Soundtracks are often associated with classical musicians. In the 30s and 40s classical composers such as Max Steiner and Miklos Rozsa established the way soundtracks should sound. As time passed, jazz began to be incorporated into the genre by the likes of Quincy Jones and Lalo Schifrin, jazz musicians who brought a lot of eclecticism to soundtracks.

Movie scores started to go in different experimental ways, there were orchestral cues, jazz cues, rock cues, bossa nova cues, pop cues, everything was possible. After the 60s, New Hollywood directors like Martin Scorses and George Lucas incorporated pop songs into movies. Easy Rider’s soundtrack became a huge success, consisting only of pop/rock songs. After that directors started to hire pop/rock artists to record songs for movies, such as Simon & Garfunkel in The Graduate.

Finally rock groups began to write incidental music for movies (Goblin, Tangerine Dream, Pink Floyd), creating new possibilities for the soundtrack genre. This list focuses on musicians who had a career in pop music before they started to work as soundtrack composers, achieving success creating instrumental scores for movies.

20. Air – The Virgin Suicides

Sofia Coppola’s tale about puritanism, repression, and depression is scored by the French duo Air, an influential indie-electronic group that has a special esteem for soundtracks. The score has its highlights when the duo decides to pay tribute to their heroes Michel Legrand and François de Roubaix, French film composers who had a knack for beautiful sad melodies, in tracks such as Playground Love and Highschool Lover.

19. Michael Penn and Jon Brion – Hard Eight

Michael Penn achieved some success in the late 80s with his single No Myth, but his career as a pop musician did not obtain the same fame as his brothers, actors Sean and Chris. Since the 90s Penn has been working on many soundtracks and his debut was for Paul Thomas Anderson’s neo-noir Hard Eight. The score is really sparse throughout the movie which doesn’t make it less important. Clementine’s Loop is a terrifying track that appears right on the first scene, anticipating the troubles there are about to come in this Casino-esque Story. The rest of the score contains interesting jazzy noir cliches with vibraphone and organ minor melodies.

18. Neil Young – Dead Man

Jim Jarmusch’s spiritual tale about the unlike outlaw, William Blake, and his Native American guide, Nobody, was scored by Neil Young, a notorious supporter of Native American causes and guitar noises. Using guitar, organ and lots of effects, the Canadian rock legend was capable of creating a very interesting soundtrack that offers a lot of intensity to the poetic atmosphere of the movie. Since the images and words carry a lot of meaning in the movie, the minimalist ferocity of the score helps to underscore the feelings on screen.

17. Dust Brothers – Fight Club

David Fincher intended to break new ground as he hired the famous duo of producers, The Dust Brothers, to create the soundtrack for his cult classic Fight Club. The duo created tracks filled with drum loops, electronic scratches and computerized samples to score Chuck Palahniuk’s book adaptation. The tracks sound robotic and repetitive – as the routine of the anti-hero’s life- and urgent and violent when he starts the Fight Club. The result is a nontraditional movie score that contributes a lot to the movie’s frantic aggressiveness and paranoia.

16. Arcade Fire – Her

Spike Jonze has always worked with pop artists in his career as a director, directing many videoclips, including some memorable work for Bjork and The Beastie Boys. Her was not the first time he hired a pop musician to compose a soundtrack, Karen O from The Yeah Yeah Yeahs did the soundtrack for Where the Wild Things Are, doing a fairly good job.

For the love story of a lonely man in love with his computer system, he called the Canadian indie group Arcade Fire. The result was a very beautiful score. Slow paced and melancholic, the score serves as a background for Joaquin Phoenix’s character’s lonely moments and reminiscences of his ex-wife, as well as tieing up the plot twists.

15. Mark Mothersbaugh – The Royal Tenenbaums

Wes Anderson is a notorious enthusiast of the use of pop songs in his movies. There are many examples of famous songs by pop/rock artists in his movies. When he resorts to incidental music, he usually hires Devo’s member Mark Mothersbaugh to compose it. Mothersbaugh has a long career in composing music for TV shows, commercials, and movies. In this tale about the eccentric family of depressed geniuses, the Devo frontman created some great tracks like 111 Archer Avenue, Mothersbaugh’s Canon and Sparkplug Minuet, that express the bittersweet feeling of the picture.

14. Serge Gainsbourg – Le Pacha

Gainsbourg composed many soundtracks in his career, but none could reach the same level of quality as his albums. Of course, the movies themselves were not masterpieces; he frequently worked as a composer for kitsch erotic French movies, especially in the 70s. Before that, in 1968, he composed two soundtracks for two “serious” movies: Manon 70 and Le Pacha.

Le Pacha stands out as Gainsbourg’s highlight as a movie score composer. The main track, Requiem Por Un Con, is classic Gainsbourg: hypnotic beat, great arrangement, and controversial lyrics. Psychastenie is an addictive instrumental groove with sitars. Joss à la Calavados is a jazz ballad that smells like a pack of Gauloises Gainsbourg had just smoked. The overall result is a great soundtrack mixing songs and incidental music.

13. RZA – Ghost Dog

Jim Jarmusch’s take on Jean Claude Melville’s Le Samourai is a movie that talks about ancient cultures and values. Transposing the Samurai story to a 90’s urban environment, Jarmusch chose Wu Tang Clan’s member RZA, a notorious enthusiast of Buddhist and Taoist values, to compose the soundtrack.

The result is a surprisingly good score, composed mainly of hip-hop instrumental beats, that add up a lot of value especially for the takes in which Jarmusch focuses on Forest Whitaker, whether he is driving a stolen car, practicing martial arts or resting with his pigeons. Much similar to Alain Delon in Le Samourai, Whitaker is a silent character, who says much more by not saying anything and RZA’s tracks contribute a lot to the expression of these moments.

12. Marvin Gaye – Trouble Man

After releasing the acclaimed What’s Going On in 1971, Marvin Gaye signed a new deal with Motown which allowed him to produce and compose the soundtrack of the movie Trouble Man. Following the success of Curtis Mayfield’s Superfly and Isaac Hayes’ Shaft, the Motown singer was another renowned soul artist who stepped in the soundtrack genre.

Marvin Gaye composed mainly instrumental tracks, jams played by The Funk Brothers. Trouble Man and T Plays It Cool are upbeat funky tracks that set the Blaxploitation tone of the movie. But the highlight is Cleo’s Apartment; starting with some atmospheric orchestration, the track turns into a beautiful soul lament, a vocal song without lyrics, in which Marvin Gaye can put all his emotion and soul.

11. Jonny Greenwood – Phantom Thread

Since their first work together in 2007, There Will Be Blood, Jonny Greenwood and Paul Thomas Anderson have been building up a partnership in the likes of Bernard Herrmann and Alfred Hitchcock, in which movies and soundtracks are almost an indistinct unity, given the level of synchronicity and dialogue between them.

The Radiohead guitar player used a 60-piece orchestra to create a lavish soundtrack. The arrangements are refined in order to serve the film. PT Anderson filming style usually does not allow original scores to be flamboyant or to overpass the scenes. When he wants music to be in the limelight, he tends to resort to pop music, which can be exemplified by some Boogie Nights scenes. Greenwood’s baroque compositions fit perfectly the movie’s tone and show a composer who has a lot to contribute to the genre.

Sometimes a song used within a film fits so perfectly that it would be criminal to imagine the scene it’s used in without it, whilst at the same time, a song can instantly remind a person of that very scene. The memorable songs played in films, whether serving as simple backing music or more directly infused within a scene can also have a direct and fundamental influence on a person’s overall musical taste.

A talented director and their carefully selected sound department’s record choices can serve as a great inspiration, educating audiences in certain genres of music that may have previously been unknown to them, in turn, opening up doors to a wider selection of music a person may consider themselves to be a fan of.

Regardless of genre or decade, whether it’s a selection of new music, remastered workings, original songs, or the use of older songs that serve to teach younger audiences of the wonders of era-defining tracks, the close link between cinema and music has always been present, as the chosen music on a soundtrack serves to mould and influence the style and mood of a film, whilst also expertly crafting a remarkable soundtrack that can quite often be as cherished as its partnering film itself.

This list does not take into consideration, instrumental scores (sorry John Williams, Hans Zimmer, James Horner and Ennio Morricone), nor does it make allowance for the inclusion of musicals or animated ode-heavy productions (this time sorry to all Disney productions, Blues Brothers, Grease, Les Miserables, The Sound of Music, Singin’ in the Rain and Mary Poppins), and finally, this list doesn’t account for music films that are solely platforms to showcase one artists songs (looking at you, Michael Jackson, Prince and The Beatles). Essentially, here are the best mix tapes compiled for a movie soundtrack.

20. Lost Highway (1997)

David Lynch’s peculiar “Lost Highway”, much like a number of his perplexing films, has built an impressive cult following over the past 20 years since its release, thanks to it blending of neo-noir, psychological thriller and horror aspects, as well as its dark, industrial rock soundtrack, produced by the Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor who has since become a pioneering genius in the construction of a number of remarkable film scores.

Away from the films haunting score, which was produced by Reznor, along with long term Lynch collaborator Angelo Badalamenti, and Barry Adamson, “Lost Highway” compiled a collection of evocative tracks that perfectly embodied the haunting composition of the gothic film. The album itself proved to be a surprising critical success, going on to sell over half a million copies worldwide.

As the penetrative film’s opening sequence begins with David Bowie’s weirdly poignant synth track “I’m Deranged”, it later reuses a different edit of the track during the end credits, whilst the rest of the soundtrack is made up of a number of industrial rock and metal tracks from Marilyn Manson, Rammstein, Smashing Pumpkins, along with Reznor’s Nine Inch Nails, that to this day personify 90’s rock music reminiscence, making the right aged audience want to dig out their baggy hoodies and chain/ wallet combination.

Best Song – Nine Inch Nails – “The Perfect Drug” (1997)

19. Pretty in Pink (1986)

Now a frequent TV show director, this was Howard Deutch’s first attempt at filmmaking, “Pretty in Pink” is a romanticised tale of an outcast teenage girl and her rise to high school fame thanks to the attention of a rich jock boy, whilst simultaneously her faithful best friends affections go unnoticed.

A formula that has been used on a number of occasions since, in turn, along with writer John Hughes’ other penned films, “The Breakfast Club”, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” and “Sixteen Candles” it has since been considered a cornerstone of the teen comedy genre.

What all the writer’s successful teen comedies during the 1980’s have in common is the fundamental requirement for an upbeat, relatable soundtrack, that is full of loveable new wave pop songs that will pull at the heart strings of their target audience. This was never achieved quite as impressively as it was in “Pretty in Pink”, using a number of psychedelic synth harmonies that were both blissful and catchy, each song served as a perfect commentary to Molly Ringwald’s lead, Andie’s confusing high school life.

Each track, an embodiment of awkward teenage life and their attitudes, whether that be portraying sadness, antipathy, melancholia, or trying to be cool and fit in, each track fit the bill, including numbers from Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, The Smiths, New Order, Echo & The Bunnymen, INXS, and the titular “Pretty in Pink” by The Psychedelic Furs.

Best Song – Echo & The Bunnymen – “Bring on the Dancing Horses” (1985)

18. The Big Lebowski (1998)

“The Big Lebowski” in true Coen Brothers fashion has a stylised opening sequence accompanied by Bob Dylan’s harmonious “The Man In Me”, which is then later reused as backdrop in a psychedelic hallucination scene, following the lead character being knocked unconscious during an immoral crime resulting in a stolen rug.

It is melodic symphonies such as this Bob Dylan track that sets the entire tone of the film, taking the lead character Jeff Lebowski, otherwise known as The Dude’s laidback mentality of life and channelling it further through the means of musical selection.

In a film that makes being a layabout slacker with a penchant for bowling and White Russians a highly desirable career path, it revels in its relaxed feel good mannerisms.

“The Big Lebowski” has a number of sun soaked guitar hits that depict the cool and calm nature of California living, and more importantly, the attitude of The Dude himself, including, Eagles “Peaceful Easy Feeling”, Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Lookin’ Out My Back Door”, Elvis Costello’s “My Mood Swings” and Gipsy King’s Spanish infused mix of Eagles classic track “Hotel California”.

Its most notable song selection however is the inclusion of country legend Kenny Rogers’ catchy “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)”, an effortlessly cool track that is said to be about the dangers of LSD consumption, here functioning as a perfect fitting theme tune for a bizarre and delirious dream sequence, involving a number of suggestive bowling innuendos and hilarious dance moves, that in turn serves as a charming front for a sexual encounter between Jeff Bridges’ lead and Julianne Moore’s unrelated Maude Lebowski.

Best Song – Kenny Rogers – “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)” (1967)

17. American Pie (1999)

The divisive “American Pie” franchise has consistently proved itself to be a fundamental pioneer in alternative music, giving a much deserved stage to a number of adored rock bands from across the globe to provide their work to the energetic teen comedy films, most notably that of the pop punk sub-genre. As many pop punk bands such as Blink 182, Sum 41, Sugar Ray, Goldfinger, American Hi-Fi, Lit and The Offspring along with many others have contributed to the franchise’s soundtracks over the years.

Whilst the calibre of films within the “American Pie” franchise have no doubt declined as the years have passed, the original entry, a staple of modern pop culture, served as a hilarious gross out comedy with a number of remarkable scenes that won’t be forgotten in a hurry.

As well as serving as an educational and terrifying introduction into puberty for many of teens in the early 2000’s, the film at times provided a lot of heart, most notably through the main character Jim’s dad, played by Eugene Levy and his compassionate desire to connect with his son and guide him through the difficult time in his life.

The film’s influential soundtrack was perfect for its era, seamlessly summing up the alternative music scene between the late 90’s to early 2000’s, essentially through Blink 182’s highly underrated album track “Mutt” and the inclusion of Canadian rock band The Barenaked Ladies exceptionally unique flagship track “One Week” which was also used in another teen comedy “10 Things I Hate About You” in the same year.

Best Song – Barenaked Ladies – “One Week” (1998)

16. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

Along with his Music Supervisor Randall Poster, Wes Anderson’s propensity for song miscellany has been applauded over the years, most markedly, in the animated “Fantastic Mr. Fox”, as well as “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou”, “Rushmore”, and debatably their finest hour in ditty selections, “The Royal Tenenbaums”.

Anderson’s artistic style rarely fluctuates, opting for a unique and unusual flair of flamboyance and elegance, whilst permeating a soft glowing feeling of warmth and comfort, which is never more apparent than in his visual camera pallet, and jubilant soundtracks.

Its best song choices are the inclusion of Nico’s cosy sounding “These Days” which plays over the slow motion introduction of Gwyneth Paltrow’s fascinating Margot Tenenbaum, a character adored in the real life world of fashion, as well the profoundly heart breaking track “Needle in the Hay” by Elliot Smith, which floods a harrowing scene with depth in which Richie Tenenbaum locks himself in the bathroom and attempts to commit suicide, a truly powerful collaboration between song and cinema.

The film also includes the songs, “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard” by Paul Simon, “Stephanie Says” by The Velvet Underground, The Ramones “Judy is a Punk”, “Police & Thieves” by The Clash, Bob Dylan’s “Wigwam” and John Lennon’s emotional “Look at Me”. Further listening will find lesser known golden tracks from Emitt Rhodes and Nick Drake.

Best Song – Paul Simon – “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard” (1972)

15. Drive (2011)

Nicolas Winding Refn’s 80’s motivated ultra-violent slow burner “Drive” has a highly distinctive style, combining era inspired music and slick, stunning visuals, it was a surprise indie hit in mainstream cinema, no doubt thanks to its compelling lead man Ryan Gosling as well as its bestselling soundtrack which has been critically applauded. It opens with Kavinsky’s catchy synth pop track “Nightcall” featuring vocalist Lovefoxxx, beautifully accompanied by its remarkable bright blue visual tones and hot pink lettered titles.

It’s character and tone are exquisitely defined by its gorgeously executed cinematography and its compelling music from this opening scene as the driver navigates the city streets, until the end credits roll, the selected records tell as much of the story as the film’s narrative and often subdued lead man, forming a story told in an almost opera format that builds to its final climatic crescendo.

The neo-noir inspired film’s wrap around song is College & Electric Youth’s adored melody “Real Hero”, which stands as a stunning standalone track, whilst pumping emotional life into a number scenes, telling the tale of a flawed anti-hero with compassion and human investment, that despite all odds, looks beyond other’s faults to help them.

As well as a gripping score from Cliff Martinez, its other great music selections includes, Desire’s enchanting “Under Your Spell”, The Chromatics “Tick of the Clock” and the absorbing “Oh My Love”, an opera composition by Riz Ortolani and Katyana Ranieri previously used on 1971’s Italian film “Goodbye Uncle Tom”.

Best Song – College & Electric Youth – “A Real Hero” (2011)

Films have served as a gateway for people of all ages, races, orientations, and generations since the first public demonstration of a camera-projector system in 1895. Throughout the years, motion pictures have made audiences weep, contemplate, laugh, test social boundaries and dream with more color and imagination than ever before. The world of cinema is an organism unto itself, ever maturing and changing along with the environment around it.

Motion pictures with their humble beginnings as short, black & white, silent adventures have grown over time, not just with their mythical leaps of cinematography, but their intrepid steps into soundtracks and scores – revolutionizing the industry and creating new experiences for audiences everywhere. Motion pictures were no longer a journey just for the eyes, but were now a pilgrimage for other senses to enjoy as well. It was this vault into a new world of film making that still shakes screenwriters, directors, and composers alike – always leaving themselves, spectators, and future generations hungry for the next life-altering creation to hit hearts and theaters.

From the cheeky piano bursts accompanying silent films to fabled scores such as that for Star Wars (1977) by John Williams, film and music are truly a timeless marriage– and it is in honor of this marriage that we come together today to celebrate the 25 Great Films Made Perfect By Their Outstanding Soundtracks. These films are famously and eternally respected for their extraordinary qualities, both visual and auditory, which echo through cinema history.

25. Kill Bill Volume 1 (2003)

Quentin Tarantino appears on this list multiple times, but how better to kick things off than with Kill Bill Volume 1? This amazing film quite literally starts off with a bang, but not just in the storyline. t\The opening song for Quentin Tarantino’s fourth film is “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)” by Nancy Sinatra – a poignant and alluring opening to this notorious album.

Tarantino, being a dedicated pop culture musicologist, is well-known for his remarkable ability to accentuate films with their soundtracks. From sultry, smoky Nancy Sinatra to the song “Twisted Nerve” growing from a buoyant whistle to a haunting symphonic discord meant to unnerve – this highly stylized film of revenge reaches new heights. In addition, musical appearances of the RZA, The 5.6.7.8.’s, Santa Esmeralda, and Bernard Herrmann accompany the ever-memorable “Crazy 88’s,” infamous Bill, and the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad. Every scene featuring its pop culture appropriate spouse.

Kill Bill, with its all-encompassing genious, both in its eclectic cinematography and auditory brilliance, remains a Quentin Tarantino masterpiece.

24. Lost In Translation (2003)

Director Sofia Coppola, daughter of Francis Ford Coppola, released her second film, Lost in Translation, following The Virgin Suicides – which was an instant critical success.

French electronic space pop band Air–who previously scored The Virgin Suicides teams up again with Coppola , to make yet another cinematic home run. In addition to Air, Lost in Translation heightens its emotional journey with the help of musical artists such as Kevin Shields, Phoenix, and My Bloody Valentine – complimenting every step Scarlet Johansson and Bill Murray take.

From “Alone in Kyoto,” following Johansson’s journey through Kyoto, to the emotional and endearing karaoke scene featuring the songs “Brass in Pocket,” “More Than This,” and “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace Love & Understanding” this film’s hazy beauty is perfectly defined by its soundtrack, which is subtle in its tremendous passion.

This impressionistic romance is as fascinating and disarming as its soundtrack and deserves eternal applause from spectators and filmmakers.

23. Garden State (2004)

Zach Braff’s debut film, Garden State, has reached far beyond being simply an extraordinary movie due to its revolutionary soundtrack. Braff single-handedly helped build the careers of many of today’s best-selling artists. Personally selecting every song featured on this legendary soundtrack, Braff stole the hearts of many, and shaped the popular music of tomorrow.

Musical artists Coldplay, the Shins, Zero 7, Nick Drake, Simon & Garfunkel, Frou Frou, and Iron & Wine all took this inspiring film to an unprecedented level, leaving their mark on generations to follow. Garden State is an unforgettable musical journey perfectly exemplifying its emotional nuances.

With so many illustrious moments, both visually and musically, such as when Natalie Portman offers Zach Braff her headset, saying “You gotta hear this one song – it’ll change your life; I swear.” The scene features the iconic song, “New Slang” by the Shins, and the heart-rending scream into the infinite abyss illuminated by Simon & Garfunkel’s song, “The Only Living Boy in New York.” Braff truly captured everything painful, all-consuming, and beautiful about this film with his time-honored, influential soundtrack.

22. Natural Born Killers (1994)

Director Oliver Stone pairs with writer Quentin Tarantino and emerges with what’s been deemed as one of the most controversial films of all time: Natural Born Killers.

It is not only the film’s courageous and stand-out story that captivates audiences, but also its genius style – consisting of black and white scenes, animation, and frenzied color schemes all working together with its perfect musical compilation. The soundtrack was nearly as callous and clashing as the film itself in its juxtaposing of singer-songwriter legend Leonard Cohen with grunge and riot-grrrl artist L7, making this soundtrack as controversial and memorable as the film.

With additional appearances from Nine Inch Nails, Duane Eddy, and Bob Dylan, it’s when Stone amasses this devastating and challenging compilation of juxtaposed artists that Natural Born Killers truly reaches perfection – telling this erratic, violent, and contentious story through its wildly relevant music.

Leonard Cohen starts and finishes Natural Born Killers with the songs “Waiting For a Miracle” and “The Future,” which absolutely encompass this roller coaster of a film.

21. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)

The Coen brothers offer the crowd-pleasing re-imagining of Homer’s “Odyssey” in this musical adventure-comedy, with a soundtrack as widely regarded as the film itself.

O Brother, Where Art Thou? is unique in that nearly every song appearing on the soundtrack plays an enormous role in the film’s storyline. Whereas soundtracks often create the atmosphere necessary to truly experience a film in all its dimensions, this musical compilation takes that principal to a new level by playing into the progression of the characters throughout the film. With such songs as “Man of Constant Sorrow,” “Hard Time Killing Floor Blues,” “Didn’t Leave Nobody but the Baby,” “O Death,” and “Down to the River to Pray” we listen and watch the story unfold.

This film’s instant critical success was largely due to its originality in story and comedic all-star cast, but even moreso due to its astounding and ever enjoyable soundtrack, which stands fifteen years later as still one of the most unique and fantastic soundtracks ever to appear in a film.

20. High Fidelity (2000)

John Cusack perfectly sums up this musically empowered comedy-drama at the very start of the film when he utters the iconic line, “Did I listen to pop music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to pop music?” Ultimately, High Fidelity is one of the greatest cinematic interpretations of love and pop culture yet to be released.

High Fidelity stands, appropriately, as one of the greatest pop culture soundtrack compilations ever to showcase a film, with songs such as “You’re Gonna Miss Me,” “Always See Your Face,” “Dry the Rain,” “Lo Boob Oscillator,” and “Cold Blooded Old Times,” it’s this film’s grandiose musical achievement that still sets the ultimate tone for the modern love-struck punks searching for their top-five brokenhearted pop classics.

Of course, it only makes sense that this infamous record store owner would compile such a tremendous mix that truly motivates his story; a story that still relates to so many today.

So, grab a bottle of red wine and get ready for the perfect date night – you and High Fidelity.

19. Goodfellas (1990)

Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas – this epic non-fiction crime film features the original gritty and dynamic take on the “wise guys” of organized crime. Scorsese delivers a flat-out astounding film all around.

Goodfellas represents what a gangster-crime film should be: coarse, smart-mouthed, and direct. But, this all-around success wouldn’t be complete without its soundtrack. Scorsese only chose songs that commented on the scenes and that would have been heard at the time, creating not only a gratifying soundtrack, but a realistic one as well. He also took his soundtrack a step further, and would have songs playing on set during the scenes they would share the screen with, allowing them to comment between dialogue and create an atmosphere for the cast.

Thanks to Scorsese, this already critically acclaimed film then came packaged with many great artists including Aretha Franklin, Bobby Darin, Derek and the Dominoes, Tony Bennett, Cream, the Chantels, and many more. This collection ties every classic scene together, each more memorable than the last.

18. A Clockwork Orange (1971)

Stanley Kubrick released this 1971 dystopian crime film – emerging with a scintillating combination of psychotic and disturbing iconography and enduring classical undertones.

This vexing film, A Clockwork Orange, reveals its true identity through its juxtaposition of musical compositions – with a soundtrack composed of music by Wendy Carlos (then Walter Carlos) and Beethoven. This already dangerous cinematic ride extends its thematic derision through its musical melancholy. With the haunting appearances of songs such as “The Thieving Magpie,” “Ninth Symphony, Second Movement,” “William Tell Overture,” and “Suicide Scherzo,” Kubrick takes his extraordinary talents and creates, , a success although a controversial one.

It has been suggested that A Clockwork Orange may be Kubrick’s greatest film due to its indelible influence and social significance. This film hits viewers simultaneously in their psyches and their stomachs, leaving them haunted and transformed. This is a definite must-see, although perhaps a painful one.