Ranking All the Songs from the Baby Driver Soundtrack

When Edgar Wright’s “Baby Driver” hit theaters in 2017, it was the writer/director’s first film since “The World’s End” in 2013. “Baby Driver” was just an idea that bounced around in his head for several years and he finally had the chance to bring it to life after his departure from Ant-Man in 2014. The story there was that the film’s stars, Evangeline Lilly and Paul Rudd, came very close to quitting “Ant-Man” when they heard that director Edgar Wright was leaving the project after being with it throughout eight years of development. After leaving “Ant-Man”, Wright achieved bigger success with “Baby Driver” and it became both a commercial and critical success. Could there be a “Baby Driver 2”? Possibly, according to Wright, in spite of the fact that there have never been any sequels to his other movies. Wright does for quasi-musicals what he did for classic zombie genre movies with “Hot Fuzz”, “Shaun of the Dead”, and “The World’s End”. The “Baby Driver” soundtrack mixes everything from fast car chases to high-stakes drama, razor-smart wit, amazing performances, and even a superior soundtrack to make it everything that viewers could possibly desire from a film experience. So, here are the songs from “Baby Driver” (starring Ansel Elgort, Lily James, Jon Hamm, Kevin Spacey, and Jamie Foxx) ranked from just OK to truly amazing:

17. “Was He Slow” by Kid Koala (Featuring Jon Bernthal and Kevin Spacey)

 

There are only two original songs on the “Baby Driver” soundtrack and this one plays over the end credits. It’s interesting because its title comes from a bit of Jon Hamm’s dialogue where he asks Kevin Spacey if Baby (Ansel Elgort) is “slow” when it’s actually Hamm’s character who was slow and it led to his untimely death.

16. “Neat Neat Neat” by The Damned

 

In such a chaotic film, you have to have a chaotic punk-rock song and this is one that does the trick. It’s played during the bank robbery scene and the band that recorded it may not have been anywhere near as popular as The Sex Pistols, for example, but they’ve got plenty of talent for anger and drama in their songs, which is just what this scene needed.

16. “Unsquare Dance” by Dave Brubeck

 

Jazz lovers everywhere have always loved Dave Brubeck. This song, with its great drums and bass, works quite well at building tension during the bank robbery scene.

14. “When Something Is Wrong With My Baby” – Sam & Dave

 

Lovers of old-time soul undoubtedly appreciate Sam & Dave as the masters of soul. This is a moving song that plays over the scene where Baby is driving the crew to the diner.

13. “Early in the Morning” by Alexis Korner

 

This is kind of a weird yet awesome song and an excellent addition to the soundtrack. It plays over a great scene where Baby steals a Dodge from a couple of gangster-types who thought they were pretty tough right up until the moment when they saw Baby’s gun.

12. “Egyptian Reggae” – Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers

 

Jonathon Richman has been called the “godfather of punk” and this song, although a bit weird, is a perfect fit not just for this movie but it’s so good during the getaway scene, that you’d think that it was actually written for it.

11. “Debora” by T. Rex

 

T. Rex is a great band and, although this song isn’t their very best song, it works really well in “Baby Driver”. It plays over the scene in the laundromat between Baby and the song’s namesake, Deborah (Lily James).

10. “B.A.B.Y.” by Carla Thomas

 

Carla Thomas is one of those soul singers with a truly powerful voice. This 1966 hit showcases all of that talent and then some. It fits in so well, too, since, throughout the film, everybody asks Baby if that’s really his name and he says “Yes, B.A.B.Y., baby”.

9. “Easy” by Sky Ferreira

 

As sung by Sky Ferreira, “Easy” is a fairly decent enough cover of the classic by The Commodores (also featured in the movie) but not quite as good as the original, which is why we ranked it #9 and the original “8”.

8. “Easy” by The Commodores (classic version)

 

This is definitely the easy pick of the two versions as it’s an absolute classic of a song and everybody loves it like Sunday morning.

7. “Harlem Shuffle” – Bob & Earl

 

This is a song that’s famous for its fantastic horns and it was also used in another film in 1989, a comedy-drama called “Shag”. It also became a huge hit record by the Rolling Stones in 1986 that went to number 5 in the US on the Billboard Top 100 chart, number 13 in the UK, and in New Zealand, it hit number 1.

6. “Chase Me” – Danger Mouse Featuring Run The Jewels And Big Boi

 

Like the other of the two original songs on this soundtrack, it’s really good but, by far, the best of the two. It offers very talented performances as well as a great beat.

5. Bellbottoms – Jon Spencer Blues Explosion

 

Although it may not be the very best song on the soundtrack, it’s definitely the most important one. It actually sets the entire tone for the entire film, its amazing car chases, and great music.

4. “Brighton Rock” by Queen

 

This weird little song is one of Queen’s lesser-known tunes, however, it’s a truly great song that features an amazing Brian May solo. It ranks high on our list because, hey, who doesn’t love Queen?

3. “Radar Love” by Golden Earring

 

This is one of the greatest driving songs ever made and, after all, “Baby Driver” is a film about driving. It fits perfectly in the funny carjacking scene where Baby carjacks an elderly lady but turns around and doubles back to hand her purse (which was in the car) and apologizes to her for the carjacking.

2. “Never, Never Gonna Give You Up” – Barry White

 

Nobody can ever beat Barry White’s voice for its silky smooth bass/baritone fineness. And, in this case, it really lends itself to the overall feeling of the diner scene.

1. “Baby Driver” by Simon & Garfunkel

 

Clearly, this is the song that inspired the movie so, of course, it has to be numero uno. And, although it may not be the most recognizable song by the amazing Simon & Garfunkel, it’s definitely important, not just as the title song but also for its catchy tune and lyrics that have viewers singing along:

“They call me Baby Driver

And once upon a pair of wheels

I hit the road and I’m gone”

Final Words

So, now that you know a bit more about the “Baby Driver” soundtrack and the amazing songs, why not listen to a few and decide for yourself how they should be ranked? After that, you just might want to watch the movie and we hope that you enjoy it. Be sure to crank up that soundbar for the best effect.