When talking pictures arrived in the late 1920s, songs from movies became big business. Al Jolson, who starred in The Jazz Singer, the first blockbuster talkie, sold millions of 78 RPM records. Fifteen years later, Irving Berlin sat next to a swimming pool in Hollywood and wrote White Christmas for the film Holiday Inn. The Bing Crosby version, released on July 30, 1942, is still the biggest-selling single of all time with lifetime sales somewhere in excess of $50 million.
When Columbia Records unveiled the long-playing vinyl album at a big ceremony at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York in June 1948, Hollywood was very interested. Since almost the beginning of recorded music, songs from Broadway musicals and films had been a major source of hits. Movie producers saw the LP as another way to promote their movies and the songs they contained.
It didn't take long for soundtrack albums - along with original cast recordings from Broadway productions - to become wildly popular. Story continues below advertisement Rock 'n' roll got into the act. Rock Around the Clock, the classic Bill Haley & His Comets recording, played under the opening credits of the 1954 film, Blackboard Jungle, causing kids worldwide to jump into the aisles and dance. Fast-forward to the 60s and movie soundtracks got even bigger, thanks to The Beatles (A Hard Day's Night and Help!) and, most importantly, The Sound of Music from 1965, which for years was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the best-selling record (not just soundtrack) of all time. The latest guess is that it has sold more than 20 million copies. More on Entertainment More videos Major filmmaking in Calgary continues to boom while Edmonton's indie scene grows 'Heated Rivalry' stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie to be torchbearers for Winter Olympics James Cameron says he moved from U.S. to New Zealand for 'sanity' 2026 Oscar nominations: 'Sinners' makes Academy Awards history with 16 nods New exhibition at Dalhousie Art Gallery explores Black dancing in Canada. Fredericton braves the cold for annual kilt skate Saturday Sips: Chinatown Cocktail Showdown Minute at the Movies: Jan. 23, 2025 But it was Saturday Night Fever in 1977 that really broke things open. The Bee Gees-heavy record was the source of eight hit singles on the radio, four of which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, propelling the double album to sales of $40 million, give or take. It was followed a year later by Grease, which has sold 28 million copies.
There was big, big money to be made in soundtracks, and both the recorded music industry and Hollywood knew it. It also helped that studios and labels began to consolidate, making it easier to create synergies when it came to promotion, marketing, acquiring talent, and licensing songs. A movie had to be accompanied by a soundtrack album. And even if the movie tanked, the soundtrack could backstop things a little. Car Wash from 1976 and FM from 1977 are good examples. Story continues below advertisement It worked, and everyone was happy: Urban Cowboy (1980), The Big Chill (1983), Flashdance (1983), Purple Rain (1984), Footloose (1984), Top Gun (1986), Dirty Dancing (1987), Cocktail (1998), and every single John Hughes film. And that's just a tiny sample of gold- and platinum-selling movie soundtracks from the decade. 3:44 Sci-Fi movie soundtracks featured in SSO latest performance Sci-Fi movie soundtracks featured in SSO latest performance Christmas movie classic "Elf " live in concert with the SSO Previous Video Next Video The '90s were even better. Boyz N the Hood (1991), The Bodyguard (1992, 50 million copies sold with Whitney Houston's cover of Dolly Parton's I Will Always Love You staying at number one for 14 weeks), Singles (1992, a grunge-era classic), Wayne's World (1992, which gave Bohemian Rhapsody its current second life), Judgement Night (1993, the album that brought rock and rap together), Pulp Fiction (1994), Natural Born Killers (1994), the first two The Crow movies (1994 and 1996), Romeo + Juliet (1996), Trainspotting (1996), and Titanic (1996, 30 million copies sold) are at the top of my list. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. There were also lesser movies that yielded hits that are still played today. Til I Hear It From You by the Gin Blossoms first showed up on the Empire Records soundtrack. Think Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls, which was write been for the 1998 film, City of Angels, and has now been streamed over a billion times. Trending Now China's envoy says Beijing, Ottawa 'eye to eye' on supporting Greenland Homeland Security agent fatally shoots protester in Minneapolis Story continues below advertisement Gangsta's Paradise from Dangerous Min