Editor’s Note: The Albumism staff has selected what we believe to be the 100 Greatest Soundtracks of All Time, representing a varied cross-section of films and musical genres. Click “Next Soundtrack” below to explore each soundtrack in the list or for easier navigation, view the full introduction & soundtrack index here.
Vanilla Sky
Reprise/WEA (2001)
Selected by Andy Healy
Thanks to his music journalism background, director Cameron Crowe knows a thing or two about pulling together a great soundtrack. And whilst Almost Famous may be the go to, Vanilla Sky is the perfect example of scoring a feel for a movie with existing songs. Matching the waking-dream-cum-nightmare of Vanilla Sky, the songs on the “music from the movie” soundtrack is ethereal and sublime. I mean, when you can sequence “Vanilla Sky” by Paul McCartney alongside “Solsbury Hill” by Peter Gabriel and feature Radiohead’s “Everything In Its Right Place” and “Last Goodbye” by Jeff Buckley, you know you’ve got a winner.
Throw in tracks by R.E.M., Leftfield, Sigur Rós, and Bob Dylan, and you have a soundtrack that will take you through the dreamlike expanse of the film. Closing with The Chemical Brothers’ “Where Do I Begin?” not only is a sly nod to the narrative of the film, but also musically scores the trippy, phasing in and out nature of the movie so perfectly.
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