My favorite film soundtracks.

I love movies. I love music. So it only makes sense that I would also love film soundtracks. :)

 

I used to listen to soundtracks all the time. When I was in school, I listened to instrumental ones constantly while I did schoolwork or homework. I listened to classic movie soundtracks while taking a bath (I can't believe I just admitted that, but yeah...I'm one of those people who listens to music in the tub). I listened to Disney soundtracks in the car. No shame!

 

I don't listen to them quite as much as I used to, but I still appreciate a good movie soundtrack! I love how a story and music can intertwine in my mind, and how hearing a certain song can remind me of an exact moment in a film. It's sort of like being able to watch a film while doing other things. :) Here are some of my favorites!

 

Instrumental (mostly):

Pride and Prejudice. This shouldn't surprise you. P&P is my favorite book, the 2005 adaptation is my favorite film, so of course this is one of my favorite soundtracks. Seriously, though, it is gorgeous. I still listen to this one a lot when I'm trying to read and the house is just a little too loud for me to focus on my book. :)

Jane Eyre. Some more of the genius of Dario Marianelli. I don't love this film adaptation of Jane Eyre as much as I did when I first saw it (the mini-series is so much better), but this is one of the most hauntingly beautiful soundtracks I've ever heard. It gives me chills.

Titanic. I've probably been listening to this soundtrack longer than any of the others on the list. I used to be obsessed with this film (and as I recently mentioned, it's responsible for my lifelong crush on Leonardo DiCaprio). But even if you're not a fan of the blockbuster movie, or the Celine Dion theme song (honestly, I like the theme, but not the vocals version), you have to admit that this is some amazing, heartbreaking music.

Emma. This soundtrack is very cheerful and charming, just like the BBC mini-series that it comes from. :)

North and South. Technically this soundtrack was never released, which is ridiculous because it's so good. But if you look online, you can usually find it...that's all I'll say about that.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and Prince Caspian. I'm a huge Narnia fan, and I do enjoy the movies (though, in the case of the second and third ones, they could have been so much better). The music from them is really pretty, too. And I adore the Switchfoot song on the Prince Caspian soundtrack.

The Artist. The soundtrack for this movie is so fun and quirky (just like the film itself), and I love how 1920s-ish it is at times.

A Series of Unfortunate Events. As with Titanic, I also used to be obsessed with this movie...I still really like it (maybe I'll watch it again soon and do a post about it?). The soundtrack is sort of wacky and dark, with some really lovely, tender moments. Like the movie. :)

Classic movies:

Singin' in the Rain. I used to listen to this one so often that I had practically every note memorized. :) It's from my favorite classic movie (and musical), so of course I love it to pieces.

The Wizard of Oz. I knew this one almost as well as Singin' in the Rain, though not quite. One of my favorite songs on the album that's sadly underrated: Optimistic Voices. :)

'S Wonderful: Gene Kelly at MGM. This is sort of a "best of" CD. And if you're not obsessed with Gene Kelly, it probably won't impress you. But I happen to love Gene Kelly's dancing and his singing. This album has some of the more popular songs he sang in his MGM musicals.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow: The Golden Age of Hollywood Musicals. I don't even know if this two disc CD is still available or not...I bought it on Amazon years ago. It has tons of random songs from musicals, some very famous (Over the Rainbow, Singin' in the Rain), others somewhat obscure. Along with the That's Entertainment! films, this gave me a great start on a list of films to check out when I first started getting into musicals.

Modern-ish music:

Penelope. Of course this was going to make the list...it's one of my favorite modern films. With the exception of one or two songs, I love this soundtrack. I don't know any of the artists on the album, and when I got it, the only songs that I really loved were Waking Life and the instrumental song from the end of the movie, but the others grew on me. (By the way, Waking Life is sang by Schuyler Fisk. Who I knew nothing about until this past week, when I randomly discovered that she was the girl who played Kristy in the Baby-Sitter's Club movie that I grew up loving! Wow.)

The Hunger Games: Songs from District 12 and Beyond. This isn't technically a soundtrack, though some of the songs do play during the credits of the film. I was interested in this one because 1) it featured the Civil Wars and the Secret Sisters, two artists who I love, and 2) I had heard that a lot of it was sort of bluegrass-sounding. But I never expected to love this CD as much as I do! They did such an amazing job of choosing songs that fit with the spirit and atmosphere of the film perfectly. But while the songs definitely have a Hunger Games vibe, they're so good that I can listen to them anytime, not just when I'm in a soundtrack mood.

You've Got Mail. Again, this shouldn't be a surprise since this is another of my favorite movies. It's just a really good mix of music, with a bit of an oldies influence (Bobby Darin, Louis Armstrong, etc.).

And a couple of other random soundtracks that get honorable mentions, because I love some of the songs from them but they're not absolute favorites: The Sound of Music, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Alice in Wonderland (Tim Burton film), and Fantastic Mr. Fox.

Of course, Disney had to be its own little category. :) These are the Disney soundtracks that I like most (if not all) of the songs from, in no order:

-Beauty and the Beast
-Tangled
-The Lion King
-Enchanted
-Aladdin
-Mulan

I also love certain songs from these: Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Peter Pan, and Frozen, among others. I just really love Disney music. :)

What are some of your favorite movie soundtracks?