The Best 90s Movie Soundtracks
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122 voters
We're ranking the greatest 90s movie soundtracks across every cult classic film and music genre. Whether you're a millennial who grew up watching the entire Disney Renaissance animated collection or a romantic comedy aficionado who plays Clueless and Pretty Woman on repeat, we can all agree that 90s film music redefined a generation of pop culture that undeniably holds a special place in our hearts. From Whitney Houston's sensational soundtrack for The Bodyguard and James Horner's Titanic to Phil Collins's and Elton John's legendary Tarzan and The Lion King scores, this list features all of the top 90s motion picture soundtracks that live rent-free within our heads. That being said, which Grammy Award-winning albums and Oscar-nominated films are worthy of the ultimate recognition as the decade's best soundtracks?
Which of these records do you believe are the greatest 90s movie soundtracks, and which ones deserve GOAT status at the top of this list? Vote below for your favorite 1990s motion picture soundtracks across the decade, and feel free to check out their composers' discography lists afterwards if you'd like to discover more of their best film scores.
Most divisive: Aladdin
Over 100 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of Best Soundtracks of the 1990s
Best Tracks:
“Surf Rider” by The Lively Ones
“You Can Never Tell” by Chuck Berry
Music from the Motion Picture Pulp Fiction is the soundtrack to Quentin Tarantino's 1994 film Pulp Fiction. No traditional film score was commissioned for Pulp Fiction. The film contains a mix of American rock and roll, surf music, pop and soul. The soundtrack is equally untraditional, consisting of nine songs from the movie, four tracks of dialogue snippets followed by a song, and three tracks of dialogue alone. Seven songs featured in the movie were not included in the original 41-minute soundtrack. The album reached No. 21 on the Billboard 200, while Urge Overkill's cover of the Neil Diamond song "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon" peaked at No. 59 on the Billboard Hot 100.Best Tracks:
“Circle of Life” by The Lion King Cast and Elton John
“Can You Feel the Love Tonight?” by The Lion King Cast and Elton John
The Lion King: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack album for the 1994 Disney animated film, The Lion King. It contains songs from the film written by Elton John and Tim Rice, and a score composed by Hans Zimmer. Elton John has a dual role of performer for several tracks. Additional performers include Lebo M, Carmen Twillie, Jason Weaver, Rowan Atkinson, Joseph Williams, Whoopi Goldberg, Jeremy Irons, Cheech Marin, Jim Cummings, Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, and Sally Dworsky. The album was released on May 31, 1994, on CD and audio cassette. The soundtrack was recorded in three different countries: the U.S., the U.K. and South Africa. It is the best-selling soundtrack album to an animated film in the United States with over 7 million copies sold, with 4,934,000 copies sold in 1994. An expanded version of The Lion King soundtrack, featuring 30 minutes of previously unreleased material, was released as part of the Walt Disney Records: The Legacy Collection.Best Tracks:
“I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston
"I'm Every Woman" by Whitney Houston
The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album is a soundtrack album from the film of the same name, released on November 17, 1992, by Arista Records. The album's first side (in its original LP and cassette formats) features songs recorded by American singer Whitney Houston, who starred in the film, while side two features the work of various artists. Houston and Clive Davis were co-executive producers of the record. The Bodyguard was praised by music critics for Houston's vocal performance and its production. The album was a massive global success, hitting number one in eighteen countries and going top ten in dozens of other countries. In the United States, the album gave Houston the distinction of having the most weeks at number one by a female artist on Billboard 200, holding that record for 19 years until being surpassed by Adele's album 21 (2011). The Bodyguard is certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America, which gives Houston three Diamond selling albums.Best Tracks:
“Big Empty” by Stone Temple Pilots
“Burn” by The Cure
The album featured covers, including Nine Inch Nails who covered Joy Division's "Dead Souls", Pantera who covered Poison Idea's "The Badge", and Rollins Band who covered Suicide's "Ghost Rider", which is about a Marvel Comics character. Rage Against the Machine re-recorded their 1991 B-side "Darkness of Greed" and renamed it "Darkness" for this soundtrack. My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult re-recorded their original song, "Nervous Xians" and re-titled it, "After the Flesh" for this film. They were also the band onstage during the nightclub shootout scene. The Cure also wrote the song "Burn" for the movie. Stone Temple Pilots originally intended to re-record a song off their Mighty Joe Young demo, titled "Only Dying", but was never able to when Brandon Lee had died during production.Best Tracks:
“For What It's Worth” by Buffalo Springfield
“Fortunate Son” by Creedence Clearwater Revival
Forrest Gump: The Soundtrack is the soundtrack album based on the Academy Award-winning film Forrest Gump, and contains music from many well-known American artists. The score, composed by Alan Silvestri, was released separately (as Forrest Gump – Original Motion Picture Score) on the same day. The album was reissued in 2001 with two additional tracks.Best Tracks:
“Would?” by Alice in Chains
“Breath” by Pearl Jam
Singles is the original soundtrack album to the 1992 film Singles, primarily focused on the ascendant Seattle grunge scene of the early 1990s. It also features contributions from Minneapolis' Paul Westerberg (his first solo material after the breakup of The Replacements), Chicago's The Smashing Pumpkins, and past Seattle artists Jimi Hendrix and The Lovemongers (Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart, the latter of whom was the wife of the film's director Cameron Crowe at the time). It was released on June 30, 1992. The album has been certified two times platinum by the RIAA in the United States.Best Tracks:
“Be Our Guest” by Jerry Orbach
“Beauty and the Beast” by Angela Lansbury
Beauty and the Beast: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the official soundtrack album to the 1991 Disney animated feature film, Beauty and the Beast. Originally released on October 24, 1991, by Walt Disney Records, the album's first half – tracks 2 to 9 – generally contains the film's musical numbers, all of which were written by composer Alan Menken and lyricist Howard Ashman, while its latter half – tracks 10 to 14 – features its musical score, composed solely by Menken. While the majority of the album's content remains within the musical theatre genre, its songs have also been influenced by French, classical, pop and Broadway music. Credited to Various Artists, Beauty and the Beast: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack features performances by the film's main cast – Paige O'Hara, Richard White, Jesse Corti, Jerry Orbach, Angela Lansbury, Robby Benson and David Ogden Stiers – in order of appearance.Best Tracks:
“Til I Hear It from You” by Gin Blossoms
“A Girl Like You” By Edwyn Collins
The soundtrack album for Empire Records was originally attached to Atlantic Records—an affiliate of Warner Bros. at the time—because Warner Bros. had a distribution pact with the film's producers, Regency Enterprises. However, the soundtrack album was given to A&M Records in order to obtain the participation of A&M artists the Gin Blossoms,[19] whose track "Til I Hear It from You" was issued as the lead single. Besides the Gin Blossoms, four other A&M acts had new tracks released on the soundtrack album: Ape Hangers, Drill, Innocence Mission, and Lustre. The album also introduced tracks by Better Than Ezra, Cracker, the Cranberries, Evan Dando, and Toad The Wet Sprocket, and by unsigned acts the Martinis, Please, and Coyote Shivers. The Martiniswere recommended by Hits magazine president Karen Glauber who was musical consultant for Empire Records.Best Tracks:
“This is Halloween” by Danny Elfman
“What's This?” by Danny Elfman
The Nightmare Before Christmas is the fifteenth soundtrack album by American composer Danny Elfman. It was released on October 12, 1993, by Walt Disney Records to promote the 1993 American stop-motion animated musical dark fantasy film The Nightmare Before Christmas. Composed by Danny Elfman, the soundtrack was nominated for the 1993 Golden Globe for Best Original Score. The album peaked at #64 on the US Billboard 200.Best Tracks:
“Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen
“Foxey Lady” by Jimi Hendrix and Joe Gastwirt
Wayne's World: Music from the Motion Picture is the soundtrack album for the 1992 comedy film Wayne's World, released on February 18, 1992. The album was certified double-Platinum by the RIAA on July 16, 1997.Best Tracks:
“King of Wishful Thinking” by Go West
“It Must Have Been Love” by Roxette
Pretty Woman: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack album to the 1990 film Pretty Woman, released on March 13, 1990, by EMI. The album features the song "Oh, Pretty Woman" by Roy Orbison, which inspired its title. Roxette's "It Must Have Been Love", originally released in December 1987, reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in June 1990. It also includes "King of Wishful Thinking" by Go West, "Show Me Your Soul" by Red Hot Chili Peppers, "No Explanation" by Peter Cetera, "Wild Women Do" by Natalie Cole and "Fallen" by Lauren Wood. The soundtrack has been certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).Best Tracks:
“Bitter Sweet Symphony” by The Verve
“Every You Every Me” by Placebo and Phil Vinall
Cruel Intentions is the compilation soundtrack to the 1999 film of the same name. The film's soundtrack peaked at #60 on the Billboard 200.- 13
Best Tracks:
"Supermodel'" by Jill Sobule
“Alright” by Supergrass
Clueless: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is a soundtrack album based on the film of the same name. It was released in 1995. Best Tracks:
“Hole Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me” by U2
“Kiss from a Rose” by Seal
Batman Forever: Music from the Motion Picture is the 1995 soundtrack to the motion picture Batman Forever. Only five of the songs are actually featured in the movie.[4] Hit singles from the soundtrack include "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" by U2 and "Kiss from a Rose" by Seal, both of which were nominated for MTV Movie Awards. "Kiss from a Rose" (whose video was also directed by Joel Schumacher) reached No. 1 in the U.S. charts as well. The soundtrack itself, featuring additional songs by the Flaming Lips, Brandy, the Offspring, Method Man, Nick Cave, Michael Hutchence (of INXS), PJ Harvey, and Massive Attack, was an attempt to (in producer Peter MacGregor-Scott's words) make the film more "pop". The soundtrack was hugely successful, selling almost as many copies as Prince's soundtrack to the 1989 Batman film.[5] A second album, featuring over 40 minutes of Elliot Goldenthal's Original Motion Picture Score, was released two weeks after the soundtrack album.Best Tracks:
“Lovefool” by The Cardigans
“Kissing You” by Des'ree
William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet: Music from the Motion Picture is the soundtrack to the 1996 film of the same name. The soundtrack contained two separate releases: the first containing popular music from the film and the second containing the score to the film composed by Nellee Hooper, Craig Armstrong and Marius de Vries.Best Tracks:
“Perfect Day” by Lou Reed
“Born Slippy .NUXX” by Underworld
The Trainspotting soundtracks are two soundtrack albums released following the film adaptation of Irvine Welsh's novel of the same name. The first album was released in February 1996 in the UK and 9 July 1996 in the US. The comparatively huge fanbase for both the film and the original soundtrack prompted a release of a second soundtrack on 21 October 1997. This second album included songs from the film that didn't make the cut for the first album, as well as songs that didn't appear in the final film, but were involved at earlier stages or were used as inspiration by the filmmakers, and one duplicate song. The popularity of the first volume led EMI to reissue and continue to press it from 16 June 2003. In 2007 the editors of Vanity Fair magazine ranked the original Trainspotting soundtrack as the 7th best motion picture soundtrack in history. It was ranked #17 on Entertainment Weekly's 100 Best Movie Soundtracks.Best Tracks:
“My Sharona” by The Knack
“Stay (I Missed You)” by Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories
Reality Bites: Original Soundtrack is the official soundtrack for the film of the same name. RCA met with the film's music supervisor Karyn Rachtman, and Stiller, three weeks into filming, to discuss the soundtrack album. They finalized a deal and the label opened its roster to the director, who picked only one band: Me Phi Me. RCA aggressively marketed the album and had five tracks on rotation on radio and MTV. The video for Crowded House's "Locked Out" was updated to include footage from the film. In addition, the video for "Spin the Bottle" by the Juliana Hatfield Three was directed by Stiller and featured clips from the film as well.[13] The soundtrack sold 1.2 million units and reached #13 on the Billboard 200. The album also earned a No. 1 single with Lisa Loeb's "Stay (I Missed You)". The soundtrack peaked at number 2 in Australia and was certified platinum.Best Tracks:
“Eye” by The Smashing Pumpkins
“The Perfect Drug” by Nine Inch Nails
Lost Highway is the soundtrack album for the 1997 David Lynch film of the same name. It was produced by Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails), and includes original music from the film recorded by Reznor, Angelo Badalamenti and Barry Adamson, as well as songs by other artists used in the film. The album reached No. 7 on the Billboard 200 and reached Gold status in the United States. On 7 November 2016 the album was rereleased on vinyl by Dutch label Music On Vinyl.Best Tracks:
“Waiting for the Miracle” by Leonard Cohen
“Burn” by Nine Inch Nails
Natural Born Killers: A Soundtrack for an Oliver Stone Film is the soundtrack to the film Natural Born Killers, produced by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails. It was released on August 23, 1994. It charted at number 19 on US Billboard 200 album charts.Best Tracks:
“Blister in the Sun” by Violent Femmes
“I Can See Clearly Now” by Johnny Nash
The score for Grosse Pointe Blank was composed by Joe Strummer, formerly of the Clash, and the soundtrack includes two songs by the Clash: "Rudie Can't Fail" and their cover version of Willi Williams' "Armagideon Time". In addition to the Clash, the tracks featured in the film are largely a mix of popular and alternative 1980s punk rock, ska, and new wave from such bands as Violent Femmes, Echo & the Bunnymen, the Specials, the Jam, Siouxsie and the Banshees and A-ha. While most songs played throughout the film (especially at the reunion) had been recorded by the time of the students' graduation in 1986, several songs were recorded later. The soundtrack album reached number 31 on the Billboard 200 chart,[12] prompting the release of a second volume of songs from the film.- 21
Best Tracks:
“My Heart Will Go On” by Céline Dion
“Hymn to the Sea” by James Horner
Titanic: Music from the Motion Picture is the soundtrack to the film of the same name composed, orchestrated, and conducted by James Horner. The soundtrack was released by Sony Classical/Sony Music Soundtrax on November 18, 1997. Riding the wave of the film's immense success, the soundtrack shot to the top of the charts in nearly two-dozen territories, selling over 27 million copies, making it one of the top 100 best-selling albums in the United States. It is one of the best-selling albums of all time, and the highest-selling primarily orchestral soundtrack ever. In 2012, the album, along with its successor Back to Titanic (1998), was re-issued as part of the Collector's Anniversary Edition set for the 3D re-release of the film. In 2017, La-La Land Records released the 20th Anniversary Edition in a limited edition 4-disc release. - 22
Best Tracks:
“Friend like Me” by Robin Williams
“A Whole New World” by Brad Kane and Lea Salonga
Aladdin: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack for the 1992 Disney animated feature film, Aladdin. The album was released by Walt Disney Records on CD and cassette tape on November 10, 1992. The soundtrack was intertwined with demos, work tapes and unreleased masters, as well as original scores in 1994 in a four-disc box set entitled The Music Behind the Magic: The Musical Artistry of Alan Menken, Howard Ashman & Tim Rice. A remastered reissue with altered lyrics and new artwork was released on March 27, 2001. A special edition reissue featuring two previously released demos and new artwork was released on September 28, 2004. The Legacy Collection: Aladdin will be released on September 9, 2022 to coincide with the 30th anniversary of Aladdin. The music on the album earned composer Alan Menken the Academy Award for Best Original Score and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score. Best Tracks:
“For You I Will” by Monica
“Space Jam” by Quad City DJ's
Space Jam: Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture is the original soundtrack album of the 1996 film starring Michael Jordan and the Looney Tunes cast. An album featuring the film's score by James Newton Howard was also released. The soundtrack was released by Warner Sunset and Atlantic Records on October 29, 1996. "I Believe I Can Fly" by R. Kelly was first released on the soundtrack.Best Tracks:
“End of the Road” by Boyz II Men
“Love Shoulda Brought You Home” by Toni Braxton
Boomerang: Original Soundtrack Album is the soundtrack to Reginald Hudlin's 1992 film Boomerang. It was released on June 30, 1992, by LaFace Records. The album peaked at number four on the US Billboard 200 and reached the top spot on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in August 1992 and eventually reached triple-platinum status by April 1995.- 25
Best Tracks:
“(Can't You) Trip Like I Do” by The Crystal Method and Filter
“Long Hard Road Out of Hell” by Marilyn Manson and Sneaker Pimps
Spawn: The Album was released in July 1997 and featured popular rock and metal group of bands at the time including: Metallica, Korn, Slayer, Marilyn Manson, Stabbing Westward, Filter, Soul Coughing and Silverchair in collaborations with well-known electronica / techno producers such as The Crystal Method, Roni Size, The Prodigy, DJ Greyboy, Atari Teenage Riot, Moby, Orbital and 808 State. A similar concept was previously implemented on the rock/hip hop-infused Judgment Night soundtrack, and later, on the Blade II soundtrack, forming a trilogy of genre-blending soundtracks produced by Happy Walters. The album debuted at #7 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and stayed on the chart for 25 weeks. The album is certified Gold for selling over 500,000 copies in America. Best Tracks:
“That Thing You Do” by The Wonders
“Dance With Me Tonight” by The Wonders
The soundtrack album (released under the Playtone name in conjunction with Epic Records) was also a hit, peaking at #21 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The CD artwork is a replica of the fictional Playtone label used in the movie, and the liner notes are done in a mockumentary style, as if the Wonders had been a real group and the events of the film had actually happened. Hanks later used the success of That Thing You Do! as a springboard to launch the actual Playtone Records label, through which the soundtracks of all his subsequent films. "That Thing You Do" is the titular song appearing in the 1996 film of the same name. Written by Adam Schlesinger, the song is performed by the fictional 1960s band The Wonders, who are the focus of the film. The song peaked at No. 41 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song in 1997.Best Tracks:
“Angry Again” by Megadeth
“Big Gun” by AC/DC
Last Action Hero: Music from the Original Motion Picture is a soundtrack album based on the film of the same name. The film was scored by composer Michael Kamen and peaked at No. 7 on The Billboard 200 chart. The album, which was positively received by active rock radio outlets, was certified platinum on August 24, 1993.- 28
Spiceworld
Best Tracks:
“Stop” by Spice Girls
“Spice Up Your Life” by Spice Girls
Spiceworld is the second studio album by British girl group the Spice Girls. Its music incorporates dance-pop music and production. The album became a huge hit worldwide, lengthening the so-called "Spicemania" of the time. It debuted at number one in the UK, with first-week sales of 190,000 and shipped 1,400,000 copies in two weeks. The album also reached number one in 13 countries, while peaking inside the top three positions in Australia, Canada, France, Switzerland and the United States. It has sold 4.1 million copies in the US, 5 million across Europe and over 20 million copies worldwide. It produced four singles all of which saw commercial success. Its lead single "Spice Up Your Life" became an international hit, peaking in the top five positions in the most countries, it was followed by "Too Much" as the second single, "Stop" as the third single and "Viva Forever" as the final single, all receiving commercial success in the charts. To promote the album, the group embarked the Spiceworld Tour, covering Europe and North America for a total of 97 dates. Best Tracks:
“One” by Filter and Ben Gosse
“Walking After You” by Foo Fighters
The X-Files: The Album is a 1998 soundtrack album released to accompany the film The X-Files. Released on June 2, 1998, the album features songs by various artists, including several who had contributed to the earlier album Songs in the Key of X: Music from and Inspired by the X-Files, and consists mostly of cover versions or reworkings of earlier material. The X-Files: The Album received mostly positive criticism upon its release, and charted in several countries worldwide, recording a peak position of number 5 in New Zealand.- 30
Best Tracks:
“Susanne” by Weezer
“Line Up” by Elastica
The soundtrack album was released in October 1995. It features mainly alternative rock from the 90s along with dialogue from the film. The ordering of the songs on the soundtrack album is not the order they appear as in the film. For example, Squirtgun's "Social" opens the film, while Weezer's "Susanne" ends the film, with Wax's "Mallrats" playing over the end credits. The song "Boogie Shoes" by KC and the Sunshine Band makes an appearance, when Brodie and T.S. drive to the flea market. However, it was excluded from the soundtrack album. A music video for The Goops' version of "Build Me Up Buttercup" was directed by Smith and featured both Smith and Mewes.
