The 40 greatest movie soundtracks of all time, ranked

A great movie soundtrack doesn’t just compliment the film on screen. It can also elevate, invigorate, and resonate with viewers and listeners. The right mix of tunes makes a good film great, and a great film unforgettable. Of course, there’s no surefire formula for the right soundtrack—though studios and labels have tried for years to find one—as the collections on this list clearly show. Some rely on previously released material, while others turned featured songs into contemporary standards. What they all have in common is that they offer a transcendent listening experience. The 40 soundtracks here, from films as varied as Friday, The Bodyguard, Saturday Night Fever, and Pulp Fiction, are as kinetic, stylish, and satisfying as any other great album.

But before you move on, a brief word: don’t mistake this list of the greatest movie soundtracks for a list of great film scores. While scores are designed to work in conjunction with moving images, many soundtracks are designed to work apart from the films themselves. The best of these function like proper pop records, driven by hooks and hits—the key elements of any successful pop, R&B, or rock record.

40. Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2014)

Effectively a digital rendering of the cherished mixtape Peter Quill keeps to remind him of his home on Earth, Guardians Of The Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1 is filled with songs you know by heart: they’re the kind of songs that formed the core of oldies radio or Jack FM, their familiarity extended through use in movies. Indeed, a few of the cuts here are strongly identified with other films—Blue Swede’s gonzo reading of BJ Thomas’ “Hooked On A Feeling” played an indelible part in Reservoir Dogs—but when jumbled together on Star-Lord’s ancient cassette these super hits of the 1970s manage to keep connected to its gaudy B-movie roots.