In short, even the greatest slices of celluloid magic are nothing without the greatest pieces of music serving as an almighty warcry.

Ah, cinema, what a beautifully rendered treat for the eyes. According to very smart people, visual stimuli account for around 85% of human perception. By that theory, you’d think the audible side of things takes up much smaller importance in the way we perceive the world.
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However, does that mean we should be content with the silent, moving pictures of the early 1900s alone? Hell no, we don’t just want to have our cake and eat it; we want to clear out the buffet cart and be asked to leave by management.

It’s thanks to this yearning for greater things that treat the ears and the eyes that means yes, we can have Ride of the Valkyries in Apocalypse Now; we can tell that Baby had The Time of My Life; and we can watch Thor, God of Thunder, lay waste to undead legions to the mighty riffs of Immigrant Song.
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In short, even the greatest slices of celluloid magic are nothing without the greatest pieces of music serving as an almighty warcry.

With that in mind, here are 10 contenders for best movie soundtrack. Just don’t @ us, please.

Who could predict a recruitment ad for the US Navy would have such an impact on pop culture (and many 80 kids’ career aspirations)? Top Gun’s soundtrack is just as iconic, featuring a vast array of tracks that remain ludicrously catchy nearly 40 years later. That’s thanks to some absolute belters, including Harold Faltermeyer’s unmistakable and rifftastic Top Gun Anthem, Berlin’s breathless Take My Breath Away or Cheap Trick’s synth-popping Mighty Wings.
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Say what you will about Tom Cruise, but we’re convinced that without Kenny Loggins’ Danger Zone, fighter pilots would have gone extinct long ago.

You don’t get much for your money these days, but no one told Edgar Wright that, going off this 30-track masterpiece. This album accompanies the story of Baby, a tinnitus-afflicted wheelman stuck in a life of crime and heist getaways. However, its main USP is that every scene in Baby Driver is masterfully choreographed to its music. A car chase set to Bellbottoms? Check. Every bullet fired set to beats from Hocus Pocus’ Focus (that yodelly one from the Nike World Cup ad)? Yup.
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It’s a popping soundtrack that’s a smorgasbord of rock, soul and almost everything in between.

Scott Pilgrim’s soundtrack is just as lively as its silver screen equivalent, perfectly capturing the frenetic pacing and editing of its comic-booked-based showdowns. With plenty of grungy bass and guitars, including tracks from Blood Red Shoes, Plumtree, and The Rolling Stones, this album is chock full of thump.
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The song lyrics for Sex Bob-Omb, the on-screen band in which our eponymous hero plays bass, are written by Beck, gifting it some extra music royalty.

If there’s one drawback, it’s the criminal omission of Brie Larson’s cover of Metric’s Black Sheep, which features in the film itself.

Welcome to our guide to the best head headphone tracks we know.
Is it just us, or is the modern world noisier than ever? Whether it’s adverts from all directions screaming for your attention, standup meetings on Teams, or that dreaded TikTok woman’s voice, your ears undergo a punishing amount of aural assault on a daily basis.

That’s why, sometimes, you need to unplug and unwind: it’s time to treat those lobes sandwiching your noggin with some exquisite musical experiences. Songs that take you back, whether back to simpler times, bygone memories, back to an old flame, perhaps.

Seven Nation Army combines distorted vocals, a thumping bass drum, and one of the most ubiquitous basslines in modern music.
And yet that stinging riff isn’t actually from a bass guitar, trivia fans. To get that effect, Jack White hooked a semi-acoustic guitar to a whammy bar to apply an octave-lowering pitch shift.
And thus, one of the most famous basslines in modern music was born, with a song that’s continually graced movie trailers, sports stadiums and even political events the world over.
With its high dynamic range and throbbing bass, Seven Nation Army is sure to tickle your eardrums. Psst: did you know they’re not actually brother and sister?

First come the haunting synth hooks, followed by the iconic 80s guitar riffs, then the unmistakable sound of Steve Perry, aka “The Voice,” a moniker bestowed by none other than Jon Bon Jovi himself. Separate Ways will push your cans’ mid-range capabilities to their limits with its electric composition of melodic synth and axe solos.
It’s a worthy companion to Kate Bush’s Running up That Hill while battling the forces of the Upside Down in Stranger Things, which reinvigorated both songs in the public consciousness. Just maybe give the music video a miss.

This dark dance-pop number is a curious mix of toe-tapping synth bass, finger clicks, Billie’s breathless vocals and an Australian stoplight sound, to boot. Brace yourself at about 2 minutes 30 seconds in for the bass drop. While most pop tunes go for that all too familiar key change, Bad Guy slams on the brakes, before Billie herself usurps your chest-puffing self-visualisation and declares, “I am the danger.”
Despite its dearth of instrumentals, don the headphones to experience Billie alternately whispering in your ear with her intimate line delivery. And be sure you’re sat down for that drop.