George Roy Hill was basically a madman. You’ve got to understand the sheer guts it took to release a movie set in the 1930s while filling the entire soundtrack with music from the early 1900s. It shouldn't have worked. Honestly, on paper, it sounds like a disaster. But the songs from The Sting movie didn't just work—they sparked a global revival of a forgotten American art form. We’re talking about Ragtime. Specifically, the genius of Scott Joplin.
If you weren't around in 1973, it’s hard to grasp how massive "The Entertainer" was. It was everywhere. You couldn't walk into a grocery store or turn on a car radio without hearing that jaunty, syncopated piano melody. It hit number three on the Billboard Hot 100. For a piano rag written in 1902, that's practically a miracle.
The Anachronism That Defined a Classic
Most people assume the music in a period piece has to match the year on the calendar. The Sting takes place in 1936. By that time, the world had moved on to Big Band, Swing, and early Jazz. Ragtime was considered "grandpa’s music"—dusty, antiquated, and totally out of style. Marvin Hamlisch, the legendary composer who adapted the songs from The Sting movie, took a massive risk by leaning into that disconnect.
Why did it work? Because the movie isn't just a crime drama. It’s a caper. It’s light on its feet, even when people are getting killed. The music provides this rhythmic "bounce" that mirrors the complexity of the con. When Paul Newman and Robert Redford are outsmarting Robert Shaw’s character, the music feels like it’s in on the joke. It acts as a wink to the audience.
Hamlisch didn't just play the notes; he translated Joplin’s soul for a 70s audience. Scott Joplin died in 1917, penniless and largely forgotten by the general public. He spent the end of his life obsessed with his opera Treemonisha, which failed to find an audience. He never got to see his work become the backbone of a multi-Oscar-winning blockbuster. It’s a bit tragic, really.
The Heavy Hitters: More Than Just The Entertainer
While "The Entertainer" gets all the glory, the soundtrack is actually a curated museum of Joplin’s best work. You have "Easy Winners," which plays during the training sequences. It’s got this incredible, strutting energy. Then there’s "Pine Apple Rag" and "Solace."
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"Solace" is the outlier. It’s a Mexican Serenade. It’s slow, melancholic, and arguably the most beautiful piece of music in the film. It plays during the more quiet, reflective moments between Redford’s Johnny Hooker and Newman’s Gondorff. It shows that Ragtime wasn't just "saloon music." It had depth. It had pathos.
- The Entertainer: The flagship track. It defines the "caper" feel.
- Easy Winners: Used for the upbeat, tactical moments of the con.
- Solace: The emotional heart. It’s the "breather" the audience needs.
- Pine Apple Rag: Pure energy, used to keep the pace moving.
- Gladiolus Rag: Often overlooked but crucial for the atmospheric transitions.
The Marvin Hamlisch Controversy
Here’s something most fans don't know: the "purists" hated it. When the movie came out, some Ragtime aficionados were furious at Hamlisch. They felt he over-orchestrated the pieces. Joplin wrote these for solo piano, meant to be played with a very specific, steady "stride" in the left hand. Hamlisch added brass. He added woodwinds. He made it "Hollywood."
Gunther Schuller, a massive figure in the third-stream music movement, had already recorded many of these rags with the New England Ragtime Ensemble. His versions were more "accurate" to the original sheet music. But let’s be real—nobody was buying Gunther Schuller records at the mall. Hamlisch made the music accessible. He gave it a pulse that 1970s moviegoers could dance to.
It’s an interesting debate. Do you stay true to the composer’s original intent, or do you evolve the music to save it from obscurity? Without Hamlisch, Scott Joplin might still be a footnote in a music history textbook. Instead, he’s a household name.
Why the Music Matters for the Plot
The "Long Con" requires timing. Everything has to hit at the exact right second. The syncopation of Ragtime—where the melody plays "off" the beat—is a perfect metaphor for the heist. The con artists are playing a different rhythm than the "mark." While the mark (Doyle Lonnegan) is playing a straight beat, Gondorff and Hooker are playing the syncopation.
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The music tells you who is winning.
When things are going well, the piano is bright and sharp. When the heat is on, the arrangements get a bit more tense. It’s a masterclass in using "old" music to solve "new" cinematic problems.
The Lasting Legacy of the Sting Soundtrack
This movie changed how directors thought about "found music." Before The Sting, you usually hired a composer to write a completely original score. After The Sting, everyone wanted to find that one "forgotten" genre they could revive. It paved the way for soundtracks like O Brother, Where Art Thou? and The Great Gatsby.
Even today, if you hear a ragtime piano, your brain goes straight to Newman and Redford. You think of the fedoras, the smoke-filled rooms, and the "tell" on the nose. That’s the power of a perfect soundtrack. It doesn't just support the movie; it becomes the movie’s DNA.
If you're looking to dive deeper into the songs from The Sting movie, don't just stop at the soundtrack. Look up the original piano rolls of Scott Joplin. Hear how he intended them to sound—slower, more deliberate, and incredibly intricate. It’ll give you a whole new appreciation for what Hamlisch did.
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How to Listen Like an Expert
If you want to really "get" this music, stop treating it as background noise. Ragtime is complex.
- Listen for the Left Hand: The left hand stays steady like a heartbeat. That’s the "ragged" time.
- Identify the "A-B-A" Structure: Joplin wrote in sections. Most rags follow a specific pattern of themes that repeat and then pivot.
- Watch the Movie Without Sound (Briefly): Okay, maybe not the whole thing. But watch a scene and try to hum a modern pop song over it. It feels wrong, doesn't it? That proves how much the specific "bounce" of the Joplin rags dictates the editing of the film.
The soundtrack for The Sting wasn't just a collection of songs. It was a cultural reset. It proved that great art never truly dies; it just waits for the right con man to bring it back to life.
Actionable Insights for Music Fans and Filmmakers
- For Music Collectors: Seek out the 1974 MCA Records vinyl. It has a specific warm analog compression that digital remasters often lose. The piano feels "thicker" and more present.
- For Filmmakers: Use The Sting as a case study in anachronistic scoring. It proves that emotional resonance is more important than historical accuracy. If the "vibe" is right, the audience will follow you anywhere.
- For Ragtime Newbies: Start with Scott Joplin’s "The Ragtime Dance." It wasn't the biggest hit in the film, but it shows the transition from folk dance to formal composition.
The brilliance of these songs lies in their deceptive simplicity. They sound "happy," but there's a technical rigor underneath that matches the discipline of a professional grifter. Next time you hear those opening notes of "The Entertainer," remember that you're listening to a 120-year-old piece of music that once conquered the world—twice.
Next Steps for the Reader
To truly appreciate the evolution of this sound, compare the Marvin Hamlisch arrangements directly with the solo piano versions performed by Joshua Rifkin. Rifkin’s 1970 recordings are credited with starting the ragtime revival just before the movie was made. Hearing the difference between a solo piano and a full studio orchestra will highlight exactly how the film reshaped Joplin's legacy for the big screen. Finally, check out the "Red Back Book" recordings for a glimpse into how these rags were played by small "orchestras" in the early 1900s, providing a middle ground between the film and the original sheet music.