6 Rom-Com Soundtracks For Summertime Dancing

There’s nothing I love more than a good soundtrack to a favorite film. Good soundtracks elevate the scene, but great soundtracks instantly teleport you back to the scene, joyously and happily so. Whenever I hear “Head Over Heels” by The Go-go’s, for example, or maybe “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life,” I immediately think of the opening scene of 13 Going on 30 or the iconic lift scene in Dirty Dancing. If I’m down, I feel better in an instant, and it makes me want to rewatch the film, stat.

Below, 6 movie soundtracks for summertime dancing, all from classic chick flicks (and almost-there classics), because of course. 

Dirty Dancing

Dirty Dancing’s soundtrack is one of the all-time greats: set in the 1960s but filmed in the 80s, there’s really an extra layer of nostalgia when it comes to hearing tracks like “Be My Baby” by The Ronettes and “Love Is Strange” by Mickey and Sylvia. And of course, who can forget Bill Medley’s “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” playing at its peak just when Baby makes the lift in Johnny’s arms. Cinema. 

The Princess Diaries

Since its release in 2001, The Princess Diaries has become something of a modern classic. Starring Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews, The Princess Diaries is a film adaptation of Meg Cabot’s YA series, with a lot of liberties taken. But it’s grown into itself, and its soundtrack—along with its score—serves it well. It’s got selections like, “Miracles Happen” by Myra and “Little Bitty Pretty One” by Aaron Carter are so of-its-time that it’s just perfect. 

13 Going on 30 

In 13 Going on 30, Jenna Rink grows dissatisfied with her teen life in 1987 and wishes to be “thirty, flirty, and thriving”; when she wakes up the next day, she is—but it’s not all that it seems. As the audience journeys with Jenna discovering what she’s been up to the past seventeen years, the soundtrack, filled with 80s hits like Madonna’s “Crazy For You” and Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” sets the mood and the tone of the film. It’s pure 80s nostalgia, but through the lens of Jenna, who Jennifer Garner plays with such childlike wonder. Still, there are contemporary songs, like Liz Phair’s breath-stopping “Why Can’t I” during the obligatory romantic comedy montage. 

Charlie’s Angels 

I am of the opinion that Charlie’s Angels may just be the film with best soundtrack of all time. The opening theme, “Charlie’s Angels 2000,” is as iconic as a John Williams or Danny Elfman score. The rest of the songs peppered in all throughout the film, whether it’s Tom Green singing “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” off-key, or it’s Drew Barrymore flipping off the security camera to Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock ’N Roll.” 

Set It Up 

Netflix’s 2018 romcom, to me, set the precedent for what a Netflix romcom should be: light, easy, and takes itself seriously just the right amount. In this film that follows two beleaguered and very overworked assistants—who then decide to ‘Cyrano’ their bosses—there are varied songs from varied eras: there’s a Dusty Springfield, some Huey Lewis and The News, Looking Glass, and Third Eye Blind. It fits what the leads’ music tastes might be: vintage, old school cool inspired by the generation before them, as both Harper and Charlie are in that millennial sweet spot between Gen Z and X-ennials. 

The Parent Trap 

The Parent Trap starring Lindsay Lohan, Natasha Richardson, and Dennis Quaid, is a movie with a lot of great moments. But it’s also a movie with a lot of great music moments, from its score by Alan Silvestri to its soundtrack. The film opens with a Nat King Cole ballad and closes with a fun, celebratory song by his daughter, Natalie Cole. Throughout the movie, gems like “Bad to the Bone” during a poker game involving 11-year-old campers, and “Soulful Strut” underscore already-memorable moments. 

Lead photos from IMdB