Before home video became widespread in the 1980s, many soundtrack albums would also feature snippets of dialogue, as this was one of the few ways to re-experience a film after its original release apart from television broadcasts or theatrical reissues.
However depending on the genre of the media the soundtrack of popular songs would have a set pattern; a lighthearted romance might feature easy listening love songs, whilst a more dark thriller would compose of hard rock or urban music.
In 1908, Camille Saint-Saëns composed the first music specifically for use in a motion picture (L'assasinat du duc de Guise), and releasing recordings of songs used in films became prevalent in the 1930s.
Popular songs featured in a film or television series are instead highlighted and referenced in the credits, not a part of a "soundtrack".
"[citation needed] In a few rare instances, the complete soundtrack for a film — dialogue, music, sound effects, etc.
Still another example was the Laurence Olivier Richard III, the soundtrack of which was released as a 3-LP album by RCA Victor in 1955.
[5] Sometimes tracks not in the movie are included in the album, especially on a CD release of the soundtrack as opposed to an LP.
[6] Two other well-known examples are the soundtrack albums to Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel[7] and The King and I[8] both of which include two or more songs not heard in the finished film.