20 movies with music from famous musicians

The French film Elevator to the Gallows is one of those films that has more than earned its place in the history of cinema, particularly since it is regarded as a key part of the rise of the French New Wave. It’s a tautly-woven noir about murder but, like many of the other films associated with the New Wave, it also has a feeling of coolness about it. Much of this stems from the film’s soundtrack, which was created by Miles Davis, one of the most notable jazz musicians of his generation. It’s the kind of soundtrack that is perfectly in tune with its film. 

The Last Unicorn, based on the beloved novel by Peter S. Beagle, deserves its place as one of the most beloved fantasy novels, and the same can be said of its film adaptation. It’s a movie with a certain lyrical beauty, and its story about a unicorn who sets out to find the rest of her kind and falls in love with a human along the way is heartbreaking. The film’s melancholy tone is accentuated by its soundtrack, provided by the folk-rock group America. They recorded several songs for the film, including the title track, which is an anthem of longing and melancholy. 

Even though Denis Villeneuve’s two-part adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune has become canonical for many, there’s still much to be said for David Lynch’s bite at the apple from 1984. The film is undeniably strange in the way that most Lynch films are, and arguably, one of the more unusual aspects of this unusual film was the use of the rock group Toto to provide music for the soundtrack. The sound of the film is very much in keeping with the rest of the idiosyncratic vision of one of the most influential works in science fiction, and it would be the only time Toto would work on a soundtrack.

Jim Henson was truly one of the most innovative minds of his generation, and while the Muppets might be his most lasting creation, he also directed a number of other notable films. One of these is the weird and imaginative Labyrinth,  which, among other things, features rock legend David Bowie in the role of the goblin king Jareth. Of course, one doesn’t have David Bowie in the film without having him sing at least a few songs, and the star would go on to record five different tracks for the movie. It’s hard to imagine  Labyrinth having had such an enduring legacy were it not for Bowie’s performance and singing.

The Who are a legendary rock group, and their music has been used extensively in popular culture. One of the most notable examples of this is the film Tommy, which is actually a movie adaptation of their album of the same name. In addition to featuring the music of the group, the band even appear as characters, with Roger Daltrey (the lead singer) playing Tommy. The film is also an embarrassment of riches when it comes to the rest of the cast, which includes such big names as Elton John, Tina Turner, Jack Nicholson, and Ann-Margret. 

David Fincher’s Fight Club wasn’t an enormous success upon its release, but it still managed to strike a chord with many men in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. It features a taut and compelling (and deeply disturbing) story and keeps much of the social commentary of Chuck Palahniuk’s original novel. The Dust Brothers were responsible for the soundtrack, and they managed to perfectly capture the ethos of the film in their music. Like so many other elements of the film it’s like almost nothing else in Hollywood, and it’s hard to imagine Fight Club without its signature sounds.

Waiting to Exhale is one of those films that features an extraordinary cast of performers, including Whitney Houston, Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine, and Lela Rochon, and a truly remarkable soundtrack. This is an album, after all, that contains tracks from Houston herself (who recorded two hits for the film) as well as other R&B artists such as Toni Braxton and Mary J. Blige. It’s a soundtrack that works with the film both sonically and thematically, as it is comprised of a number of songs recorded by Black women. It is a small wonder that it went on to achieve crucial and chart success. 

In many ways, Flash Gordon is pure 1980s camp, with its story about the title character and his effort to defeat the aptly named Ming the Merciless. It undoubtedly has its pulpy pleasures, but it is probably best known these days for its score, which was recorded by none other than the band Queen, which was at the height of its popularity in 1980. It’s a richly imagined score that works well both on its own and as a part of the film itself. It is swelling, powerful, and evocative, like so many of the band’s other beloved hits. 

Harold and Maude is one of those unique films that could only have emerged from the early 1970s. It focuses on the rather strange but touching romance between young man Harold (Bud Cort) and Maude (Ruth Gordon), and while their relationship is definitely a meeting of opposites, somehow it manages to work. It certainly helps that the film features a soundtrack by musician Cat Stevens, whose music fits with the movie's overall tone. It includes not just musical versions of several of his existing hits but also several new songs he created specifically for Harold and Maude. 

Given that The Bodyguard stars Whitney Houston in the role of Rachel Marron, a pop superstar, it makes sense that it would feature the diva’s songs in abundance. With this film, Huston showed that she had what it took to be as much of an appeal on the big screen as she did through her music. Even if one hasn’t watched the movie, almost everyone is familiar with the three big singles that emerged from the film: Houston’s version of “I Will Always Love You,” “I Have Nothing,” and “I Run to You.” The soundtrack, in some ways, became even more successful than the film itself. 

Though the films of DreamWorks have rarely attained the titanic status of their rival Disney, they still manage to have magic all of their own. The Road to El Dorado, for example, is a charming story about a pair of Spanish rogues, Tulio and Miguel, who end up being transported to the New World, where they stumble into the fabled city of El Dorado. In addition to its unique and lush visual design, the film notably features music written and performed by Elton John, who had already proven his Hollywood chops with The Lion King (lyricist Tim Rice provided the lyrics for both). Notably, the music is mostly performed by John outside of the story rather than being sung by the characters. 

Toy Story is, of course, one of the most beloved films to have been made by Pixar. Anchored by great animation, strong storytelling, and the unbreakable bond between toys Woody and Buzz Lightyear, it helped to solidify the studio’s reputation as a power player in the world of animated filmmaking. It’s an undeniably charming film, and part of its appeal certainly stems from Randy Newman’s score, particularly the song “You’ve Got a Friend in Me.” Though the film would have probably been a success even without Newman’s music, its inclusion certainly helped to give it that little extra something that helped to make it a classic. 

Though Tim Burton has produced many extraordinary films during the course of his career, Batman remains one of his most remarkable achievements. In many ways, the entire superhero genre as it exists today labors in the shadow of this film. In addition to its striking visual aesthetic, the film boasts a soundtrack composed by Prince, one of the biggest names in music in the 1980s (and arguably, in 20th-century music writ large). Combined with Danny Elfman’s score, the film was a remarkable meeting of great creative minds, and the results more than speak for themselves.  

Martin Scorsese has long been a director with a singular vision, and he has been responsible for a number of fascinating films. One of his most controversial and moving is The Last Temptation of Christ, which stars Willem Dafoe as Jesus, who grapples with temptation as he faces the inevitability of his death. It’s a moving film, and it is made all the richer by the presence of music from Peter Gabriel, who once served as the lead singer of the band Genesis. He would receive a nomination for Best Original Score at the Golden Globes.

Spike Jonze’s 2013 film Her  is one of those sci-fi gems that manages to grow even more relevant with each passing year, focusing on a disenchanted man who falls in love with his AI assistant. It’s brooding and melancholy, and it features a remarkable soundtrack by indie rock band Arcade Fire. The soundtrack bears unmistakable signs of having been created by the band, and it is remarkably effective at capturing the general sense of sadness, loneliness, and alienation that permeates the film’s story and the performance from lead actor Joaquin Phoenix.

Tron: Legacy, released in 2010, is, of course, a sequel to the cult classic Tron from 1982. The film was a moderate hit, and this was due not just to its visual design and the performances from Jeff Bridges and  Garrett Hedlund but also its soundtrack, which featured music from Daft Punk. By the time Tron: Legacy was released, the group had already established themselves as one of the most famous and successful examples of French house music, and they brought their unique musical sensibilities to this venture (though with slightly fewer synthesizer sounds than one might expect).

David Fincher brings his usual unsparing directorial insight to The Social Network,  which focuses on the rise of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg (played by Jesse Eisenberg). The film is an embarrassment of riches when it comes to the talent involved because not only did writing heavy-hitter Aaron Sorkin write the screenplay, but it was also scored by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, both of whom were famously part of the group Nine Inch Nails. The soundtrack succeeded in its own right, notching a win at the Academy Awards for Best Original Score.

Disney clearly learned a few key lessons from The Lion King, one of which was the value of hiring a big-name musician to comprise the soundtracks for their animated films. In Tarzan — focusing on the title character, a boy raised by gorillas in the jungles of Africa — they turned to Phil Collins, who had found significant chart success as a solo artist and part of the group Genesis. Unlike many other Disney films of the Renaissance, which featured characters singing as a part of the story, Tarzan went in a different direction and had Collins sing the songs in the background, including “You’ll Be in My Heart.”

Most people recognize The Lion King as being one of the jewels in the crown of Disney. While much of its prestige has to do with the glorious animation and the compelling voice acting, its appeal also stems from its stupendous soundtrack, which featured music by rock and roll legend Elton John and lyricist Tim Rice. John even performed several songs on the soundtrack, most notably “The Circle of Life” and “Can You Feel the Love Tonight.” John’s rich vocals and keen musical genius are a key part of the reason that the film’s soundtrack became a success in its own right, and the latter went on to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Mike Nichols directed The Graduate,  the famous film starring Dustin Hoffman as a young man who falls in love first with an older woman (Mrs. Robinson) and then with her daughter. It’s a film that is very much of its time (the late 1960s), and arguably nothing demonstrates this more than its soundtrack, which includes a number of songs from the minds of Simon & Garfunkel, including the famous song “Mrs. Robinson” (which had to be modified to fit the movie) and “The Sound of Silence.” Indeed, it’s hard to imagine the film without these songs, and they helped to make it a key piece of the zeitgeist.