A collection of Brad Pitt’s favourite songs
Brad Pitt has been one of Hollywood’s top leading men for decades, having worked with acclaimed directors such as Quentin Tarantino, David Fincher and Terrence Malick, among many others, his place in the annals of Hollywood history has been routinely established and re-established with almost every new picture. Through iconic performances in films like Fight Club and The Tree of Life, Pitt has shown remarkable versatility throughout his career.
In recent years, Pitt has maintained his incredible momentum with notable projects like Tarantino’s most recent film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Unfortunately, the actor has suggested that he will retire from the world of acting soon because he feels it can’t get any better later in life. “I consider myself on my last leg,” Pitt recently declared. While talking about his future trajectory, the actor claimed he was in the last semester of his career. However, he will still be a significant part of the film industry and will continue actively participating in future projects as a producer.
Many important directors and actors have influenced Pitt, but he has been equally moved by music. In an interview, he once spoke about his favourite bands, noting another breakout star from the 1990s, Radiohead, as perhaps the most essential rock group of all time: “What is so important about Radiohead is that they are the Kafka and the Beckett of our generation,” he said. “Thom Yorke and the rest of Radiohead are precisely that”.
While explaining the importance of Radiohead, he added: “What comes out in them, I don’t think is anything they could actually articulate, but I would certainly say that it’s that which we all know is true somewhere when we’re in our deepest sleep. That is their importance, and this movie hits on the same level.”
From works by Pink Floyd to Foo Fighters, the full list of Brad Pitt’s favourite songs is buoyed by a serious sense of rock and roll. Having found his way into fame as a heartthrob and likely parading himself around the nightclub scene of the 1990s, 2000s and beyond, it’s no surprise that the actor is more deeply attracted to the sounds of guitars than anything else. During his explosion on the Hollywood scene, artists such as REM, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Guns N’ Roses would have been prevalent additions to any after-party.
Likewise, as the indie boom began, bands like The Killers, Arcade Fire and The White Stripes would have likely taken over his stereo sounds. Arcade Fire are one band that Pitt has “obsessed” over before. Spike Jonze, the filmmaker, recalled to GQ: “The other day, he came over obsessing over the song ‘Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)’ that Arcade Fire released two days earlier, and we sat and listened to it and played guitar and sang along to it a dozen times just to get to experience it inside out. I could feel the song spilling out of him.”
While it may be difficult to pinpoint exactly a playlist of Pitt’s favourite songs, it is easy to see how every entry would have infiltrated the world of Pitt. A born artist with a willingness to have all forms flow through him, Pitt’s devotion to movies is perhaps only matched by his love of rock and roll.
Brad Pitt’s favourite songs:
- ‘November Rain’ – Guns N’ Roses
- ‘Comfortably Numb’ – Pink Floyd
- ‘Turn the Page’ – Metallica
- ‘Amsterdam’ – Coldplay
- ‘Ready to Start’ – Arcade Fire
- ‘All My Life’ – Foo Fighters
- ‘The Bends’ – Radiohead
- ‘Duncan’ – Paul Simon
- ‘Imitation of Life’ – R.E.M.
- ‘My Doorbell’ – The White Stripes
- ‘It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (But I Like It)’ – The Rolling Stones
- ‘Los Endos’ – Genesis
- ‘The Ballad Of Curtis Loew’ – Lynyrd Skynyrd
- ‘Hawkmoon 269’ – U2
- ‘Sam’s Town’ – The Killers
- ‘Venice Queen’ – Red Hot Chili Peppers
