Movie Soundtracks by Famous Musicians

Famous musicians often collaborate with movie directors to produce soundtracks for films. Here are some of the biggest success stories falling under this category, many of the tracks have become classic songs in their own right, and the composers even more famous for having written them.

The Lion King – Elton John

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Elton John wrote the music for the Disney animated movie The Lion King alongside Tim Rice and Hans Zimmer. There were many songs on the soundtrack which became timeless favourites for kids and adults alike such as Hakuna Matata, The Circle of Life and I Just Can’t Wait to be King to name the most famous. Thanks to the success of the soundtrack the movie was made into a Broadwa musical in 1997, one of the biggest musicals ever produced by Disney Theatrical winning a Tony Award in 1998 for Best Musical. It is Broadway’s fourth longest running show in history and the highest grossing Broadway production of all time, having grossed more than $1 billion. The show went on stage in nineteen locations worldwide, running for many years. The Broadway and West End versions are still running to date and there continues to be new show openings, for example in Switzerland starting in 2015.

Into the Wild – Eddy Vedder

Eddy Vedder, the lead singer of one of the most famous and longstanding Indie rock band’s, Pearl Jam, turned his hand to the soundtrack of Into The Wild (2007). This is the biographical tale of Christopher McCandless’ adventure (fantastically played by Emile Hirsch) across North America and his time spent in the wilderness of Alaska after giving up everything and giving away all his savings to charity. It’s a beautiful movie capturing the essence of this boy’s spirit and ultimately, loneliness. The soundtrack reflects his mental and physical journey during this stunning, captivating portrayal in this epic drama directed by Sean Penn. The song Guaranteed (Vedder) was nominated for Best Original Song at the Golden Globes. Eddie Vedder sings most of the original songs on the soundtrack, written by him, Michael Brook and Kaki King. Kristen Stewart also makes a musical appearance when she performs onstage in the film as her character Tracy Tatro in Tracy’s Song.

Despicable Me 2 – Pharrell Williams

The original music for the animated sequel Despicable Me 2 (2013), which some would say it is better than the first, was written by Pharrell Williams alongside Heitor Pereira. The most famous song to come out of this semi-superhero movie would be Happy (Pharrell) which reached Nº1 in the US, the UK (on three separate occasions), Canada, New Zealand and 20 other countries. Unfortunately for Pharrell he missed out on an Academy Award (for Best Original Song) to Let It Go from Frozen but hey, he sold over 10 million copies worldwide and he won the Critics Choice Movie Award for Best Song, so he’s got to be pretty Happy. The other original songs by the superstar were Scream, Just a Cloud Away, Fun Fun Fun and Despicable Me.

Quadrophenia – The Who

Quadrophenia (1979) is a cult classic based on the musical era that involved the battles between the Mods and Rockers. The backdrop for this movie is a bank holiday weekend in Brighton and the soundtrack was lovingly prepared and written by super band The Who. The movie was written loosely based on the Rock Opera Quadrophenia by The Who in 1973. The band also wrote the soundtrack to Tommy which unlike Quadrophenia (the film) was a musical. This movie brings you violence, arrests, sex, riots, depression, drugs a killer soundtrack and stars a young Sting, Ray Winstone, Toyah Wilcox, Timothy Spall, Leslie Ash and Phil Daniels.

Flash Gordon – Queen

Flash Gordon was the ninth studio album and first soundtrack written by Queen (the second being Highlander). Although the album only reached Nº1 in the UK charts, and 23 in the US, it has surpassed many other soundtracks for its affectivity and power of delivery. The movie, these days, seems dated, the effects are beyond retro, there’s some seriously questionable acting and costumes from a Priscilla Queen of the Dessert/Jean Paul Gaultier wardrobe, but, and this is a big but, it’s just a classic. Just lay back and think of Emperor Ming, Brian Blessed and a whole bucket of presumptuous, action packed, sultry, battle for galactic domination with an all-American attitude. The most famous song is the title song Flash. If it’s before your time let it be an oldie, but a goody, and give it a chance.

8 Mile – Eminem

8 Mile by Eminem received an Academy Award for best original song in 2002. This movie depicts a downtrodden young guy B Rabbit (who is apparently “not at all” Eminem despite having the same address, maternal and spousal problems as the man himself) living in a trailer with his alcoholic cougar of a mum and sister on the wrong side of the Detroit track, is a tumultuous tale of a man trying to develop himself as well as his talent in a destitute scenario. Faith, trust and the love for his innocent little sister, alongside a shed load of flair for writing and performing rap, provide Rabbit with enough to pursue his inner self and push on through and go for his “one shot”. The soundtrack, mainly provided by Eminem, is award winning, largely due to the lead single Lose Yourself, and perfectly complements the train of the movie’s psyche. The battles are a highlight of the film as well as the music and the all-star cast (Eminem, Brittany Murphy, Kim Basinger, Mekhi Phifer, Xzibit, Obie Trice…).

The Princess Bride – Mark Knopfler

The Princess Bride is an all time audience-age defying classic. This movie surpasses so many in its genre(s) with its wit, originality, humour, class, diversity and of course cast (see a very young Robin Wright, Fred Savage, Billy Crystal, Christopher Guest, Wallace Shawn and the late Andre The Giant for example). This is a one of a kind all-time must-see movie for both kids and adults with no special effects to speak of, except a giant and a six fingered man! Mark Knopfler (of Dire Straits fame) provided the perfect soundtrack for this swashbuckling, fairy tale-like, fantasy, adventure love story.