American Film

Book Playlist

American Film Playlist

by American Film Institute

20 tracks

balanced

Sep 29, 2026

“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.

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Track List

20 songs

1

Love On A Real Train

Tangerine Dream · Dream Sequence

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2

Third Stone From The Sun

Jimi Hendrix · Are You Experienced

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3

In The Hall of the Mountain King

Edvard Grieg · Mountbatten Festival of Music 2025

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4

Starman - 2012 Remaster

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

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5

Heroes

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

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6

Burning Down the House

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

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7

The Killing Moon

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

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8

Like a Rolling Stone

Bob Dylan · Highway 61 Revisited

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9

Tennessee Whiskey

Chris Stapleton · Traveller

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10

Dream On

Aerosmith · Aerosmith

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11

What's Going On

Marvin Gaye · What's Going On

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12

The Way You Look Tonight

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

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13

Naima

John Coltrane · The Very Best of John Coltrane

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14

Peace Piece

Bill Evans · Everybody Digs Bill Evans

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15

Maiden Voyage

Herbie Hancock · Cantaloupe Island

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16

In Walked Bud

Thelonious Monk · Genius Of Modern Music Volume One

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17

Goodbye Pork Pie Hat

Charles Mingus · Mingus Ah Um

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18

St. Thomas

Sonny Rollins · Saxophone Colossus

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19

Giant Steps

John Coltrane · The Very Best of John Coltrane

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20

In the Mood

Glenn Miller · Greatest Hits

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Instrumental request 50%

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