While I work, I listen to movie soundtracks (and some other classical music mixed in). I regularly get asked about them, so I thought I would offer these and see what kind of responses I get back, too!
The movie may be important – and sometimes the memories of cool or powerful scenes connected to the movie are a big part of it… and maybe even the emotions of the scene are brought back. However, a powerful and emotional scene is not enough to make me love the soundtrack. Far from it.
The music must be powerful enough to stand alone as well.
I thought it only fair to share some of my favorites. Most of them can be found online.
Often when I work, I listen to the playlist I have named “peaceful.” This may not 
seem all that peaceful to many, but it is relative to my other playlist entitled “battle.”
Peaceful Playlist:
Master and Commander: Vaughan Williams, J.S. Bach Prelude
The Man From Snowy River: Main Theme
The Truman Show: It’s a Life, Truman Sets Sail, and A New Life, Glass:Powaqqatsi
Dragonheart: Main Theme
King Arthur: Another Brick in Hadrian’s Wall
The Thin Red Line: Journey to the Line
Deep Impact: A Distant Discovery, the President’s Speech
Treasure Planet: The Launch
Pride & Prejudice: The Secret Life of Daydreams
Star Trek: First Contact: Main Title/Locutus
Dances with Wolves: The John Dunbar Theme
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: Lumos!
Star Wars Episode 4: Medley: The Hologram/Binary Sunset
Star Wars Episode 5: Yoda’s Theme
Beauty and Beast: Transformation
The Emotion and the Strength: Dead Poet’s Society (Keating’s Triumph)
Star Trek: Enterprising Young Men
Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story: Bruce and Linda, Victory at Ed Parker’s
Searching for Bobby Fischer: Josh vs Dad, Final Tournament
National Treasure: Library of Congress, Page 47
How To Train Your Dragon: Test Drive
Battle Playlist:
Includes most of the songs above plus:
Crimson Tide: Roll Tide
The Dark Knight: Aggressive Expansion
The Peacemaker: End Titles
First Knight: Arthur’s Fanfare
Gladiator: The Battle, Barbarian Horde
Independence Day: End Titles
Iron Man: Driving with the Top Down
Kingdom of Heaven: The Battle of Kerak
The Last of Mohicans: Elk Hunt, Massacre/Canoes
Lord of the Rings Trilogy: The Riders of Rohan
Sneakers: The Sneaker’s Theme
Untouchables: The Untouchables Theme
The Hunt for Red October: Main Theme
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves: Main Theme
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Black Pearl, One Last Shot
Red Dawn: Main Title
Requiem for a Dream : Lux Aeterna
Star Trek First Contact: Red Alert
Stargate: Entering the Stargate, Bomb Assembly
Superman: Prelude and Main Title March
Van Helsing: Final Battle
Braveheart: The Battle of Stirling, Sons of Scotland
The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe: The Battle
Iron Man: Driving with the Top Down
Sneakers: The Sneaker’s Theme
The Abyss: Sub Battle
The Bourne Identity: Jason is reborn
Captain America: Main Titles
For a great addition to a game of almost any kind (but for some reason, active games, like Ultimate Frisbee seem to work best)… I have an almost exactly 1 hour “battle” playlist… in this order:
Fanfare for the Common Man
Lux Aeterna
O Fortuna
Olympic Fanfare
One Last Shot (Pirates)
Barbarian Horde (Gladiator)
The Battle of Stirling (Braveheart)
Test Drive (How to Train Your Dragon)
Victory at Ed Parker’s (Dragon)
The Battle (LWW)
Massacre/Canoes (LOTMohicans)
Final Credits (Robin Hood)
I would love to hear your favorites as well… I am always looking for some other great ones. Consider also K-Pax soundtrack.
Enjoy!
Oh and Promentory from Last of the Mohicans!
There are a number of Hans Zimmer tracks that could go in either list. Dream is collapsing, Dream within a dream , and Time from Inception are awesome. Vangelis’s Bounty soundtrack, Fading Away and Tears in The Rain from Blade Runner, and The Monestary and Main Title for 1492 Conquest of Paradise are classic if lesser known works. From The Grey The Alpha and Into The Fray. Another song in The Grey but for sale on another album is The City Surf by Jamin Winans on the Ink soundtrack. I actually had to track that one down after seeing the movie. It’s the song that plays in the final fight in the end of the film. Just listening to that song gives me chills.
I’d add James Horner’s Glory Soundtrack. Absolutely haunting and inspiring. Especially An Epitaph To War A Call To Arms and Closing Credits.
It’s funny Chris- I have to playlists also. One is called Meditation and the other is Epic.
Good stuff!
sign – now I gotta get on the internet and get all of these! Thanks for the great recommendations!
Chris you should publish your playlists on spotify! I’d be all over em!
Thumbs up on “The Man From Snowy River”. On my top 10 list of all time fav movies and soundtracks. A whole lot of emotion there, and some sappy love stuff. But the ” Yehah!” at the end and repeat of the main theme…….yep.
also Dances With Wolves. Good stuff.
I would add from “The King’s Speech”: Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7:1. And of course, Main Theme from “Chariots of Fire”. I know. Cheesy.
Thank you for your post. I’ve added some lovely songs to my “peaceful” playlist. Especially Keating’s Triumph from “Dead Poets “.
check out the Searching For Bobby Fischer closely, if you like those others! I will look for King’s Speech.
Okay. I most definitely have to throw the Jurassic Park main theme song in the mix. LOVE that music. Also, I think the ENTIRE Braveheart soundtrack is beautiful. So glad that was included. 🙂 OH, and what about 2001:A Space Odyssey. I’ve never even seen the movie, but the theme music is iconic. I LOVE movie soundtracks AND classical music, so I could go on, and on, and on…. 🙂
Melody
Jurassic park is good.. You can always trust John Williams to be amazing.
I love that you’ve got some of Jerry Goldsmith’s Star Trek work on there. I’m listening through the Nemesis soundtrack as I type this– excellent music to get you into the zone.
people underestimate sci fi soundtracks, but sometimes they are the very best.