Gauntlet Mixtape Vol. 28: Soundtracked!

By Leigh Patrick, Maggie Hsu, Jayson Black Kettle, Elizabeth Raymond, Ansharah Shakil, Dianne Miranda and Daman Singh, December 8 2024—

This Gauntlet Mixtape Vol. 28: Soundtracked! compiles the best cinema soundtracks from both the big and small screen! All you have to do now is press play and let every song transport you into a different world.

LEIGH: VOLUNTEER

“a thousand years” by Christina Perri
- It’s a well known The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn song and is an enchanting love song. Fits with a snowy background that November brings.
“The Call” by Regina Spektor
- An adventurous song known on The Chronicles of Narnia and a staple on my train ride in the morning.
“Moon River” by Henry Mancini, Audrey Hepburn
- From Breakfast at Tiffany’s and is a gorgeous song, perfect for wandering campus between classes.

MAGGIE: SPORTS & LIFESTYLE EDITOR

“Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)” by Amanda Seyfried, Ashley Lilley, and Rachel McDowall
- At its core, this song is a masterpiece. The original by ABBA is a classic but the movie soundtrack version headlined by Amanda Seyfried is so fun and encapsulates the vibrance of the movie itself. Flawless.
Whip It soundtrack, in its entirety
- This soundtrack, as a whole just flows so well together. Every song is significant to the plot and listening to it takes you through all of the highs and lows of Whip It’s main character, Bliss. Not only did this movie have an absolute hold on me for the greater part of my teenage years, the soundtrack was my personality for a number of years too.
“Edelweiss” by Bill Lee, Charmian Carr
- The Sound of Music is my ultimate comfort movie and Edelweiss is such a sweet song before the unofficial climax of the movie. Symbolically, Edelweiss is important to the Von Trapp family as they rediscovered their familial bond through this song but also as a symbol of resistance against the Nazi Regime’s annexation of Austria.

JASON: VOLUNTEER

“Hotel California” by Eagles
- When I was a kid, I played this song religiously on Guitar Hero. I also recently re-watched Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, great karaoke song as well!
“Valerie – Glee Cast Version” by Naya Rivera, Glee Cast
- I love this version of this song! It made me fall in love with Naya Rivera—may she rest easy.
“My Girl” by The Temptations
- What can I say, I’m a romantic. As a kid, I fell in love with this song after watching the movie My Girl.

ELIZABETH: VOLUNTEER

“When Doves Cry” by Quindon Taver
- Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet is a 90’s fever dream. This rendition of the famous Prince song takes you into a world of chaos and violence, just like Shakespeare intended the play to be.
“It Can’t Rain All the Time” by Jane Siberry
- Featured on the soundtrack to the 1994 movie, The Crow. This song captures the theme of the film. Love, though it may feel far away, will always triumph. As the film says, “buildings burn, people die, but real love is forever”.
“To the Cave” by Maurice Jarre
- From the lovely film, Dead Poets Society. This song not only captures the youthfulness of the main characters, but also manages to create an undercurrent of unease.

ANSHARAH: ARTS & SCIENCE EDITOR

“Train Ride Home” by Mychael Danna, Rob Simonsen
- (500) Days of Summer has a gorgeous and perfectly fitting soundtrack, but the score itself is underrated. This track from the film is a prime example of how evocative the score is. Within 53 seconds, it manages to capture the complete mood of the characters and create an elegant sense of bittersweet hope.
“Maestro” by Hans Zimmer
- The Holiday is one of the greatest feel-good holiday rom-coms, and one of its storylines involves a film composer. It’s fitting that the film’s score itself is so important to the emotions it can make the audience feel. Zimmer’s entire score is excellent, but “Maestro” is one of his most beautiful songs, encompassing everything there is to love about this movie in one song.
“Hand Covers Bruise” by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
- Reznor and Ross are an unbelievably skilled team, and some of their best work is in The Social Network. Hand Covers Bruise is a classic — atmospheric, dark and melancholy, it’s brilliantly subtle and enhances the entire film.

DIANNE: VOLUNTEER AND OUTREACH COORDINATOR

“Stand Up” by Cynthia Erivo
- From Harriet, this song is filled with powerful energy and soul-stirring messages. Erivo’s stirring and hypnotizing vocals and the song’s defiant, uplifting lyrics make it an anthem for resilience and empowerment.
“This is Me” by Keala Settle, The Greatest Showman
- Every time the video from The Greatest Showman’s rehearsal of this song comes up on my TikTok For You page, I cry. The song, and the way Settle sings it is so raw, empowering, and just full of heart.
“Nobody Like U” by 4*TOWN (From Disney and Pixar’s Turning Red), Jordan Fisher and Finneas O’Connell
- I never would have thought that I would like such a catchy pop song like this, but with its vibrant energy and infectious beat, it’s hard to not have this song on repeat when I’m driving with the windows down.

DAMAN: VISUAL EDITOR

“Life is a Highway” by Rascal Flatts
- Somehow, the Arts and Science editor missed the best soundtrack of all time.
“You Can’t Stop The Beat” from the Hairspray Cast
- This entire soundtrack is pure bliss. From “Good Morning Baltimore” to ”It Takes Two”, the soundtrack is full of bangers. The finale of Hairspray is such a moment of joy, you really can not stop the beat.
“Claw Machine” by Sloppy Jane and Phoebe Bridgers
- Hearing this in I Saw The TV Glow made me sob in the theatre. “I think I was born wanting more” is one of the most gut wrenching lyrics I’ve ever heard.