Blade Runner is an embarrassment of riches, cinematically speaking. You have Ridley Scott’s assured direction, the incredible production design and special effects, Jordan Cronenweth’s lush cinematography, and of course, Vangelis’ evocative soundtrack. Indeed, I’d go so far as to say that Blade Runner would be nowhere near as affecting had anyone else composed the score. And a song like “Blade Runner Blues” provides ample proof for that.

Vangelis’ dreamy, hazy synths perfectly evoke the sense of a vast, advanced-yet-decrepit city that never sees the sun, as well as the existential ambivalence of someone (i.e., Deckard) who constantly works in the city’s shadows. But a certain romantic flair emerges in the song’s final third that makes it all the more affecting and even tragic. (Yes, I’m firmly in the “Deckard is a replicant” camp.)

Side note: The official Blade Runner soundtrack wasn’t released until 1994, more than a decade after the film’s release. However, it doesn’t actually contain much of the original film score, containing instead songs that Vangelis recorded while he was working on Blade Runner. To this day, no official release contains all of the film’s music and cues. As a result, numerous bootleg editions have emerged over the years.