4 Chart-Topping Hit Soundtracks From the 1960s That We Still Rock Out To

While many of us are familiar with the movie soundtrack boom of the 1980s and 1990s, something music fans may not know is that film soundtracks were also huge in decades prior. You can go all the way back more than 60 years and see that audiences adored them.

Videos by American Songwriter

That’s just what we wanted to do here below. We wanted to dive back into the 1960s and highlight four film soundtracks that rocketed up the Billboard Top 200 to take the top spot. Indeed, these are four soundtracks that hit No. 1 in the 1960s that we still rock out to today.

‘West Side Story’ by Various Artists (1961)

West Side Story might be the most famous musical of all time. So, there’s no wonder why its 1961 soundtrack album, complete with some of the most famous songs of all time, hit No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 in its day. Sit back and listen to songs about The Jets and The Sharks as you wonder how lyricism could be so memorable and economical!

‘Blue Hawaii’ by Elvis Presley (1961)

Elvis and Hawaii. There is both something so perfect and so weird about this combination. The region had just become America’s 50th state in 1959, and those who ran its tourism board were looking for ways for Hawaii to seem American, quick. So, what better than bringing in the most popular musician at the time? Elvis was the zeitgeist in the late 50s and early 60s, so in he came to lend his voice to some songs about the tropical region.

‘Exodus’ by Ernest Gold (1961)

Not only was Exodus a hit 1961 movie, but the theme song for the film was even a cultural phenomenon in its day. The soundtrack for the film hit No. 1, and its theme hit No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Indeed, the movie was unstoppable in its momentum. Check out the iconic theme from the film above.

‘Mary Poppins’ by Original Cast (1964)

Julie Andrews, what a superstar. But she wasn’t the only one shining in the seminal 1964 movie, Mary Poppins. No, she was flanked by co-star Dick Van Dyke, who could sing and dance with the best of them. It was their chemistry, along with marvelous lyrics, that helped to carry the songs for the hit movie. With their talent, the soundtrack hit No. 1.

Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images