On this year’s Record Store Day, Universal Music will be re-releasing the soundtrack to Clueless to celebrate the film’s 20th anniversary. And while it’s hard to top the revered classic that is Clueless’ soundtrack, the re-release calls to mind all the other great movie soundtracks for flicks about high school, relationship drama, and plain old teenage angst. Here, we break down some of the best teen movie soundtracks over the past few decades.
Clueless (1995)
The Story: Alicia Silverstone plays Cher Horowitz, a Beverly Hills shop-a-holic high school student, with a true heart of gold in this '90s spin on Jane Austen’s novel Emma. She decides to transform new girl Tai Frasier (Brittany Murphy) into the coolest girl in school.
Lunch Table: The popular girls, the fashion-heads, the rich-kids
Artists: Radiohead, Counting Crows, Velocity Girl, Luscious Jackson, etc.
Listen to it: When you’re trying to put your outfit together on the first day of school
Memorable musical moments: Tai getting made-over by Cher and Dionne to Jill Sobule’s "Supermodel", a sunny impromptu photoshoot on the school’s lawn set to Supergrass’ "Alright", and Tai’s moves to Coolio’s "Rollin’ With the Homies".
The Star Track: The Muffs' cover of "Kids In America", the best of the film’s many covers which have '90s artists do '80s hits.
Who’s That?: The Mighty Mighty Bosstones make a cameo in a pogo-filled frat party scene.
Pretty In Pink (1986)
The Story: Andie Walsh (Molly Ringwald) is a poor, fashion-obsessed hipster who falls for a preppy potatohead (Andrew McCarthy) named Blaine while her stylish deadbeat sidekick Duckie (John Cryer) pines for her. Social circles clash!
Lunch Table: Freaks, the art kids, goths, nerds
Artists: New Order, the Psychedelic Furs, the Smiths, Suzanne Vega, etc.
Listen to it: When you’re making your art, or your clothes, or whatever your medium is you crazy kid!
Memorable Musical Moments: Duckie performing a solo lip-sync freak out to Otis Redding, Andie sewing furiously to New Order’s "Thieves Like Us", extreme prom drama accompanied by "If You Leave" by OMD.
Who’s That?: Then friends with Molly Ringwald, the Pittsburgh-based band the Rave-Ups play in a few scenes at the club Andie and her boss Iona frequent.
The Star Track: "Pretty In Pink" by the Psychedelic Furs.
Fun Fact:Echo and the Bunnymen recorded "Bring on the Dancing Horses" specifically for the movie.
Juno (2007)
The Story: Juno (Ellen Page) is a 16-year-old girl who gets pregnant with her mopey friend Paulie’s (Michael Cera) baby, decides to keep it, and then gets a little too close to the adoptive parents Mark and Vanessa Loring (Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner.)
Lunch Table: The loners, nerds, freaks
Artists: The Moldy Peaches, Cat Power, Sonic Youth, the Velvet Underground
Listen to it: When you’re brainstorming how to make eye-contact for more than one second with your crush in Algebra class
Memorable Musical Moments: Juno losing her v-card to Astrud Gilberto’s "Once I Loved", and when Juno gives birth to Cat Power’s "Sea of Love".
The Star Track: "Anyone Else But You" by the Moldy Peaches, which Ellen Page and Michael Cera also cover in the film.
Fun Fact: The Moldy Peaches only made it onto the soundtrack at the suggestion of Ellen Page after she suggested it would be the kind of music Juno would listen to instead of the glam rock director Jason Reitman initially thought the character would like.
Mean Girls (2004)
The Story: Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) is the new girl at school who helps the misfits of the school infiltrate the popular girl circle to sabotage the Queen, Regina George (Rachel McAdams) but not before becoming one.
Lunch Table: The popular girls, the rich kids, the art kids
Artists: Peaches, Blondie, Pink, Kelis, Samantha Ronson, etc.
Listen to it: When you’re pre-gaming for your sophomore year Homecoming dance with vodka in a waterbottle mixed with whatever fruit juice you had on hand
Memorable Musical Moments: A sabotage montage on Regina George set to "One Way or Another", a hilariously heartbreaking talent-show rendition of Christina Aguilera’s "Beautiful", and a house-party gone-bad soundtracked to Peaches’ "Operate". Where IS Peaches these days?
The Star Track:"Milkshake" by Kelis, which became the anthem of Abercrombie & Fitch-clad hyper-sexed teens everywhere post-release of the film.
Dazed and Confused (1993)
The Story: It’s the last day of school in 1976 and famous-faced actors play angsty football players, keg party enthusiasts, stoners, seniors who haze freshmen and more.
Lunch Table: Stoners, the music-heads, the football players, the popular kids
Artists: Alice Cooper, ZZ Top, Black Sabbath, Foghat, etc.
Listen to it: When you’re out driving at 2:00 am with your best friends shit-talking your hometown
Memorable Musical Moments: The best hazing scene in movie history set to WAR’s "Why Can’t We Be Friends", the movie’s intro to "Sweet Emotion" by Aerosmith, and when Mitch Kramer (Wiley Wiggins) finally gets his ass-kicked by Fred O’Bannion (Ben Affleck) to Alice Cooper’s "No More Mr. Nice Guy".
The Star Track: "School’s Out" by Alice Cooper, because duh.
Fun Fact: Apparently 1/6th of the film’s budget (which was $6.9 million total) went to acquiring music.
Valley Girl (1983)
The Story: Julie Richman (Deborah Foreman) falls for Randy, played by a then-bonafide hunk Nicolas Cage. But he’s, all, like, New Wave and she’s, like, totally a Valley Girl? Their friends don’t vibe with it. A lot of shopping happens.
Lunch Table: The popular girls, the art kids, the freaks, the fashion-heads
Artists: Men at Work, Sparks, the Psychedelic Furs, etc.
Listen to it: At the beach cruising for dudes
Memorable Musical Moments: A dance-filled slumber party soundtracked to Bonnie Hayes’ "Girls Like Me" and Josie Cotton plays "Johnny Are You Queer?" at the coolest prom gig.
The Star Track:"I Melt With You" by Modern English, long before the "mmm-mmm-mmm" track and its several covers landed in a dozen different food commercials.
The Doom Generation (1995)
The Story: This tripped-out bloody road trip flick from Gregg Araki centers on teenaged couple Jordan White (James Duval) and Amy Blue (Rose McGowan) on the run after they pick up a hitch hiker named Xavier.
Lunch Table: The freaks, the recently sexually-active, the loners
Artists: Ride, Lush, Medicine, Verve, Aphex Twin, Cocteau Twins, etc.
Listen to it: When you’re trying to figure out what sex is for the first time.
Memorable Musical Moments: A Parker Posey-initiated bar-fight set to Pizzicato Five, a dark desert car-ride set to Slowdive’s "Blue Skied an’ Clear", and probably way too much shoegaze-accompanied sex.
The Star Track: "Blue Skied an’ Clear" by Slowdive, which closes the film’s horrific, murder-filled ending.
Fun Fact: Dan Gatto from the punk band Babyland also composed the film’s score.
American Graffiti (1973)
The Story: It’s 1962 and Curt (Richard Dreyfuss) and Steve (Ron Howard) are brothers who are unsure of their futures after graduating high school. What follows is a night of self-reflection, sock-hops, drive-ins, car-hopping and general teen mayhem.
Lunch Table: The popular kids, the preps, the nerds
Artists: Del Shannon, Buddy Holly, The Beach Boys, Chuck Berry
Listen to it: On the way to the 24-hour diner on the last night of school.
Memorable Musical Moments: When Laurie, pissed at her boyfriend Steve for asking to see other people, is forced to dance with him to "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" by the Platters, a shaving-cream car prank set to Chuck Berry’s "Johnny B Goode".
The Star Track: Apparently the entire soundtrack, which got a whopping 40-track release and hit triple platinum in the USA.
Who’s That?: Gravely-voiced American DJ Wolfman Jack makes an appearance and his real-life broadcasts play through-out the film.