Why don't movies have great soundtracks anymore?

"I Don't Wanna Live Forever" in a time when movies don't have major pop hits like the years before.

La La Land and Moonlight have great scores. I hear the score for Lion is terrific, too.

But, yeah, blockbuster theme songs are far and few between. r1 references the Fifty Shades Darker theme. One of the FEW things the Fifty Shades films have gotten right are the soundtracks - they're excellent. The first film had two huge hits by The Weeknd (also Oscar nominated) and Ellie Goulding.

I was a cunt in my response. I agree. I miss the movie soundtracks with huge pop hits.

As R2 pointed out, Fifty Shades has nailed this.

We need more Top Gun, Dirty Dancing, Bodyguard soundtracks.

Why don't we have great movies anymore?

Op, it's about money. Would you rather put a hit song, selling at $1.25, on a movie soundtrack or put said hit on some artist's new album? A hit song on a singer's album is more likely to get people to buy the album or additional singles. When it comes to soundtracks, people aren't inclined to buy the entire package due to the flexibility of the digital marketplace like Itunes. You only have one shot with a song so use it on an artist's album and skip the low-margins soundtracks.

Great soundtracks died long before digital downloads.

Music is the least of it. When Little Affleck wins an Oscar, it's time to fold 'em.

I think what OP might be talking about is discussed in this video about lack of thematic scores. Films used to be scored after the editing, but to save money, producers are having movies edited to temp tracks and then having composers "write" music that resembles the pieces used for editing. This definitely explains Rogue One's lack luster soundtrack.

r5

That thinking has been apt since the late 90s. People don't buy albums in any great number. Now you can have a #1 pop single with as little as 25,000 sales, this happened recently. People just don't buy music anymore. They steam, steal or listen to it for free.

Parent perspective: Some of these animated movies have had wildly popular songs. “Let It Go” from “Frozen” was a huge thing. And “How Far I’ll Go” from “Moana”... And apparently the “Hamilton” soundtrack was huge with middle school kids. My daughter complained bitterly about it last year.

But I’m not disagreeing with you.

Why don't movies have great scripts anymore?

Why don't movies have great actors anymore?

Most music for high grossing films has become atmospheric. It’s no longer an in-your-face song or John Williams score. You notice it less.

Call Me By Your Name is an excellent soundtrack. Sufjan Stevens was nominated for this year's Oscar.

Because there are hardly any great movies anymore. See R13 = mediocre movie, fun soundtrack.

There were giants once. Waxman, Korngold, Tiomkin, Steiner.

Now there's auto-tune.

Johnny Greenwood and Alexandre Desplat do very good work, too.

r13 is right. The Call Me By Your Name soundtrack is terrific. There was even a limited edition blue vinyl which sold out quickly for CMBYN.

There have been some great soundtracks released this year, Jane by Phillip Glass, the Twin Peaks soundtracks, the Three Billboards soundtrack, the Shape of Water.

It isn’t just Fifty Shades

The song from the movie Furious 7 called “See You Again” spent 12 weeks at #1.

"Why don't movies have great soundtracks anymore?"

Because Jerry Goldsmith has died.

R4 nailed it. Thread closed.

Last great original theme was Shore’s 2001 work for LotR IMO. 2001 was also the first Harry Potter film, which marked John Williams’ last great original work.

I have to give nod to Silvestri’s Avenger’s theme, which has become very recognizable. And Zimmer’s Interstallar music, which sticks with you.

I used to be in the music industry. The movie studios would give a particular record label the rights to release a soundtrack, and then the label would stack the disc with acts that they were trying to break or get attention for. People would buy the soundtrack for the big hit, and then hear a bunch of acts they didn't know. When people stopped buying discs, there was no more motive for the labels to put together a good soundtrack, because people just buy or download the big hit now, they don't download the whole cd.

Why can't we smoke in movie theatres anymore? That was the best.

Maybe someday there will be movie theaters where you can smoke weed.

‘80s zeitgeisty soundtracks were the best. They played like guilty pleasure mixtapes, or really banging compilation albums.

My favourite was ‘87’s THE LOST BOYS. You had Echo & The Bunnymen (doing The Doors), INXS, The Call, Lou Gramm, George Michael, Tim Cappello (Tina Turner’s saxman...what more could you want?

Making the OST, Director Joel Schumacher largely had to make do with what he could wrest out of Atlantic Records’ roster. He was even forced to cut a few deals, agreeing to direct videos for INXS and Lou Gramm (aforementioned dude from Foreigner) in exchange for their songs.

The film itself is underscored Thomas Newman’s eerie synth-and-organ score, while snatches of the selected rock and pop soundtracks songs blare diegetically out of stereos and boomboxes—like the one blasting Run DMC’s ‘Walk This Way’ as the vamps feeds on a group of surf Nazis.

The OST is snapshots of a weird transitional moment in popular music & subculture, a dissonant clash between moody & angry angst and bright assertive aspirational rock. It’s still so much fun to listen to.

DL fav and noted homosexualist Limahl’s The Neverending Story theme song.

You are correct, R19.

Compare the bland bombast of Hans Zimmer, say, with the startling weirdness and deep atmosphere of Bernard Herrmann, or the vitality and brashness of early John Barry (and the lush romance of his later work), or the sheer operatic (and equally bizarre) and truly epic work of Ennio Morricone.

It is the rise of "sound design" (ostinatos, rhythms, back beats, electronics, etc) over traditionally orchestrated symphonic scores.

Those old scores were great hooks that often contributed to the films' popularity. The success of JAWS was as much as anything else due to the score that absolutely everyone who saw the film could instantly recall and upon recalling brought back the excitement and terror of the film. Same with Herrmann's VERTIGO score or John Barry's scores for Bond or OUT OF AFRICA, say. That kind of creativity and power in film music just doesn't exist anymore, which is a shame as they would be more successful if it did.

I suggest we give some of the talented Hollywood orchestrators (musically adept, but maybe weak on branding skills) some composer jobs.

Because music is dead. The same reason a 24/7 channel devoted to music (MTV) died. Music just isn't important to most people these days.