A few weeks ago, we posted an article celebrating the ten best movie soundtracks of the eighties. The article was so well-received that we decided it needed a follow-up focusing on the nineties, so here is one spotlighting ten seminal nineties soundtracks. Now, this comes with a caveat, as honestly there were a heck of a lot more soundtracks that are pretty essential that didn’t make this list. As such, I decided to focus on ones that had more than one hit song directly identified with the movie while steering clear of score albums (that will be addressed in another article), meaning Titanic and Braveheart are off the list, even if they are essential albums.
The Bodyguard
This is still the highest-selling soundtrack album of all time, topping such classics as Saturday Night Fever, Grease, and yes—even Titanic. In some ways, this is a glorified Whitney Houston album, with the first side dedicated to a string of hits that ruled the airwaves in late 1992/early 1993, led by the global phenomenon “I Will Always Love You,” which is a Dolly Parton cover that went straight to number one, won a Grammy, would have for sure won an Oscar had it been an original composition, and is still the best-selling single by a female artist.
Judgment Night
The nineties had a curious phenomenon where some movies came and went without too much notice, while their soundtrack albums became classics. That happened with Judgment Night, a movie many of us here love, that has one of the best soundtracks of the decade. The whole album is defined by a cool gimmick where hip-hop artists collaborate with heavy metal/rock acts, resulting in some iconic pairings. Helmet and House of Pain’s “Just Another Victim” might be the most iconic track, but almost every track is great, with the De La Soul collaboration with Teenage Fanclub (“Fallin’” – a Tom Petty cover) great in its own right.
Pulp Fiction
One thing that makes nineties soundtracks a little different from eighties soundtracks is that many of the best ones don’t have any original tracks and are rather just licensed music reflecting the era or vibe of the movie. What made Quentin Tarantino’s soundtracks special is that many of the tracks were ultra-deep cuts that became iconic after being in his movies. Reservoir Dogs could have been on this list (iconic cuts include “Little Green Bag” and “Stuck in the Middle With You”) but Pulp Fiction was even bigger, marking the moment the director became a phenomenon. Dick Dale & His Del-Tones’ “Misirlou” became the song most associated with the movie, but Dusty Springfield’s “Son of A Preacher Man” and Kool & The Gang’s “Jungle Boogie” also became inescapable.
The Crow
If you were a goth kid in the nineties, you had the CD soundtrack for The Crow. An eclectic mix of hard rock, alternative, and new wave, this had some of the most iconic tracks of the decade, including The Cure’s “Burn” (my favourite song of theirs), Stone Temple Pilots’ “Big Empty” (the movie’s de facto theme song), and Jane Siberry’s heartbreaking “It Can’t Rain All the Time,” which serves as a fitting tribute to the late Brandon Lee.
Mortal Kombat
What The Crow’s soundtrack did for goth kids, Mortal Kombat’s soundtrack did for club kids, with it marking one of the moments techno went mainstream. First, there’s The Immortals’ “Techno Syndrome,” which is still the classic Mortal Kombat theme song, but there’s also KMFDM’s “Juke Joint Jezebel” and Orbital’s “Halcyon + On + On.”
Romeo + Juliet
One of the reasons Baz Luhrmann’s modern version of the Shakespeare classic stood out—beyond its innovative staging and iconic cast—was no doubt the soundtrack full of hit songs, including Gavin Friday’s “Angel” and The Cardigans’ “Lovefool.” It was such a hit that it spawned a follow-up album, which is the case for several soundtracks on this list.
Trainspotting
Danny Boyle’s tale of desperate heroin addicts in Scotland sported a soundtrack that’s immediately identifiable, whether it’s Iggy Pop’s “Lust for Life,” Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day,” or—most iconic of all—Underworld’s “Born Slippy,” which for my money is one of the best songs of the decade.
That Thing You Do
What makes the soundtrack for That Thing You Do so interesting is that all of the songs are originals, but written in a way to make them seem like they come from the early sixties era depicted in the film. Adam Schlesinger’s title track (credited to The Wonders) is the most iconic, but a lot of the songs are great, including “Lovin’ You Lots and Lots,” which was written by Hanks himself.
Boogie Nights
Here’s another soundtrack that got multiple volumes, with Paul Thomas Anderson’s seventies epic sporting perhaps the greatest playlist of seventies disco tunes ever assembled, including The Emotions’ “Best of My Love,” Marvin Gaye’s “Got to Give It Up,” and ELO’s “Living Thing.” One track NOT included, despite the movie’s title, is Heatwave’s “Boogie Nights,” with the band reportedly not approving of the film’s content. Their loss.
The Wedding Singer
The Wedding Singer’s soundtrack ushered in an eighties pop music revival that suddenly made the decade’s pop songs cool again, and was an entry point into the music of that era for many, including yours truly. While loaded with wall-to-wall hits, part of the appeal is (no doubt) the cute songs Sandler himself composed for the movie, including “Grow Old With You” and “Somebody Kill Me” (somebody kill me PLEASE! I’m on my knees, pretty pretty please!).
Honorable Mention:
The Matrix
The soundtrack for The Wachowskis’ sci-fi epic cast a long shadow over soundtracks for the next half-decade, which is why it gets an honorable mention only, as it feels more like a 2000-era soundtrack. There are some amazing tracks on this one, including Marilyn Manson’s “Rock is Dead,” “Spybreak” by The Propellerheads, and Rage Against The Machine’s “Wake Up.”
