Summer Playlist Week 4: My Favorite Movie Soundtracks

In honor of last week’s playlist post featuring music from The Big Lebowski, I thought I would follow up this week with some of my other favorite soundtracks.

There’s nothing like watching a movie you love and being able to get even more immersed in it by enjoying the music. Or, hearing the song another time and it stirring up the sentiments that go along with it in a film.

Below are some of my favorite film soundtracks where a great movie has the perfect music going along with it and the next 10 songs to add to your summer playlist.

You can listen along on Spotify and check out the videos below. Here’s my favorite scenes that go along with a song I love.

The Movies:

1. The Big Lebowski
2. The Royal Tenenbaums
3. Hunt for the Wilderpeople
4. Lords of Dogtown
5. Harold and Maude
6. Almost Famous
7. Dazed and Confused
8. Inglorious Basterds
9. The Sandlot
10. Without a Paddle

The Songs and Scenes:

1. “The Man In Me” … Bob Dylan in The Big Lebowski

This is the opening song that sets the tone of the movie perfectly. The lyrics foreshadow the plot and it gets you in a groovy mood ready to meet “the Dude.” I love Bob Dylan’s raspy voice and the melodic “la la la’s” that open up this song and movie.

2.  “These Days” … Nico in The Royal Tenenbaums

This movie, like many of Wes Andersons amazing pieces, explores relationships and boundaries in a unique and peculiar way. Margot and Richie share such a warped and loving and complicated relationship, and this scene where he goes to meet her and she steps off the bus with Nico’s sweet and melancholy voice guiding her towards Richie it compliments their relationship and the feelings of this reunion so well.

3. “The Partisan” … Leonard Cohen in Hunt for the Wilderpeople

This movie is seriously so good. Michael’s sister told us about it a while before we finally watched it. It is a New Zealand film that displays the culture and humor of the area so well. When I tried to watch it on an airplane back from London, I didn’t give it long enough to get into it but was so happy when we watched it later. This song strikes such a chord with viewers as you see the quirky relationship between Ricky and his foster dad take on a new level during their hideout.

4. “Old Man” …  Neil Young in Lords of Dogtown

I love this movie and the music in it so much. It is fun, it is well done and it takes you along on an awesome ride. The scene where Jay Adams, played by Emile Hirsch, shaves his head is remarkably moving. It marks his transition away from who he was in the beginning of the movie and when he and his friends started getting big in the skate scene. As you watch his long locks fall to the floor you see the fall of his friendship and the growing apart that comes with the professional world of Skateboarding in the 70’s.

5. “If you Want to Sing out” … Cat Stevens in Harold and Maude

The first, and only time I saw Harold and Maude was with my mom in Hawaii. Spending summers there meant lots of days at the beach and lots of days nursing a sunburn and relaxing with a good movie. I think I was just about 11 or 12 and was weirded out, moved, laughing and tearing up all within the same hour. This song carries the ultimate lesson and and sums up the relationship in this movie so well.

6. “Tiny Dancer” … Elton John in Almost Famous

I’m such a sucker for this movie and like many girls who watched it wanted, I wanted to be Penny Lane. Like Dazed and Confused coming up next on the list, this just has an amazing soundtrack all around given the time period it is in and of course the actual plot of the movie. The bus scene where things have gotten out of hand with the band and they are able to remedy the hurt and tension of the last few days by singing together just shows the power of music which I why i love it so much and it is such a popular scene.

7. “No More Mr. Nice Guy” … Alice Cooper in Dazed and Confused

I have so many memories from watching Dazed and Confused in middle school. My friends and I would fight over Pink, but I was really just in love with Mitch. This whole soundtrack is gold, probably just because it’s set within my favorite music era, so it is hard to choose just one song. I already have “Hurricane” on the summer playlist but I fell in love with that song because of this movie and got really into Bob Dylan from there. (**I had to convince my 6th grade English teacher to let me use a Bob Dylan biography in our book reports and got very immersed. Although, not as much as the time I pleaded to be John Lennon for my famous dead American project the year before even though he was only a citizen for 4 years before dying…but that’s another story) My pick for this week has to be one of the Alice Cooper songs in the film. The scene where MItch gets totally worked by the senior guys also puts him in good graces and sets him up for the best night of his summer.

8. “Cat People” … David Bowie in Inglorious Basterds

This is my favorite scene of the whole movie. You are rooting for Shoshana to pull of this insane act and get all pumped up with the music building up as she gets ready. The way it trails in and out through her getting ready and mingling at the film party and as the plan starts unfolding is so good.

9. “Green Onions” … Booker T. & the M.G.s in The Sandlot

This is such a nostalgic movie for me, and most children of the 90s. I loved Benny Rodriguez, was terrified of the beast, loved and still do love Wendy Peffercorn’s red suit and white shades when she’s perched on the lifeguard tower before Squince makes his big move, and I still quote “forever..forever…” on a monthly basis. This soundtrack is packed with early 60s classics being set in 1962 and that is the same year one of my favorite tunes from the song was recorded. It’s perfect in the showdown scene between the rival teams.

9. “Can’t you Hear me Knocking” … The Rolling Stones in Without a Paddle

Without a Paddle is equally heartwarming as it is hilarious, and it has a great soundtrack to boot. I am torn with the perfect memory sequence of the young friends and their belongings as they age playing along with “Ooh La La” by the Faces and other great songs but it’s hard to beat The Stones on a good summer playlist. This song plays while the crew of ridiculous friends has to run through a burning marijuana field and although I can’t find a video of it yet, I promise it’s good!

What are some of your favorite movie soundtracks or scenes? Let me know in the comments!