Ten Superb Music Documentaries You Definitely Need to Watch Now

These all rock, even the ones that aren’t about rock

Last month I published an article about ten documentaries you need to see, and in that piece I mentioned my surprise that none of them involved music given that I am a huge music fan. I did say that ReMastered: The Two Killings of Sam Cooke and Springsteen’s Letter to You were next on my to-watch list, and I managed one of the two. Sadly, Letter to You is only available on Apple TV, and I refuse to pay for another streaming service, even for Bruce.

In any case, the lack of music in the last article just had to be corrected, and so this time it’s all music all the time, documentary style. The ones listed here all happen to be on streaming services I currently have, so I apologize up front if you don’t. Hopefully they’ll all end up free on YouTube at some point.

As with my previous list, the musical documentaries here cover a wide range of genres and topics, and some don’t seem like they would be all that compelling when looking only at the description. Interestingly, it was the ones I did not expect to like going in that turned out to be the best of the lot. Also as before, I list the platform I watched the show on; most are available on numerous platforms. Now on with the show.

1. ReMastered: The Two Killings of Sam Cooke (Netflix, 2019). I might as well start with the one I’ve already mentioned. Before watching this film I knew that Sam Cooke had one of the greatest voices ever put on record. I also knew that a bullet cut his life tragically short on December 11, 1964. What I did not know was that he was an icon in the Black community on a level with Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali. This documentary chronicles both the music and the man; I highly recommend it.

2. Sinatra: All or Nothing at All (Amazon Prime, 2015). This is the longest of the documentaries here, running four hours over two parts; it is also the most complete look at Frank Sinatra I have ever seen. Even if you’re a lifelong fan, you will learn something new about Old Blue Eyes from this film. It also confirmed something I already knew: Springsteen may be the Boss, but Sinatra will always be the Chairman of the Board.

3. All Things Must Pass (Peacock, 2015). When I first saw the title of this film, I assumed it was about the 1970 triple album by George Harrison; I was wrong. Instead, it is an outstanding history of the legendary Tower Records. For anyone old enough to remember when record stores, and Tower Records especially, were the best place in the world to be except maybe a bookstore, this film will seriously hit your nostalgia buttons.

4. ZZ Top: That Little Ol’ Band from Texas (Netflix, 2019). Like any good Texan, I feel a special connection to ZZ Top. This deep-dive retrospective will probably never be surpassed as a window into the band and their music, in no small part because with bassist Dusty Hill’s death late last year at the age of 72 there will never again be a full-length interview with all three members of the band whose original lineup remained intact for five decades. From footage of Dusty, guitarist Billy Gibbons, and drummer Frank Beard in their respective teenage bands to the band present day, it will have you reaching for that worn copy of Eliminator from your high school days.

5. Bad Reputation: A Joan Jett Documentary (YouTube, 2018). I have made no secret that I believe Joan Jett is one of the most badass rockers to ever strap on a guitar, and this chronicle of her life only increased that belief. From her earliest days with The Runaways in the 1970s through her dominance of the rock scene in the early 1980s up to today, it’s a film that shows a woman who, to paraphrase Sinatra, always did it her way.

6. The Importance of Being Morrissey (YouTube, 2002). Love him or hate him, you simply cannot ignore him. This look at Moz from his days in the Smiths to today includes interviews with stars like Bono, Noel Gallagher, Nancy Sinatra, Chrissie Hynde, and J. K. Rowling; Morrissey’s friends and relatives; and even the notoriously interview-averse man himself. He will alternately intrigue and infuriate you, while always continuing to do what he’s done for nearly four decades: mesmerize you with his music.

7. Music Box: Jagged (HBO Max, 2021). I watched this documentary on Alanis Morrissette and her breakout smash album Jagged Little Pill two nights ago. Archival footage of that Jagged Little Pill tour is broken up by interviews with numerous musicians as well as Morrissette herself, both in the mid-1990s and now. As I write this today, however, all I can think of is Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, who tragically died last night. Hawkins was Morrissette’s drummer from 1995 to 1997 (when he joined the Foo Fighters), and he is prominent in Jagged. Watching him at 22, a wild man with his whole life and career ahead of him, and knowing what he achieved with Foo Fighters was cool. Two days later, just thinking about it makes me even sadder than I would be otherwise. Still, it’s a great documentary both because of its insights into Alanis and also because, if only in a small way, it’s a chronicle of Hawkins’s earliest days behind the drums.

8. Sound City (Amazon Prime, 2013). At first glance, this history of the Sound City Recording Studio in Van Nuys, California might seem to only be for the biggest of music geeks. In reality, this film (directed by Dave Grohl) is compelling from start to finish. This is where Mick Fleetwood met Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, and where they recorded their self-titled album Fleetwood Mac. It’s where Tom Petty recorded most of his early albums and where Nirvana recorded Nevermind. Like the Tower Records documentary, it’s a window into a time in music before technology took over, a time we will sadly never see again.

9. The Doors: When You’re Strange (Amazon Prime, 2010). Earlier this month I wrote an article about how No One Here Gets Out Alive, the first biography of Doors lead singer Jim Morrison, is my favorite book about music. I also noted that it was as much about the myth of Morrison and The Doors as it was history. The Doors: When You’re Strange, however, is about the real deal, not the myth. Even so, it can be chaotic (just like the band), has some amazing archival footage, and is narrated by Johnny Depp, which adds another level of cool.

10. Springsteen on Broadway (Netflix, 2018). Is this one technically a documentary? No, but it documents Springsteen’s phenomenal one-man show on Broadway in which he tells the story of his life in 16 songs and 2-plus hours of stories, stories like he tells in concert, stories he expanded upon in his autobiography Born to Run. It’s funny, revelatory, evangelistic…hell, it’s Bruce, just go watch it.

Let me know in the comments about your favorite music documentaries. I’m always looking for the next great one. I’ll leave you with this from Alanis during the Jagged Little Pill tour, with her and Taylor Hawkins drumming together at the end.

If you enjoyed this story, you can support my writing directly by joining Medium here. You’ll get access to all of my articles (including my weekly rants and numerous Springsteen stories) as well as those of all the other great writers here. You can also get my articles in your inbox by subscribing here.