I tend to think I have pretty good musical taste, and before you read this, I promise I do listen to normal music. However, I do enjoy a silly soundtrack that, while you read this, will have you thinking to yourself, “what on Earth is she listening to?!” Just hear me out and give these five albums a try while you get ready for school or do homework this week.
- K-Pop Demon Hunters
Despite the film being an absolute masterpiece of friendship and vulnerability, the soundtrack is fantastic. The Netflix original film is a Korean-pop inspired animated movie about three female singers who fight demons while simultaneously singing K-Pop. I am not a huge K-Pop fan, I actually don’t ever listen to K-Pop, but when this movie started blowing up online, I figured I’d give it a shot. I was blown away, to say the least: the soundtrack is just phenomenal. The number one song from the movie, “Golden,” is being nominated for an Oscar in the category of Best Original Song. Another song from the movie, “Soda Pop,” passed the popular K-Pop group BTS in most streams. Most of the songs are in English, however, the plot revolves around a Korean folktale. The songs are catchy, upbeat, poignant, and definitely worth listening to!
- The Rise of Red (Descendants 4)
Though the movie was absolute garbage compared to the first three Descendants movies, I was surprised how good the soundtrack was. Without the original cast, I figured it wouldn’t be as good, and therefore didn’t want to watch it. But I have a 10-year-old sister, so begrudgingly, I did watch it. And also because I have a little sister, the songs are always on in my house and in the car. Admittedly, I have “Shuffle of Love” and “Life Is Sweeter” on a shared playlist with my friend. So yes, the soundtrack is good! The songs get stuck in my head, the dances are fun, and the soundtrack is great for karaoke! Just don’t watch the movie.
- Hannah Montana
As a 2009 kid, Hannah Montana was before my time, and I didn’t grow up watching the show. However, the songs from the show and movie are fun, relatable, and catchy, as I’ve discovered more recently. My top three songs have to be “Best Of Both Worlds,” “You’ll Always Find Your Way Back Home,” and “Ordinary Girl.” You could argue that these are girly songs, but I have seen many more boys scream-singing these songs (particularly at summer camp) than I have girls. The Hannah Montana soundtrack(s) never get old and never fail to lift my mood!
- Annie (2014)
I’ve loved this soundtrack since it came out when I was five, and I’ve loved it ever since. The 2014 version of Annie was a remake of the movie from the 1980’s, and was originally a comic strip about a little, red-haired orphan that could be seen in weekly papers back in the 1920’s. In the modern make of the film, Jamie Foxx (Mr. Stacks) sings gorgeous duets in the film with the talented and young Quvenzhané Wallis (Annie). Plus, some of the soundtrack features Sia, so what’s not to love?! My favorite songs from the movie have to be “I Don’t Need Anything But You,” “You’re Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile,” and classics like “Tomorrow” and the well-known “It’s the Hard-Knock Life.” Whenever I put this soundtrack on, I’m still five years old, dancing around, mopping my kitchen, pretending to be an orphaned child who’s keeping her hopes up to one day find a family. (PS: I was never an orphan.)
- The New, Live-Action Snow White
When the live action version of Snow White came out in March of 2025, there was a lot of backlash from critics and viewers. People complained that the prince wasn’t original to the classic animated version because in the live-action version, Snow White’s love interest is a thief, not a charming prince. Other people complained that Rachel Zegler, who portrays Snow White, was “not white enough” to play Snow White, or something outrageous like that. Despite the hate the movie got, you’d have to be an ignorant or simply an awful person to deny the talent of Zegler. The soundtrack, though slightly different from the original film, is fantastic. On my playlist are “Waiting On A Wish” and “A Hand Meets A Hand.” Yes, I unironically listen to Disney princess soundtracks. Don’t judge until you listen to the songs: they’re really good!
Though some of these movies might be awful, the soundtracks are fun, melodic, and just silly things to listen to when you’re starting to get sick of the same old playlists. Everyone needs to take life a little less seriously, be a little more whimsical, and start listening to these ridiculous soundtracks!
