The scores of a movie are often as important as the scenes that go with them. What makes a great movie soundtrack, though?

Is it something like the score from Dirty Dancing that you will use to entertain yourself and others as you dance the night away? Something that leaves you in tears and creates memories for a lifetime? A movie’s soundtrack should be able to make you vividly remember the exact scene you attach it to.

Soundtracks Matter

People often overlook the effect a movie’s music can have on the entire product. Horror movies rely so much on sound and music to create an atmosphere, and without a solid soundtrack, it would be harder to create an impactful and effective product. The horror movie industry is not the only genre of movies that would suffer from the absence of a decent soundtrack. Imagine your favorite scenes from movies but without music. Definitely not the same, right?

The last decade has brought us some amazing movies with some even better soundtracks to go with them.

Straight Outta Compton

The road to fame was a hard and brutal road for Dr. Dre and his old team of friends, N.W.A. This biopic shows how these kids became the hip-hop legends we know and love today, showing everything from the way they constructed their first songs to the scathing diss tracks birthed from the rivalry brewing inside the group. Being a movie about musical legends and their rise to fame, naturally, the soundtrack was fitting! Other than the hits the group and their members created throughout the 90s, they also have hits from Tupac, Roy Eyer, Wu-Tang Clan, and many other respected musical geniuses of the time. The movie’s score was composed mostly by Dr. Dre himself. There were also a lot of songs from Dr. Dre’s lesser-known album Compton from 2015, which was actually a long-awaited album that was forgotten about due to his long hiatus after canceling Detox. Overall the movie would not exist without its soundtrack. This is definitely worth your time, especially if you are a rap enthusiast.

Tron Legacy

Daft Punk, a French duo capable of far more than getting lucky! Their score in this fantastic futuristic sequel to a cult classic is more memorable than anything Baz Luhrmann has touched. The soundtrack in Tron Legacy makes the movie. Using an orchestra of 85 along with soundbanks and synths, they put together a soundtrack that brought the movie to life! In this case, the soundtrack is what carried this movie. While the visuals were stunning and the shots were of utmost elegance, the movie felt long. Often there would be a lot of what felt like unnecessary filler shots with scenes of futuristic and populated landscapes within this motherboard city.

Daft Punk’s contribution will go down as one of the greatest soundtracks of all time, and you are doing yourself a disservice by not experiencing this at least once. Think of it like this, if you fall asleep during the movie, the soothing yet glitchy synths mixed with massively moody orchestral touches will make for the perfect soundtrack to your dreams.

Moonlight

Many have heard of the Oscar award-winning feature Moonlight, but how many of you have heard the name Nicholas Brittell? The list of movie soundtracks he has scored would put many others to shame. Big-name movies such as The Big Short, If Beale Street Could Talk and 12 Years a Slave were all scored by Nicholas Brittell. The way Brittell transports you through this journey of love and self-discovery is brilliant. His use of soft strings will be grabbing at your heartstrings as he draws every inch of sensitivity your soul has to offer!

Date nights will go nicely with this movie, and the music can inspire passionate scenes outside the confines of the screen.

Black Panther

The one and only K-Dot curated this star-studded soundtrack. Kendrick Lamar is known for being one of the greatest artists of all time in the rap game. It is no surprise that his standard was high when putting this soundtrack together. The soundtrack was so good it prompted the release of its own standalone album. The energy that Lamar exhibits throughout the track makes for a truly memorable score. Kendrick played it smart in Black Panther by writing songs that deserve a place in the top charts, before they even got into the movie. As many of the songs climbed the charts, this gave the movie an edge and helped with its popularity.

Kendrick is no stranger to writing and producing hit music, writing some of the top rapper hits for himself and other rappers like he did for his cousin Baby Keem.

Bohemian Rhapsody

The movie capturing Queen and, more importantly, Freddie Mercury’s rise to fame was far more than anyone could have expected. The soundtrack that went with this beautiful biopic was an artistic masterpiece, not simply a greatest-hits moment. The passion and energy can be heard, seen, and felt in every second of this film, making it one of the most immersive journeys one can acquire from a screen. If you are not a fan of Queen or are not aware of their work, you should dedicate some time to this glorious movie! It is the perfect example of what a “best movie soundtrack” needs. It does not try to be anything other than natural, and the way that John Ottman constructed the soundtrack is nothing less than absolutely perfect up until the final credit has run.

Soundtrack Fever

Hopefully, you haven’t seen every film on the list, so you can experience at least one of these great options for the first time. On the other hand, if you’ve seen these, watch them again and be reminded of the wonders of music. You will enjoy soundtracks more after the movie. Go and find the songs that impacted you, and who knows, you may even find your new favorite song!