The 5 Most Iconic Rock Movie Soundtracks Ever

Big Bonus or Saving Grace?

Rock ‘n roll has always played an important role in movies. Case in point: Led Zeppelin’s Immigrant Song with Robert Plant singing about war and Valhalla – is there any other song more appropriate to use in Thor Ragnarok? But even before Marvel made it cool to like old school music, there have been a number of films with iconic soundtracks. Some did have interesting plots but others, well, let’s just say they’re full of cliches.

The following soundtracks took them to the next level. We may not be too crazy about a few of these flicks but we won’t say no to putting the songs on repeat.

5. Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)

It’s your typical coming-of-age film but it featured songs from Don Henley, Joe Walsh, Sammy Hagar, Graham Nash, and Stevie Nicks. Besides, most of their actors became big names in Hollywood – Sean Penn, Nicolas Cage, Phoebe Cates, Forest Whitaker, and Eric Stoltz.

4. Purple Rain (1985)

It follows the story of The Kid – a struggling musician trying to find his place in the world. While the plot was mostly so-so, the soundtrack spawned several classic hits including the epic masterpiece Purple Rain and other unforgettable tunes like When Doves Cry and The Beautiful Ones.

3. Help! (1965)

This Beatles movie is meant to be fun and funny. The plot itself is ludicrous – the band trying to protect Ringo Starr from mad scientists and cult members who merely want to get one of his rings. It has several Beatles classics like the title track and Ticket to Ride.

2. Dazed and Confused (1993)

This teenage rock ‘n roll film is about a group of friends on their last day of school in 1975. Obviously, the soundtrack’s gonna include Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out”. There are also several other timeless tunes – ZZ Top’s “Tush”, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Tuesday’s Gone”, KISS’ “Rock and Roll All Nite”, Deep Purple’s “Highway Star”, and Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid.”

1. Almost Famous (2000)

A semi-autobiographical film by director Cameron Crowe, this follows a teenage journalist writing for the Rolling Stone magazine. Songs from Simon & Garfunkel, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Yes, David Bowie, and Lynyrd Skynyrd – this movie will take you back to the ’60s and ’70s.