What movie soundtrack has the most number one singles?
The power and potential of a movie soundtrack can’t be understated or underestimated. Part of the power comes down to the movie itself, as the right music can take something good and make it great. But a truly incredible soundtrack is all-influencing on its own because time and time again, a new hit has been born from a scene.
If the right song hits at the right moment, it can elevate a good scene into a piece of high art. Thinking back to some of the most iconic and beloved cinematic moments ever, almost all of them seem to come along with a tune – Mia Wallace dancing to ‘You Never Can Tell’ in Pulp Fiction, Duckie lip-syncing ‘Try A Little Tenderness’ in Pretty In Pink, or how about the desperately yearnful glances between Celine and Jesse in Before Sunrise as Kath Bloom’s ‘Come Here’ plays in the background?
Arguably, the music supervisor is one of the most essential jobs in the whole movie-making world, up there with the director and producer when it comes to creating something truly special. So much power lays in their hands as picking the right tunes, or the right artist to take care of the soundtrack, can be make-or-break.
A truly exception soundtrack goes beyond the film, though. If a song makes such an impact on the screen, it has the potential to jump off it and become a hit all on its own. We see it all the time, as even old tracks featured in new movies or TV shows can end up randomly charting again, like Stranger Things reviving an old Kate Bush track. It doesn’t matter when the song was made; simply recontextualising it and reintroducing a catchy number to a new audience is enough to boost those sales.
Throughout history, there have been plenty of examples of cinema playing a huge role in the music world and meddling in the charts as powerful soundtracks set songs flying to the top. Dirty Dancing is one of them, as that iconic finale dance to ‘(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life’ sent the song to number one. The Bodyguard was another big music success as Whitney Houston’s cover of ‘I Will Always Love You’ for the movie not only spent 14 weeks at number one, but has become one of the most well-known recordings ever.
Obviously, musicals have an upper hand here as films like Grease, Footloose and Prince’s Purple Rain, which definitely feel like a musical given that he wrote the songs specifically for the movie, all gathered up the chart toppers. However, there was one film that dominated in this field as the music and cinematography work in powerful harmony.
So, which soundtrack has the most number one singles?
When Saturday Night Fever was released, it was a sensation. Suddenly, people were out dancing again as it seemed to genuinely reignite people’s love for the dance floor, as the disco-infused movie was a major box office smash.
It launched John Travolta’s career, making him a household name and launching him as a new cinematic star. But its impact lies just as much in the musical world as in the film one, as the soundtrack is one of the best-selling albums of all time by now.
Featuring songs by the Bee Gees, the process of writing those tracks for the movie and having the world embrace them completely revived the band. By that point, they’d basically given up as they felt their sound had grown tired. But on this soundtrack, everything seemed fresh again simply due to its connection to the action on scene and the way their music perfectly merged with the cinematic world of the film.
Overall, that one soundtrack alone led to three number one hits for the band – ‘Stayin’ Alive’, ‘Night Fever’ and ‘How Deep Is Your Love’. It also gained another number one for Yvonne Elliman with ‘If I Can’t Have You’ as the popularity of the soundtrack shared the success around.
