The ’60s was the age for bold counter-cultural film and music, with many looking for ways for new, innovative ways to utilise the power of music in truly capturing the spirit and emotion in a film.
Here’s a range of some classics that that challenged musical boundaries (in a good way) back in the ’60s!
[divider]Breakfast At Tiffany’s (1961)[/divider]
Henry Mancini’s work on this symphony jazz soundtrack remains fresh through time with his remarkable work on the imaginative arrangement for this soundtrack.
The general loungy mood of the soundtrack never gets boring because of its variety of vivid orchestral cues and expertly handled textures that are (surprisingly) so personal, they will make you feel almost as if you are being serenaded.
The epic soundtracks that follow on this list are more likely to tear your emotions apart, so try this one for something that will evoke a more gentle, warm range of emotions, still enough to move you to tears. If you’re a lounge fan, this is a NEED!
[divider]James Bond – Dr. No (1962)[/divider]
The soundtrack for Dr. No, by Monty Norman/ John Barry was an iconic push at cultural intersection due to the penetration of Jamaican music. The soundtrack was part of a surge in the love for ska and reggae, and shot to popularity as steady as it beat, accompanied by heavy, twanging guitars and evocative horns.
The score features some very unique arrangements, especially in the James Bond Theme, that explores the jazzy elements of sci-fi with electronic music in an era technological gadgets and spyware had began to dominate the world.
Bathe in the badassery of Sean Connery, beautiful sun-kissed buxom women, and the groovy island cues in the soundtrack that has since come to being known as one of the most recognisable themes in the world.
[divider]Lawrence of Arabia (1962)[/divider]
Maurice Jarre’s soundtrack for Lawrence of Arabia has a special kind of divine charm. It is epic, powerful, violent and hypnotic all at once, and was produced with a scope so massive that no other soundtrack can quite match up to the grandeur of this one.
The score lives up to the bold 60s, with its eccentric combination of Arabian music melodies, tribal instruments, dissonant atmospheric music and the general vibe of Lawrence himself–you will definitely be left in awe as you open your eyes to the intricacies of Jarre’s boundless, almost reckless composition.
[divider]Pink Panther (1963)[/divider]
The original Pink Panther is not our favorite snazzy pink cat! In fact, The Pink Panther refers to a dazzling, pink diamond in the movie. with a discoloration that looked like a panther (behold, the origins of the cartoon) in Henry Mancini’s recognizable theme song for The Pink Panther is perfect to accompany the comedic search for the jewel thief who stole the diamond, with its cool jazzy undertones that will put an innocent twist on dirty, wicked, fun! The theme is known for its legendary sax solo and appealing brass sections with very clever string arrangements.
You’re going to want to put this on your lounge playlist, for when you’re sipping on martinis and scheming about how to get off work early.