duo Air's "Playground Love," this soundtrack takes 70's era hits and combines them with more ethereal music tones. Perfectly executed.

1. O Brother, Where Art Thou?

1. "Po Lazarus" - James Carter & the Prisoners 4:30


2. "Big Rock Candy Mountain" - Harry McClintock 2:17

3. "You Are My Sunshine" - Norman Blake 4:26

4. "Down To The River To Pray" - Alison Krauss 2:53

5. "I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow" - The Soggy Bottom Boys 3:13

6. "Hard Time Killing Floor Blues" - Chris Thomas King 2:01

7. "I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow" - Norman Blake 4:30

8. "Keep On The Sunny Side" - The Whites 3:35

9. "I'll Fly Away" - Alison Krauss and Gillian Welch 3:57

10. "Didn't Leave Nobody But The Baby" - Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss and Gillian Welch 1:58

11. "In The Highways" - Sarah, Hannah and Leah Peasall 1:36

12. "I Am Weary (Let Me Rest)" - The Cox Family 3:16

13. "I Am A Man of Constant Sorrow" - John Hartford 2:34

14. "O Death" - Ralph Stanley 3:21

15. "In The Jailhouse Now" - The Soggy Bottom Boys 4:18

16. "Indian War Whoop" - John Hartford 1:30

17. "Lonesome Valley" - Fairfield Four 4:08

18. "Angel Band" - The Stanley Brothers 2:18













Come on, you have to love this soundtrack. I remember doing a reenactment of Faulkner's A Rose for Emily in 11th grade and using this soundtrack as the background music for some of the scenes. Too morbid? It really worked! Anyway, if you're a fan of the Coen brothers, The Odyssey, or humor in general, you have to watch this movie and check out the soundtrack. I mean, "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow" was on the radio everywhere when this movie first arrived on the scene! The soundtrack takes old hymnals and twangy wonderfulness and combines it into a wonderful concoction.