The 25 Best Soundtracks of the Decade (2000-2009)

[Note: This was a rather ambitious post with a lot of embedded content. Please excuse awkward spacing and timing lags.] 

Considering it's March of 2010, I guess I should clarify that I've made a list of the best soundtracks from last decade, 2000-2009. I started a draft of this at least six months ago but of course it fell into the netherworld of unfinished posts. As late as it is, here are 25 soundtracks from the last decade that I remember fondly, and I use the word "soundtrack" loosely since some of these movies had great songs that weren't actually on the soundtrack album. Also, note that these are soundtracks, not original scores.

First, here are some that I am setting aside because they fall into the following advantageous categories. Consider them in a class by themselves:

Musicals - Across the Universe, Dreamgirls, Moulin Rouge!, Chicago, Rent, Mamma Mia!

Biopics - Walk the Line, I'm Not There, Notorious, Ray

Documentaries - Dave Chappelle's Block Party, Tupac:Resurrection, Amandla! A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony, Young @ Heart

Now, on to the list of 25, in alphabetical order with the exception of this first selection:

1. City of God (2002) - Was there any doubt my favorite soundtrack of the decade wouldn't come from my favorite movie of the decade? I've listened to this hundreds of times over the years and it never gets old. Antonio Pinto and Ed Córtes struck a perfect balance of soul, romance, funkiness, danger, and fun in their original score for City of God, but the supplemental songs really rounded out the album, such as "Convite para Vida" by Seu Jorge, "Na rua, na chuva, na fazenda" by Hyldon, and "Nem Vem Que Não Tem" by Wilson Simonal. Take a few minutes and enjoy a free trip to Brazil:

50 First Dates (2004) - This otherwise completely forgettable Adam Sandler/Drew Barrymore romantic comedy must have required one of the biggest music licensing budgets of any movie from the decade. Nearly every song on the official soundtrack was a cover of a popular 80's hit (311's "Love Song" being one of the highlights), while there were several dozen additional hit songs used in the film but not included on the soundtrack. All in all it was a terrible movie featuring a great collection of bouncy island jams.

8 Mile (2002) - A high point of Oscar night hilarity during the last decade was the 2003 ceremony, when the pit orchestra had to play Eminem's "Lose Yourself" after it won in the Best Original Song category, the first ever rap song to win the award. Another hit, "8 Mile", was on the soundtrack, but here again was a movie that also featured a bunch of classic music that wasn't officially part of the album.

About a Boy (2002) - I'd never heard of Badly Drawn Boy prior to this movie, and I don't know if I've heard anything he's done since, but wow, this was an outstanding soundtrack album in the early years of the decade. Such a perfect blend of whimsy and pop to back a light but subtly meaningful comedy. Here's one of my favorite tracks:

Almost Famous (2000) - Kicking off the decade with a rousing collection of classic rock and original music, this soundtrack set the bar almost impossibly high for the movies that followed it for the next 10 years. For a movie about music, and about how music provides meaning at different points in people's lives, well it was simply a knockout. Here's a great original song written by Nancy Wilson (half of the classic rock duo Heart and also director Cameron Crowe's wife) and performed by the film's fictional band, Stillwater. Just try and listen to this song without playing air drums - it's impossible. Seriously, I just did it like six times back-to-back while writing this, and now I'm sweaty:

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) - On this list almost solely because it features "Use Me" by Bill Withers in an instantly classic scene, the Anchorman soundtrack also boasted the likes of Neil Diamond, the Isley Brothers, and Kansas. Just hearing those songs brings to mind so many hilarious scenes.

Blue Crush (2002) - The only thing more underrated than this funky surf flick was its thumping soundtrack, featuring Nikka Costa, Lenny Kravitz, Damian Marley, Zero 7, and, (used only in the movie) Bob Marley, Bananarama, and P.O.D.'s "Youth of the Nation", possibly one of my favorite movie songs of the decade:

Brown Sugar (2002) - Another movie featuring a bunch of decent songs (Mos Def, Mary J. Blige, The Roots) and one absolutely stellar track, in this case the most lyrically inspired original soundtrack song of 2002, if not the entire decade - Erykah Badu's "Love Of My Life (An Ode To Hip Hop)":

Crash (2005) - There wasn't much music to speak of in this movie aside from two incredibly powerful songs - Bird York's "In the Deep", which scored an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song, and Stereophonics' emotionally resonant "Maybe Tomorrow", which played over the end credits:

Crazy Heart (2009) - The newest addition to this list, Crazy Heart was a movie that really hooked me with its music - against all odds considering my distaste for anything resembling country. Bad Blake had me tapping my toes to his soulful diddies like "Somebody Else" and "Fallin' and Flyin'", and the Oscar-winning "The Weary Kind" wasn't half bad, either. Believe, I'm much more surprised at what I just wrote than you are.

Garden State (2004) - This likely would have taken the #1 spot on many people's lists, but while I fell for it fast and hard while watching the movie, over time I've grown tired of it for some reason; I think it's begun to feel as empty as the film itself. Ironically hip for the sake of being ironically hip, like Natalie Portman wearing a foam helmet. Nonetheless, Zach Braff snagged some undeniably terrific songs for this movie, including Coldplay's "Don't Panic", Zero 7's "In the Waiting Line", Thievery Corporation's "Lebanese Blonde", Simon and Garfunkel's "The Only Living Boy in New York", and Nick Drake's "One of These Things First".

High Fidelity (2000) - Like Almost Famous, this movie about music introduced the "Top 5 ____ Albums" conversation on college campuses everywhere. To be honest, most of the songs on this soundtrack didn't do much for me at all (I thought Jack Black's rendition of "Let's Get It On" was a highlight), but it must be included on this list due simply to its significance within the context of its film.

I Am Sam (2001) - Can't really go wrong with an album full of Beatles covers, especially not when they're performed by the likes of Aimee Mann, Sheryl Crow, Eddie Vedder, Ben Harper, Sarah McLachlan, The Black Crowes, and others. I actually don't even remember the significance of Beatles songs in this movie, but the resulting soundtrack was terrific. 

Into the Wild (2007) - Sean Penn commissioned Eddie Vedder to provide an original soundtrack for his film adaptation of Christopher McCandless' fateful journey. Did it work? Don't ask AMPAS - the lack of a Best Original Song nomination wasn't the only snub the film suffered, and many people considered this the best soundtrack of the year. Here's one of my favorite tracks:

Love Actually (2003) - The music is as sappy as the Richard Curtis-written dialogue in this movie, but it's appropriate, and "God Only Knows" by the Beach Boys is always a favorite of mine. The film is a favorite for many people during the Christmas season, no doubt because it features Wham's embarrassingly fun "Last Christmas" and also Billy Mack's surprisingly catchy "Christmas Is All Around". Did you just start singing it in your head?

Napoleon Dynamite (2004) - If you don't love this music you won't find much to love about the soundtrack, but if you're a Napoleon fan you owe it to yourself to give this a listen. John Swihart's synth-pop score sounds cliche now, but like so many other things from this movie, it was a trend leader, not a follower. And how fantastic were the few song choices that Jared Hess actually made here (Jamiroquai, Alphaville, Sparklemotion)? And of course "The Promise", one of the greatest end credit songs of all time:

Once (2007) - Should this have been included in the "Musicals" category outside of the list? Possibly, but I was never comfortable with the film being defined by that term anyway. It was a romantic dramedy that just happened to be about musicians, but the performances were raw and spontaneous, not rehearsed and staged like Chicago or Dreamgirls. Of course, Once also had the advantage of doubling as a legitimate album by The Swell Season, but nevermind that. These songs (including Oscar winner "Falling Slowly") comprised some of the most memorable movie music of the decade.

School of Rock (2003) - Anytime you give Jack Black the freedom to rock out you're going to get magic, in this case both from his live performances ("It's a Long Way to the Top") and his karaoke (the "Seventeen" scene). It might not have been the most daring classic rock soundtrack, but it sure made me want to pick up an instrument and play along with those kids.

Serendipity (2001) - You may remember vaguely liking the music from this movie, but you have to check out the track listing to remind yourself how impressive this soundtrack was, featuring artists like David Gray, John Mayer, Annie Lennox, Nick Drake, and even Louis Armstrong. Here's Drake's "Northern Sky" that played over the saccharin-sweet ending:

Shrek (2001) - Wow, whatever happened to the band Smash Mouth? Guess the prospects weren't too hot with a name like that, but they probably made some sweet cash from their contributions to this cover-heavy soundtrack, which was decent for an animated non-Pixar film not featuring original music by Randy Newman.

Slumdog Millionaire (2008) - As unabashed as I've been about my love for this movie over the last year and a half, I don't think I've ever expressed how powerfully transcendent the soundtrack is. In fact it can't be expressed, but only experienced. You'll remember that A.R. Rahman won both the Oscar for Best Original Score and Best Original Song ("Jai Ho", which of course beat his other nominated song "O...Saya"), but the scary thing is that the "non" Rahman songs on this soundtrack are just as good. Of course there is M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes" (foreshadowed here in 2007) and Javed Akhtar's "Aaj Ki Raat", but one of my personal favorites is "Ringa Ringa", performed by Alka Yagnik and Ila Arun:

Talk to Me (2007) - An unsung movie in 2007 and a highly overlooked soundtrack, featuring old-school R & B from the likes of Otis Redding, James Brown, Sam & Dave, and a bunch of other artists whose names I didn't recognize but whose music I surely did. This is absolutely a movie I would watch again just to experience the music in the context of the story, namely Sam Cooke's classic "Change is Gonna Come", which is curiously missing from the official soundtrack.

The Beach (2000) - My first exposure to this soundtrack was from the trailer, featuring Moby's "Porcelain" during a scene in which Leo & Co. stumble upon the impossibly perfect beach at Ko Phi Phi Le in Thailand. While that song was absolutely critical in the actual film, so too was a pounding jam that was somehow left off the soundtrack - "Touched" by V.A.S.T.:

 

The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) - What would this list be without at least one Wes Anderson film soundtrack? As far as I'm concerned this was the last great compilation Anderson put together after Rushmore, and the score by Mark Mothersbaugh was nearly as memorable. Tenenbaums features Nico, Nick Drake (on a lot of soundtracks last decade!), Elliott Smith, Paul Simon, The Ramones, and the Vincent Guaraldi Trio. Every song is classic - and classic Anderson.

Wonder Boys (2000) - Another early decade soundtrack to be celebrated, this one featured heavy doses of Neil Young and Bob Dylan, including Dylan's original "Things Have Changed", which won the Oscar for Best Original Song.

Honorable Mentions (in no order):

Juno
Ocean's Eleven
Kill Bill (I & II)

Donnie Darko

Boiler Room
The Princess and the Frog

ATL
Little Miss Sunshine
The Departed

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Dogtown and Z Boys

So...which ones did I forget? Which ones are ridiculous choices? Which ones will be remembered years from now? Which year boasted the best soundtracks, and how was 2002 such an amazing year of movie music when, according to my math, it was the worst movie year of the decade?