Key Takeaways

• Top Soundtracks: This article highlights ten influential soundtracks from the nineties.
• Notable Absences: Some iconic soundtracks, like those from Titanic and Braveheart, were excluded due to their focus on score albums.
• Variety of Genres: The soundtracks span various genres, including rock, hip-hop, and pop, showcasing the diversity of the decade.
• Cultural Impact: Many soundtracks not only defined the films but also influenced music trends in the nineties.

A few weeks ago, we posted an article celebrating the ten best movie soundtracks of the eighties. The article was so well-received that we decided it needed a follow-up focusing on the nineties, so here is one spotlighting ten seminal nineties soundtracks. Now, this comes with a caveat, as honestly there were a heck of a lot more soundtracks that are pretty essential that didn’t make this list. As such, I decided to focus on ones that had more than one hit song directly identified with the movie while steering clear of score albums (that will be addressed in another article), meaning Titanic and Braveheart are off the list, even if they are essential albums.

The Bodyguard

This is still the highest-selling soundtrack album of all time, topping such classics as Saturday Night Fever, Grease, and yes—even Titanic. In some ways, this is a glorified Whitney Houston album, with the first side dedicated to a string of hits that ruled the airwaves in late 1992/early 1993, led by the global phenomenon “I Will Always Love You,” which is a Dolly Parton cover that went straight to number one, won a Grammy, would have for sure won an Oscar had it been an original composition, and is still the best-selling single by a female artist.

Judgment Night

The nineties had a curious phenomenon where some movies came and went without too much notice, while their soundtrack albums became classics. That happened with Judgment Night, a movie many of us here love, that has one of the best soundtracks of the decade. The whole album is defined by a cool gimmick where hip-hop artists collaborate with heavy metal/rock acts, resulting in some iconic pairings. Helmet and House of Pain’s “Just Another Victim” might be the most iconic track, but almost every track is great, with the De La Soul collaboration with Teenage Fanclub (“Fallin’” – a Tom Petty cover) great in its own right.

Pulp Fiction

One thing that makes nineties soundtracks a little different from eighties soundtracks is that many of the best ones don’t have any original tracks and are rather just licensed music reflecting the era or vibe of the movie. What made Quentin Tarantino’s soundtracks special is that many of the tracks were ultra-deep cuts that became iconic after being in his movies. Reservoir Dogs could have been on this list (iconic cuts include “Little Green Bag” and “Stuck in the Middle With You”) but Pulp Fiction was even bigger, marking the moment the director became a phenomenon. Dick Dale & His Del-Tones’ “Misirlou” became the song most associated with the movie, but Dusty Springfield’s “Son of A Preacher Man” and Kool & The Gang’s “Jungle Boogie” also became inescapable.

The Crow

If you were a goth kid in the nineties, you had the CD soundtrack for The Crow. An eclectic mix of hard rock, alternative, and new wave, this had some of the most iconic tracks of the decade, including The Cure’s “Burn” (my favourite song of theirs), Stone Temple Pilots’ “Big Empty” (the movie’s de facto theme song), and Jane Siberry’s heartbreaking “It Can’t Rain All the Time,” which serves as a fitting tribute to the late Brandon Lee.

Mortal Kombat

What The Crow’s soundtrack did for goth kids, Mortal Kombat’s soundtrack did for club kids, with it marking one of the moments techno went mainstream. First, there’s The Immortals’ “Techno Syndrome,” which is still the classic Mortal Kombat theme song, but there’s also KMFDM’s “Juke Joint Jezebel” and Orbital’s “Halcyon + On + On.”

Romeo + Juliet

One of the reasons Baz Luhrmann’s modern version of the Shakespeare classic stood out—beyond its innovative staging and iconic cast—was no doubt the soundtrack full of hit songs, including Gavin Friday’s “Angel” and The Cardigans’ “Lovefool.” It was such a hit that it spawned a follow-up album, which is the case for several soundtracks on this list.

Trainspotting

Danny Boyle’s tale of desperate heroin addicts in Scotland sported a soundtrack that’s immediately identifiable whether it’s Iggy Pop’s “Lust for Life,” Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day,” or—most iconic of all—Underworld’s “Born Slippy,” which for my money is one of the best songs of the decade.

That Thing You Do