While a classic movie and a classic album are enjoyable enough to listen to on their own, plenty of pop culture fans have theorized that the experience can be twice as fun when putting them together. Obviously, when an artist records an album, they don't try to sync it with a movie or vice versa, but there remain plenty of fan theories out there thinking they unintentionally do. An iconic example of this is Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon and The Wizard of Oz, and the list keeps rolling.
For those curious to see if they can get new enjoyment out of an album or film by playing them both at the same time, here are some popular movie and album sync ideas to try out.
The Wizard of Oz & The Dark Side of Moon
Without question, the most famous theory of an album and movie syncing up is the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz with Pink Floyd's iconic LP The Dark Side of the Moon (1973). It's hard to figure out how and when this fan theory first appeared, but it's grown to massive popularity since. The movie is one of the most famous films ever made, while the album has arguably the most instantly recognizable album cover of all time.
Certain "syncable" moments worth noting are when Dorothy is listening to the Tin Man's heart beating while the album is playing a heartbeat, the wailing during the song "The Great Gig in the Sky" when the tornado first appears, and the Scarecrow dancing wildly as the lyric "the lunatic is on the grass" is being sung. Pink Floyd obviously didn't have The Wizard of Oz in mind while making Dark Side, but it's still fascinating.
Scott Pilgrim & Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010) syncing with The Smashing Pumpkins holds even more levity than The Wizard of Oz and The Dark Side of the Moon. On the DVD commentary, Scott Pilgrim director Edgar Wright and comic creator Bryan Lee O'Malley discussed if there was an album that could sync with the movie, and they both agreed on the Pumpkins' popular album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (1995).
That record is a double album and just as long as the movie. There are also clues in the movie itself that the two go together, like Scott Pilgrim wearing multiple Smashing Pumpkins shirts. While that probably wasn't Wright's intention, there's no doubt that the Smashing Pumpkins are ingrained within the DNA of the Scott Pilgrim franchise.
The Matrix & The Black Album
The Matrix (1999) remains one of the most influential films of the past two decades, setting the tone for 21st-century, high-concept science fiction and action movies. When thinking of what album could sync well with the movie, most would think of futuristic and electronic kinds of music to match the film's style. But the most popular suggestion for The Matrix is Metallica's self-titled LP, also known as The Black Album (1991).
In the '80s, Metallica emerged from the Bay Area as the premier thrash metal band, but their 1991 record brought the band to mainstream popularity. While The Black Album isn't necessarily a conceptual sci-fi-esque record, it still has songs and lyrics in the spirit of The Matrix. Songs like "Enter Sandman," "Sad But True" and "The Unforgiven" are tales of adversity and intimidating figures oppressing the weak -- a key theme of The Matrix. The hard-hitting riffs and epic guitar solos also go well with the movie's pulse-pounding action.
The Fellowship of the Ring & Led Zeppelin IV
No band is more famous for using the world of J.R.R. Tolkien in their lyrics than Led Zeppelin is. The legendary British rock band incorporated Middle-earth into songs like "Ramble On," "Misty Mountain Hop" and "The Battle of Evermore." So it's only fitting that fans would want to watch Peter Jackson's classic The Lord of the Rings films while listening to a Zeppelin album, and the most popular sync theory is 2001's The Fellowship of the Ring playing alongside Led Zeppelin IV (1971).
The fourth Zeppelin album is considered the best thanks to iconic songs like "Stairway to Heaven," "Black Dog" and "Rock and Roll." But it's the inclusion of "Misty Mountain Hop" and "The Battle of Evermore" that gives this sync theory credibility. As great as Howard Shore's score is, Jimmy Paige's guitar and Robert Plant's voice are equally fitting when watching The Fellowship of the Ring.
Memento & Nevermind
Christopher Nolan's 2001 film Memento and Nirvana's 1991 masterpiece Nevermind are more alike than one would think. When experienced together, both can be hard to follow, and every listen/viewing is open to an entirely new interpretation. The music and lyrics, inspired by the mind of notoriously troubled Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, are just as puzzling as Memento's protagonist Leonard Shelby.
The quietly intense yet engaging tones of Nevermind with songs like "In Bloom," "Come as You Are" and "Something in the Way" are similar to the movie. Not a lot is going on, but it's impossible for the audience to look away. It's simply too intriguing and fascinating.
Hackers & OK Computer
Starring Johnny Lee Miller and a young Angelina Jolie, Hackers (1995) is a '90s cult classic that was ahead of its time. And the music equivalent of a '90s album that was ahead of its time is Radiohead's critically praised 1997 record OK Computer.
The futuristic sound of the record would fit well with the movie and both are equally enjoyed by tech geeks. Beloved Radiohead songs on the LP like "Paranoid Android," "Karma Police" and "No Surprises" turns the cheesy Hackers into a wildly entertaining commentary on technology that would soon take over the world in the 21st century.
2001: A Space Odyssey & Meddle
Although The Wizard of Oz syncing with The Dark Side of the Moon is more famous, Pink Floyd made the kind of music that would fit better as the soundtrack to the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey. With this fan theory, a single Pink Floyd song is long enough to fit the movie. The song "Echoes" lasts over 20 minutes and serves as the second side of their 1971 album Meddle.
It's a track that's just as experimental and psychedelic as the incredible climax and ending of 2001: A Space Odyssey. The first side of the album playing alongside the beginning of the movie wouldn't be so bad either.
The Exorcist & Black Sabbath
The Exorcist (1973) is considered one of the scariest movies of all time. Black Sabbath's 1970 self-titled debut album is considered the first official heavy metal album -- or at least the most influential and important to the genre. Very few moments in music are as chilling as the opening moments of the record with the sound of rain, a church bell and guitarist Tony Iommi's three terrifying guitar notes that sample "Diabolus in Musica," also known as "Devil in Music."
Only The Exorcist could inject chills as effectively as Black Sabbath. Other dark songs like "N.I.B" and "Wicked World" fit with the devil's possession of the child Regan in the film and the terror she inflicts.
Toy Story & Toys in the Attic
The first feature film made entirely using computer-generated animation, the legend of Toy Story (1995) only continues to grow with its successful sequels. In the music world, Toys in the Attic (1975) is considered the signature album of the legendary rock band Aerosmith.
The theory that the two sync up together has to do with the album name and the title track being the first song on the album. But seeing Woody and Buzz survive their dramatic adventure back to Andy while listening to classic Aerosmith songs like "Walk This Way" and "Sweet Emotion" delivers a satisfying feeling, too.
The Last Starfighter & Ziggy Stardust
David Bowie spent nearly five decades releasing classic album after classic album, but arguably his most famous record was The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972). Ziggy Stardust is a concept album about a rock star of the same name arriving on earth from Mars and saving the planet. The movie that people consider the most playable with the album is the 1984 Disney live-action movie The Last Starfighter.
Like Ziggy Stardust, The Last Starfighter is about a protagonist who saves the world. Only in the movie, the hero named Alex Rogan is a video game expert who applies these same skills to his real life and fights an alien invasion. The drama and sci-fi elements of Bowie's classic will fit well with this fun and heroic alien movie.
WALL-E & Another Brick in the Wall
While Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon is a concept album about life's challenges, 1979's The Wall, the band's second most popular album, is a rock opera with a more cohesive story. The plot is autobiographical for the band's leader, Roger Waters, while also making a dark commentary on mental health, war and the education system. So obviously the perfect movie to sync with The Wall (besides the 1982 Alan Parker movie it inspired) is... Pixar's 2008 sci-fi Wall-E.
Think about it: just like the album's main character, Wall-E is isolated from the rest of civilization and the circumstances out of his control dictated it. Also, how awesome would it be to watch Wall-E and Eva fly through space to the album's best song, "Comfortably Numb?"