'Smokey and the Bandit' Ranked Among 'Greatest Movie Soundtracks of All Time'

Some movie soundtracks just stay with you-even 49 years later. Cult classic action-comedy Smokey and the Bandit certainly fits the above, and Paste Magazine agrees.

Recently, the publication ranked the '70s film's iconic soundtrack at No. 43 on its list of "The 50 Greatest Movie Soundtracks of All Time." Boasting music by country singer Jerry Reed and composer Bill Justis, the soundtrack was released on vinyl, cassette, and 8-track formats via MCA Records.

The soundtrack's sole single, "East Bound and Down," hit music stores on Aug. 1, 1977. Written by Reed and Deena Kaye Rose, it did remarkably well on the charts front, peaking at No. 2 on the US Billboard Hot Country chart. The tune spent 16 weeks total on said chart and climbed to the same spot on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart, whereas it sat at No. 3 on the US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. "East Bound and Down" went on to become Reed's signature song. As a whole, the Smokey and the Bandit soundtrack peaked at No. 33 on the US Billboard Top LPs & Tapes chart (which later became the Billboard 200).

Paste's Matt Mitchell incorporates his personal attachment to the 1977 film soundtrack in the aforementioned magazine's rankings, noting that "East Bound and Down," which serves as Smokey and the Bandit's theme song, carries over thematically into the other tracks. This includes standouts like "The Legend," "Orange Blossom Special," "If You Leave Me Tonight I'll Cry," and said theme's counterpart, "West Bound and Down." However, Mitchell reveals that he always returns to "The Bandit," which he observes as the movie's "musical soul."

A movie's soundtrack really is its heart and soul. In this case, music is intrinsic to Smokey and the Bandit just as much as Burt Reynolds as the titular Bandit and his Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, which truly became immortalized in the hallowed halls of pop culture.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 30, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published May 29, 2026 at 10:02 PM.