I remember the first time I saw ‘Save the Last Dance’ in its entirety. My mom was out, I was home with the babysitter, and while she was on the phone with her weekly boyfriend, my eyes were locked on TBS watching Julia Stiles and Sean Patrick Thomas.

I marveled at the parts I didn’t understand and laughed hysterically as my sitter acted out Sara’s final audition for Julliard. “LIVE YOUR DREAMS! It’S NOT AS HARD AS IT MAY SEEM!” *cracked fallseto voice*

My favorite part was always: “Snookie: They call my Snook-G from the CG and don’t you forget it. Chenille: They call him Snookie because ‘Fool’ was taken.” (HAHA)

Nevertheless as I grew older, I began to grasp the concept of the movie as a whole as well as master the club dance scenes with Sara and Derek. (s/o to Ayanna Mathews) However, what didn’t change, was my appreciation for the movie’s extensive soundtrack.

Two soundtracks for the movie were released: Save the Last Dance AND More From Save the Last Dance ( Thanks for the creative second title Hollywood Records.) Though the music throughout the movie was constantly changing, Save The Last Dance featured some of most memorable songs. From the club scenes to Sara’s bedroom, each track had that key element of perfection. Check out a few of the soundtrack’s hidden gems below, plus my personal favorites. Enjoy! -Ty

I Can Tell – Jesse Powell

Bonafide – X-2-C

My Window – Soulbone

Put You Hands Up – Fatman Scoop 

You Can Do It – Ice Cube

Breathe & Stop – Q-Tip