Like the movie, Alan Silvestri's score for Forrest Gump tends toward the sentimental and gentle side of things. Just a quick listen to the opening credits demonstrates that Silvestri's music is a lot like the white feather that's floating through the air—calm, gentle, and innocent, just like Forrest himself.

In addition to Silvestri's score, the movie uses pop music from American history to capture the times that Forrest lives through. Forrest's innocent childhood gets Elvis Presley's "Hound Dog"; Jenny's desire to become a great singer gets Joan Baez's version of "Blowin' in the Wind"; and the crazy world of the late '60s and early '70s gets The Doors' drug anthem "Break on Through (to the Other Side)."

With an iconic track listing like this, it's no wonder that the Forrest Gump soundtrack sold 12 million copies and peaked at number two on the Billboard albums chart.