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Soundtrack

Generally speaking, the term soundtrack refers to the recorded sound in a motion picture.

In terms of film formats, the soundtrack is the physical area of the film which records the synchronized sound.

The term soundtrack is also commonly used to refer to the music used in a movie, and/or to a record album sold containing that music. Sometimes, the music has been recorded just for the film or album (e.g. Saturday Night Fever), though this is rare. In 1916, Victor Schertzinger recorded the first music specifically for use in a motion picture, and releasing soundtracks of songs used in films became standard in the 1930s. Henry Mancini, who won an Emmy Award and two Grammys for his soundtrack to Peter Gunn, was the first composer to have a widspread hit with a song from a soundtrack.

The Soundtrack on a record can contain all kinds of music (including "inspired by", see the Harry Potter-soundtracks), contained in a movie - the Score contains only music by the original Film-composer.

Contents

Notable soundtracks

The best-selling soundtracks

  1. The Bodyguard 1992 17 times platinum
  2. Saturday Night Fever 1977 15 times
  3. Purple Rain 1984 13 times
  4. Forrest Gump 1994 12 times
  5. (tie) Dirty Dancing 1987, Titanic 1997 11 times
  6. The Lion King 1994 10 times
  7. Top Gun 1986 9 times
  8. (Tie) Grease 1978, Footloose 1984 8 times
  9. Waiting to Exhale 1997 7 times

List of songs popularized by a movie

Some of these songs had been released before the movie, but had found little success, while others were released alongside the film or were briefly re-popularized some years after their initial peak. This list does not include songs associated with a cinematic opera or musical. Most of these theme songs occur at least once during a climax during the movie, and are often played during the opening and/or closing credits; the close association between the highlights of a movie and a particular song, especially when the two are marketed together (as in a music video), means that songs can find new audiences. For example, Quentin Tarantino's use of "La La Means I Love You" and 1970s Philly soul group The Delfonics led to a renaissance in hipness for the band some fifteen years after their mainstream success ended.

See also

External links

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