Thirty years ago, the soundtrack to Purple Rain sat atop the Billboard 200 albums chart and would not move. Those 24 consecutive weeks beginning August 4, 1984 kicked off the Modern Soundtrack Age, so this week, I’m taking my custom-built DeLorean GIF on a long and circuitous errand: We’re surveying every movie and TV-show soundtrack to hit No. 1 since Prince and the Revolution finally yielded the top spot to Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the USA. For each of the 38 albums we’re looking at, we’ll try to pick the biggest, weirdest, and on-the-nosest tracks, and tell you whether this was the kind of soundtrack you could listen to straight through, or whether there was a “Computer Blue” to skip past. (Oh, admit it.)
Beverly Hills Cop (1985; two weeks at No. 1)
- Synopsis: Eddie Murphy does characters, solves friend’s murder, infuriates whites.
- Monster hit: “The Heat Is On,” Glenn Frey
- Weirdest moment: Then–Oingo Boingo frontman Danny Elfman’s debut solo song, “Gratitude,” which is actually kind of a banger.
- Most on-the-nose track: “Don’t Get Stopped in Beverly Hills,” Shalimar
- Can you listen to it all the way through? It’s a little all-over-the-place, but sure.
- What it tells us about 1985: Beverly Hills Cop was released during the strange 18-month period when we could not get enough Patti LaBelle.
Miami Vice (1985-86; 11 weeks)
- Synopsis: Cops dress like 1980s female stand-up comics, solve drug mysteries.
- Monster hit: “You Belong to the City,” Glenn Frey
- Weirdest moment: The decision not to include Jan Hammer’s “Crockett’s Theme,” which would eventually be released on this soundtrack’s first sequel, top the charts everywhere but America, and later be rereleased as M83’s soundtrack for Drive.
- Most on-the-nose track: “Vice,” Melle Mel
- Can you listen to it all the way through? I can, because I have fond memories of trying to dress like these guys. Your results may vary.
- What it tells us about 1985: Glenn Frey was killing it.
Top Gun (1986; 5 weeks)
- Synopsis: Military people work without air conditioning, Tom Cruise has slow-motion silhouette tongue sex with Kelly McGillis, Goose dies, Val Kilmer bites air.
- Monster hit: Either Berlin’s “Take My Breath Away” or Kenny Loggins’s “Danger Zone,” depending on whether you were a 12-year-old girl or a 12-year-old boy in 1986.
- Weirdest moment: Kenny Loggins’s lesser-known contribution “Playing With the Boys,” which somehow manages to be gayer than the shirtless beach-volleyball scene it scores in the film.
- Most on-the-nose track: “Mighty Wings,” Cheap Trick
- Can you listen to it all the way through? You would probably skip Marietta’s “Destination Unknown” just to get to “Top Gun Anthem” quicker, but otherwise, sure.
- What it tells us about 1986: There was a moment when jingoistic patriotism and homoeroticism went hand in hand and played shirtless beach volleyball.
La Bamba (1987; 2 weeks)
- Synopsis: Ritchie Valens overcomes racism and family dysfunction, Esai Morales goes on to long career as an answer in Monday New York Times crossword puzzles.
- Monster hit: “La Bamba,” Los Lobos
- Weirdest moment: Brian Setzer, months after shedding his retro image for solo debut “The Knife Feels Like Justice,” puts his retro image right back on for “Summertime Blues.”
- Most on-the-nose track: Howard Huntsberry’s very 1987 “Lonely Teardrops.”
- Can you listen to it all the way through? It is thematically coherent, so yes, but you probably just bought it for “La Bamba,” so you didn’t.
- What it tells us about 1987: There was a moment when Los Lobos was getting an appropriate amount of respect. (For real, folks: Go back and listen to “How Will the Wolf Survive?” That shit holds up.)
Dirty Dancing (1987-88; 18 weeks)
- Synopsis: Man frees Baby from corner.
- Monster hit: “I’ve Had the Time of My Life,” Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes
- Weirdest moment: The notion that this song would have existed in 1963.
- Most on-the-nose track: Patrick Swayze’s “She’s Like the Wind”
- Can you listen to it all the way through? No, but you did anyway, because you went all in on this movie and you know it.
- What it tells us about 1987: We thought 1963 sounded like a Supercuts waiting area.
Batman (1989; 6 weeks)
- Synopsis: World starts taking comic books very seriously; repercussions are felt to this day.
- Monster hit: “Batdance,” Prince
- Weirdest moment: “Hey, Ducky, let me put the seven-inch in the computer.”
- Most on-the-nose track: “Batdance.” “I’m …Vicki Vale … I like … BATMAN.” I mean, listen, I love Prince as much as the next guy, but this is bananas.
- Can you listen to it all the way through? Besides “Batdance,” you pretty much can!
- What it tells us about 1989: Prince could do whatever he wanted, though I wish he’d found a way to incorporate Glenn Frey.
Wayne’s World (1992; 2 weeks)
- Synopsis: Lorne Michaels achieves dominion over all living things.
- Monster hit: “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Queen
- Weirdest moment: “Ride With Yourself” by Rhino Bucket begins with the lyrics, “Queen of denial, sex plane Jane,” and the song only improves from there.
- Most on-the-nose track: “Wayne’s World Theme (Extended Version),” Wayne and Garth
- Can you listen to it all the way through? Inconclusive; it feels like a mixtape your dumbest friend made you.
- What it tells us about 1992: Lorne Michaels has discovered how to print money.
The Bodyguard (1992-93; 20 weeks)
- Synopsis: Basically this.
- Monster hit: “I Will Always Love You,” Whitney Houston
- Weirdest moment: Curtis Stigers making “What’s So Funny ’Bout Peace, Love, and Understanding” sound like an outtake from Bruce Willis’s The Return of Bruno.
- Most on-the-nose track: “Queen of the Night,” Whitney Houston
- Can you listen to it all the way through? Yes, but you skipped back to track one after the Whitney songs run out.
- What it tells us about 1992: The right song could drive theater attendance.
Sleepless in Seattle (1993; 1 week)
- Synopsis: You stop being cynical for 90 minutes unless you are a monster.
- Monster hit: “When I Fall in Love,” Celine Dion and Clive Griffin
- Weirdest moment: “When I Fall in Love,” Celine Dion and Clive Griffin
- Most on-the-nose track: “When I Fall in Love,” Celine Dion and Clive Griffin
- Can you listen to it all the way through? You did, at your dumbest friend’s first dinner party.
- What it tells us about 1993: There was once such a thing as a “blockbuster romantic comedy,” and Tom Hanks didn’t even have to blow up a toilet or whatever he’d have to do today.
The Crow (1994; 1 week)
- Synopsis: A nation of morbid teens flock to cinema to see if they can spot the moment Brandon Lee dies.
- Monster hit: “Big Empty,” Stone Temple Pilots
- Weirdest moment: “It Can’t Rain All the Time,” Jane Siberry
- Most on-the-nose track: “After the Flesh,” My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult
- Can you listen to it all the way through? If you wore a black trench coat in high school, yes.
- What it tells us about 1994: Jane Siberry and My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult could be on a No. 1 album.
The Lion King (1994-95; 10 weeks)
- Synopsis: Lion becomes king.
- Monster Hit: “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” Elton John
- Weirdest moment: None. Every edge is sanded right down.
- Most on-the-nose track: “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King,” though Jenny Slate’s version is superior.
- Can you listen to it all the way through? It is more committee-assembled and carefully constructed than the Freedom Tower, so yes.
- What it tells us about 1994: There could be a crowd-pleasing hit song about lions fucking.
Murder Was the Case (1994; 2 weeks)
- Synopsis: Snoop Dogg and Fab 5 Freddy make a short documentary about Snoop’s murder case.
- Monster hit: I guess the title track? Although it only appears here in a remixed form and was never released as a single?
- Weirdest and most on-the-nose moment: Clip Capone’s “The Eulogy” goes directly into B-rezell’s “Horny,” and a tone is decisively set.
- Can you listen to it all the way through? Once. I cannot prove it, but I will assert that this is the No. 1 soundtrack most often found at yard sales.
- What it tells us about 1994: All of us, including Dr. Dre, thought Snoop’s moment in the spotlight would be brief, and that the time was right for cashing in.
Friday (1995; 2 weeks)
- Synopsis: Chris Tucker acts in very own movie, separate from rest of cast.
- Monster hit: “Keep Their Heads Ringin’” Dr. Dre featuring Nancy Fletcher
- Weirdest moment: That this is out of print, cruelly withholding Roger Troutman’s version of “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” from the generation that needs it most.
- Most on-the-nose track: “Roll It Up, Light It Up, Smoke It Up,” Cypress Hill
- Can you listen to it all the way through? The little brother of that friend you never talk to anymore did just that until 1998.
- What it tells us about 1995: Cypress Hill’s thing was really not going to age well.
Pocahontas (1995; 1 week)
- Synopsis: American history plus talking animals.
- Monster Hit: “Colors of the Wind,” Vanessa Williams
- Weirdest moment: Linda Hunt and Jon Secada appearing on the same album for the first and — unless I’m wrong, which I would love to be — last time.
- Most on-the-nose track: “Colors of the Wind.” That “blue-corn moon” line sticks in my craw to this day.
- Can you listen to it all the way through? If you have children, you probably did.
- What it tells us about 1995: Disney was spinning its blue-corn wheels.
Dangerous Minds (1995; 4 weeks)
- Synopsis: White person fixes public education with Bob Dylan and candy bars.
- Monster hit: “Gangsta’s Paradise,” Coolio
- Weirdest moment: The rest of it stays on a very even, West Coast hip-hop tone throughout.
- Most on-the-nose track: See above. This soundtrack needs a Lauryn Hill track like in Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit.
- Can you listen to it all the way through? You probably skipped “This Is the Life” from Wendy & Lisa’s 1987 debut album, which can and should be listened to all the way through at least twice a year.
- What it tells us about 1995: Nothing we didn’t already know: West Coast hip-hop was HUGE. You should know, though, that the No. 1 album before and after Dangerous Minds’ run was Hootie and the Blowfish’s “Cracked Rear View.”
Waiting to Exhale (1996; 5 weeks)
- Synopsis: Women drink wine, set cars aflame.
- Monster hit: “Exhale (Shoop Shoop),” Whitney Houston
- Weirdest moment: There’s nothing especially weird on this soundtrack, so I’ll just remind you of Brandy’s “Sittin’ Up in My Room,” which you will be listening to for the rest of the day.
- Most on-the-nose track: Mary J. Blige’s “Not Gon Cry” quotes the actual film!
- Can you listen to it all the way through? Absolutely.
- What it tells us about 1996: Some soundtracks eclipse their movies.
Gridlock’d (1997; 1 week)
- Synopsis: Boy, I forgot all about this posthumous Tupac vehicle, but Wikipedia tells me it’s about a pair of junkies who perform together in a spoken-word band, which makes it sound absolutely terrifying.
- Monster hit: None.
- Weirdest moment: All.
- Most on-the-nose track: “Lady Heroin,” which rhymes “pumps and a bump” with “Willie Lump-Lump” in its first two lines.
- Can you listen to it all the way through? If you can, you are stronger than I.
- What it tells us about 1997: We were falling all over ourselves to mourn Tupac.
Howard Stern’s Private Parts — The Album (1997; 1 week)
- Synopsis: Man farts, nation rejoices.
- Monster hit: No singles were released. No singles were necessary. Baba Booey.
- Weirdest moment: Learning that this held the No. 1 spot in between Live’s “Secret Samadhi” and U2’s “Pop.” 1997, ladies and gentlemen.
- Most on-the-nose track: “The Ben Stern Megamix,” a collaboration between Howard Stern’s father and Charlie Clouser of Nine Inch Nails.
- Can you listen to it all the way through? Somewhere in this world, right this second, someone is doing that very thing.
- What it tells us about 1997: Then, as now, Howard Stern fans will buy anything he’s selling.
Men in Black (1997; 1 week)
- Synopsis: Will Smith records title song for summer movie; Roland Emmerich kicks self for not thinking of it first; Jon Peters and Barry Sonnenfeld get wonderful, terrible idea.
- Monster hit: “Men in Black,” Will Smith
- Weirdest moment: Alicia Keys releases her first commercial recording, four years before “Songs in A Minor,” world fails to notice.
- Most on-the-nose track: “Men in Black,” Will Smith
- Can you listen to it all the way through? You’d probably hit the skip button on Buckshot LeFonque’s “Some Cow Fonque (More Tea, Vicar?)” but what do I know?
- What it tells us about 1997: The reign of Will Smith actually began a few months before “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit’ It.”
Titanic (1998; 16 weeks)
- Synopsis: Guy falls off balcony of sinking cruise ship, hits head on propeller, spins ‘round and ‘round into icy water; also, I am told there is some kind of romance subplot.
- Monster hit: “My Heart Will Go On,” Celine Dion
- Weirdest moment: Nobody notices that “My Heart Will Go On” is basically: “Hey, Thanks for Sacrificing Your Own Life So I Can Stretch Out On This Piece of Driftwood That’s Big Enough for Two, But Now That You’ve Frozen to Death Over the Course of Several Painful Hours, Don’t Even Trip; I’LL BE JUST FINE.”
- Most on-the-nose track: The rest of it, which is James Horner’s score, plus vocals from Norwegian singer Sissel Kyrjebo, from “What Do You Mean That’s Not Enya” fame.
- Can you listen to it all the way through? If you can, I would bet my last dollar that you own a cat.
- What it tells us about 1998: We could not get enough of this fucking movie.
City of Angels (1998; 3 weeks)
- Synopsis: Someone sees Wim Wenders’ Wings of Desire, says, “Needs more Cage.”
- Monster hit: “Iris,” Goo Goo Dolls
- Weirdest moment: “Uninvited,” Alanis Morissette, the leak of which compelled Warner Brothers to release the soundtrack early.
- Most on-the-nose track: “Angel,” Sarah McLachlan. Still: Better here than on ASPCA ads.
- Can you listen to it all the way through? There are four instrumental tracks from the score tacked onto the end, so only if you’re a City of Angels superfan, which I bet is a thing that exists.
- What it tells us about 1998: People were starving for new Alanis material.
Armageddon (1998; 2 weeks)
- Synopsis: Hollywood creates first all-quip-and-montage film, nation laps it up.
- Monster hit: “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” Aerosmith
- Weirdest moment: The inclusion of both Our Lady Peace and Chantal Kraviazuk, which suggests that the music supervisor of this piece of American jingomania was Canadian.
- Most on-the-nose track: “Animal Crackers,” an unplugged reimagining of “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” featuring snippets of Liv Tyler and Ben Affleck’s dialogue from the film.
- Can you listen to it all the way through? I will repeat: “Animal Crackers” is an unplugged reimagining of “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” featuring snippets of Liv Tyler and Ben Affleck’s dialogue from the film.
- What it tells us about 1998: The movie business and the recording industry are at peak blockbuster.
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2002; 2 weeks)
- Synopsis: Coen Brothers inadvertently will Mumford & Sons into existence.
- Monster hit: “I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow,” Soggy Bottom Boys
- Weirdest moment: Ralph Stanley wins Grammy for “O Death.”
- Most on-the-nose track: “Constant Sorrow” appears four separate times.
- Can you listen to it all the way through? Yes; it’s a Coen Brothers soundtrack, so it’s solid and cohesive throughout.
- What it tells us about 2002: Starbucks is starting to sell CDs.
8 Mile (2002-03; 4 weeks)
- Synopsis: Eminem is likable for 90 consecutive minutes.
- Monster hit: “Lose Yourself,” Eminem
- Weirdest moment: The moment in “Lose Yourself” that invites us to visualize regurgitated spaghetti.
- Most on-the-nose track: “Lose Yourself,” Eminem. Kinda spells out the entire plot.
- Can you listen to it all the way through? The white suburban kids who think they’re hip-hop heads probably skipped the Boomkat and Macy Gray tracks.
- What it tells us about 2002: The Maury generation wanted its own Rocky.
Bad Boys II (2003; 4 weeks)
- Synopsis: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, and Michael Bay punch the clock.
- Monster hit: “Shake Ya Tailfeather,” P. Diddy, Nelly, and Murphy Lee
- Weirdest moment: Three tracks of dialogue from the film, all on the second half, all around eight seconds long.
- Most on-the-nose track: This soundtrack was the first release from the Bad Boy/Universal Records partnership, which Diddy underscores by saying “Bad Boy, baby” a million times on every track.
- Can you listen to it all the way through? It is theoretically possible, sure.
- What it tells us about 2003: Bad boy, baby.
High School Musical (2006; 2 weeks)
- Synopsis: Zac Efron is coming for your children.
- Monster hit: “Breaking Free,” which actually broke into the Billboard Top 5! How am I just learning about this now?
- Weirdest moment: “Bop to the Top,” by Ryan and Sharpay, which contains the line “zip, zap, zop,” suggesting that the songwriters have taken an improv class or two.
- Most on-the-nose track: “Stick to the Status Quo,” in which each character’s inner monologue gets very, very outer.
- Can you listen to it all the way through? Absolutely. It’s one tiny step away from Rent, let’s face the facts.
- What it tells us about 2006: They’re selling CDs at Toys “R” Us.
Hannah Montana (2006; 2 weeks)
- Synopsis: Miley Cyrus is coming for your children.
- Monster hit: “The Best of Both Worlds,” Hannah Montana (a.k.a. Miley Stewart, a.k.a. Miley Cyrus)
- Weirdest moment: B5 showed up on the High School Musical soundtrack with an alternate version of “Getcha Head in the Game,” and here they are again with a cover of Earth Wind and Fire’s “Shining Star.” Disney was working overtime to make B5 happen. As of press time, it has not.
- Most on-the-nose track: “The Other Side of Me,” by Hannah/Miley, or “Pop Princess” by the Click Five. This is Disney, so it pretty much lives on the nose.
- Can you listen to it all the way through? Your daughter did.
- What it tells us about 2006: Disney is on its way to becoming a sovereign nation.
Dreamgirls (2007; 2 weeks)
- Synopsis: Beyoncé wants an Oscar.
- Monster hit: “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going,” Jennifer Hudson
- Weirdest moment: The suspension of disbelief that is necessary to imagine “Cadillac Car” being a hit song.
- Most on-the-nose track: “Listen,” the song they wrote just for the movie, which contains the line “I am alone at a crossroads,” because why bother with subtext?
- Can you listen to it all the way through? Having said that about “Listen,” I should add that “Lorell Loves Jimmy” and “Jimmy’s Rap” are pretty artless, too. The whole thing is pretty clunky in retrospect. No.
- What it tells us about 2007: I don’t know, I just know you are about to go down a deep rabbit-hole of pageant women singing “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going.”
Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus (2007; 1 week)
- Synopsis: Miley piggybacks her solo debut on soundtrack for second season of Disney show; Billy Ray says good-bye to being the most famous Cyrus.
- Monster hit: “Nobody’s Perfect,” Hannah Montana
- Weirdest moment: Every moment, if you’re an old dude listening to it in 2014.
- Most on-the-nose track: “Rock Star,” Hannah Montana
- Can you listen to it all the way through? If you’re Billy Ray Cyrus, and you’re crying.
- What it tells us about 2007: Miley Cyrus is on you, tween girls circa 2007.
High School Musical 2 (2007; 3 weeks)
- Synopsis: The HSM franchise goes all “90210 summer episodes” on your ass.
- Monster hit: “You Are the Music in Me,” by Troy and Gabriella.
- Weirdest moment: “Humuhumunukunukuapua’a,” by Ryan & Sharpay
- Most on-the-nose track: “I Am Going to Kill Myself,” by Dave Holmes
- Can you listen to it all the way through? You try.
- What it tells us about 2007: Ryan Murphy is starting to get ideas.
Juno (2008; 1 week)
- Synopsis: Teenage heap of quirks gets pregnant, quips ensue.
- Monster hit: This soundtrack holds together as one cohesive unit, better than nearly any on this list, but if there’s a standout track, it would have to be “Anyone Else But You” by the Moldy Peaches.
- Weirdest moment: “Vampire,” Antsy Pants
- Most on-the-nose track: You know exactly what you’re in for by the time you get to the harmonica solo, 20 seconds into Barry Louis Polisar’s “All I Want Is You.”
- Can you listen to it all the way through? Yes. Honest to blog.
- What it tells us about 2008: Kimya Dawson could get a No. 1 album. I miss these days.
Mamma Mia! (2008; 1 week)
- Synopsis: Jim J. Bullock NyQuil-dreams a film into existence.
- Monster hit: No singles were released, but Meryl Streep’s “Winner Takes It All” stands out, just for being super fucking weird.
- Weirdest moment: See above. Like, really: SEE it. It’s probably on cable right now.
- Most on-the-nose track: It’s more in the movie than the soundtrack, but it’s now indelible in my mind: when Julie Walters sings the “I think you know that I can’t let go” line from “Take a Chance on Me,” she is hanging from a curtain. You see, she literally cannot let go! (Do you get it? You get it.)
- What it tells us about 2008: 2008 wants to be 1978.
Twilight (2008; 1 week)
- Synopsis: Mormon and wooden actress join forces to make chastity hot.
- Monster hit: “Decode,” Paramore
- Weirdest moment: That this is a thing at all.
- Most on-the-nose track: “Go All the Way (Into the Twilight),” Perry Farrell
- Can you listen to it all the way through? I can’t, but I can see where one could. It’s a third-wave goth starter kit.
- What it tells us about 2008: We bought some bullshit in 2008.
Hannah Montana: The Movie (2009; 1 week)
- Synopsis: Blonde Party City wig fools world.
- Monster hit: “The Climb,” by Hannah Montana, or Miley Cyrus, or both, or neither
- Weirdest moment: Rascal Flatts gets a couple of tracks on here, and it’s hard to determine who stood to benefit from that arrangement.
- Most on-the-nose track: “You’ll Always Find Your Way Back Home,” Hannah/Miley/whoever
- Can you listen to it all the way through? It’s kind of all over the place; kids would get bored, adults would get annoyed. No.
- What it tells us about 2009: Miley was starting to get antsy.
The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009; 1 week)
- Synopsis: The love triangle that those distant cousins of yours care about continues.
- Monster hit: None.
- Weirdest moment: None. It’s moody alt-rock by the numbers.
- Most on-the-nose track: “I Belong to You (New Moon Remix),” Muse
- Can you listen to it all the way through? With contributions by Death Cab for Cutie, Thom Yorke, and the Killers, sure, why not.
- What it tells us about 2009: That it might be hard to ever be nostalgic for 2009.
The Hunger Games: Songs From District 12 and Beyond (2012; 1 week)
- Synopsis: Kids read the darnedest things.
- Monster hit: “Safe and Sound,” Taylor Swift and the Civil Wars
- Weirdest Moment: “Come Away to the Water,” Maroon 5 and Rozzi Crane, although any good dystopia must include Adam Levine.
- Most on-the-nose track: “Just a Game,” Birdy
- Can you listen to it all the way through? It maintains an appropriately ominous tone. Yes.
- What it tells us about 2012: We paid money for ominous tones.
Les Misérables: Highlights From the Motion Picture Soundtrack (2013; 1 week)
- Synopsis: Tom Hooper sees Les Mis on Broadway, says “Needs more close-ups.”
- Monster hit: None.
- Weirdest moment: The fact that this is an abridged version of the soundtrack. Who needs this?
- Most on-the-nose track: “I Dreamed a Dream.” It’s beautiful, but come on.
- Can you listen to it all the way through? Yes, but why would you when the Broadway soundtrack exists?
- What it tells us about 2013: It was pretty easy to get a No. 1 album.
Frozen (2014; 13 weeks)
- Synopsis: Princess makes ice, which is bad for some reason.
- Monster hit: “Let It Go” by Adele Dazeem
- Weirdest moment: Yes, yes, I’m tired of the Adele Dazeem thing, too. But let’s think about it for one more second. “Adele Dazeem” and “Idina Menzel” don’t have any syllables in common! John Travolta’s entire job is saying words! He could easily have said: “Whoops, take two: Idina Menzel,” and we’d all find it charming! This moment is endlessly fascinating to me.
- Most on-the-nose track: The “single version” of “Let It Go” by Demi Lovato, which didn’t end up being all that necessary, did it?
- What it tells us about 2014: 2014 has a 6-year-old daughter.
