By the 1990s, movie soundtracks became just as popular as their respective film. There were even times when the movie soundtrack outshone the film in terms of commercial success. This was due to either high-profile artists contributing to the soundtrack or the film not performing as well as anticipated. Whatever the reason may be, these movie soundtracks of the 90s outshone their respective films.
the bodyguard (1992)
Nowadays, people may recognize Whitney Houston‘s iconic cover of “I Will Always Love You” more than they remember the film. In 1992, Houston co-starred in a romantic film alongside Kevin Costner. It was Houston’s first major acting role, and the film was a massive global blockbuster. Despite this, Houston’s timeless classic “I Will Always Love You” became one of the biggest hit singles of all time. It spent 14 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, which set a record at the time. Additionally, the single is the best-selling single by a female solo artist in music history, with more than 25 million copies sold.
The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack also featured tracks from Lisa Stansfield, Kenny G, The S.O.U.L. S.Y.S.T.E.M., Curtis Stigers, and Joe Cocker. The soundtrack went to No. 1 in 21 countries and held the top spot on the Billboard 200 for 20 non-consecutive weeks.
batman & robin (1997)
An honorable mention would be Batman Forever (1995), as Seal’s “Kiss From A Rose” went to No. 1, pushing the soundtrack to No. 5 on the Billboard 200. Joe Schumacher’s sequel, Batman & Robin, wasn’t as widely regarded as its predecessor. The film is often considered the weakest of the four Batman films in the 90s. Despite this, the Batman & Robin Soundtrack was a massive success, featuring top alternative and hip-hop acts of the time. The 1997 soundtrack peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200. Smashing Pumpkins penned the lead single, peaking at No. 4 on the Alternative Airplay chart. Their track “The End Is The Beginning Is The End” won the 1998 Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance.
spawn (1997)
In 1992, Todd McFarlane published his first Spawn comic. The antihero’s story was adapted into a 1997 film that was critically panned upon release. It holds a low rating of 17% on Rotten Tomatoes, but has generated a cult following. However, its soundtrack outshone the film with groundbreaking industrial rock and electronic-rap collaborations. Such collaborations include Filter with The Crystal Method, Metallica with DJ Spooky, and Korn with The Dust Brothers.
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