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As a book lover, I love seeing my favorite books turned into movies/series. The best soundtrack adaptations to me are the ones that encapsulate the same feeling that reading the book brought me.
With film and books being different mediums of art, it’s not super common to get a perfect scene-for-scene adaptation of your favorite book to screen.
However, for me, I far prefer it when the adaptation respects the source material and creates the same feelings I had while reading the book!
One of the most fun elements of adaptations is how they use soundtracks to create a whole new way to enjoy the world of your favorite book.
These are absolutely some of the best soundtracks for books to have playing in your AirPods to help you capture that main character energy!
Call Me By Your Name
Call Me by Your Name is written by André Aciman, and the film is directed by Luca Guadagnino. The soundtrack for this movie has to be one of my all-time favorites!
It’s a combination of ’80s pop, classical music, impressionist music, and Sufjan Stevens. Also, the original songs Sufjan wrote for this movie are two of my all-time favorite songs.
I actually watched this movie before I read the book, unlike the others on this list.
The visuals in this film paired with the soundtrack totally set up the perfect image in my mind and made me really feel like I was in the moment with Elio and Oliver.
Book written by: André Aciman
Movie written by: James Ivroy
Where to watch it: Currently available to stream on Amazon Prime (as of 8/22)
The Summer I Turned Pretty
I read The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han back in high school, and this new adaptation that was just released on Amazon Prime TRANSPORTED me back to all of the best parts of being fifteen.
The show has such a cute aesthetic (and so much teen angst)! I love how they updated the references in the show to things that are more current.
With all the cute first kisses and flirting, Belly has been elevated by a fun and trendy soundtrack. The use of modern pop hits is so summery; this soundtrack is filled with Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Black Pink, and more.
I grew up loving Taylor Swift, and the use of “The Way I Love You” from her Fearless album is one of my favorite moments of the series.
Book written by: Jenny Han
Series written by: Jenny Han
Where to watch it: Amazon Prime
Looking For Alaska
The Looking for Alaska mini-series came out in 2019, and I feel like it is absolutely the most slept-on John Green adaptation.
Both the Paper Towns and The Fault in Our Stars movies are a bit more well-known and have more star-studded casts, but the Looking for Alaska mini-series is easily my favorite of John Green’s work.
The soundtrack for this series is indie-pop and filled with beautiful covers such as Fleuries’ cover of “To Be Alone With You” (originally by Sufjan Stevens) and Young Summers’s cover of “Take Me Out” (originally by Franz Ferdinand).
After watching this series for the first time, I instantly found so many new favorite songs, and they all fit the vibe set by John Green in his debut novel so well!
Book written by: John Green
Series written by: Josh Schwartz
Where to watch it: Hulu
Twilight
Not only do I think that the soundtrack for the Twilight movies perfectly captures the angst-filled world created by Stephanie Meyers, but I also think that it has one of the most recognizable songs from a book-to-movie adaptation as well!
Any time “A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri comes on, I know everyone is thinking about this famous (or maybe infamous?) vampire family.
One of the first weddings I ever remember going to had the bride walking down the aisle to “A Thousand Years”, so it’s clear to see that this soundtrack had a huge impact on a whole generation!
The Twilight soundtrack also feels like a time capsule to the 2000s and early 2010s with songs like “Supermassive Black Hole” by Muse and “Flightless Bird, American Mouth” by Iron & Wine.
As the series continued, we also got some great original songs written for the saga such as the previously mentioned Christina Perri hit and “Decode” by Paramore.
My personal favorite from the Twilight series is “Roslyn” by Bon Iver and St. Vincent featured in New Moon.
Book written by: Stephanie Meyer
Movies written by: Melissa Rosenberg
Where to watch it: Currently available to stream on Amazon Prime (as of 8/22)
Honorable Mentions
There are a ton of great soundtracks from book-to-movie/series adaptations that I absolutely love; there’s too many to fit in one post! However, I do feel that I need to mention a couple more that are special to me!
From the Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone soundtrack, we have “Hedwig’s Theme” by John Williams which is an iconic song on the soundtrack and instantly transports the listener to the magical world of wizardry!
Another mention has to go to the score to The Lord of the Rings series. This soundtrack was composed by Howard Shore and I personally think it has some of the best leitmotifs in a movie score.
Each of the character’s themes is so recognizable, and you know I am absolutely driving around town blasting “Helm’s Deep”.
Let me know what your favorite book-to-screen adaptation soundtracks are! Thanks for reading!
-Paisley
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