Everyone can remember their favorite songs as a child. A lot of the songs we used to sing over and over again likely made our parents wish we had a mute button, and came from the movies and shows we adored.

When I was little, I could have sworn I was going to grow up to be just like “The Little Mermaid” (unrealistic life expectations start early, right?). I would run around singing “Under the Sea,” and sometimes, my dad would sing with me. Other times, I swear he hid my VHS tape so I couldn’t sing along. As I got older though I realized that living under water was unrealistic, Prince Eric wasn’t really that great of a guy, and Disney makes the catchiest soundtracks to captivate young kiddos like me.

When I watch movies, I always notice the music they play. The type of music they play in a movie or even a TV show can either make or break it. It sets the mood and the tone for the story, helps build tension between characters and can even leave me wondering if it’s available on my Spotify account. The best soundtracks always seem to come from films.

“The Virgin Suicides” is arguably Sofia Coppola’s masterpiece. The dreamy, feminine, indie flick wouldn’t be the same without the stunning soundtrack by Air. The tunes and the visuals perfectly come together to give us Coppola’s most iconic film to date. Listening to the soundtrack on its own can even tell you the story of the Lisbon girls and how they all ultimately met their demise, or rather what could have led them to it.

Shane Carruth has directed some of the best indie flicks around. He combines aspects of science into each of his films and makes each theme more intriguing than the last. Each film concept will leave you glued to the screen, trying to anticipate what will happen next, or why our protagonist’s problems are occurring. He even takes it upon himself to make the soundtracks for his films, such as “Primer” and “Upstream Color.” These soundtracks are simpler, yet they flow with the dynamic of the scenes to help build tension and break it as needed. These more simplistic soundtracks perfectly mesh to fit Carruth’s films more complex plots and only add to them.

Romantic Comedies get a bad reputation, they’re just never that great (and frankly the music is usually pretty generic). “A Life Less Ordinary,” starring Ewan McGregor and Cameron Diaz (in the early days of their fame), is probably one of the best romantic comedies of all time. It has a kidnapping, a road trip and so much more. On top of all the adventures Diaz and McGregor have, they get to have them to an epic soundtrack of 90s tunes – which no adventure is complete without.

This week’s playlist will be a compilation of some of the best soundtrack tunes:

1. Playground Love, Air

2. Leave, R.E.M

3. Dirty Trip, Air

4. A Life Less Ordinary, Ash

5. Fearing That They Would Be Light Headed for Want of Food and Also Sleep, Shane Carruth

6. Coming Down, Dum Dum Girls

7. It’s Like It Sings, Shane Carruth

8. Eyes Be Closed, Washed Out