Few soundtracks have captured the spirit of an era quite like Forrest Gump. Released alongside the Academy Award–winning film, this collection plays like a time machine through America’s cultural heartbeat — spanning rock ’n’ roll, protest songs, and radio staples from the ’50s through the ’80s.
 
From Elvis Presley’s 1956 barnburner ‘Hound Dog’ to Bob Seger’s reflective 1980 anthem ‘Against the Wind,’ the setlist is a history lesson told through jukebox hits. Along the way are The Doors, Jefferson Airplane, Aretha Franklin, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Simon & Garfunkel, and more — a who’s who of American music across three decades.
 
The soundtrack itself was a blockbuster, peaking at No.2 on the Billboard 200 and holding steady there for seven weeks in 1994. Like the film, it repackages the familiar in a way that still resonates — a greatest-hits reel of the times that shaped both the story on screen and the audience watching.
 
File under: classic rock / Americana / essential movie soundtracks.
 
 
TRACKS:
 
LP 1:
Elvis Presley - Hound Dog
Duane Eddy - Rebel Rouser
Clarence 'Frogman’ Henry - (I Don’t Know Why) But I Do
The Roof Top Singers - Walk Right In
Wilson Pickett - Land of 1000 Dances
Joan Baez - Blowin’ In the Wind
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Fortunate Son
The Four Tops - I Can’t HelpMyself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)
Aretha Franklin - Respect
Bob Dylan - Rainy Day Women #12 & 35
The Beach Boys - Sloop John B.
The Mamas & The Papas - California Dreamin’
Buffalo Springfield - For What It’s Worth
Jackie DeShannon - What The World Needs Now Is Love
The Doors - Break On Through (To the Other Side)
Simon & Garfunkel - Mrs. Robinson
Jefferson Airplane - Volunteers
 
LP 2:
The Youngbloods - Let’s Get Together
Scott McKenzie - San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)
The Byrds - Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)
The Fifth Dimension - Aquarius / Let the Sunshine In (The Flesh Failures)
Harry Nilsson - Everybody’s Talkin’ (From "Midnight Cowboy")
Three Dog Night - Joy to the World 7. The Supremes - Stoned Love
B.J. Thomas - Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head
Randy Newman - Mr. President (Have Pity On the Working Man)
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Sweet Home Alabama
The Doobie Brothers - It Keeps You Runnin’
Gladys Knight & The Pips - I’ve Got to Use My Imagination
Willie Nelson - On the Road Again
Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band - Against the Wind
Alan Silvestri - Forrest Gump Suite