Photo: Jill Sobule | Interview by Kristen Yoonsoo Kim, Pitchfork | [COMBO Editor’s note: Have you wondered who picks the music for a movie? When you hear the term “Music Supervisor”, do you have any idea what it means? Read on to find out the answers to both questions and more!] What would the movies be without music? Imagine Do the Right Thing without Radio Raheem’s blaring boombox. Or Pulp Fiction without Dick Dale’s cataclysmic surf-rock guitar. Or Super Fly without Curtis Mayfield’s haunted croon. It’s impossible to do. Throughout film history, songs have added glory to struggle, majesty to landscapes, depth to heroes and villains alike. When sound and vision meet, transcendence ensues.
In looking at the greatest movie music of all time, Pitchfork is publishing two separate lists this week: best soundtracks and best original scores. Today, we discuss soundtracks, which we’re defining as collections of songs that have been used in films. These are usually multi-artist compilation albums, and almost always include songs with vocals and lyrics. Stay tuned for the best original scores list later in the week. (We’re excluding musicals from both lists, as they feel like a different category entirely.)
Though directors are often given sole credit for a movie’s soundtrack, many people help bring music to the big screen. Among them, music supervisors are an essential and undersung part of process. These are the people who find songs and secure their usage in films, which means they likely played a huge role in shaping your music taste today. So to kick things off, let’s talk to one of cinema’s most accomplished music supervisors.
An interview with Music Supervisor Karyn Rachtman
> > > > > > > > > >
Read the rest of the article and Ms. Rachtman’s interview here:
https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-50-best-movie-soundtracks-of-all-time?
[Editor’s note: Continue to read after the interview for the list of soundtracks. I agree with most of them! (The rest: I’ve never seen the movie).
Fun fact: Great to see “Clueless” listed with track, ‘Supermodel’ by Jill Sobule. Jill regularly attends the Durango Songwriters Expo and she has agreed to speak at a COMBO meeting in the future. https://www.durango-songwriters-expo.com (sign up by July 21st for a big discount) (being held in Broomfield, not Durango). Check out Jill at https://www.jillsobule.com]
The 50 Best Movie Soundtracks of All Time
