Integral Soundtracks

Since this week marks the 40th anniversary of Woodstock, I thought I’d highlight some movies where the soundtrack plays an important part. In many movies, the music sets the tone for a scene.

The movies below take it a step further, though. The music is an essential part of the film. Take it away, and you’d have a completely different end product. Most of the plots are about music or musicians, so that makes sense. But all of them feature a soundtrack that’s as important as the setting or a main character.

Almost Famous
My favorite movie and one of my favorite soundtracks. The classic rock is used perfectly to give you a sense of place. Nearly every character in the film loves music, and the soundtrack helps get that across. Especially when characters actually interact with a song, like in the Tiny Dancer bus scene.

High Fidelity
Another favorite of mine. Not only is it chock full of hilarity, but it gives great insight into the kind of strange characters who make up the indie music scene. While they may seem like caricatures, I have met plenty of people like this. The soundtrack, full of great indie and underground rock, ties in perfectly.

The Commitments
Again, the music the characters love (in this case soul) makes up the soundtrack, adding more depth to the characters and the film as a whole. This one is a little more under the radar than some of my other choices, and definitely worth watching.

Singles
Yeah, this is the second Cameron Crowe movie on the list. It’s no accident — that dude can really knock together a soundtrack. Which isn’t surprising, considering his first career was in music journalism. The Singles soundtrack places you right in the middle of the grunge movement of 90s Seattle. Bonus points for casting Eddie Vedder.

The Blues Brothers
The blues, soul, and classic R&B fueled Jake and Elwood’s “mission from Gad.”

The Breakfast Club
Soundtracks are very important in almost all John Hughes movies. Like his films, the soundtracks are of the time, and yet they hold up well years later. I picked The Breakfast Club mostly because of the famous final scene, but many of his movies could have gone here.


And while we’re on the subject of music, I’m going to put in a plug for our Rock Band poll. KISS cannot be allowed to win, people. Vote now!