The Graduate would be an unforgettable movie without Simon & Garfunkel. But their songs feel so intertwined with Mike Nichols’ classic that it’s hard to imagine seeing Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) driving along the California coast without “Scarborough Fair,” or watching his listless summer memories melt into a montage without “April Come She Will.” And “Sound of Silence” doesn’t seem right without seeing Braddock lazily drinking a beer while drifting around his parents’ pool. Of course, the biggest hit from the movie — and the song most indelibly associated with it — is “Mrs. Robinson.” Simon & Garfunkel’s coy “dee dee dees” seem to represent Braddock’s strange relationship with the sexy older woman (Anne Bancroft), loved by Jesus more than she will know.
Top 25 Movie Soundtracks
Some of cinema's greatest scenes can be attributed to the music that accompany them. TIME picks the best movie albums.
The Graduate
Full List
Movie Music That Mattered
- Singin’ in the Rain
- West Side Story
- A Hard Day’s Night
- Mary Poppins
- The Sound of Music
- The Graduate
- 2001: A Space Odyssey
- Easy Rider
- Superfly
- American Graffiti
- The Harder They Come
- Saturday Night Fever
- Grease
- The Big Chill
- Flashdance
- Sixteen Candles
- This Is Spinal Tap
- Dirty Dancing
- Singles
- Pulp Fiction
- Rushmore
- Trainspotting
- O Brother, Where Art Thou?
- Garden State