Quentin Tarantino Made a Giant Playlist of His Favorite Music From His Films

There are a lot of reasons that people hold Quentin Tarantino's filmography in such high esteem. Some filmgoers come to his movies for the chatty, colorful characters. Some come for the gratuitous-yet-stylish violence. Some come to spot the over-the-top references to cinema classics. Some may even come for the foot stuff. But among the most beloved and consistent aspects of his movies is an impeccable taste in music. Whether it be in the form of archival selections from dusty old records or, more recently, lushly orchestrated original compositions, Tarantino has proven himself a master at using music to set a mood, echoing and magnifying the eclectic energies of his characters through off-kilter funk, jazz, soul, and folk tracks from the annals of history.

This week, Tarantino has taken over Spotify's "Film & TV Favorites" playlist, pulling together nearly four hours of his favorite songs that have appeared in his films. He pulls out some obvious choices—like Nancy Sinatra's version of "Bang Bang," which famously kicked off Kill Bill Vol. 1—but there are over 60 songs on the playlist, so he has room to go deep. Even if you aren't familiar with the filmic context of the tracks, it's still a pretty compelling listen in its own right.

Along with his music supervisor Mary Ramos, Tarantino has crafted some of the most memorable music moments in film over the last few decades, including both rock songs soundtracking unexpected dance numbers and grunge hits blaring as a character hits a bong made from a bear-shaped honey bottle. So it's only fitting that as Tarantino releases his new film Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood—the story of which has its own musical connections—that he looks back on this side of his work.

In addition to the playlist, the Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood soundtrack is also streaming in full on Spotify, alongside an in-depth podcast where Tarantino explains the musical choices he made in the film track-by-track. If you haven't seen that film yet though, you can listen to the playlist up above for a reminder what sorts of musical adventurousness you're in for.