4 Times a Single Artist Took on a Film Soundtrack (And Succeeded)

The art of the film soundtrack is not an easy one. If a soundtrack doesn’t hit just right and match the vibe of a particular movie, it won’t be successful. Luckily, that wasn’t the case for the following four bands and musicians, who released film soundtracks. In fact, these soundtracks were almost better than the films themselves. Let’s take a look!

‘The Virgin Suicides’ by Air 

French outfit Air has always been known for their dreamy electronic soundscapes. They took that dreaminess they are known for and added just a slight nightmarish, melancholic edge for the soundtrack of Sophia Coppola’s famous 1999 film, The Virgin Suicides. Air was really the perfect duo for this particular soundtrack. The resulting works have the ambient quality Air is known for, with some added jazz elements and moody, atmospheric, depressing moments that suit the film beautifully.

‘The Graduate’ by Simon & Garfunkel

The whole of The Graduate soundtrack isn’t made up of Simon & Garfunkel. In fact, the famous folk duo only contributed five songs to the 14-track album. And yet, still, they are known for “doing the music” for this 1968 classic film. Simon & Garfunkel contributed their very best to this film, including “Mrs. Robinson” and a remix of “The Sound Of Silence”. It shocked no one when Paul Simon and Dave Grusin (the latter of whom filled in the instrumental blanks outside of Simon & Garfunkel’s contributions) won several Grammy awards for this soundtrack.

‘Purple Rain’ by Prince

Purple Rain turned Prince into a megastar. Not only did he star in the film, which marked his first major film debut, but he also composed the whole of the soundtrack album for the film. Prince was pretty ambitious with this one. He experimented with many different layers of sound that included guitars, synths, drum machines, and a number of other instruments that lend a psychedelic edge to this album. It’s one of Prince’s greatest works, if not the greatest thing he ever made.

‘One From The Heart’ by Tom Waits

I have to admit, I’m a bit disappointed in myself. I’m a serious Tom Waits fan, and I didn’t even know that he took on a film soundtrack back in the day. Francis Ford Coppola offered Tom Waits the opportunity to put together a whole album for his 1982 film One From The Heart with Crystal Gayle. Waits decided to get wild with it. So wild, in fact, that his label at the time dropped him because they thought his new style change would spell disaster. Waits didn’t care (obviously) and reinvented his sound with a more avant-garde edge for this film, and he stuck with the change for years after.

Photo by Richard E. Aaron/Redferns