What is a soundtrack?
A soundtrack is the music and sound recorded for a film, TV show or video game. The term also refers to an album of songs or music from a film.
A film's soundtrack can include a score, original music composed for the film, and licensed songs, existing songs used in scenes. Famous film composers include John Williams, who wrote the music for Star Wars, Jaws and Harry Potter, and Hans Zimmer, known for The Lion King, Gladiator and Inception.
Technically, the soundtrack is the audio track of a film, including dialogue, sound effects and music. In everyday language, though, people usually mean the music. Soundtrack albums can become huge hits. The soundtrack for The Bodyguard, featuring Whitney Houston, is one of the best-selling albums ever.
Music and emotion
Soundtracks help create mood, tension and emotion. A few notes can become instantly recognizable, like the Jaws theme or the James Bond theme. Recent hits include the soundtracks for Frozen, Barbie and KPop Demon Hunters, whose song Golden topped charts worldwide.
Did You Know?
The Oscars have awarded music since 1935, with separate awards today for Best Original Score and Best Original Song.