Top 20 Single-Artist Soundtracks

From sci-fi classics and dystopian dramas to rom-coms and thrillers, Classic Pop counts down the Top 20 single-artist soundtracks
Words by Barry Page

Over the years, picking the right music for a movie or TV series has often proven to be as important as casting or directorial choices, and some multi-artist soundtracks are among the biggest-selling albums of all time.

There have, however, been many instances in the realm of film and television in which trust has been placed in just one act to align their unique artistry with the visuals.

Discounting albums that include tracks by other artists (which rules out The Bodyguard), and with a strict rule of one LP per act (apologies, Prince fans), here are 20 of our favourite single-artist movie and TV soundtracks.

20 Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers – She’s The One (1996)

The soundtrack for the romantic comedy She’s The One was a hotchpotch of Wildflowers leftovers, covers and new songs, but it holds together surprisingly well – contrary to criticism such as EW’s remark: “Moms make their leftovers into casseroles, while record companies make theirs into soundtracks.” Tom Petty himself wasn’t exactly enthusiastic about the project, telling Men’s Journal: “I only did it because I didn’t have anything else to do.”

19 The Chemical Brothers – Hanna (2011)

Celebrated director Joe Wright was already well acquainted with The Chemical Brothers, having been part of a creative collective that married stunning visuals to the duo’s dynamic electronics and block rockin’ beats, and their award-winning score for the flashy action thriller Hanna played a big part in its success. “You can expect an extraordinarily loud, thumping, deeply funky score that will not disappoint,” Wright enthused to Film Star Rejects. He’s not wrong.

18 Big Country – Restless Natives (1985)

At the height of their popularity, Big Country were approached to score Michael Hoffman’s Restless Natives, a comedic tale of two modern-day highwaymen. Infused with the Scots’ signature twin-guitar sound, the music was spread across two 12″ B-sides, and later collected on 1998’s Restless Natives & Rarities. “I loved being involved with this,” frontman Stuart Adamson wrote in the liner notes. “Writing music to add colour and mood to visual images is often the way I like to work on songs.”

17 Enya – Enya (1986)

Former Clannad member Enya’s big solo break arrived after cutting the soundtrack for the BBC’s six-part cultural series, The Celts: Rich Traditions And Ancient Myths. Doubling up as her self-titled debut album, the singer’s ethereal tones piqued the interest of WEA, and global success beckoned. Later reconfigured for the international market as The Celts, it spawned a minor hit in the title cut, but many readers will also recognise Boadicea, which The Fugees sampled for the chart-topper Ready Or Not.

16 Stevie Wonder – Jungle Fever (1991)

Following a somewhat patchy decade in which hits such as I Just Called To Say I Love You were cruelly parodied, Motown legend Stevie Wonder restored some credibility with his OST for Jungle Fever, an acclaimed Spike Lee drama that addressed crack addiction and interracial relationships. Wonder reportedly read the script in braille and was sent scenes from the movie. “Stevie goes to the movies all the time,” Lee told Slate. “He has someone, an assistant, whisper to him what the imagery is.”

15 Wang Chung – To Live And Die In L.A. (1985)

Best known in the UK for their 1984 hit Dance Hall Days (once earmarked for Thriller, no less), Wang Chung were practically household names in the US, where they went on to register huge success with Let’s Go! and Everybody Have Fun Tonight. At William Friedkin’s behest, Jack Hues and Nick Feldman wrote songs for the action flick To Live And Die In L.A. “This is not only an exciting film score, but a fine album of modern music,” the director enthused in the LP’s notes.

14 Daft Punk – Tron: Legacy (2010)

Having enlisted the services of Wendy Carlos for the soundtrack of the original Tron movie in 1982, Disney felt a similarly visionary electronic act should score its long-awaited sequel, and hired Daft Punk, who had transitioned from home recording artists to contemporary EDM superstars. No half-hearted side project, the French duo invested two years in their Grammy-nominated score, painstakingly integrating their electronic motifs within an orchestral framework to complement the stunning visuals.

13 Pet Shop Boys – Battleship Potemkin (2005)

Whilst not a novel concept in pop music, since Giorgio Moroder had previously overseen a restoration of silent movie classic Metropolis and compiled a contemporary soundtrack, Pet Shop Boys’ score for Battleship Potemkin nevertheless saw them stepping well outside of their wheelhouse. But the challenge of creating a continuous piece of music was one they gleefully accepted, as it gave them the chance to experiment with an array of moods and tempos.

12 Madonna – I’m Breathless (1990)

Tie-in albums for Dick Tracy were plentiful in 1990, with a choice of a Danny Elfman score, a multi-artist OST, and a standalone LP from leading lady Madonna, who got to strike a pose as a showgirl on a mix of big band, swing and pop originals, three of which were penned by Broadway icon Stephen Sondheim. Flexing her vocal muscles on burlesque numbers (see I’m Going Bananas and cheeky hit Hanky Panky) as well as ballads (Sooner Or Later), the record was appended with chart-topper Vogue.

11 Mark Knopfler – Local Hero (1983)

Au courant producer of box office hits like Midnight Express and Chariots Of Fire, David Puttnam knew the value of a good score and invited Mark Knopfler to soundtrack director Bill Forsyth’s follow-up to Gregory’s Girl. The Dire Straits frontman’s inaugural OST earned a BAFTA, while Going Home’s beguiling melody has endured as a football anthem at Newcastle’s St James’ Park. In aid of cancer charities, the track was also recently rerecorded by a jaw-dropping ensemble of musicians.

10 Air – The Virgin Suicides (2000)

Conscious of being pigeonholed as retro-futurists following the global success of Moon Safari, Air’s acclaimed score for director Sofia Coppola’s debut saw the French duo abandon their signature lounge-pop sound and pursue a darker sonic path. “The real spirit of the soundtrack,” Jean-Benoît Dunckel later told Dazed, “is this fascination with death and the fascination with having your spirit floating when you die and how you may suddenly feel free and liberated.”

09 David Bowie – The Buddha Of Suburbia (1993)

The follow-up to his career-boosting Black Tie White Noise album found David Bowie in a nostalgic mood, drawing on “dozens of personal 70s memories” for a record sparked by a request from novelist Hanif Kureishi to score the BBC’s adaptation of The Buddha Of Suburbia. Comprising an array of ambient, electronic, jazz and rock sounds, only the title cut made it to the four-part series, but the low-key LP has quietly grown in stature as one of Bowie’s most inventive releases.

08 Ryuichi Sakamoto – Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence (1983)

Ryuichi Sakamoto was a surprise choice to play a Japanese war camp commandant opposite David Bowie in the 1983 drama Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, but director Nagisa Oshima not only had faith in the rookie actor, he gave him full creative control of the BAFTA-winning score. In a case of gentlemen prefer celluloid, Sakamoto also collaborated with David Sylvian on the hit single Forbidden Colours, a vocal version of the titular theme song.

07 Peter Gabriel – Birdy (1985)

At the age of 17, soundtrack enthusiast Peter Gabriel chose a career in rock music over a place at film school, but years later seized the opportunity to spread his sonic wings with the score for Birdy, Alan Parker’s movie centred on two Vietnam War veterans and their PTSD struggles. While not wholly original, since some motifs from his solo back catalogue were repurposed, Gabriel was able to capture the vets’ emotional trauma via an array of ambient and tribal textures, which would signpost his immediate musical future.

06 Eurythmics – 1984 (For The Love Of Big Brother) (1984)

Eurythmics’ chilling electronic soundtrack for the film adaptation of George Orwell’s dystopian classic incensed the director, Michael Radford, who preferred a more traditional orchestral score by Dominic Muldowney. Previewed by the stuttering hit Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-Four), the duo’s contentious LP proved to be one of their most creatively satisfying. The sample-heavy album, explained Dave Stewart, was shaped by Kraftwerk, tribal beats and Booker T. & The M.G.’s.

05 Giorgio Moroder – Midnight Express (1978)

The undisputed king of multi-artist OSTs in the 80s, Giorgio Moroder initially made his name as a film music composer with the soundtrack for prison drama Midnight Express. Featuring the hypnotic instrumental The Chase, it won the original score Oscar, fending off stiff competition from Jerry Goldsmith, Ennio Morricone and John Williams. “Movie music composers all came from classical backgrounds back then,” he told The Talks. “It was a big thing for a pop composer to enter this world.”

04 Badly Drawn Boy – About A Boy (2002)

Damon Gough attracted a host of admirers for his Mercury Music Prize-winning album The Hour Of The Bewilderbeast, including author Nick Hornby, who felt the multi-instrumentalist would be a tea cosy fit for the soundtrack of the celluloid adaptation of About A Boy. Gough’s indie folk soundtrack certainly matched the script for emotional depth, with Hornby himself finding some of the lyrics profoundly moving, writing in 31 Songs that A Minor Incident meant, “something much more personal to me than my book ever did.”

03 Queen – Flash Gordon (1980)

After famously declaring ‘no synthesizers!’ in the credits of a string of hit albums in the 70s, Queen decided they needed to move with the times, and experimented with an array of new toys on 1980 album The Game and their innovative soundtrack for cult sci-fi classic Flash Gordon, which cleverly wove in oft-quoted dialogue to give it a sense of narrative. Matching the movie for vibrancy and bombast, the album attracted numerous plaudits, while their memorable theme song for the titular hero hit the UK Top 10.

02 Clannad – Legend (1984)

Eschewing the traditional image of a green-stockinged Robin Hood “riding through the glen”, Richard Carpenter’s definitive rendering of the legendary outlaw’s story via hit television series Robin Of Sherwood was instead steeped more in pagan myth than pastiche. Irish band Clannad ostensibly upset folk purists with their soundtrack, which blended traditional instruments with synths to complement the action, but it earned the family collective a BAFTA. The album was later expanded with 11 previously unreleased tracks.

01 Prince And The Revolution – Purple Rain (1984)

While there is certainly a case to be made for Parade and Batman, we can only include one Prince record here – and there was only going to be one winner. It’s the singer’s magnum opus, the career-defining album in which all the stars in the purple firmament aligned, the one that made him a global superstar.

A classic standalone long-player by anyone’s standards, it also served as the soundtrack for the singer’s first motion picture, a box office smash that easily recouped its reported $7 million outlay. While he’d already put himself in the MTV shop window with hits 1999 and Little Red Corvette, this was nothing compared to the exposure he’d receive with Purple Rain.

Loosely autobiographical, Prince plays aspiring star The Kid, who distracts himself from his broken home as the singer of The Revolution, but is soon faced with other problems, both within the band and his love life.

In recent years, the movie has attracted criticism for its misogynistic depiction of women who are tricked into stripping, abused by their partners, and, in one case, literally treated like trash.

By contrast, the soundtrack album was universally acclaimed and feted at award ceremonies, while its cloudburst of hit singles included two Billboard No.1s – When Doves Cry and Let’s Go Crazy – plus, of course, the epic and anthemic title cut.

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