American Film
Book Playlist

American Film

by American Film Institute

“American Film” traces how film criticism and cinema culture evolved across decades of American filmmaking—from reverence for classics to the push toward contemporary voices. This playlist pairs cinematic instrumentals (as if sitting in a theater before the editorial pages turn) with lyrics that echo art, memory, authorship, and the ache of watching a country reinvent itself on screen.

20 tracks
balanced
Sep 29, 2026
Open in Spotify

Your reading session

Press play. Turn the page.

Listen with Spotify

Track List

20 songs
1
Dream Sequence

Love On A Real Train

Tangerine Dream · Dream Sequence

2
Are You Experienced

Third Stone From The Sun

Jimi Hendrix · Are You Experienced

3
Mountbatten Festival of Music 2025

In The Hall of the Mountain King

Edvard Grieg · Mountbatten Festival of Music 2025

4
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (2012 Remaster)

Starman - 2012 Remaster

David Bowie · The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (2012 Remaster)

5
Stranger Things: Soundtrack from the Netflix Series, Season 5

Heroes

David Bowie · Stranger Things: Soundtrack from the Netflix Series, Season 5

6
Burning Down the House / I Get Wild / Wild Gravity

Burning Down the House

Talking Heads · Burning Down the House / I Get Wild / Wild Gravity

7
Ocean Rain (Expanded; 2007 Remaster)

The Killing Moon

Echo & the Bunnymen · Ocean Rain (Expanded; 2007 Remaster)

8
Highway 61 Revisited

Like a Rolling Stone

Bob Dylan · Highway 61 Revisited

9
Traveller

Tennessee Whiskey

Chris Stapleton · Traveller

10
Aerosmith

Dream On

Aerosmith · Aerosmith

11
What's Going On

What's Going On

Marvin Gaye · What's Going On

12
Days Of Wine And Roses, Moon River And Other Academy Award Winners

The Way You Look Tonight

Frank Sinatra · Days Of Wine And Roses, Moon River And Other Academy Award Winners

13
The Very Best of John Coltrane

Naima

John Coltrane · The Very Best of John Coltrane

14
Everybody Digs Bill Evans

Peace Piece

Bill Evans · Everybody Digs Bill Evans

15
Cantaloupe Island

Maiden Voyage

Herbie Hancock · Cantaloupe Island

16
Genius Of Modern Music Volume One

In Walked Bud

Thelonious Monk · Genius Of Modern Music Volume One

17
Mingus Ah Um

Goodbye Pork Pie Hat

Charles Mingus · Mingus Ah Um

18
Saxophone Colossus

St. Thomas

Sonny Rollins · Saxophone Colossus

19
The Very Best of John Coltrane

Giant Steps

John Coltrane · The Very Best of John Coltrane

20
Greatest Hits

In the Mood

Glenn Miller · Greatest Hits

Playlist Settings

Mood balanced
Genre match
Era any
Length medium
Instrumental 50%
Environment balanced

Generate a book playlist

Use our book playlist generator to customize the mood, genre and length for American Film.

Discover more

More playlists like this

Book soundtracks with a similar Films feel, ready for your next session.

All Films playlists
Cover of Lights Out

Lights Out

by Navessa Allen

View soundtrack
Cover of Reverend Insanity 2 : The Demon Leaves The Mountain

Reverend Insanity 2 : The Demon Leaves The Mountain

by Gu Zhen Re

View soundtrack
Cover of The Talisman

The Talisman

by Stephen King, Peter Straub

View soundtrack
Cover of Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

by Fyodor Dostoevsky

View soundtrack
Cover of Yesteryear

Yesteryear

by Caro Claire Burke

View soundtrack
Cover of Harry Potter

Harry Potter

by J. K. Rowling

View soundtrack