I know, I know. I am the TV & Movies Maven. Not TV & Movies & Music Maven (that would be ridiculous). But for the last week, I have been rocking out to the One Tree Hill: Volume 3 soundtrack in my car, and it inspired me to share with you some of my personal favorite TV & Movie soundtracks.

Ten soundtracks I can’t live without:

Now & Then: Hands down, my favorite soundtrack ever. EVER. I had the CD. I lost it. I went out and bought it again. That’s how much I cared. ‘Sugar, Sugar’. ‘Signed, Sealed, Delivered.’ ‘Hitchin’ A Ride.’ ‘Knock Three Times.’ The soundtrack is only 12 songs, but I love every single one of them.

One Tree Hill: (Okay, technically there are three volumes, but for the sake of the countdown we’ll count them all as one). For a show that is basically a soap opera (a really freakin’ awesome soap opera), it has the most amazing soundtracks ever. OTH does an amazing job of incorporating music into the show. Consider the artists that have been featured: Gavin DeGraw, Kate Vogele, Tyler Hilton, Lupe Fiasco, Pete Wentz, and Tree Hill’s own Haley James Scott. Over the span of three volumes you get all those artists, plus acts like Trespassers William, Butch Walker, Keane, Nada Surf, Jack’s Mannequin, Citizen Cope, Mozella, The Weepies…

Forrest Gump: If you were only allowed to own one soundtrack, I would probably tell you to buy this one (cheating again, it is really two discs). Elvis, Aretha, Joan Baez, CCR, Bob Dylan, Jefferson Airplane, Skynyrd, Seger. Thirty-five songs that defined a generation. ‘Nuff said.

Mamma Mia: I love musicals, and I probably own a ton of soundtracks from musicals too. But this is the only one that I keep in my car, and listen to on a regular basis. When you need a pick me up, when you feel like belting at the top of your lungs, when you are on long road trips and all the other people in your car are sleeping, nothing beats Mamma Mia. Trust me.

Walk the Line: Thus began my love affair with Johnny Cash. I know it is not him singing, but whatever. It also features OTH alum Tyler Hilton, so it gets some bonus points for that too. (And I’ll retract my previous statement, my love affair with Cash began after his multiple appearances on Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman).

Space Jam: Everybody get up it’s time to slam now. We got a real jam goin’ down. Welcome to the Space Jam. Here’s your chance, do your dance at the Space Jam. Alright… Also featured: R Kelly, Seal, Monica, Coolio, Busta Rhymes, LL Cool J, Barry White, Chris Rock… Should I go on?

Dance With Me: I don’t know the words to any of the songs, (mainly because they are all in Spanish… although me trying to sing Thalia’s ‘Echa Pa Lante’ is probably very amusing), but when I’m in the mood for Latin beats, this is my go-to disc.

My Best Friend’s Wedding: Hate the movie. Love the soundtrack. Tony Bennett’s ‘The Way You Look Tonight’ is the perfect wedding song. Jann Arden’s ‘You Don’t Know Me’ is the perfect ‘hey boy, you have no clue what you’re missing’ song.

Footloose: An 80s movie about Kevin Bacon dancing? A soundtrack that features Kenny Loggins, John Mellencamp, and Foreigner? What’s not to love?! Come on people, let’s hear it for the boy (let’s give the boy a hand).

Pocahontas: The Little Mermaid is my favorite Disney movie. But Pocahontas’ soundtrack is way better for belting out in your car. Can you sing with all the voices of the mountain? Yes, yes I can.

And five I want to buy:

Titanic: Yes, I am fully aware that pretty much every single song from the movie is an instrumenatl version Celine Dion’s ‘My Heart Will Go On.’ Do I care? No.

Prince of Egypt: I’m obsessed with this movie. Yes, having Whitney and Mariah on the soundtrack with ‘When You Believe’ is nice, but I’m more interested in songs from the movie like ‘Deliver Us’ (pretty much the most beautiful, epic song ever featured in an animated movie, in my opinion).

Glee: This is a no-brainer.

The Hangover: Am I sick of this movie yet? Not a chance. To me, this soundtrack screams ‘rockstar’ (see ‘Fever’ by The Cramps and ‘Iko Iko’ by The Belle Stars). Plus you get movie favorites like Phil Collins, ‘Stu’s Song’, Three Best Friends, and, of course, ‘Candy Shop.’

Zoolander: A movie that pretty much revolves around ‘Relax?’ Yes, please. Plus you get other great tunes like ‘I Started a Joke’ by The Wallflowers and Wham’s ‘Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go.’

Image Credit: Obit-Mag.com

Danielle is the Television and movies Editor  for Girls Guide. You can check out her personal blog, Addicted to Television, where she talks about her television obsession. If you want to give her free movie passes she wouldn’t be shy in taking them, so you can email them to her at danielle [at] girlsguidetothegalaxy [dot] com, and you can follow her on Twitter – @daniellesmyname.