Drive Soundtrack

The movie Drive is just saturated with cool. Like, an unnamed retro bad boy donning a jacket with a mysterious scorpion emblem and popped collar kind of cool. The film’s lone wolf/getaway driver is played by Ryan Gosling, who certainly didn’t have many lines to memorize. Dialogue is scarce, so it’s not surprising the soundtrack carries a lot of the dramatic weight—there are quite a few scenes where the music is the only indication of how we should feel. In the film’s gripping opening sequence, in which our hero evades police capture through a series of nifty car tricks, the hypnotic “Tick of the Clock” by Chromatics enhances the tension and sense of urgency. The score, written by Cliff Martinez, has a distinct ’80s synth-pop vibe. Same goes for the handful of songs by no-namers who fill out the soundtrack—with the exception of the orchestral sweeps of “Oh My Love” by Italian composer Riz Ortolani, heavy, pulsing synths and dreamlike vocals are the norm. Simply put, this soundtrack is so stylish you’ll pick up your own snazzy rebel jacket after the first listen.