8 Albums You Didn't Know Are Based On Movies
Who says musicians can't love films?
You hear about interesting sources of inspiration all the time: movies inspired by novels, novels inspired by stage plays, video games inspired by films but what you very rarely (if ever) hear about is music inspired by movies. Despite the fact that music is arguably more cinematic than it's ever been, there seems to be a reluctance to attaching music to a film unless it's a paid promotion.
But just because the instance is rare doesn't mean it's unheard of. In fact, there's a bunch of music out there by some of the most famous musicians in the world that is directly inspired by cinema. The truth is that just because artists don't make it one-hundred percent clear doesn't mean it's not happening. It makes sense, after all inspiration comes from literally everywhere.
So who is responsible? From Jay Z's love of Ridley Scott to Lenny Kravitz's inspiration-fuelled days spent on the set of the Hunger Games series, here are eight albums you didn't know are based on movies.
8. Jay Z American Gangster
Despite Jay Z's tenth studio album (released in 2007) sharing the exact same name as the Ridley Scott directed film American Gangster, Jay Z's record is not an official soundtrack album, nor was it ever marketed as such. It's for this reason that most people have no idea that the two are much more connected than they appear at first glance.
In fact, Jay Z loved American Gangster so much that he would apparently have the Ridley Scott film playing on the monitors above the recording booth in the studio in order to keep himself inspired. In an effort to create a more cinematic feel for the record, the musician also ordered its removal from the iTunes store, saying as movies are not sold scene by scene, this collection will not be sold as individual singles. The general theme of the album and the lyrical content shares much DNA with the film, dealing with violent crime and the gangster lifestyle.
In the end, though, it ultimately didn't matter much that most didn't recognise the connection, as the album was critically acclaimed and sold almost half a million copies in the first week of its release. Interestingly, despite Jay Z's insistence on fans listening to the album in its complete form, he still dropped three promotional singles...