# Movies or Shows with Great Soundtracks **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 20, 2007, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-or-shows-with-great-soundtracks/404793 "2007-05-20T06:27:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![brendon\_small](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brendon_small/32/17101_2.png) [@brendon\_small](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brendon_small)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2007, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-or-shows-with-great-soundtracks/404793/1 "2007-05-20T06:27:44Z")
This has probably been done, but here it goes. I know in CS before, I have made mention of how great the Scrubs soundtrack is. I always thought they did a good job choosing music to go with the right part of the show, and I think they picked a wonderful range of artists. What other shows or movies have really good soundtracks? Which do you love? Why? Brendon Small ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2007, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-or-shows-with-great-soundtracks/404793/2 "2007-05-20T15:49:24Z")
**American Grafitti** , which pretty much created the “jukebox soundtrack” concept. ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2007, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-or-shows-with-great-soundtracks/404793/3 "2007-05-20T15:55:05Z")
Until the End of the World, directed by Wim Wenders. Garden State. Married to the Mob. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2007, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-or-shows-with-great-soundtracks/404793/4 "2007-05-20T16:24:25Z")
The title made me think of [Henry Mancini](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000049/) who produced excellent soundtracks for movies and TV shows in the 50’s and 60’s (and later). If you want variety in a soundtrack, check out: Peter Gunn (TV) Mr. Lucky (TV) Charade The Pink Panther The Thorn Birds (TV) Hatari Breakfast at Tiffany’s Days of Wine and Roses As for the soundtrack I would want to keep, of all the ones I have bought over the years, it would have to be _Peter Gunn_. Another composer whose soundtracks are noteworthy is [John Barry](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000290/). ---
**Author:** ![ASAKMOTSD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@ASAKMOTSD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASAKMOTSD)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2007, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-or-shows-with-great-soundtracks/404793/5 "2007-05-20T23:09:37Z")
I nominate **Mr. Holland’s Opus**. I think it effectively covers the progression of music from early 1960’s to the 1970’s (even if Richard Dreyfus sang a John Lennon tune in the movie). ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2007, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-or-shows-with-great-soundtracks/404793/6 "2007-05-20T23:14:17Z")
\*\*Ghost World \*\*had music from all over the map. It remains a personal favorite. ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2007, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-or-shows-with-great-soundtracks/404793/7 "2007-05-20T23:21:30Z")
_Repo Man_ totally captured the zeitgeist of the age (in addition to having a great soundtrack). ---
**Author:** ![H3Knuckles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ba8739/32.png) [@H3Knuckles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/H3Knuckles)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2007, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-or-shows-with-great-soundtracks/404793/8 "2007-05-20T23:22:49Z")
Do Musicals count? Or is that cheating? If so, then Tim Burton’s **The Nightmare Before Christmas**. The most interesting part is Danny Elfman, the composer of this, the Men In Black score, as well as Spider-Man and Batman series’ scores (not to mention the theme to the Simpsons), does the singing for the main character Jack Skellington! :eek: Who knew he had such a fantastic singing voice! Also, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; any show/movie/anime scored by **Yoko Kanno**. She not only writes the scores but _all_ the music in the shows she writes for. See **Cowboy Bebop** , **Vision of Escaflowne** , and/or **Ghost in the Shell** (the two tv series (Stand Alone Complex, 2nd Gig) and the tie-in movie Solid State Society) in particular. She can do operatic scores, jazz, R&B, rock, folk, latin, you name it, and make it sound _gooood_. ---
**Author:** ![want2know](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@want2know](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2know)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-or-shows-with-great-soundtracks/404793/9 "2007-05-21T00:54:26Z")
**Twin Peaks** , bar none, best TV Soundtrack ever! **Law & Order** comes a close second, and not just for the “doink doink”! ---
**Author:** ![Matt\_Holck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Matt\_Holck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Matt_Holck)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-or-shows-with-great-soundtracks/404793/10 "2007-05-21T01:00:28Z")
labyrinth ---
**Author:** ![Vimp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vimp/32/4186_2.png) [@Vimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vimp)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-or-shows-with-great-soundtracks/404793/11 "2007-05-21T01:02:07Z")
Lawrence of Arabia (yes, I know, I’m dating myself). ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-or-shows-with-great-soundtracks/404793/12 "2007-05-21T01:13:18Z")
Several that I’ve mentioned in previous, similar threads: **The Mission** **The Piano** **Brideshead Revisited** ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-or-shows-with-great-soundtracks/404793/13 "2007-05-21T01:46:36Z")
**The Commitments** **Apocalypse Now** **American Graffiti** **The Commitments** 😃 ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-or-shows-with-great-soundtracks/404793/14 "2007-05-21T02:05:59Z")
**Donnie Darko, Master and Commander** …but they’re not as good as some of the others listed earlier. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-or-shows-with-great-soundtracks/404793/15 "2007-05-21T02:08:38Z")
Also, whoever chooses the songs usually played towards the end of each episode of **House** does a pretty good job. ---
**Author:** ![Frostillicus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Frostillicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frostillicus)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-or-shows-with-great-soundtracks/404793/16 "2007-05-21T02:13:43Z")
I can’t believe that nobody has yet nominated the soundtrack to **Pulp Fiction** , so I guess I will. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-or-shows-with-great-soundtracks/404793/17 "2007-05-21T02:14:28Z")
**The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.** I liked how, in **Casino Royal** , They don’t use the James Bond theme in the whole movie, although some of the music riffs on it. I thought they must have lost the rights or something. Then at the very end, as Bond looks the villain in the eye and the villain goes “who are you?” Bond says “Bond, James Bond,” and the familar theme blasts out just in time for the closing credits. That kicked ass. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-or-shows-with-great-soundtracks/404793/18 "2007-05-21T02:14:34Z")
**Crossing Jordan** has some awfully good music in it. ---
**Author:** ![MrFantsyPants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ba0ec/32.png) [@MrFantsyPants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrFantsyPants)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-or-shows-with-great-soundtracks/404793/19 "2007-05-21T02:24:51Z")
Empire Records was a great soundtrack. ---
**Author:** ![MrFantsyPants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ba0ec/32.png) [@MrFantsyPants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrFantsyPants)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-or-shows-with-great-soundtracks/404793/20 "2007-05-21T02:25:59Z")
[QUOTE=vivalostwages] Also, whoever chooses the songs usually played towards the end of each episode of **House** does a pretty good job. [/QUOTE] Apparently most of those are picked by Hugh Laurie. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-or-shows-with-great-soundtracks/404793.md?page=2)