Have you ever come home from the cinema and in discussing the film heard the phrase, "The film was great, shame about the soundtrack though..."? An original score can be the making of a film and is as important a part of cinematography as the direction and acting itself. A song can become a huge hit on the back of a film and artist recognition can sky-rocket if it is played over a box-office smash. With so many classic movie-music moments it is hard to pick, so let's go back through some of the most memorable movie soundtracks of all time:
Saturday Night Fever (1977) starring John Travolta and a pair of very tight, very white flairs is an incredible soundtrack moment. Disco sensations the Bee Gees sang "Stayin' Alive" and forevermore encapsulated the disco era.
Superfly (1972) was a funky, super fresh Curtis Mayfield soul sensation and was far more famous than the film itself. With songs like ‘Freddie's Dead' and ‘Pusherman' the inner city drugs culture was taken apart and given a new sound.
The Graduate (1967) welcomed duo Simon and Garfunkel on the scene to lend a memorable backdrop to the seductive drama starring Dustin Hoffman as the love interest of Mrs Robinson. With classic hit songs such as ‘The Sound of Silence' and ‘Scarborough Fair', the mix of old and new hits became an instant classic.
Purple Rain (1984) catapulted serial groove king and petite pin up Prince to movie stardom when his Purple Rain soundtrack blew everyone away. Critics praised it as a work of genius, with incredible tracks such as ‘When Doves Cry' and ‘Let's Go Crazy'.
Philadelphia (1993) delivered an Oscar-winning performance from Tom Hanks who played a lawyer suffering discrimination when he is fired for having AIDS.
Music can entirely change the tone of a film or add emotion to important scenes. Whether you're an Elvis fan listening to a movie soundtrack in your Memphis office or a Bollywood nut grooving in the streets of New Delhi, music has the power to move us and never more so than when coupled with our favourite films.
