best music biographies on netflix

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16 best music documentaries on netflix.

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Whether it's behind the scenes of a movie franchise or a famous musician, die-hard fans relish the opportunity to get a deeper look into the workings of an artist.  As one of the top streaming platforms, Netflix has created–and given viewers access to–riveting stories focussing on some of the music industry's top artists.

Viewers are captivated by the emotional and heartfelt struggles artists face in making names for themselves, and they love watching them share their stories through documentaries. A variety of music documentaries on Netflix show the rise and fall of Grammy-winning artists, their lives before fame, and how they adjust to life in the limelight.

Updated on June 30th, 2022, by Shawn S. Lealos: While they might not be as popular as a scripted drama series like Stranger Things or a superhero movie like Spider-Man: No Way Home , there is a lot to love about a good music documentary. While Netflix will always offer the mainstream releases like those above, the streaming giant also knows that one key to keeping its subscription totals from dropping is to offer niche things that a smaller, but an important, group of subscribers want to see. Music documentaries fit that description, with some offering concert footage, others offering a look at the lives and travels of the musicians, and others looking posthumously at the greats of yesteryear. Since the streaming service often switches out what they offer, this list removed those docs that left and added some more great music documentaries on Netflix.

No Direction Home: Bob Dylan (2005)

If there is one iconic and legendary filmmaker who loves to make music documentaries, it is Martin Scorsese. He created one of the most legendary music documentaries of all time in the 1970s with  The Last Waltz , with The Band's final concert. One singer at that show who performed was Bob Dylan and Scorsese has since made two documentaries about that legendary singer as well.

RELATED:  10 Best Songs In Martin Scorsese Movies

No Direction Home  is one of the best music documentaries on Netflix, released in 2005. It tells the story of Dylans' life from his arrival in New York in 1961 and his retirement from touring in 1966.

The Sparks Brothers (2021)

Edgar Wright had a great year in 2021 when it came to movies. He released the horror-thriller  Last Night in Soho and then followed that up with a documentary titled The Sparks Brothers , following the careers of the legendary and iconic indie music sensations.

The great news is that The Sparks Brothers is on Netflix now for all to see. For those unaware,  The Sparks Brothers spent their entire career overlooked and ahead of the curve, meaning they made music that would be popular a few years later, but never had a chance to enjoy the height of that surge because they always changed their styles to whatever they felt was next. This music documentary on Netflix is possibly even better for people who have never heard of the band.

The Show Must Go On: The Queen + Adam Lambert Story (2019)

One of the most iconic rock bands in history is Queen, and their performances and songs recorded with the late Freddy Mercury remain legendary. However, after Mercury died, the band mostly disappeared outside of some concerts with names like George Michael and Eddie Vedder taking the lead role.

That all changed when Queen hired American Idol finalist Adam Lambert to become their new lead singer. The Show Must Go On: The Queen + Adam Lambert Story is an original documentary on Netflix that tells the story of how the young singer helped bring the band back to the spotlight again.

ReMastered: The Two Killings Of Sam Cooke (2019)

Netflix has an original documentary series called ReMastered which tells the story in each doc about different musical artists. One of the best in the series hit in 2019 with  The Two Killings of Sam Cooke . The story is a hybrid mix of a music documentary and a true crime story as it focuses on the murder of Sam Cooke in 1964 at the age of 33.

Sam Cooke was a soul singer who was also outspoken on civil rights issues. The title refers to how Sam Cooke died twice - once literally and once was the death of his promising musical career, with part of the documentary showing how important his music was in spreading his message of equality. Fans might also remember the name Sam Cooke from the movie One Night in Miami .

If I Leave Here Tomorrow (2018)

When looking through the music documentaries on Netflix, there is one titled  If I Leave Here Tomorrow and it tells the story of the legendary southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. It mostly focuses on lead singer Ronnie Van Zant and is put together with interviews and archival footage.

The band formed in 1964 and became major stars in the 1970s thanks to songs like "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Freebird." Sadly, a plane crash in 1977 killed Van Zant, Steve Gaines, and Cassie Gaines, and left the rest of the band members seriously injured. This documentary on Netflix looks at the band up to that point.

Shawn Mendes: In Wonder (2020)

Shawn Mendes has never shied away from sharing his life with his fans, as it gives him the ability to connect with them on a deeper level. In 2020, Netflix released Shawn Mendes: In Wonder,  which chronicles the past few years of his life and his journey to a bigger level of stardom.

The documentary showcases Mendes in a much more raw form, chronicling his struggles with anxiety and depression—even the nights where he feels the most alone. Among it all is his devotion to family, fans, and even his deep romance with fellow artist Camilla Cabello.

Keith Richards: Under The Influence (2015)

The notorious guitarist of the world-renown rock band The Rolling Stones, Netflix's 2015 documentary Keith Richards: Under The Influence offers a glimpse into the life of the aging rocker. Tracking his progress in the studio as he records a solo album while simultaneously recounting how he attained fame, it's a story all Stones fans need to hear.

RELATED:  10 Musicians-Turned-Actors Who Have Been Nominated For An Oscar

Borrowing a few elements from his autobiography Life , Under the Influence examines Richards' philosophies on everything from classic blues singers to the human condition. It's one of the most fascinating music documentaries on Netflix, even for those who may not be familiar with the musician.

What Happened, Miss Simone? (2015)

Many famed artists from generations gone by have helped define music history. One of these artists is American singer, Nina Simone, who not only awed with her vocals but also inspired others with her civil rights activism. The music documentary on Netflix,  What Happened, Miss Simone? features never-seen-before archival footage of the singer, as well as interviews with her daughter and family.

The music documentary is eye-opening, as it chronicles Simon's rise as one of the most profound jazz singers. Fans also get to see Simone's story of becoming an activist determined to take a stance.

Quincy (2018)

Simply titled  Quincy , this 2018 Netflix documentary is an intimate look into the life and career of Quincy Jones. The movie hit big and even won the Grammy for Best Music Film at the 2019 Grammy Awards. Co-directed by Jones' daughter Rashida Jones , the movie tells the immense story of the 27 Grammy award-winning industry giant.

From his early days in childhood to his rise in music, the movie tells it all. Viewers get to see the artist in his prime to his more personal battles with health issues and the industry. There are even heartwarming interviews and stories of Hollywood's and the music industry's finest, depicting him as one of the greatest of all time.

BLACKPINK: Light Up The Sky (2020)

Television, movies, and the music industry have been hit hard with a deep love and admiration for K-Pop and South Korean culture. K-Pop bands like BTS and BlackPink have taken over billboard charts and reached global stardom. In 2020, Netflix released the documentary  BLACKPINK: Light Up The Sky,  which focuses on the journey of Korea's top girl group BlackPink.

Fans of K-Pop and even newcomers can watch the personal stories of four young girls from different walks of life strive for the same dream. From their exhausting days as trainees to sold-out arenas around the world, BlackPink successfully became the top girl group in K-Pop music history.

Metallica: Some Kind of Monster (2004)

Originally released in 2004, Some Kind of Monster catalog's the development of Metallica's most reviled album, St. Anger, along with all of the difficulties and infighting that came with it. Considered by members of the band to be Metallica's darkest period , Some Kind of Monster highlights the bleak realities that sometimes come with fame.

With band co-founders James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich constantly at each other's throats, the world's most recognizable heavy metal band seems to be falling apart at the seams. Fortunately, they would endure these turmoils and come out on the other side with a hard-hitting and insightful piece of heavy metal media.

Biggie: I Got A Story To Tell (2021)

There are countless documentaries and specials about the life of rapper Christopher Wallace, A.K.A. The Notorious B.I.G, though many of them place a major emphasis on his mysterious death. The 2021 documentary Biggie: I Got A Story to Tell not only gives viewers rare footage of the rapper and in-depth interviews, but it's also a celebration of his life and career.

RELATED:  10 Best Hip-Hop Documentaries To Watch After Biggie: I Got A Story To Tell

Among the best music documentaries on Netflix, this one has it all, from Biggie's early years to his journey to becoming the rap icon he was destined to become. Told through interviews and stories from his family and friends, Biggie is showcased as a multi-dimensional artist and person whose life ended tragically at the height of his career.

Homecoming (2019)

Homecoming  is considered to be a concert film, but many see it as an inside look and documentary about Beyoncé's creative process and her impact on a cultural movement. Written and directed by Beyoncé herself, the movie centers around the events leading up to and the day of her performance at the 2018 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

The movie received unanimous critical acclaim, with many praising it for its impactful moments, behind-the-scenes shots, and showing what makes Beyoncé the global icon that she is. There's so much more, as the documentary also details how Beyoncé is the first black woman to headline the festival and the impact of this.

Gaga: Five Foot Two (2017)

In 2017, Netflix released a cinéma vérité style documentary titled Gaga: Five Foot Two about the hit artist, Lady Gaga. The movie takes place over a year, showcasing the personal life of Gaga, from meeting her fans, working on new music, and even her battle with chronic pain caused by the onset of fibromyalgia.

The timeline of the movie is specific, as it takes place as Gaga is in the process of creating her fifth studio album, "Joanne." There's just about everything to explore here, from her Super Bowl performance and her emotional struggles to her guest role in American Horror Story .

ReMastered: Devil at the Crossroads

Posthumously dubbed the "King of the Delta Blues Singers," Robert Johnson is often considered to be one of the most influential guitarists of all time. Known for his uncanny skill, he lived an enigmatic and strange life, and it was rumored that he had sold his soul to the devil in exchange for his amazing abilities as a musician.

Over the decades, speculation and rumor melded into an urban legend, and Johnson's legacy is often treated as something akin to an American folktale. Haunted by either the Devil himself or demons of his own making, Robert Johnson was a fascinating musician whose tale demands attention .

Miss Americana (2020)

Just about everyone has heard of Taylor Swift at this point, and fans of the singer and even those who aren't will be moved and awe-struck by the story told in this, one of the best music documentaries on Netflix. It takes place as Swift begins her 2019 album" Lover."

Being in the limelight for so many years, Swift reveals her inner turmoil and struggles that she kept from the public. The movie uses interviews, camera footage, home videos, and more, as well as her own voice to tell her story of battling body dysmorphia, an eating disorder, and even the scrutiny she faces on the internet.

NEXT:  10 Taylor Swift Songs That Would Make Excellent Movies

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The Best Music Documentaries On Netflix, Ranked

Hey there, music lovers! You know what's awesome? Music documentaries on Netflix that dive deep into the fascinating world of tunes and legendary artists. This list of the best music docs streaming on Netflix was crafted with input from passionate fans just like you. It's fan-driven, and the crowd ranking ensures that the best-of-the-best float to the top. Whether you're after electrifying concert performances from your favorite artist or heart-wrenching biographies about an iconic musician, these films have got you covered.

Echo in the Canyon takes a kaleidoscopic romp through Los Angeles' Laurel Canyon, bringing to life the birth of folk-rock with heavyweights like Tom Petty and Brian Wilson. Ever wondered about the madcap world of music production? Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives explores the astonishing career of one of the most influential figures in the business featuring icons like Whitney Houston and Bruce Springsteen. For those who dig Southern rock, If I Leave Here Tomorrow: A Film About Lynyrd Skynyrd offers an emotional rollercoaster the band's peaks and tragic lows. Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened dishes out the juicy drama behind the infamous festival fiasco. And for a sprinkle of empowerment, Dolly Parton: A MusiCares Tribute showcases unforgettable performances by Miley Cyrus, Willie Nelson, and the queen herself. Other popular Netflix documentary movies include 20 Feet from Stardom , Blackpink: Light Up the Sky , and Halftime with Jennifer Lopez.

Now, here's the fun part—you get to vote. Do you think Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé deserves the top spot for its legendary Coachella performance? Or perhaps Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese mesmerized you the most? Your votes shape this list, and the more you engage, the better these rankings reflect the true favorites. Dive in, watch these captivating documentaries, and cast your vote to help fellow viewers find the best music documentaries on Netflix.

Echo in the Canyon

Watch This Show If You Love :  The Wrecking Crew, The History of Rock 'n' Roll: California Dreamin' (1966-1976), Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Runnin' Down a Dream, Laurel Canyon: A Place in Time, Sound City Why Should I Stream?  Explore the birthplace of folk-rock music with Echo in the Canyon , a documentary that reveals the fascinating history of Los Angeles' Laurel Canyon and its impact on modern music. With interviews from legendary artists such as Tom Petty, Brian Wilson, and Jackson Browne, this film provides an unparalleled glimpse into the evolution of a groundbreaking sound. Don't miss this opportunity to gain insight into a crucial turning point in pop culture.

• Released : 2019
• Directed by : Andrew Slater

If I Leave Here Tomorrow: A Film About Lynyrd Skynyrd

Watch This Show If You Love :  Freebird...The Movie, Allman Brothers Band - After the Crash, Sweet Home Alabama - The Southern Rock Saga, ZZ Top: That Little Ol' Band from Texas, Bad Company: Merchants of Cool Why Should I Stream?  Celebrate Southern rock royalty with If I Leave Here Tomorrow , which tells the story of Lynyrd Skynyrd's rise to fame and tragic fall through candid interviews and never-before-seen footage. Delving into their classic hits like "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Free Bird," this poignant documentary pays homage to a band whose legacy continues to reverberate through modern rock music . Stream it now for a touching tribute to these unforgettable musicians.

• Released : 2018
• Directed by : Stephen Kijak

Clive Davis: The Soundtrack Of Our Lives

Watch This Show If You Love : The Defiant Ones, Mr. Saturday Night - The Life and Times of Sir Reuben Tishkoff, Hitmakers: The Changing Face of the Music Business, Muscle Shoals, Stax Records: Respect Yourself Why Should I Stream?  Get a front-row seat to the incredible career of one of the most influential figures in the music industry, Clive Davis , with this riveting documentary. Featuring exclusive interviews and rare performances from legendary musicians like Aretha Franklin, Bruce Springsteen, and Whitney Houston, this film truly showcases Davis's undeniable impact on popular music throughout his storied career. This is an essential watch for any fan of contemporary music.

Dolly Parton: A MusiCares Tribute

Watch This Show If You Love :  Dolly Parton: Here I Am, Coat of Many Colors, Christmas on the Square, Dolly Parton's Heartstrings, Pure & Simple with Dolly Parton Why Should I Stream?  Join a star-studded lineup as they celebrate country music legend Dolly Parton in Dolly Parton: A MusiCares Tribute . With performances by Miley Cyrus, Willie Nelson, Chris Stapleton, and more, this heartfelt celebration honors Parton's incredible career while also raising money for her favorite charity - MusiCares. Stream now for a night filled with fantastic tunes and touching tributes to one of music's most beloved figures.

• Released : 2021
• Directed by : Laura Segura

Remastered: Who Shot The Sheriff? A Bob Marley Story

Watch This Show If You Love :  Marley, Bob Marley and the Wailers Live at the Rainbow, Catch a Fire with Bob Marley and Chris Blackwell, Heartland Reggae featuring Bob Marley Live, Legend Why Should I Stream?  Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of reggae legend Bob Marley with this intriguing documentary that investigates an assassination attempt on his life. Remastered: Who Shot The Sheriff?  offers a deep dive into Jamaica's tumultuous political climate during the 1970s while exploring the true impact of Marley's revolutionary music. It is a must-watch for fans seeking to understand the man behind the iconic tunes and powerful messages.

Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese

Watch This Show If You Love :  No Direction Home: Bob Dylan, I'm Not There., Don't Look Back, Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration, Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid Why Should I Stream?  The genius collaboration between two iconic artists - Bob Dylan, one of our time's greatest songwriters, and Martin Scorsese, a master filmmaker - results in Rolling Thunder Revue . This mesmerizing documentary offers rare glimpses into Dylan's enigmatic personality while showcasing electrifying concert footage from his controversial 1975 tour. It is an unmissable treat for any music lover, especially those who appreciate Dylan's poetic lyrics and enduring influence.

• Directed by : Martin Scorsese

• Entertainment

The Best Music Documentaries on Netflix

Learn the stories behind your favorite music..

You don't need to know the difference between a flugelhorn and a flumpet to appreciate a good music documentary. With the right mix of charismatic and offbeat personalities, rigorous attention to detail, and a judicious limitation of outright hagiography, the result can be simply a great movie (see: Don't Look Back ).

Of course, loving the subject only makes a music doc more enjoyable, and Netflix has a solid selection of music docs to help you wile away the hours pondering what it would be like if  you  had become a rock 'n' roll star. 

ALSO READ: The best docs and docuseries available to stream on Netflix , and the best documentaries of 202 1 .

Biggie: I Got a Story To Tell (2021)

Die-hard rap fans have known since The Notorious B.I.G.’s second and final studio album Life After Death that the legendary Brooklyn rapper had a story to tell, but this Netflix’s documentary about the hip-hop icon reveals how so much of his story has actually gone overlooked. Thanks to rare footage captured by Biggie’s childhood friend Damion “D-Roc” Butler and archived in-depth interviews,  Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell offers an expansive look at Christopher Wallace’s meteoric rise as a rapper, his evolving psyche, and his unrealized ambitions. Rather than yet another doc focused on the lead-up to his still unsolved murder, this must-watch feature celebrates his life and adds a bit of light to the dark cloud surrounding his untimely death.

BLACKPINK: Light Up the Sky (2020)

Unless you've been living under a rock, you should be at least slightly aware that K-pop is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, phenomenon in music right now. It's not necessarily new, but it's still new to some—and this documentary about the current reigning queens of the genre, BLACKPINK, is an excellent entry point. Documentarian Caroline Suh ( Salt Fat Acid Heat ) chronicles their rise in this film, from their early days being primed by their agency YG Entertainment with archival footage to today with contemporary interviews. For those curious about the dynamics of YG and its business model of more or less manufacturing stars from young ages, you won't find that here;  Light Up the Sky is more interested in turning the stage lights on these four artists to spotlight their individuality, struggles, and triumphs. It'll certainly give you a newfound respect for the girl group, or if you're already a Blink, expect to love these girls even more. 

Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives (2017)

Director Chris Perkel's documentary on Clive Davis is the equivalent of a greatest hits package. Literally: The music biz exec famously signed and brought success to some of the biggest acts in history, including Janis Joplin, Barry Manilow, Billy Joel, Whitney Houston, and many others. It's also a sweeping, loving overview of the life and career of the influential former Columbia and Arista Records president and RCA chair, with many iconic talking heads singing his praises. Though the doc veers into hagiography rather than a strictly informational look, seeing how Davis touched decades upon decades of popular music is a hit in itself.

Excuse Me, I Love You (2020)

Need to be immersed in a world of sexy, saccharine pop perfection? Let Ariana Grande help you with that. This tour documentary sits you in the front row on the London stop of Ari's Sweetener World Tour to see her dazzling performances of hits like "God Is a Woman," "7 Rings," and many others. Because the concert doc, directed by longtime music documentarian Paul Dugdale, can at times feel manufactured to tailor to Grande's controlled image—she is credited as an executive producer—you won't find much unveiled about her personality or the music industry beyond what appears under the spotlight. That doesn't deny the pop star's allure or talent, though: Fans of her music will be served a bubblegum pop delight on a silver platter.

Gaga: Five Foot Two (2017)

There is the Lady Gaga of then—the meat dresses, the lobster hats—and, as chronicled in this behind-the-scenes doc, the Gaga of now, a forceful, musical talent who's just as vulnerable as every other "little monster" on the planet. Gaga: Five Foot Two contextualizes the woman behind the belted anthems in everyday life, from seconds before her big Super Bowl halftime show to the doctor's office, where reality hits hard. As MTV's Diary once bluntly stated, "You think you know... but you have no idea."

Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé  (2019)

2018's Coachella, now dubbed "Beychella," has already gone down in history thanks to Beyoncé's monumental headlining performance. In  Homecoming , the pop icon not only places you in the front row of the concert, but gives an in-depth look at the the show's conception and production, exploring her creative process and just how important it was to her to highlight the influence of HBCUs and celebrate black culture in her set. The film is more than the spectacle of the icon and her career-spanning music; it finds Beyoncé in a rare intimate light, breaking down what has become the unmatchable artistry that's made her a global superstar.

I Called Him Morgan (2016)

Stop us if you've heard this one before: A preternaturally gifted jazz musician is murdered by his common-law wife, who went to prison for murder before being paroled and moving to North Carolina. Two decades later, she gives an interview to her night school teacher, then dies a year later. Two decades after that, a documentary comes out, based on her interviews and recollections of the jazz musician's contemporaries. Sound familiar? Of course not. The story of jazz trumpeter Lee Morgan, who was shot to death following a gig during a New York City blizzard, and his wife/murderer is singular, making I Called Him Morgan necessary viewing for any jazz fan and everyone interested in the limits of human relationships.

I'll Sleep When I'm Dead (2016)

EDM superstar Steve Aoki is the son of Benihana founder Hiroaki "Rocky" Aoki, and is known for throwing cakes into audience member's faces during crazed, acrobatic live sets. These two facts probably confirm whatever preconceived notions of EDM non-fans hold, but this look at Aoki's career and approach to music also illuminate a scene too often stereotyped as just a bunch of rich kids doing molly and dancing. Though that's there, too.

jeen-yuhs (2022)

Kanye "Ye" West is an endlessly complicated figure—being a recording artist who was once an outspoken, groundbreaking titan in rap, but has become synonymous with controversy. This three-parter attempts to reframe the narrative by focusing on the early stages of his career. Consisting of intimate footage shot by Clarence "Coodie" Simmons, who also narrates, and Chike Ozah, the directors of West's breakout "Through the Wire" video, the film takes you back to West's time in Chicago, when he was attempting to be seen as more than a producer by an increasingly indifferent recording industry. The rare, early clips of him in the studio, the Rock-A-Fella offices, and spending time with his late mother position the film as an underdog story. But like its subject, jeen-yuhs is also frustrating in its inability to tell a full story, as the filmmakers started losing access as his star ascended, and fails to touch on many career-defining moments. But those who have had a hard time reckoning with being a fan in recent years may still find something fascinating here.

John & Yoko: Above Us Only Sky (2018)

For a long time, Yoko Ono spoke about having an expansive collection of old footage of John Lennon. It was made available in this documentary that explores their relationship and the making of his iconic record Imagine . Being so intimate, it's understandable why Ono had held onto these archives for years, but for fans of the artist, it's a gift to finally see them live in this film that shows his artistry up close and personal. It seats you right in their Tittenhurst Park home to examine their creative process, which Ono contributed to far more than she gets credit for. A film both about their partnership and the social change of the times Imagine came to be, you'll better understand their idealism, and it'll make you feel the peace and love . 

Keith Richards: Under the Influence (2015)

If there ever was a quintessential rock star, it may as well be Keith Richards. The Rolling Stones' guitarist had his heyday in the rock and roll-, drug-, and sex-entrenched '60s and '70s, but this documentary proves he’s just as interesting and still on a high—albeit an emotional one—today. The film focuses on the musician’s present, featuring original interviews and footage from the recording of his recent solo record,  Crosseyed Heart . And of course, there's some insightful Stones anecdotes of the past. At the forefront of the film, Richards shows the old man's still got it.

Metallica: Some Kind of Monster (2004)

What happens when you put a metal band well past its prime into group therapy sessions as the members try to record a new album? Some Kind of Monster . In the early 2000s, Metallica took the drastic step of hiring a therapist to help them work through the (many, many) intrapersonal issues they'd built up after spending more than a decade together. The resulting album, St. Anger , famously inspired divided opinions (what the hell is going on with those drums?), but the documentary is a masterpiece.

Miles Davis: Birth of Cool (2019)

If you have yet to familiarize yourself with jazz icon Miles Davis, make this documentary your opportunity to do so. The legendary trumpet player and band leader is of course best known for his musicianship but also his particularly difficult personality, all of which is dissected and demystified here in a biographic format that charts his entire life and innovative career over two hours. While he remains an enigma, the documentary does all in its power to make Davis more personable, bringing it all back to his influential music.

Miss Americana (2020)

There is a scene early in director Lana Wilson's Taylor Swift documentary Miss Americana where the pop star says, "My entire moral code is a need to be thought of as good." It's something that stands out, because while most everybody wants to be good, her obsession with the perception of goodness is something jarring to hear coming so blatantly from a major celebrity. Much of the film examines Swift's relationship with idea, rehashing many of her publicity blunders that turned her into somewhat of a pop-culture villain. While there is little of anything new on the star with its content spooned straight from Swift's camp, she tries her hardest to provide a more honest analysis of herself—and there is plenty to chew on. As intensely as she controls her brand, there’s a sense she’s still figuring it all out. 

No Direction Home: Bob Dylan (2005)

Martin Scorsese loves a long-ass rock doc. He's also a big Bob Dylan fan. More recently, he released Rolling Thunder Revue , but his first Dylan documentary is 2005's sprawling, three-and-a-half-hour-long No Direction Home ,  which chronicles the musical legend’s life from growing up as Robert Zimmerman in Minnesota to becoming a folk legend. In particular, the film focuses on his burst of stardom in the Greenwich Village scene and controversial turn towards rock music shortly after between the years 1961–1966. The film is a classic Dylan text and one for obsessives, featuring astounding archival footage and rare interviews to absorb, and an enlightening watch as Scorsese paints a full picture of the artist famously shrouded in mystery.

Quincy (2018)

There’s no denying you’ve heard Quincy Jones’ records, whether you know it or not—it’s safe to say he’s left his mark on the music industry. Now a career veteran, the industry icon shares insight into his life and career in a documentary directed by his daughter, actress Rashida Jones. While the family-spearheaded film doesn’t dive too deep into the controversial world that is Quincy Jones, it does provide an intimate look of his life, from growing up on the South Side of Chicago during the Great Depression to working with Michael Jackson. Featuring a number of exclusive interviews, Quincy Jones will feel like an old friend by the end of the film, one with particularly interesting stories about Lionel Richie and other icons.

Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese  (2019)

Bob Dylan has long been surrounded by lore, and Martin Scorsese's documentary on his mid-'70s tour further plays into that legend. Rather than a straight concert film that touts never-before-seen backstage footage, Scorsese looks at the Rolling Thunder Revue tour and its revolving door of groundbreaking guests, from Allen Ginsberg to Joan Baez, as Dylan's means of exploring the endless bounds of creativity. With interviews from Dylan himself, influential collaborators, and even fictional characters, it's a dizzying doc about the mythos of the artist and his endeavors. Of course, there's straight concert shots and clips from behind the scenes, too, but they serve to contort viewers' ideas of  what's real  and what's not here. It's like an inside joke for devoted Dylan-heads, or a fascinating look for entry-level fans at how he makes art. 

The Show Must Go On: The Queen + Adam Lambert Story (2019)

The Show Must Go On suggests that it's the result of fate that Queen founding members Brian May and Roger Taylor met Adam Lambert and have been able to carry on their live act with him as their vocalist. While no one could replace the late, great Freddie Mercury, one watch of this doc and you, too, will be convinced that it's by some sort of miracle that the rockers met Lambert when he was still a contestant on American Idol.  Full of recent performances of Queen's beloved stadium anthems, it's an entertaining watch, particularly for Queen fans who will see just how much joy fills the group's second life. 

Sinatra: All or Nothing At All (2015)

Alex Gibney ( The Inventor , Going Clear ) goes deep on Frank Sinatra in this two-part documentary that nears four hours in total. Although that's not even enough to contain the multitudes and stories of Ol' Blue Eyes' life, it does as superb a job as it can to tell his life story, growing up humbly in Hoboken, New Jersey, to becoming the Sultan of Swoon, changing music and celebrity culture forever even as he battled his flaws. Told in the singer's own words through archival interviews and rare concert footage, as well as interviews with everybody in his life from his children to Mia Farrow, it's as personal a look at an American icon who's always felt like an untouchable myth even after he's long gone.  

The Sparks Brothers (2021)

It doesn't matter if you know anything at all about the band Sparks, made up of the brothers Russ and Ron Mael, going into Edgar Wright's loving and long documentary. You'll emerge a fan, regardless. Wright sets out to explain the underground phenomenon behind Sparks, which has weaved in and out of the public eye since the early '70s. The director methodically goes through the Maels' discography, highlighting their pop experiments and deeply amusing and bizarre lyrics. It's meticulous and also enormously funny, featuring insight from the Maels themselves as well as devoted fans like Flea, Weird Al, and Mike Myers. There are animated recreations, recreations acted out by the elder Maels, and tons of archival footage. Mostly, you leave feeling a towering affection for these weirdos and their weirdo music, which is likely exactly what Wright intended.

What Happened, Miss Simone? (2015)

Nina Simone was an icon, a talent without parallel, a socially engaged artist, a person with mental illness... and so much more. As a Black woman artist coming of age during the turbulent years of post-World War II America, Simone inspired legions of fans and alienated some of the people closest to her. Through interviews and archival footage, this somewhat standard approach to documentary filmmaking uncovers new layers of a totally nonstandard performer.

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The Best Music Documentaries on Netflix Right Now

From 'Lil Peep: Everybody's Everything' to 'Taylor Swift: Miss Americana,' here are the best music documentaries on Netflix to binge on while self-distancing.

via Complex Original

Netflix has plenty of great options for music fans. Whether you want to dive deep into an obscure subgenre from a continent you've never been to, or you just want to watch Beyoncé's new concert film during a lunch break, there is a music documentary waiting for you. There are so many music docs to choose from that it's actually a little overwhelming, so we narrowed down a list of the best options currently streaming on Netflix. From in-depth films about legends like Quincy  and Amy  to docs about new artists like Travis Scott to wide-ranging docuseries like Hip-Hop Evolution , these are the best music documentaries on Netflix right now.

Lil Peep: Everybody’s Everything

Year:  2019

Director:  Sebastian Jones and Ramez Silyan

Before Lil Peep’s tragic death in 2017, he was well on his way to becoming one of the biggest artists in music, after coming from underground emo rap beginnings. Everybody's Everything —featuring interviews with friends, family, and music industry experts—outlines the life of Gustav Elijah Åhr from his childhood in Long Beach, New York, to his overdose death in a tour bus at the age of 21. It's an intimate look at the life of a fascinating, endlessly talented artist, and if you still aren't convinced, take Drake's word for it. "I just watched the Lil Peep documentary on Netflix, which is a really genius documentary on Netflix," he told Rap Radar in late 2012. "You should watch it. I didn't really know too much about him at the time, but now all of a sudden, I'm deeply invested in the career that he had. People don't understand how overwhelming it is for these young kids, man." — Eric Skelton

Travis Scott: Look Mom I Can Fly

Director: White Trash Tyler

Look Mom I Can Fly  takes fans behind the scenes of the biggest year in Travis Scott’s career so far. While the film focuses on the creation of his 2018 album, ASTROWORLD , it also chronicles his humble beginnings in Houston and rise to superstardom. Compared to other popular celebrity documentaries, we get less of an inside look at Trav’s personal life with Kylie Jenner and their daughter Stormi, but the doc excels most when it shows clips from his recording and creating process. This film is best for diehard ragers and fans interested in learning more about Scott’s creative process. —Jessica McKinney

Homecoming: A Film By Beyoncé

Year:  2019

Directors:  Beyoncé, Ed Burke

One year after we all crowded around YouTube streams of Beyoncé's performance at Coachella 2018, the iconic performance is now available to watch on Netflix (in HD with better camera angles!) in the form of  Homecoming: A Film By Beyoncé.  Supplemented by behind-the-scenes footage, as well as narration from Beyoncé herself, the film provides new insights into how she pulled it all off. “I definitely pushed myself further than I knew I could,” she admits at one point. “I will never, never push myself that far again.” Written, co-directed, and executive produced by Beyoncé herself, Homecoming  sets a new standard for modern concert films. —Eric Skelton

Reincarnated

Director:  Andy Capper

Remember when Snoop Dogg said he was tired of rapping, changed his name to Snoop Lion, and went to Jamaica to record a reggae album? Well, it was all caught on film. VICE’s  Reincarnated documentary follows Snoop along his journey in Jamaica as he collaborates with reggae artists and transforms into his new Rastafari self. This is a thrilling up-close look at a fascinating chapter in the career of an icon.  —Eric Skelton

Director: Steven Caple Jr., Marcus A. Clarke, Geeta Gandbhir, Sacha Jenkins, Gabriel Noble, Ben Selkow

When discussing the future of the music industry, it is important to reflect on those who built it from the bottom up and the artists currently making waves. That’s where Rapture comes in, a Netflix documentary series about hip-hop in 2018. A product of Mass Appeal , Rapture uncovers the current state of the genre and explores its global impact through in-depth interviews with stars ranging from Logic to Nas. Each episode dives into the lives of different performers, taking you through their tours, private lives, and their unabating desire to hustle. — Alessandra Maldonado

Taylor Swift: Miss Americana

Director:  Lana Wilson

After Tiller director Lana Wilson delves into another controversial, emotionally charged subject here: Taylor Swift. Wilson takes a seemingly endless amount of archival material and shapes it into a story about Swift trying to shed her lifelong need for approval, and to be thought of as good; and instead to express her whole self—including, most notably, her political views. It’s not an accident that the doc’s end credits song is the post-election number “Only the Young.” — Shawn Setaro

ReMastered: The Two Killings of Sam Cooke

Director:  Kelly Duane de la Vega

When Sam Cooke died in 1964, a feeling of defeat lingered over the country. His death worked as a double-edged sword, eliminating his music and the legacy of social change he spent the last few decades building (hence the title of the documentary). Narrated by some of soul music’s most influential figures in Smokey Robinson, Dionne Warrick, and Quincy Jones, ReMastered: The Two Killings of Sam Cooke details Sam Cooke’s peerless voice, how he steadily crept up the charts in direct competition with Elvis Presley, and how he used songs like Bob Dylan’s “Blowin” as inspiration to record “A Change Is Gonna Come,” to evoke racial equality. In just over an hour, ReMastered: The Two Killings of Sam Cooke is full of stories that show something that Sam Cooke and Jim Brown, Muhammad Ali, and Malcolm X had in common: using their platform to improve the world. —Kemet High

Director: Rashida Jones, Alan Hicks

The story of Quincy Jones is inimitable—so inimitable that you could argue no one should ever make a movie about him because they wouldn’t get it correct. But if your daughter happens to be Rashida Jones—aka Ann Perkins from Pawnee and a celebrated documentarian in her own right—you’d give it a go. Released in September by Netflix and directed by Jones and Alan Hicks, Quincy traces the story of one of the century’s most culturally impactful musicians through crippling poverty during the Great Depression, his early years playing with Frank Sinatra, and eventually producing mega-hits like Thriller for Michael Jackson. At just over two hours, Quincy could have used some time on the editing table, but when you have a career so expansive and spectacular, it can be difficult to cut things out. The documentary is definitely a far cry from his outrageous GQ interview in early 2018, but  Quincy paints a more holistic picture of Jones as a father, artist, innovator and musical pioneer. —Kate Ebeling

What Happened, Miss Simone?

Director: Liz Garbus

There are few do-it-all artists quite like Nina Simone; her musical range spanned through genres including jazz, R&B, and blues, propelling her into stardom. Simone, born Eunice Waymon, got her start as a practicing musician while taking private piano lessons and performing at small clubs and bars before she turned into a household name. What Happened, Miss Simone? is an ode to a musical legend and civil rights activist who has forever changed the landscape of the music industry. —Alessandra Maldonado

FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened

Director: Chris Smith

Remember Fyre Festival? The Ja Rule-backed musical event was supposed to be the festival of the century, putting Coachella to shame and becoming the new hot spot for millennial influencers? Instead, it was a complete disaster that unearthed criminal activity. It's now known as one of the biggest scams in history. FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened is a fascinating documentary that provides an in-depth look at the failed festival and its criminal mastermind, Billy McFarland, who defrauded investors out of millions. The doc premiered on Netflix days after Hulu’s Fyre Fraud , but it is arguably the better film with a lot more payoff. Although Hulu’s documentary includes interviews with McFarland, Netflix tells a more well-rounded story with anecdotes from McFarland’s inner circle, construction workers on the Bahamian island where the festival was set to take place, and other players caught up in the scandal. —Jessica McKinney

Taylor Swift Reputation Stadium Tour

Director:  Paul Dugdale

If you didn't personally contribute to the $345.7 million in ticket sales for Taylor Swift's Reputation Stadium Tour in 2018 and you were hoping to see what the fuss was all about, you're in luck: Taylor began the new year in 2019 with a concert documentary on Netflix. Shot on the final night of the U.S. tour in front of 60,000 Dallas fans, the film captures the larger-than-life experience of a Taylor Swift show. Outside of a few backstage shots after the credits, this doesn't reveal much about Swift's life outside of music, but it's the best documentation we've seen yet of the over-the-top pop spectacle she's able to produce.  —Eric Skelton

Sample This

Director: Dan Forrer

If you've listened to any hip-hop at all, you've surely heard the unmistakable "Apache" break—it's been sampled in well over 500 songs. But the story of how the track, by the strangely named Incredible Bongo Band (which wasn't a band at all, but rather a collection of studio musicians put together by an eccentric founder) moved into ubiquity is strange and fascinating. This superb and necessary doc traces that journey through a series of wild events, including world-changing assassinations and tragic murders, before ending at the track's current b-boy ubiquity. —Shawn Setaro

Surviving R. Kelly

What is there left to say about Surviving R. Kelly ? This documentary about the singer, the countless acts of alleged sexual abuse he committed, the women who came forward, and the structures and prejudices that allowed Kelly to keep going for decades, not only captured the attention of the world. It also sparked several ongoing federal investigations , and is arguably the reason Kelly is behind bars today, awaiting trial in Illinois, New York, and a few other places to boot. The alleged victims were finally able to tell their stories, and that ended up making all the difference in the world. — Shawn Setaro

Gaga: Five Foot Two

Director: Chris Moukarbel

To everyone who does not identify as a Little Monster, Lady Gaga likely seems like an enigma. It’s a fair assumption. Ever since that blood-soaked 2009 VMA performance of “Paparazzi,” Gaga has upped the artistic ante in pop music, which, while cementing her status as an icon, has made it difficult for us non-stans to parse out the “real” her. Gaga: Five Foot Two  follows Lady Gaga as she records, promotes, and releases 2016’s Joanne. And it attempts to lift the veil, much like the stripped-down album itself. We see Gaga experience a number of heartbreaks—the end of her engagement with Taylor Kinney, her best friend Sonja Durham’s battle with cancer, her own chronic pain—and delve into family trauma for both inspiration and solace (the album is named after her late aunt Joanne, who died at age 19). She handles some things with grace, and others with attitude, just like any other human being would. It’s a touching documentary that humanizes Mother Monster. —Carolyn Bernucca

ReMastered: Who Shot The Sheriff

Director: Kief Davidson

Bob Marley as a dorm-room-poster, energy-drink-adorning icon is familiar to millions. But the story of Bob Marley, man caught in violent political crosswinds is less well-known. In 1976, there was an attempted assassination of Marley. This Netflix doc, the first in a series about music-related crimes, uses that incident as a jumping-off point to discuss Jamaican politics, gangs, colonialism, and how the attempt ended up, surprisingly and ironically, helping Marley to become an even more popular international superstar. Research and interviews with the singer's friends and family help make an incredibly complex situation understandable and compelling. Plus, any doc that has Vivien Goldman in it is awesome by default. —Shawn Setaro

Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool

Director:  Stanley Nelson Jr.

This exhaustive, two-hour 2019 documentary gives us the entire life story of the jazz legend, starting with his birth in 1926. It travels through both the artistic and the personal, talking to biographers, ex-lovers, bandmates, hometown friends, and even legendary promoter George Wein, who tells a sad-but-amusing story about his very first encounter with a strung-out Miles. — Shawn Setaro

Hip-Hop Evolution

Director: Darby Wheeler, Sam Dunn, Scott McFadyen

Canadians have a rich tradition of insightful, thorough, and impartial music interviewing, thanks in part to the exemplary work done on television channel MuchMusic over the years—especially newsmagazine show The New Music . It was an incubator for the likes of George Stroumboulopoulos, Denise Donlon and Avi Lewis (hell, even Fox News boob John Roberts). While Canuck rapper Shad’s casual-yet-scholarly hosting style quickly got him booted from his turn hosting Q on CBC Radio, the ghosts of MuchMusic coarse through his leisurely Bronx walk and talks on Hip-Hop Evolution— an HBO Canada original from 2016 now on Netflix. The eight episode series features nearly every living legend, all still keen on sharing their perspective about how the most popular form of music today came to be out of a burning Bronx in the 1970s.

Shad is able to maneuver through the opinionated Grandmaster Flash, Grandmaster Caz, Afrika Bambaataa, Russell Simmons and Kool Herc, giving them (and other major players) the space to shape the story without leaning too much on one opinion or letting egos get side-tracked. Also, don’t confuse Shad’s limited narration for dispassion. He’s doing what so many MuchMusic hosts have done before: sit back and let the artists tell the story. He’s doing well-worn rap history, so often told along regional lines, the conciliatory Canadian way. —Erik Leijon

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9 Great Music Documentaries to Stream on Netflix

No hagiographies to be found here, with looks at the lives and careers of Quincy Jones, Nina Simone and Taylor Swift, among others.

By Noel Murray

Pop, rock and R&B fans will find a decent assortment of top-shelf concert films on Netflix, including “Springsteen on Broadway,” Beyoncé’s “Homecoming” and “Justin Timberlake + the Tennessee Kids.” But performances alone don’t tell the fuller story of a musical act or a cultural movement. For that, you need a good documentary , combining exciting old footage with probing new interviews, and putting an artist into proper context.

Netflix is currently streaming a healthy assortment of good music docs. Here are 9 of the best. (Please note, movies and TV series regularly cycle on and off streaming services, so some of the titles below may not be available at the time you read this.)

( For more ideas of what to stream, here are the 50 best movies currently on Netflix .)

‘Song Exploder’ (2020)

Musicians analyze their own work in this enlightening and often unexpectedly touching docu-series, based on the podcast of the same name. In each episode, the host Hrishikesh Hirway listens closely to songs while sitting across from the people who wrote and performed them, as they talk about everything from their inspirations to the nuts-and-bolts creative decisions they made during the recording process. The roster of guests is eclectic: The first batch includes R.E.M., Alicia Keys, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Ty Dolla Sign (with more episodes on the horizon). But although the drift of the conversations changes depending on who’s talking, everyone involved is committed to celebrating both the mysteries and the practical how-tos of music-making.

‘Echo in the Canyon’ (2019)

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of The Byrds’ seminal folk-rock version of Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man,” Jakob Dylan assembled musicians from his own generation who had been inspired by the sounds of Los Angeles in the late 1960s. The younger Dylan interviews surviving members of the Byrds, the Beach Boys, Buffalo Springfield and the Mamas and the Papas; and he sings alongside the likes of Fiona Apple, Beck and Regina Spektor. This short, sunny documentary is an entertaining rock history lesson, detailing the shared influences and enduring inspiration of some of the ’60s biggest hitmakers. ( Stream it here . )

‘Hip-Hop Evolution’ (2016-20)

You’ll need to carve out some time in your schedule to watch all of “Hip-Hop Evolution,” a 16-part series that’s been spread across four seasons. But this project is worth the effort. Each episode has a theme and purpose: whether it’s describing a subgenre or covering a key moment in the history of rap. A lot of the feature documentaries about hip-hop remain stuck in the ’80s and ’90s; but “Hip-Hop Evolution” presses on into the 2000s, making room for the “Dirty South” sound, the experiments of the Neptunes crew, the controversies surrounding the mixtape revolution and more. ( Stream it here . )

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Play it loud: the 25 best music documentaries on Netflix

You might have playlists loaded up with your favourite artists on Spotify or Apple, but how much do you know about how the song was made, and why it was made? And what was happening in the world for the artist to need to create that particular track, or that concert that became a cultural moment? 

Whether you’re joining recording sessions with Taylor Swift , WHAM! , Lady Gaga , BLACKPINK , or Keith Richards, or sitting in on rehearsals for Beyoncé’s iconic Coachella performance , getting to know the process and context of an artist whose work has valiantly soundtracked your own life is an act that takes the music itself even further, giving you a greater appreciation for the tracks in your pocket. That's where documentaries come in. At the very least, you’ll have something smug to tell your friends about next time you’re listening to a song.

Netflix has a bunch of strong music documentaries, with some particularly standout films ready to stream, from Martin Scorsese's spin on the shape-shifting of Bob Dylan to the much-talked-about Miss Americana . Each comes practically brimming with music, along with behind-the-scenes interviews and footage of some of the most prolific artists of our time.

Without leaving your house, here’s your ticket to the best documentary films about music that you can find on Netflix, in no particular order…

1. WHAM!  

Despite the fact that you'll probably have that infernal holiday earworm "Last Christmas" stuck in your head for a month after watching this doc on the '80s British pop super two-some consisting of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, it's still worth the risk! The latter name being the best reason why — we've all heard Michael's story by now, but Sr. director Chris Smith finally gives "the other one" Ridgeley the focus he deserves as the co-songwriter on all the duo's hits.

With the '80s feeling further away with every passing year (not to mention every passing superstar of the time), this doc will send you right back to those heady days of pegged jeans and puffy stickers. That "Careless Whisper" sax solo for the win. — Jason Adams, Entertainment Reporter

How to watch: WHAM! is now streaming on Netflix.

2. Homecoming

When you think of landmark concert films of the last ten years, Homecoming immediately springs to mind. Directed, written, and executive produced by Beyoncé, the electrifying two-hour film captures the creation and performance of the superstar’s unforgettable 2018 Coachella set, putting you both behind the scenes and centre stage of this historic cultural moment.

Set on a now-iconic bespoke pyramid stage, Beyoncé’s set pays tribute to the creative spirit of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and features special guest appearances by Destiny's Child, Jay-Z, and Solange. Bow down, indeed.

How to watch: Homecoming is now streaming on Netflix.

3. Hate To Love: Nickelback

Canadians have a reputation for being incredibly nice people. So, how did the Canadian rock group Nickelback go from being chart-topping hitmakers selling 50 million records to a much-loathed punchline in basically the span of a decade? Hate To Love , the 2023 doc from filmmaker Leigh Brooks, takes a look at the band's career and tries to answer that question. Ultimately, it really seems beyond the group's control; sure, they make generic music, but so do 90 percent of the mainstream artists out there. Nickelback's problem is they became a meme, and there's really no coming back from that. But hey, it could be worse. They're rich as hell, and at least they're not Creed! — J.A.

How to watch: Hate To Love: Nickelback is now streaming on Netflix .

4. Miss Americana

Whether you're a fan of Taylor Swift or just curious about her meteoric rise to fame, Miss Americana allows you a rare peek into the pop superstar's life. Director Lana Wilson crafts an intimate portrait of Swift, through plenty of interviews and behind-the-scenes footage, taking you into the songwriting sessions of her album Lover , backstage on the spectacular Reputation tour , through her relatively short journey from teen country singer to global superstar, through the sexual assault lawsuit she won against radio host David Mueller, and the breaking of her political silence .

But more than anything, the film makes plain that our loud opinion is the last thing that matters to Swift. As Mashable's Angie Han writes , "Maybe it's not the movie everyone wanted. Maybe this latest reinvention of Taylor Swift, this time as a woman who's comfortable enough in her power to wield it fully, isn't for everyone, either. But maybe, also, that's the idea: Swift, Miss Americana tells us, is done worrying about what everyone else thinks."

When you're done, watch the Reputation tour film on Netflix, knowing the story behind the scenes. * — S.C.

How to watch: Miss Americana is now streaming on Netflix.

5. ReMastered: Tricky Dick and the Man in Black

Co-directed by Sara Dosa and legendary documentarian Barbara Kopple ( Harlan County, USA ), this is a look back at the 1970 White House performance by country music firebrand Johnny Cash. The president at the time was none other than Richard M. Nixon, making this meeting the equivalent of spraying gasoline on a freshly lit fire. It's not hard to see in retrospect that these two gentlemen would never in a million years get along, so how the heck did this happen?

This was all Nixon's brilliant idea; he saw similarities in their poor childhoods and, more importantly, a possible political goldmine in associating himself with the God-fearing, down-home crowd that Cash represented. Cash is, of course, a far more complicated figure, and his sympathy for the underdogs and the downtrodden mixed with the horrors of the Vietnam War were at that moment in history reaching a boiling point. What happened when Cash walked into the White House that day makes for some truly combustible historical entertainment. – J.A.

How to watch: ReMastered: Tricky Dick and the Man in Black is now streaming on Netflix .

6. Rolling Thunder Revue 

Half-real and half-phony just like the musician that inspired it, Martin Scorsese’s 2019 pseudo-documentary Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese (which is its full title) puts actual footage of Bob Dylan’s 1975 tour through the Northwest and Canada alongside faked interviews and footage, and leaves it up to the viewer to discern which is what. Did Dylan really put on white face after seeing KISS perform? Was Sharon Stone really a groupie turned costumer in her teenage years? Add to this the fact that most of the real footage from the tour was filmed by Dylan himself for a semi-fictional and unreleased film called Renaldo and Clara , which complicates the original confusion further. Like the best Dylan song, this Revue contains meta multitudes. — J.A.

How to watch: Rolling Thunder Revue is now streaming on Netflix.

Over 2,900 songs and over 300 albums recorded. 51 film and TV scores. Over 1,000 original compositions. 79 Grammy nominations and 27 wins. You get it, yet? Quincy Jones has been busy for the last 70 years. Created by his daughter Rashida Jones with Alan Hicks, Quincy examines the immense impact the record producer, arranger, and musician has had on music over the last seven decades. It’s mostly narrated by Quincy himself, with archival audio from famous friends like Ray Charles and Frank Sinatra, alongside a treasure trove of home footage and new material.

It’s fascinating to watch just how much of the history of modern music Jones has been a part of, and how many "firsts" he achieved as a Black musician and producer in America. Quincy moves through the decades of music alongside Jones' own life story — he discovered music amongst a hard childhood on the South Side of Chicago during the Great Depression in the '30s, before diving into the be-bop scene in New York in the ‘50s. Then, he moved through pop, funk, jazz, and disco in the ‘70s and ‘80s in Los Angeles, and through the hip hip explosion in the ‘90s. Keep an eye out for the short but powerful heart-to-heart between Quincy and Kendrick Lamar. — S.C.

How to watch:  Quincy  is now streaming on Netflix.

8. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead

Superstar EDM artist Steve Aoki once played 300 shows in a single year, and that’s the breathless spirit this 2016 doc from filmmaker Justin Krook aims to capture.

The son of the Japanese wrestler turned Benihana restaurant entrepreneur Rocky Aoki, Steve gives more than a hint that his entire propulsive career has been a rebuke to his father’s lackluster parenting skills. But the lulls between the chaos come few and far between — much like Aoki's life and much like he seems to prefer it. Like the documentary's title suggests, this is party after party, scene after scene, and cake after cake after cake smashed in his fans' eager faces, with sleep rendered an extreme afterthought. — J.A.

How to watch: I'll Sleep When I'm Dead is now streaming on Netflix.

9. Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell

A compelling, personal portrait of one of the greatest rappers of all time, Biggie: I Got A Story To Tell is an intimate look at the life of Christopher Wallace, AKA The Notorious B.I.G., whose death at 24 years old has also become the stuff of legend. But although the film starts at a tragic end, it actually concentrates more on Wallace's life through those who really knew him.

Directed by Emmett Malloy and made in collaboration with Biggie's estate, the documentary features a huge amount of backstage, onstage, and on-the-road footage filmed by his best friend Damion "D-Roc" Butler, alongside interviews with family, including his wife Faith Evans, mother Violetta Wallace, grandmother Gwendolyn Wallace, uncle Dave Wallace, and friends from both childhood and later years. It was co-executive produced by Sean "Diddy" Combs, who also appears. Especially unique to this documentary is the short time spent on Wallace's visits to family in Jamaica, and unexpected musical influences — interviews with his neighbour, saxophonist Donald Harrison, about the impact of bebop and jazz on his rap techniques are a treat. — S.C.

How to watch: Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell is now streaming on Netflix.

10. Shania Twain: Not Just a Girl

She’s still the one we run to! Taking a page from the book of Tina Turner is never a bad idea, and country/pop superstar Shania Twain seems to've lifted the best page of all, having moved to a gorgeous house set against the majestic scenery of Lake Geneva, Switzerland. That’s where she’s mainly interviewed for this 2022 doc on her career, and where she talks about many of such influences — the earliest being Dolly Parton, because of course. Still holding the title of the best-selling studio album by a solo female artist ever for Come On Over in 1997 (it’s the ninth best-selling album of all time), Shania, smart, grounded, and funny, still impresses us much. — J.A.

How to watch: Shania Twain: Not Just a Girl is now streaming on Netflix.

11. What Happened, Miss Simone?

What do you know about Nina Simone? You’re about to learn a lot in this exceptional documentary about the singer, classical pianist, and Black Power activist, whose life was no easy path.

Directed by Liz Garbus and tightly woven with Simone's music, What Happened, Miss Simone? examines the star’s public career and private life, her childhood in segregated North Carolina, her survival of domestic abuse, her struggle with addiction, the experience of living with undiagnosed bipolar disorder, revelations of abuse against her daughter, and her role in the civil rights movement and its impact on her career. This Best Documentary nominee will leave you with a complex picture of Miss Simone, and a thorough understanding of the impact of a song like "Mississippi Goddamn" on the music industry, on society, and on the artist herself. — S.C.

How to watch: What Happened Miss Simone? is now streaming on Netflix.

12. The Other One: The Long, Strange Trip of Bob Weir

"You have to see it to see it," says Bob Weir, famed guitarist for legendary jam-band The Grateful Dead. And he’s not wrong — this 2014 doc from director Mike Fleiss ( God Bless Ozzy Osbourne ) trains its lens on the less famous member of the famous outfit in order to chart a lesser known voyage through rock history, and unearths all sorts of hidden gems from the road that was. Running in at just 85 minutes, the film might be shorter than some of the Dead’s guitar solos, but it manages to capture that certain something that kept people coming back, and back, and back to the band for decades. Memories that are probably otherwise lost to many of the people who experienced it! — J.A.

How to watch: The Other One: The Long, Strange Trip of Bob Weir is now streaming on Netflix.

13. BLACKPINK: Light Up the Sky

You might have watched their videos, seen them live, or just watched this superstar K-pop group smash records all over the joint , but how much do you actually know about BLACKPINK? Directed by Caroline Suh, Light Up the Sky is a fascinating, fun, and sincere portrait of one of the biggest groups in the world right now.

Amid behind-the-scenes footage of early auditions, childhood home movies, recording sessions, and touring, including that historic Coachella performance , the documentary sits you down with Lisa, Jisoo, Jennie, and Rosé, the four members of YG Entertainment's wildly popular South Korean girl group. These frank solo interviews, along with their heartfelt reflections on each other's roles in the group, give insight into these talented, determined young women who worked incredibly hard for years in YG's rigorous training program, debuting with chart-smashing single "Whistle," and building their meteoric rise to fame (with all the perfectionist pressure that comes with it). — S.C.

How to watch: BLACKPINK: Light Up the Sky is now streaming on Netflix.

14. Duran Duran: There's Something You Should Know

Dubbed "Birmingham’s peacocks" by none other than Boy George himself, the members of Duran Duran strutted their way to enormous stadium-filling fame in the 1980s. Led by their sneeringly sexy frontman Simon Le Bon, this fab foursome from England — who took their name from the movie Barbarella , of all places — blew up the New Romantic scene thanks to their unforgettable made-for-MTV videos. Hits like "Girls on Film," "Rio," and "Hungry Like the Wolf" ended up defining the era. This 2018 doc from director Zoe Dobson watches as the boys, here in their sixties, look back on their career album by album, still peacocking as much as ever. — J.A.  

How to watch: Duran Duran: There's Something You Should Know is now streaming on Netflix .

15. Halftime

Jennifer Lopez has been entertaining us for decades, so you should take a second for Halftime . The documentary is focused on Lopez's SuperBowl halftime show with Shakira (and her daughter Emme ) in 2020 that made a public statement about the border crisis , but also takes in the artist's career over the decades, from her beginnings in the '90s as a Fly Girl on In Living Colour to her incredible performance as pop star Selena Quintanilla-Pérez in the lauded biopic, to her Grammy-winning music career and its eras, to her critically acclaimed and Golden Globe nominated role in Hustlers .

Directed by Amanda Micheli and edited by Carol Martori, Lopez maintains full control in this documentary, having not always felt this way across her career and speaking at length about being underestimated and not taken seriously. Halftime brings the receipts too, showing the unbridled racism and sexism she's endured from the press and entertainment industry. Despite it all, Lopez continues to kick every goal.

How to watch: Halftime is now streaming on Netflix.

16. Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of our Lives

A hagiography can be just what the doctor ordered sometimes, when the subject demands such respect. And when it comes to the music industry, the legendary producer Clive Davis – the man behind Janis Joplin, Bruce Springsteen, Barry Manilow, Patti Smith, Alicia Keys, and his right-hand lady Whitney Houston, just to get us started — warrants a good old fashioned love-fest. By all accounts a decent man (at least by all the accounts that they put on the screen here) blessed with a "golden ear", Davis knew how to find and nurture talent and take them to the top of the charts time and time and time again. And his story will make you long for the simplicity of his old-fashioned, personal, one-on-one approach, when everything wasn’t quite so soullessly corporate. — J.A.

How to watch: Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives is now streaming on Netflix.

17. Lewis Capaldi: How I'm Feeling Now

Scotland's celebrated and Grammy-nominated purveyor of fine sad songs, Lewis Capaldi's natural charm, candour, and signature cheeky humour make this documentary both an absolute treat and a deeply moving portrait. Directed by Joe Pearlman, How I'm Feeling Now checks in with Capaldi in Whitburn, Scotland, with 15 billion streams and sold out shows in 36 countries under his belt. He's writing his second album in his parents' shed, the follow-up to his incredibly successful debut Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent , amid varying lockdowns around the world . Between reflections on fame, writing, and performing, the documentary paints a wonderful picture of Capaldi in his hometown; you'll meet Capaldi's parents, family, and friends, paired with plenty of sweet home movies and studio session recordings brimming with pure talent.

Notably, having filmed with Capaldi during his experience with anxiety, ticks, and being diagnosed with Tourette's syndrome, Pearlman's documentary is an emotional, vulnerable, and powerful journey through some of the most challenging times in the artist's past few years. It's something Capaldi commented on after the film was released. "I didn’t realise how much my anxiety and Tourette's was taking over my life until I watched [the footage] back," he told  The Independent . "When I saw the first draft, it was so depressing, I was surprised I didn’t die at the end! I mean, there’s always the sequel."

How to watch: Lewis Capaldi: How I'm Feeling Now is now streaming on Netflix.

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18. Barbra: The Music The Mem'ries The Magic

It's Barbra doing what Barbra does best: belting out big music while running a single fingernail through her hair. This concert film from Streisand’s 2015 string of nine shows was filmed in Miami and the Golden Girls vibes are strong with her shimmery black pantsuit and string of special guest stars. We see a little backstage footage — hey there’s James Brolin, hey there’s her pampered pup — but mostly it’s just Barbra hitting the stage, beginning right off the bat with “The Way We Were” and not stopping the hit parade for nearly two straight hours. She tells some stories, she disco-dances, she says she’s on a diet but she wants the ice cream anyway. It’s all the hits! — J.A.

How to watch: Barbra: The Music The Mem’ries The Magic is now streaming on Netflix.

19. Gaga: Five Foot Two

Head into the studio with Lady Gaga amid the making of her fifth album, Joanne , in this characteristically raw, compelling documentary released in 2017 — before the "Shallow" madness , though there’s a lovely fleeting moment when she gets the part in A Star Is Born in there, too. ahs

Directed by Chris Moukarbel, Gaga: Five Foot Two follows the superstar during the recording of her album with Mark Ronson (and for one excellent minute, "Hey Girl" collaborator Florence Welsh), and ahead of her Super Bowl halftime performanc e, all peppered with a stream of reflections on love, work, and self-confidence — all while living with chronic pain. But as Joanne is an album inspired by the death of her aunt Joanne, it also fittingly offers some moving glimpses into her family life.

How to watch: Gaga: Five Foot Two is now streaming on Netflix.

20. Keith Richards: Under the Influence

In Metric’s song " Gimme Sympathy ," the band asks the question: "Who would you rather be / The Beatles or the Rolling Stones?" Would you rather burn big and bright and fast, or long and steady, perhaps past your moment? This 2015 doc on Stones guitarist Keith Richards makes a good case for the latter.

Watching Richards in the process of making his first solo record in several decades, Under the Influence (directed by 20 Feet From Stardom director Morgan Neville) is mainly just for Stones fans — thankfully, that’s a not small percentage of the population. Richards more than lives up to his status as the hard-living rock star with a parade of well-worn tales entertainingly re-told — five decades into his career and a happier bullshitter you will never see. Did Richards ever tell you about the time Chuck Berry famously popped him one? "I was one of Chuck’s greatest hits," he laughs. — J.A.

How to watch: Keith Richards: Under the Influence is now streaming on Netflix.

21. Ariana Grande: Excuse Me, I Love You

Released during the 2020 pandemic lockdowns, this one was a shining light for live music fans missing concerts at the time — and it remains a gorgeous example of how to film a live show. Shot at London's O2 Arena for Netflix during Ariana Grande's 2019 Sweetener World Tour, Excuse Me, I Love You is the concert film that'll remind you of those large-scale collective scream sessions many of us used to indulge in. As Mashable's Rachel Thompson writes , the film is "a love letter to the Time Before. A time when singers pointed their mics to packed arenas, giggling as ecstatic crowds chanted back their lyrics word for word. A time when we'd throw our arms in the air and yell "encore" before pouring our weary bodies onto the last train home."

Featuring pitch-perfect performances of tracks from Grande's hit-heavy albums including thank u, next , Dangerous Woman, and of course, Sweetener , the film also throws in some fun footage of Grande with her crew on the road.

How to watch: Ariana Grande: Excuse Me, I Love You is now streaming on Netflix.

22. The Greatest Night in Pop

Following the creation of the gargantuan 1985 charity single "We Are the World" from conception to total chart dominance, this 2024 doc from director Bao Nguyen takes us behind that inescapable music. Along the way, we get also get a peek at the massive musician egos that had to get in sync to make it happen. It's sweaty, riveting, and funny stuff. (So sweaty!)

The film mainly focuses on footage of the epic recording session that happened on the night of January 28th, 1985. Quincy Jones and co-writers Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie pounded out their ear-worm tune, then used their influence to strong-arm the singing roster — which included Ray Charles, Billy Joel, Diana Ross, Cyndi Lauper, Bob Dylan, and many, many more — into spending their night making the world a better place. Promo and merch for the song, which was unavoidable that year, has ultimately raised over 80 million dollars for African famine relief. — J.A.

How to watch : The Greatest Night in Pop is now streaming on Netflix .

23. It's Only Life After All

Amy Ray and Emily Saliers, better known as the Indigo Girls, began making music together as teens in Decatur, Georgia. Since releasing their first full-length album in 1987, they've been working together steadily and successfully for over forty years. Their songwriting prowess is second only to their frank political passion and acoustic guitar skills.

Director Alexandria Bombach somehow managed to whittle 1,000 hours of footage (!!!!) down into two fleeting hours — including home movies and present-day interviews — illustrating how (and perhaps more importantly, why) these mavericks gathered a profoundly loyal following that rivals that of the Grateful Dead. This doc will have you feeling much, much closer to fine. — J.A.

How to watch : It's Only Life After All is now streaming on Netflix .

24. The Black Godfather

"Life is about numbers. Nothing else." That was one of the catchphrases of Clarence Avant, the music executive who ultimately proved his catchphrase's truth through the sheer number of legends that director Reginald Hudlin was able to corral for this 2019 doc.

And it's not just iconic musicians like Bill Withers, Quincy Jones, Clive Davis, and Lionel Richie who speak glowingly about Avant's influence on their lives; it's politicians like Barack Obama and Kamala Harris too, since Avant was also a massive Democratic fundraiser. The footprint that Avant left on culture — he passed away in 2023 at the ripe young age of 92 — is immeasurable. This doc proves to be a vital portrait of a person who worked behind the scenes to actualize real and lasting change in the world. — J.A. 

How to watch: The Black Godfather is now streaming on Netflix .

25. Hans Zimmer: Hollywood Rebel

Sure, maybe it's weird to have various sound effects that come to mind when people hear your name, but Hans Zimmer doesn't give a "BRAAAM!" In case you're curious, that's the infamous sound from his score for Christopher Nolan's Inception , and it's become something of an aural meme. The German composer has been Nolan's go-to guy since The Dark Knight ; he's also composed scores for everything from Twister and Cool Runnings to Rain Man (which won him his first Oscar nomination) and Dune: Part One (which got him his second Oscar). His career stretches all the way back to Stephen Frears' classic 1985 gay romance My Beautiful Laundrette, starring Daniel Day-Lewis, for goodness' sake. He was even in the first music video MTV ever aired!

Zimmer is very nearly as celebrated and iconic a cinematic sound-man as John Williams himself, and this hour-long doc does a grand job peering into his colorful and atypical process. And that's no "BRAAAM." — J.A.

How to watch: Hans Zimmer: Hollywood Rebel is now streaming on Netflix .

UPDATE: Aug. 1, 2024, 6:02 p.m. UTC This list was originally published on Sept. 4, 2020. It has been updated to reflect the current streaming options.

Topics Music Netflix Streaming Watch Guides

Shannon Connellan is Mashable's UK Editor based in London, formerly Mashable's Australia Editor, but emotionally, she lives in the Creel House . A Tomatometer-approved critic , Shannon writes about everything (but not anything) across entertainment, tech, social good, science, and culture.

Jason Adams is a freelance entertainment writer at Mashable. He lives in New York City and is a Rotten Tomatoes approved critic who also writes for Pajiba, The Film Experience, AwardsWatch, and his own personal site My New Plaid Pants. He's extensively covered several film festivals including Sundance, Toronto, New York, SXSW, Fantasia, and Tribeca. He's a member of the LGBTQ critics guild GALECA. He loves slasher movies and Fassbinder and you can follow him on Twitter at @JAMNPP.

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15 Music Documentaries You Can Stream On Netflix Right Now

Music documentaries can run the gamut, and that's certainly true of those that are available to stream on Netflix. Regardless of whether one's interest lies in classic rock, contemporary pop, Nashville country, or vintage jazz, a scroll through Netflix's offerings reveals a wealth of viewing choices. 

Looking for a critically acclaimed look at an obscure band that has managed to build up a loyal fanbase while avoiding mainstream success? You're covered. How about a documentary about legendary folk-rock icon Bob Dylan? No problem. In fact, Netflix actually has two diametrically different Dylan docs, both directed by the same acclaimed filmmaker. It's safe to say that Netflix offers such a wide breadth of music docs that there is truly something to meet nearly every musical taste. For proof, read on for a look at the diversity to be found within these 15 music documentaries you can stream on Netflix right now.

No Direction Home (2005)

Within the pantheon of Martin Scorsese's critically acclaimed films, the director is responsible for "The Last Waltz," generally regarded as one of the all-time great concert films. So when news emerged in the early 2000s that Scorsese would be helming a documentary about Bob Dylan for the PBS "American Masters" series, expectations were understandably sky-high. Those expectations were met and then some with  "No Direction Home: Bob Dylan,"  a three-and-a-half-hour deep dive into the life and legend of the iconoclastic singer-songwriter who managed to become one of the planet's most famous celebrities and, simultaneously, one of its most enigmatic. Featuring a wealth of archival material and electrifying concert footage from various stages of Dylan's career, the doc also boasts Dylan's first full-length on-camera interview in more than two decades. 

Accepting the 2005 Peabody Award for the film, Scorsese explained that a big goal was "to make a film  about  music in which you really hear music." The director also wanted to tell "the story of the times" that shaped Dylan, from his early life in rural Minnesota to the tumultuous 1960s in which he achieved a level of stardom that bordered on deification. The film earned Scorsese some of the best reviews of his career (and that's saying something!). Looking back at the documentary more than a decade later,  Decider  praised "No Direction Home" as both "one of the best rock documentaries of all-time" and possibly "the best film Scorsese has made this century."

Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story (2019)

Nearly 15 years after making the definitive Bob Dylan documentary, Martin Scorsese turned his attention to Dylan once more with  "Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story."  This time, he focused on Dylan's famed 1975-1976 tour, a shambolic traveling carnival featuring a revolving roster of performers that ranged from Joni Mitchell to Patti Smith to poet Alan Ginsberg. Along with some stunning concert performances, Scorsese features fascinating behind-the-scenes footage, culled from outtakes shot for a movie Dylan was filming at the time called  "Renaldo and Clara."  

Yet Scorsese wasn't content to present a straight-up documentary, injecting a variety of made-up nonsense into the film. That's most evident in the interview with Stefan Van Dorp, purportedly the director responsible for shooting the footage, but is actually actor Martin von Haselberg (husband of Bette Midler) as the fictional character. Then there's Sharon Stone, who claims to have been accompanying Dylan on the tour (she didn't). There's politician Jack Tanner, who is actually actor Michael Murphy as the fictional character he played in Robert Altman's miniseries "Tanner '88." Even more confusing is an interview with actual entertainment exec Jim Gianopulos, who claims to have been the tour's financial backer. He wasn't but relays some wild anecdotes that are as entertaining as they are bogus. Dylan is in on the joke, dissing Van Dorp and discussing his affair with Stone in interviews that further blur the line between fact and fiction, which appears to be Scorsese's point. 

Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé (2019)

Produced for Netflix, "Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé" showcases Queen Bey as she prepares for her 2018 headlining set at Coachella, a performance that's been described as " a gobsmacking marvel of choreography and musical direction," and " one of the most precise, demanding, and altogether staggering performances by any musician on a national stage in recent memory." Not only does "Homecoming" showcase the two performances she gave at Coachella, but the documentary (which Beyoncé co-directed with Ed Burke) also takes viewers on a deep inside journey into the intense preparation that went into that act. The doc also illustrates the audacity of her ambition as she mounts an extravagant stage show featuring 200 performers while also ensuring the whole thing remained shrouded in secrecy. 

Meanwhile, it's not lost on Beyoncé that she's the first Black woman to headline Coachella in the festival's history, and she exudes a steely determination to use that platform to make a statement for the ages. Of course, critics may quibble about just how much of a documentary "Homecoming" actually is. As the director, Beyoncé is in the driver's seat, showing viewers only as much of herself and her creative process as she wants them to see. Ultimately, though, the film is both a celebration for fans and a form of communion for those who worship at the altar of music and, as The Guardian 's Jake Nevins declared in his review, "one of the all-time great concert docs." 

Miss Americana (2020)

While Taylor Swift didn't direct "Miss Americana,"  watching the made-for-Netflix documentary makes it clear that she may as well have. Like Beyoncé, Swift has carefully crafted her public persona, and director Lana Wilson pulls off a tricky balancing act that comes with directing a documentary about a star who also holds creative control. As Owen Gleiberman wrote in his review for Variety , "Miss Americana" is "a controlled and sanded-off confection of pop-diva image management" that also sees Swift opening up in a way that "is just sincere enough to lure us in."

"Miss Americana" also shows Swift as an artist trying to break out of the box that her mainstream popularity has placed her in. In one scene, she expresses regret that she remained apolitical in 2016, wishing she had ignored the advice of her management to steer clear of politics so she could have led her army of Swifties to mobilize against Donald Trump. While it's a no-brainer that Swift's fans will be mesmerized by "Miss Americana," the film offers just enough insight for casual fans — or even non-fans — with Swift revealing herself in candid moments as a woman navigating the complexities of superstardom while struggling to stay true to herself. When  Joni Mitchell sang about "stoking the star-making machinery behind the popular song" 50 years earlier, "Miss Americana" presents a solid argument that little has changed for female artists in the years since then.

The Sparks Brothers (2021)

Since forming in 1971, Sparks has teetered on the edge of rock obscurity, maintaining enough of a cult following to keep the band going for a solid half-century. Sparks is the quirky brainchild of brothers Russell and Ron Mael, with their lifelong musical partnership forming the basis for the 2021 documentary "The Sparks Brothers."  Not only is this the first film ever made about the iconoclastic duo, but it's also the first documentary by British director Edgar Wright , whose films include "Shaun of the Dead," and "Baby Driver." In "The Sparks Brothers," Wright wears his uber-fandom on his sleeve, as do the celebrity fans interviewed in the doc, an eclectic assortment that includes Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones, song parodist extraordinaire "Weird Al" Jankovic, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, and fantasy author Neil Gaiman, to name just a few. 

As reviewer Mark Kermode wrote in The Guardian , the film is something of a match made in heaven, given that it "teams the Maels with a director whose absurdist slapstick sensibility perfectly matches their own." As a result, "The Sparks Brothers" manages to be both a love letter to one of music's strangest groups while offering a weirdly satisfying introduction to Sparks' outlandish musical output that demonstrates why the loyalty of their fanbase is as fierce as it is small.

What Happened, Miss Simone? (2015)

Nina Simone had one of those voices that was instantly recognizable, with her distinctive vocal prowess on display in such classics as "Mississippi Goddam" and "To Be Young, Gifted and Black." The 2015 documentary "What Happened, Miss Simone?"  takes an unvarnished look at the life and musical career of the legendary jazz singer. Using a wealth of archival performance footage combined with interviews with family members, close friends, and musical collaborators, the true genius of Liz Garbus' deft direction lies in letting Simone tell her own story in her own words, via interviews that Simone gave prior to her 2003 death and excerpts from the diary she kept.

While the film hits the high points of Simone's career and her eventual role as a civil rights activist after becoming politically radicalized in the 1960s, it also pulls no punches when delving into the psychological instability that dogged her (she was diagnosed as bipolar in the 1980s, when she was already in her fifties). Arguably the most telling moment in the film comes from an interview with Simone's daughter, Lisa Simone Kelly (as recounted in a Los Angeles Times review ): 

"My mother was Nina Simone 24-7, and that's where it became a problem. When the show ended she was alone, fighting her own demons, full of anger and rage. She couldn't live with herself, and everything fell apart."

Gaga: Five Foot Two (2017)

Much like Netflix's Taylor Swift doc "Miss Americana," the streamer's 2017 look at Lady Gaga was filmed with the full cooperation of and (it can be assumed) control over what made it into the finished product. Keeping that in mind, "Gaga: Five Foot Two"  still offers plenty of revelatory moments. Filmed while Gaga recorded, released, and then promoted her fifth studio album "Joanne," director Chris Moukarbel ("Banksy Does New York"), who also served as cameraman, has seemingly mastered the art of becoming invisible enough to capture some unguarded moments that offer insight into the erstwhile Stefani Germanotta.

These private moments — such as when she accompanies herself on piano to serenade Tony Bennett with a haunting rendition of "Bad Romance" at his 90th birthday party — find her grappling with an unfulfilling personal life that is at direct odds with her professional success. At one point (via The Guardian ), she gets candid about her private loneliness: "I'm alone, every night," she laments. "I go from everyone touching me all day and talking at me all day to total silence." Ultimately, what emerges in "Gaga: Five Foot Two" is a portrait of a determined and ambitious artist who is in total control of both her art and her image, regardless of the personal price paid. 

Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy (2022)

There aren't too many documentaries that can claim to have been more than two decades in the making, yet that's the case with "Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy."  The three-part documentary is the result of co-directors Clarence "Coodie" Simmons and Chike Ozah, who first began filming Kanye West when he was starting out as a rapper in the late 1990s. Divided into three "acts," the first two — titled "Vision" and "Purpose" — document his early days in Chicago, his move to New York City, and his multiplatinum breakthrough as a force to be reckoned with in the music scene. 

Those first two parts capture West's enthusiasm, passion, and sheer talent, as the underdog rapper strives to become the biggest hip-hop artist on the planet ... and actually succeeds. It's the third part, "Awakening," where "Jeen-Yuhs" loses focus, and understandably so. After the runaway success of "College Dropout" catapulted West to unimagined heights of fame, he became far less accessible to the filmmakers. As a result, pointed out Pitchfork's Jayson Greene in his review , viewers receive little insight into the many, many controversies that have come to overshadow West's career in recent years, which are either skimmed over or referenced at such a lightning pace as to be negligible. It's in telling the story of West's rise that the movie really succeeds. Despite the shortcomings of Act III, "Jeen-yuhs" is a compelling look at the formative years of an artist who's shaped the musical landscape like few others.

John & Yoko: Above Us Only Sky (2018)

Now that Peter Jackson 's exhaustive Beatles documentary "Get Back" has refuted the long-held view that Yoko Ono broke up the Fab Four, it also provides a fresh perspective when watching  "John & Yoko: Above Us Only Sky, " the 2019 doc focusing on her all-encompassing relationship with John Lennon. Directed by Michael Epstein ("The Battle Over Citizen Kane"), the film begins by examining the couple's respective childhoods before diving into the many ways in which they influenced each other, including artistically and politically, which was evidenced in their fervent anti-war activism. 

In addition to a wealth of archival footage filmed in 1971 as the two worked on Lennon's "Imagine" album, "John & Yoko: Above Us Only Sky" also features an array of interviews, ranging from art curator John Dunbar (a mutual friend who organized Ono's art exhibit at which she and Lennon first met) to the guy who helped design and build the recording studio in their Tittenhurst Park estate. In many ways, the doc is actually a fitting companion piece to "Get Back," depicting the couple as ambitious young artists collaborating on new ways to redefine their own lives as art. Not surprisingly, the song "Imagine" looms large, something Ono addressed in a statement about the film that she gave to Rolling Stone : "I feel in the big picture the fact that John and I met — was to do this song," she stated.

Keith Richards: Under the Influence (2015)

There have been various documentaries produced about The Rolling Stones, but it wasn't until 2015 that guitarist Keith Richards agreed to have one made about him, the Netflix-produced "Keith Richards: Under the Influence."  Just as the definitive Stones documentary has yet to be made, the same can be said about Richards, because as enjoyable as "Under the Influence" is, it's heavy on charm but light on insight. Rather than produce a biographical look at Richards, director Morgan Neville ("20 Feet from Stardom") is content to sit back and listen to his stories. The result is a certain intimacy, leaving viewers to feel like they're hanging out with the rock legend as he spins entertaining anecdotes from his well-worn life. That, however, is about as deep as it goes ... and there's nothing wrong with that. 

Richards is a man with a keen self-awareness of the outlaw-rogue image he's curated for so many decades and is happy to add to the legend without offering private revelations that might not fit. Perhaps most appealing for fans is the rare glimpse the film provides into his creative process in the recording studio, as he and his band The X-Pensive Winos record their 2015 album "Crosseyed Heart." Noel Genzlinger summed it up fittingly in his review for the New York Times , writing that the movie "leaves you feeling as if there were more to Mr. Richards than it has captured."

ZZ Top: That Little Ol' Band from Texas (2019)

There's no argument that the career of Texas rock trio ZZ Top peaked in the 1980s with their massively successful "Eliminator" and "Afterburner" albums, yet the band's story is far longer and significantly deeper than that brief-yet-memorable period in their five-decade history. That comes through loud and clear in  "ZZ Top: That Little Ol' Band from Texas."

In fact, director Sam Dunn's 2019 doc introduces viewers to the men behind the beards: guitarist/frontman Billy Gibbons, bassist Dusty Hill (who died in 2021 at age 72), and drummer Frank Beard who (in the greatest of ironies) is the sole band member without a beard. Featuring an array of concert footage, noted in John Defore's review in The Hollywood Reporter , the doc also features extensive interviews with the band members and celebrity fans such as Billy Bob Thornton and Black Keys frontman Dan Auerbach. As the group soldiers on without Hill ( Elwood Francis , the band's one-time guitar tech was brought in as replacement bassist), "ZZ Top: That Little Ol' Band from Texas" stands as a fitting tribute to the blues-based trio responsible for such classic-rock party hits as "Gimme All Your Lovin'" and "Sharp Dressed Man."

Mile Davis: Birth of Cool (2019)

Trumpeter Mile Davis was a towering figure in the world of jazz, with a stunning musical output that spanned six decades, and a personal life that can charitably be described as turbulent. Originally produced for the PBS "American Masters" series, "Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool"  may take a fairly conventional storytelling approach to profile a very unconventional musician, yet remains eminently watchable.

Along with the usual archival footage — some of which had never been seen before — director Stanley Nelson brings perspective to the story of Davis, who died in 1991. As the film makes clear, Davis was a study in contradictions. He was a musical taskmaster who demanded perfection from others while maintaining his own Herculean appetite for drugs and alcohol. He was also a lover of women who, for various reasons, treated them terribly. While the film revels in the musician's many triumphs, by no means is it hagiography, taking a warts-and-all look at an uncompromising visionary whose dark side both fueled his ambition and short-circuited his own success.

Echo in the Canyon (2018)

While Andrew Slater is the director of "Echo in the Canyon,"  this is clearly Wallflowers frontman Jakob Dylan's movie. In addition to serving as the film's executive producer, Dylan plays host and musical guide in this star-studded tribute to the music scene that sprang from Los Angeles' Laurel Canyon during the late 1960s. The result is part documentary and part performance film, with Dylan enlisting a cadre of musical contemporaries including Fiona Apple, Beck, Norah Jones, and more to perform new versions of classic rock songs from that scene, ranging from Crosby, Stills & Nash's "Questions" to The Mamas and the Papas' "Go Where You Wanna Go." 

Is "Echo in the Canyon" a definitive look at the Laurel Canyon scene? Hardly. That honor goes to the 2020 docuseries "Laurel Canyon."  What the film does offer, however, is star power and lots of it. Among the many musical legends to appear are Jackson Browne, Ringo Starr, Neil Young, David Crosby, Roger McGuinn, Brian Wilson, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, and the late Tom Petty, making what would be his final screen appearance. For fans of the music that emanated from that scene, "Echo in the Canyon" is an enjoyable exercise in nostalgia, focusing on both the music and the people who created it. "It's about the songs but it's also about the characters," Dylan explained in an interview with the Evening Standard . "I learned a lot being led along by these great artists."

The Other One: The Long Strange Trip of Bob Weir (2014)

As fans of The Grateful Dead are well aware, it took the tragic death of Jerry Garcia for Bob Weir to emerge from the former's shadow, something he's done admirably as leader of the touring dynamo that is Dead & Company. "The Other One: The Long Strange Trip of Bob Weir"  — which came out in 2015, the same year Dead & Company launched its first tour — makes a compelling argument that Weir's uniquely understated style of guitar playing was equally as important to the band as Garcia's distinctive fretwork.

Mike Fleiss, creator of "The Bachelor," may seem an odd choice to direct a documentary about Weir, but the veteran Deadhead does an exemplary job to tell Weir's story authoritatively, beginning when the 16-year-old hippie met Garcia and changed both their destinies. Along with the requisite concert footage from various stages of the Dead's career, Weir himself offers much insight into the brotherly relationship he had with Garcia, and the mixture of pain and guilt he felt watching — and, he admits, contributing to — the drug-fueled self-destruction that led to Captain Trips' death at age 53 . All in all, "The Other One" is a labor of love that serves as both a companion and counterpoint to "Long Strange Trip,"  Amazon Prime Video's definitive Dead doc.

Dolly Parton: Here I Am (2019)

Is there a musical artist, in any genre, more universally beloved than Dolly Parton ? Ponder that question while watching  "Dolly Parton: Here I Am,"  a 90-minute documentary in which Parton herself takes viewers on a guided tour through her past. As Francis Whately's documentary details, Parton grew up one of 12 children, and the outsized need for attention that her parents couldn't fulfill ultimately led her to find it on the stage. The doc hits all the high points in her career, from teaming up with country star Porter Wagoner before launching an infinitely more successful solo career that crossed over from pop to country and eventually to movies such as the hit comedy "9 to 5." 

While anyone looking for dark revelations or salacious scandal will doubtless be disappointed, the film does a superb job at making the case that Parton is among the finest songwriters of her generation, irrespective of genre. In one of her most revealing remarks in the doc, via Decider , Parton discusses why her iconic over-the-top appearance hasn't hampered fans from connecting with her on a very personal level: "I know I look totally bizarre and artificial," she says, "but I'm totally real inside."

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The 25 Best Music Documentaries to Stream & Where to Watch Them

The best music documentaries are able to transcend time and place, transporting the viewer to a specific moment in history — be that in the recent or distant past. They can take the form of concert films, biographies honoring an artist’s life, and snippets into specific eras — either of an artist’s career or history in general – there’s no limit to what they can express.

In recent years there has been a strong wave of music documentaries making their way onto streaming platforms, both newer releases and older films finding new distribution channels. Across Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, and HBO, the pickings have never looked this good, so tune in and educate yourself or enjoy for the sheer entertainment value.

Scroll on to see our selection of the best music documentaries streaming now.

Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé

Year: 2019 Director: Beyoncé & Ed Burke Rotten Tomatoes: 98 percent Editor's note: One of the best music documentaries on Netflix right now, Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé charts the artist’s journey to Beychella – Beyoncé’s turn last year as the first black woman headlining Coachella. Beyond the performance’s incredible spectacle and behind-the-scenes look at a significant moment in recent music history, the documentary — which was written, co-directed, and co-executive produced by Bey herself — has been hailed as one of the best concert films of all time by various critics.

The Defiant Ones

Year: 2017 Director: Allen Hughes Rotten Tomatoes: 100 percent Editor's note: This four-part series tracks the individual and combined success of Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine, creators of Beats Electronics. From Dre’s early days in N.W.A. and Iovine’s achievements producing for artists such as Tom Petty and U2, to where their careers merged resulting in The Chronic , Eminem, and their Beats headphone company (which was ultimately sold to Apple in a historic $3 billion deal), this power duo are truly the best in the biz. This series offers us a closer look at their brilliance and determination.

Year: Director: Rotten Tomatoes: Editor's note: One of the best music documentaries in recent years, Amy is a post-humous look at the life of Amy Winehouse, doing justice to her incredible musical abilities while also depicting her tragic life. Critically acclaimed, Amy went on to win 30 film awards including the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature and Best Music Film at the Grammys.

Hip-Hop Evolution

Year: 2015 Director: Asif Kapadia Rotten Tomatoes: 95 percent Editor's note: Over an eight-episode series, Hip-Hop Evolution dives deep into the roots of hip-hop and rap culture. Kicking off in New York in the 1970s, the show brings us to the rise of gangster rap on the West Coast and cuts off there, when the genre had moved from the underground to the mainstream. If you’re only going to watch a select few music documentaries from this list, make this one of them. Essential viewing for anyone who’s a fan of rap and hip-hop.

Leaving Neverland

Year: 2019 Director: Dan Reed Rotten Tomatoes: 98 percent Editor's note: One of the more grim music-adjacent documentaries to come out in recent years, Leaving Neverland details two men’s allegations of sexual abuse against Michael Jackson. The film focuses on their stories and does not directly comment on Jackson’s actions or motivations, while Jackson’s estate has denounced Leaving Neverland for lack of evidence and presenting a one-sided narrative. There has since been international backlash against Michael Jackson and his life’s legacy.

Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened

Year: 2019 Director: Chris Smith Rotten Tomatoes: 90 percent Editor's note: By now Fyre Festival has become the stuff of legend. If you haven’t yet checked out Netflix’s documentary detailing how exactly it all went wrong, then you’re in for a treat. Controversially, the documentary was produced in part by Jerry Media, the agency that helped market the festival, with criticism drawn regarding the conflict of interest. Hulu made their own Fyre Festival doc and highlighted this fact. Ultimately both are worth watching as they present different sides of the same messy story.

Sample This

Year: 2012 Director: Dan Forrer Rotten Tomatoes: Editor's note: Another hip-hop history lesson, Sample This focuses on an obscure ‘70s track by The Incredible Bongo Band called “Apache.” and how despite failing to become a hit, it ultimately became one of the most sampled tracks of all time. Afrika Bambaataa used it early on, citing its influence, while everyone from L.L. Cool J, Nas, The Roots, Moby, Missy Elliott, JAY-Z, and more have included it in their work.

Keith Richards: Under the Influence

Year: Director: Rotten Tomatoes: 93 percent Editor's note: The Rolling Stones’ guitarist Keith Richards is still at it at the age of 71, and Under the Influence documents the recording of his first solo album in 23 years. Directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Morgan Neville, the film is definitely not one to miss for rock’n’roll fans.

Surviving R. Kelly

Year: 2019 Director: NA Rotten Tomatoes: 95 percent Editor's note: R. Kelly’s alleged sexual abuse of underage women has long been discussed. In fact it’s been 25 years since his marriage to a then 15-year-old Aaliyah, when the first stirrings that something was off began. Lifetime’s six-part series, Surviving R. Kelly , spans these two-and-a-half decades, examining all of the various allegations against him, leading up to the last couple of years where reports of a sex cult have been rife. A couple of celebrities appear in the series, including Chance the Rapper and John Legend, while many of his other collaborators who were asked to comment have kept silent. Since the series aired Kelly has been formally charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.

Year: 2018 Director: Alan Hicks & Rashida Jones Rotten Tomatoes: 81 percent Editor's note: Rashida Jones co-wrote and co-directed this documentary about her father, the legendary musician Quincy Jones. With a career that spans six decades, the film recounts his body of work, as well as giving us an intimate look at his life – from his roots on the Southside of Chicago during the Great Depression, through to recent health scares. Musicians who Quincy has influenced appear throughout, including Dr. Dre, Kendrick Lamar, Will Smith, and more.

Gaga: Five Foot Two

Year: 2017 Director: Chris Moukarbel Rotten Tomatoes: 74 percent Editor's note: Revolving around Lady Gaga’s fifth studio album, Joanne , and her Super Bowl LI halftime performance show, Gaga: Five Foot Two offers a close-up glimpse at one of the world’s biggest ever pop stars. Highlighting her creation process and strong work ethic, the film also veers into personal territory, as it documents her ongoing chronic pain due to Fibromyalgia, as well as her home life.

Stretch and Bobbito: Radio That Changed Lives

Year: 2015 Director: Bobbito Garcia Rotten Tomatoes: 92 percent Editor's note: For those who know, The Stretch Armstrong & Bobbito Show was the most influential hip hop radio show that existed. And for those who don’t know, it’s time to school yourself. This Netflix documentary honors the legendary show while featuring many of the artists who premiered on it back when they were unsigned or unknown, including JAY-Z, Nas, Notorious B.I.G, Wu-Tang, Fugees, and many more.

Year: 2016 Director: Salima Koroma Rotten Tomatoes: 63 percent Editor's note: Bad Rap shines a light on four Asian-American rappers trying to break into the mainstream, documenting their journeys and various roadblocks in attempting to further their careers. These four artists include Dumbfoundead, Awkwafina — who in the last year broke through with her acting in Crazy Rich Asians and Ocean’s 8 — Rekstizzy, and Lyricks. It’s a well made film that highlights the lack of visibility for Asian-Americans in rap.

Year: 2019 Director: Jenner Furst & Julia Willoughby Nason Rotten Tomatoes: 78 percent Editor's note: Hulu’s Fyre documentary has been neck and neck with Netflix’s since they were both released in January. And while Hulu’s highlights Jerry Media’s involvement with the Netflix film, their own features an interview with festival organizer Billy McFarland, while Netflix’s does not. It was revealed that McFarland was paid for his interview, however the sum has not been disclosed, prompting criticism. If you’re interested in the disaster that was Fyre, consider both necessary viewing.

Year: 2018 Director: Kevin Macdonald Rotten Tomatoes: 89 percent Editor's note: The most recent documentary to be released about Whitney Houston’s life, Whitney , premiered at last year’s Cannes Film Festival and was nominated at this year’s Grammy Awards for Best Music Film. It’s a very intimate look at the late singer, featuring interviews with her family members, archival footage that hasn’t been seen before, and rare performances.

Justin Timberlake and the Tennessee Kids

Year: 2016 Director: Jonathan Demme Rotten Tomatoes: 100 percent Editor's note: This concert film documenting Justin Timberlake’s 20/20 Experience World Tour was directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Jonathon Demme. Recorded in Las Vegas during the final stop on JT’s world tour, its name is in reference to the 25-piece live band that performed alongside Timberlake. It’s undoubtedly a well-executed production – both the performance and the filming of it.

Year: 2018 Director: Marcus A. Clarke, Steven Caple Jr., Geeta Gandbhir, Sacha Jenkins, Gabriel Noble, Ben Selkow Rotten Tomatoes: 83 percent Editor's note: Rapture is Netflix’s six-part documentary series about rappers and their lives in and outside of music. Each episode centers on a different artist, including Nas, G-Eazy, 2 Chainz, T.I., Logic, and others. The series specifically aims to show often unseen aspects of the rappers’ lives, painting a more complete picture of their overall artistry in the process.

Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary

Year: 2016 Director: John Scheinfeld Rotten Tomatoes: 75 percent Editor's note: One of the greatest jazz musicians that ever lived, John Coltrane’s influence on the genre is immense. This all-encompassing documentary hits all of the beats of his tragically short but full life, while offering enough new material to keep the full-fledged Trane fan satisfied. Denzel Washington narrates the film while reading excerpts from John Coltrane’s own writing, bringing to life the artist’s spirit.

George Harrison: Living In the Material World

Year: 2011 Director: Martin Scorsese Rotten Tomatoes: 86 percent Editor's note: Honoring the life and work of Beatle George Harrison, Living In the MaterialWorld was directed by none other than Martin Scorsese. Harrison’s widow, Olivia, was approached by many production companies to make a documentary about her late husband’s life and declined them all, explaining that he wanted to tell his own life story. However, that changed after she met Scorsese, entrusting him to do the job while signing on as a producer herself. The result is a personal account of the artist, from his childhood in Liverpool to the rise of The Beatles and his travels through India.

ReMastered: Who Shot the Sheriff?

Year: 2018 Director: Kief Davidson Rotten Tomatoes: NA Editor's note: This Netflix Original is an anthology series with eight standalone episodes released under the ReMastered title, each focusing on high-profile events surrounding various musicians such as Bob Marley, Run DMC’s Jam Master Jay, Johnny Cash, and more. ReMastered: Who Shot the Sheriff? is obviously about Bob Marley — specifically his survived murder attempt in 1976. The other episodes in the series are also worth checking out.

Jimmy Hendrix: Voodoo Child

Year: 2010 Director: Bob Smeaton Rotten Tomatoes: NA Editor's note: Narrated by funk legend Bootsy Collins, Voodoo Child tells Jimmy Hendrix’s tragically short life story. Blending archive footage, news archives, and rare performances, the film takes us through his childhood in Seattle, short stint in the army, rise in the music world, and untimely death at age 27.

Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown

Year: 2014 Director: Alex Gibney Rotten Tomatoes: 100 percent Editor's note: For Mr Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown , the late artist’s estate opened up their archives for the first time, resulting in rare and never-before-seen video footage, interviews, and photographs — particularly those from early in his career. The documentary depicts Brown’s rise to stardom and his status as the “hardest working man in show business.” Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger co-produced the film while appearing in it, acknowledging Brown’s influence on his own work.

Metallica: Some Kind of Monster

Year: 2004 Director: Joe Berlinger & Bruce Sinofsky Rotten Tomatoes: 89 percent Editor's note: A classic now at 15 years old, Some Kind of Monster offers an unexpectedly personal account of Metallica at a low point in their career. Intended to be a simple behind-the-scenes on the making of their first album in six years, the doc catches the band navigating troubled interpersonal relationships, leading to their management hiring a performance enhancing coach that acts as a therapist between members of the group; lead singer James Hetfield’s stint in rehab; and former member Dave Mustaine discussing his exit in a personal conversation with drummer Lars Ulrich. A must watch for any metal fan.

Biggie & Tupac

Year: 2002 Director: Nick Broomfield Rotten Tomatoes: 81 percent Editor's note: Another one from the vault, Biggie & Tupac attempts to shine a light on both rappers’ untimely murders. Investigating the myriad theories that have arisen since their deaths in the late ‘90s, the film uncovers possible collusion with the LAPD and ultimately pegs Suge Knight, head of Death Row Records, for the murders. But you probably already knew all of that, as this story is anything but new. However, if you’ve never seen the film summing all of that up, it’s worth a watch.

The Doors: When You’re Strange

Year: 2009 Director: Tom DiCillo Rotten Tomatoes: 61 percent Editor's note: Narrated by Johnny Depp, When You’re Strange is a kind of official biography of The Doors. Founding member Ray Manzarek stated, “This will be the true story of The Doors,” and that it was the “anti Oliver Stone,” referencing the 1991 biopic that was overly dramatized, drawing disdain from the band and many fans. When You’re Strange tracks the formation of the band through to Morrison’s death at age 27, and included the first public release of scenes from HWY: An American Pastoral , an experimental film written, produced, co-directed, and starring Morrison.

The 10 Best Music Documentaries Ever Made

From rock to soul, these films celebrate the icons that shaped music forever

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When you hear a song from the past, you can't help but go straight to Google to learn the backstory of the lyrics, the artist, or the era. If you're a true music lover, you must have iconic albums, legendary concerts, and monumental music festivals stamped into your memory — whether you were physically there or not. Just as these soundscapes have made a lasting impact on you, many also made their way into the cultural landscape, inspiring future generations and documentary filmmakers.

From stage to screen, directors and storytellers have peeled back the curtain on the music that changed our lives. They've gone on to share performances, insights, interviews, and archival footage in film form, immortalizing poignant moments that defined these artists. Our favorite music documentaries offer a rare glimpse into the minds and creative process of icons, from triumphs to struggles.

Whether you're a die-hard music aficionado or simply curious about the magic behind the melodies, these documentaries offer a treasure trove of entertainment and inspiration. Embark on a journey of melody-in-movie with this roundup of the best music documentaries ever made. From the electrifying backstage scenes of Madonna's "Truth or Dare" to the deep dive into Amy Winehouse's tragic life in "Amy," these films offer an intimate look at the lives and legacies of the greats.

"Madonna: Truth Or Dare"

Released in 1991, this documentary chronicles Madonna's infamous "Blond Ambition" tour in 1990. Directed by Alek Keshishian, fans got a behind-the-scenes look at the pop icon’s life on the road with dancers, crew, and family amidst her performances on stage. Throughout, Madonna also shares her personal reflections and thoughts, which were met with some controversy.

In addition to seeing Madonna interact intimately with her dancers in the film, she also discussed sex, religion, and topics surrounding homosexuality, which were considered provocative topics at the time by some critics and audiences.

Today, this film and Madonna herself are highly regarded for pushing boundaries, supporting the LGBTQ+ community, and self-expression.

"Eight Days A Week – The Touring Years"

Directed by Ron Howard and released in 2016, this documentary film brings you back to the early years of The Beatles . In it, we are transported to the iconic band’s touring years from 1962 to 1966, which is also when they took America by storm.

The movie explores the band's rise to fame, their experiences on the road, their relationship with their fans, and the cultural impact of their music. Viewers will appreciate the archival footage, interviews, and behind-the-scenes glimpses into the journey of Paul McCartney , John Lennon , George Harrison , and Ringo Starr .

In 2015, years after Amy Winehouse’s death , the documentary film "Amy" gave the world a glimpse into the life and career of the troubled British singer-songwriter. In it, you can watch Winehouse’s incredible rise to fame , in addition to her struggles with addiction and her eventual tragic death at the age of 27.

Archival footage, personal videos, and interviews with friends, family, and collaborators serve as a backdrop to the heartbreaking end to the singer’s journey while also highlighting her extraordinary talent.

This movie, directed by Asif Kapadia, sheds light on the complexities of fame, mental health issues, and the devastating impact of addiction. Proceed with caution if you feel that you may be triggered by any of those sensitive topics.

"Don't Look Back"

No one can deny the cultural impact singer-songwriter Bob Dylan had on the world. This documentary, directed by D.A. Pennebaker and released in 1967, follows the iconic musician during his 1965 concert tour in the United Kingdom.

The movie provides an intimate and candid look at Dylan's life on the road, his interactions with fans and the media, and his legendary performances that remain unmatched today by any artist. The film captures Dylan's enigmatic personality, his creative process, and his influence on the music industry during this pivotal period in his career.

"Amazing Grace"

Directed by Sydney Pollack and Alan Elliott, "Amazing Grace" captures the recording of Aretha Franklin's live gospel album by the same title. Many would say it’s one of the greatest performances in music history, and you’d be robbing yourself not to witness it.

While the documentary was released in 2018, archival footage from the two-day recording session occurred in 1972 set at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles.

No one can deny Franklin's powerful voice , and this film will give you a first-class seat to her electrifying experience at the church. Throughout, you’ll also be immersed in Franklin's unparalleled talent and the impact her music has had on the world.

"Montage Of Heck"

Released in 2015, "Montage of Heck" unlocks the life and career of Kurt Cobain , the lead singer and guitarist of iconic alternative rock band Nirvana. The documentary, directed by Brett Morgen, gives an intimate and raw portrayal of Cobain's struggles, in addition to his creative process and rise to fame.

Get a glimpse into Cobain’s complex psyche through archival footage, home videos, interviews, and animated sequences.

Trigger warning: The film explores Cobain’s troubled childhood, struggles with addiction, and mental health challenges. While his profound impact on music and popular culture remains strong today, he lost his battle with depression in 1994 when he took his own life .

"Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace and Music, the Director's Cut"

You can't appreciate music today without having learned about the Woodstock music festival of 1969 . The historic event that took place on a dairy farm in Bethel, New York has been highly regarded as a pivotal moment in music history. The musicians of that era who took the stage — Jimi Hendrix , Janis Joplin , The Who, Joan Baez , Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, just to name a few — celebrated the counterculture movement of that decade.

Attracting roughly 400,000 attendees and becoming synonymous with peace, love, and the spirit of the hippie movement, the music documentary "Woodstock" captures the essence of the three-day music festival.

The film, directed by Michael Wadleigh, vividly portrays musical performances, atmosphere, and cultural significance through interviews with attendees, footage of the crowd, and glimpses into the social and political context of the time.

"The Day The Music Died: The Story of Don McLean's American Pie"

You're all too familiar with the song that goes, "A long, long time ago, I can still remember how that music used to make me smile... But something touched me deep inside the day the music died ..." This documentary exploring the story behind the Don McLean song, "American Pie" is a must-see.

Directed by Chris Cowey, the significance of the iconic song released in 1971 is unpacked by music historians, journalists, other artists, and Don McLean himself in this film.

You'll gain insights into the song's composition, the lyrics, its connection to American history, and its enduring legacy in the world of music.

"Tina Turner: Simply The Best"

You’ll love how beautifully this documentary celebrates the life and career of iconic singer Tina Turner . Released in 1991 and directed by David Mallet, you’ll get a comprehensive overview of her remarkable journey from her humble beginnings in the rural town of Nutbush, Tennessee to becoming one of the greatest performers in music history .

Complete with archival footage of Turner's electrifying performances, insights from friends, collaborators, and industry insiders, and interviews with Turner herself, "Simply the Best" highlights Turner's resilience, talent, and undeniable charisma.

"Soul Power"

Be transported to 1974 with the documentary film "Soul Power," which chronicles the three-day Zaire 74 music festival in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo). Directed by Jeffrey Levy-Hinte and released in 2008, the movie features incredible performances by legendary soul, funk, and R&B artists — James Brown , B.B. King , Bill Withers, Celia Cruz , The Spinners, and more.

In addition, the highly anticipated boxing match, which would later be called "Rumble in the Jungle" between reigning heavyweight champion George Foreman and challenger Muhammad Ali , also happened in conjunction with the music festival.

Both events drew global attention to Zaire as planned, playing a pivotal role in shaping the cultural landscape and celebrating African-American sports and music.

Ysolt Usigan is a lifestyle writer and editor who has created share-worthy content for publishers like Shape , What To Expect , Cafe Mom , TODAY , CBS News , HuffPo , The Bump , Health , Ask Men , and BestGifts . A working mom of two, her editorial expertise in shopping, parenting, and home are rooted in her everyday life. Her passion is hunting for the best products and sharing them with the masses, so others don't have to waste time and money.

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10 amazing music documentaries to watch on Netflix right now

20 January 2020, 14:46

By Rachel Finn

Ten of the best music documentaries on Netflix that you can stream right now.

Whether you’re looking for live concert films, artist biographies or explainers of music history, Netflix has a huge range of documentary options for any music lover.

READ MORE: 30 Black movies and shows on Netflix you can watch right now

READ MORE: 14 of the best true crime series to watch on Netflix right now

From present day pop stars to historical greats, behind-the-scenes looks at backing singers and gripping investigations into music industry controversies, there’s almost too much to choose from. Lucky for you, we’re here to help and have rounded up ten of the best music documentaries on Netflix worth staying in for. Enjoy!

1) Homecoming: A Film By Beyoncé

Charting the road to Beyoncé’s now legendary 2018 Coachella performance, Homecoming features behind-the-scenes clips and rehearsal footage as well as high quality footage of the actual performance itself. Featuring 200 performers on stage, from dancers to backing singers and trumpet players, the film takes an engaging look at one of the singer’s most iconic performances yet, which marked the first time a black woman had ever headlined Coachella.

READ MORE: 31 iconic Beyoncé memes inspired by her Homecoming documentary on Netflix

Homecoming: A Film By Beyoncé | Official Trailer | Netflix

2) Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened

Netflix’s Fyre Festival documentary charts the making (and swift downfall) of the now infamous luxury festival that never actually happened. Festival organisers Billy MacFarland and Ja Rule promised festival goers the experience of a lifetime with a star-studded line-up, gourmet food and glamorous accommodation, but instead, thousands of guests arrived at the festival’s island location to an unfinished site with a few poorly assembled tents and slices of processed cheese for catering. Featuring interviews with organisers and behind-the-scenes footage this documentary is a hilarious look into the most famous fake festival of all time.

FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened | Official Trailer [HD] | Netflix

3) Taylor Swift’s Reputation Stadium Tour

Taylor Swift’s first all-stadium tour in support of her sixth album Reputation spanned 53 dates and made an incredible $357 million dollars, making it her most successful tour to date. This film features the entire show in glorious detail from start to finish, filmed on the last date of her 2018 tour in Arlington, Texas and featuring 26 of her most famous songs.

Taylor Swift reputation Stadium Tour | Official Trailer | Netflix

4) Surviving R. Kelly

R. Kelly was once celebrated as one of the best R&B singers of all time, until he was hit with allegations of sexually and emotionally abusing numerous young women and girls. More than 50 people - including some of his alleged victims - were interviewed for this six-part documentary which delves into R. Kelly’s dark past, including civil rights activist Tarana Burke, musicians John Legend and Sparkle, talk show host Wendy Williams, and R. Kelly's family members in an emotional look into how many in the music industry with money and power chose to overlook shocking claims of abuse which go back decades.

Surviving R. Kelly – Survivors Speak Out (Part 1) | Lifetime

5) Gaga: Five Foot Two

Giving a behind-the-scenes access to a year in the life of Lady Gaga as she prepares to release her 2016 album Joanne and rehearses for her now famous performance at 2017 Super Bowl Halftime show, Five Foot Two gives a look into some of the star’s most vulnerable moments as she battles chronic pain, a break-up and moving into a new musical era.

GAGA: FIVE FOOT TWO | Official Trailer [HD] | Netflix

6) Hip Hop Evolution

Hosted by Canadian rapper Shad, this documentary series charts the history of hip-hop music through interviews with some of the genre’s leading stars. Starting with artists who laid the foundations early on, including Akrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash, before moving on to other influential groups such as Run-DMC and Public Enemy, charting hip hop from its beginnings as an underground movement to a mainstream genre.

Hip-Hop Evolution: Season 2 | Official Trailer [HD] | Netflix

7) What Happened, Miss Simone?

Using a mix of archival footage, previously unheard recordings and her best-known songs, this biographical documentary tells the story of legendary singer and activist Nina Simone. The musician released more than forty albums between 1958 and 1974 and was an outspoken activist for America’s civil rights movement. This film tells the story of her life through a combination of original footage and interviews with her daughter and friends.

Nina Simone - What Happened, Miss Simone? - Trailer

8) Twenty Feet From Stardom

This Oscar-winning film takes a look at the backing singers who have lent their talents to many stars’ music but are often overlooked. Director Morgan Neville speaks to artists Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder and The Rolling Stones as well as some backing singers who became famous in their own right, such as Darlene Love, Táta Vega and Judith Hill, to look into the personal and professional lives of the singers who played a vital role to some of music’s biggest moments.

Twenty Feet From Stardom Official Trailer #1 (2013) - Music Documentary HD

Charting his 60 year+ career so far, this doc chronicles the incredible achievements of music producer and performer Quincy Jones. Recording almost 3000 songs and 300 albums, writing 1000 original compositions and 50 film and TV scores - all of which resulted in 79 Grammy nominations and 27 wins, there’s plenty of achievements to get through. Directed by Alan Hicks and Quincy’s daughter Rashida Jones, the film offers a look both into the producer’s public image and the private life behind it.

Quincy | Official Trailer [HD] | Netflix

10) Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings

Each of Dolly Parton’s eight-part anthology series is based on one of the country singer’s famous songs, featuring scripted dramatisations of hits like ‘Jolene’, ‘Two Doors Down’ and ‘If I Had Wings’ and, of course, featuring appearances by Dolly herself.

Dolly Parton's Heartstrings | Official Trailer | Netflix

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70 Greatest Music Documentaries of All Time

The movies have always loved giving actors the chance to play rock star or impersonate an iconic musician/singer, recreating those famous “Eureka!” studio moments and greatest-hits shows for any number of music biopics. When it comes to historical musical moments, however, there’s nothing like seeing the real thing. A number of documentarians saw the advantage of capturing a number of legendary artists and bands in their heyday and/or once-in-a-lifetime performances — partially for posterity, partially for plain old reportage and partially for the second-hand high of it all. And thanks to new access to archives and updated technology, a whole generation of filmmakers have come up learning the art of docu-portraits and genre breakdowns that run the gamut from sub-subgenres to broad stem-to-stern histories of rock, jazz and country-and-western. It’s never been easier to make a music documentary these days. Not all of them, of course, are created equal.

So in honor of Peter Jackson’s Get Back — a new six-episode look back at the Beatles putting together the album Let It Be even as they were beginning to fall apart — we’ve compiled a list of the 70 greatest music documentaries of all time: the concert films, fly-on-the-wall tour chronicles, punk and hip-hop and jazz time capsules, and career assessments of everyone from Amy Winehouse to the Who that have set the standard and stood the test of time. The last time we did this was in 2014, and to say that the form has produced a number of classics since then would be an understatement. Play this list loud.

‘U2: Rattle and Hum’ (1988)

At the time of its release, this documentary of U2’s Joshua Tree tour was lambasted for its overly reverent, self-important tone. Now with hindsight, Rattle and Hum can be seen properly as a honest portrait of the Irish quartet, whose holy quest was to change the world through rock & roll. Allow the band’s piousness and Americana obsessions to turn you off, and you’ll miss an intriguing look at a band adjusting to a global superstar status they haven’t relinquished since. And goddamn, is that Bono is one charming sonuvabitch! TG

‘It Might Get Loud’ (2008)

Filmmaker Davis Guggenheim ( An Inconvenient Truth ) hangs out with three generations of innovative guitarists — Jimmy Page, the Edge, Jack White — to discuss their instrument and, more crucially, their approach to it. The jam session at the end is enjoyable enough, but It Might Get Loud ‘s greatest pleasure is its awestruck, probing curiosity about how only six strings and a handful of chords can become so endlessly liberating and cathartic in the right hands. — T.G.

‘American Hardcore’ (2006)

Machine-gun drumming, warp-speed guitar strumming, screamed lyrics about politics, punk ethics and personal alienation — this is hardcore, and Paul Rachman’s doc traces the underground movement’s ebbs and flows in places like D.C., L.A. and N.Y.C. throughout the Eighties. More than just a musical idea of stripping rock down to its bare necessities and brutalizing what was left, hardcore midwifed positive lifestyle templates (see straight-edge), a strong sense of community and an alpha-thug notion that violence was an inherent part of the show/scene; to his credit, Rachman looks at the good, the bad and the ugly of it all, as well as getting major players (Ian MacKaye, Keith Morris, Greg Ginn) to weigh in. It’s worth its weight in old Xeroxed gig flyers. — D.F.

‘Heavy Metal Parking Lot’ (1986)

A sociological study of headbangers, this 17-minute short consists of interviews with Judas Priest fans tailgating outside a Maryland show. Directors John Heyn and Jeff Krulik emphasize their subjects’ party-hearty, shit-faced shenanigans, but while it’s tempting to mock these mullet-afflicted metalheads, there’s an undeniable sweetness that permeates this mini-documentary. These kids may occasionally be inarticulate, sexist and obnoxious, but their innocent quest for rock & roll kicks is unfiltered youth personified. — T.G.

‘1991: The Year That Punk Broke’ (1992)

Filmmaker Dave Markey’s tour diary opens with an image of Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore freestyling bad poetry as his then-wife and bandmate Kim Gordon and Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain do a windmill dance on a railroad track — not a bad metaphor for indie-rock’s then-precarious, soon-to-be-apocalyptic arrival into the pop mainstream. The Year That Punk Broke follows Sonic Youth, Nirvana, the Ramones, Dinosaur Jr., Babes in Toyland and Gumball on a 1991 festival tour across Europe, capturing fantastic performances before rapturous outdoor crowds, with Moore’s self-shot video footage offering a revealing, funny, and sometimes kinda gross glimpse of their European vacation. It started as a sort of extended home movie, and ended up capturing a specific moment right before everything changed forever. —J.D.

‘End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones’ (2003)

The Ramones may be one of the most important punk bands in history, but as Jim Fields and Michael Gramaglia’s 2003 documentary reveals, they didn’t have many happy moments throughout their two-decade saga. That’s because they never had anything resembling a hit single, they never managed to rise above the dingy club circuit, and they absolutely despised each other. End of the Century delves into all of the drama, including Dee Dee’s heroin addiction, Joey’s battle with OCD, Johnny marrying Joey’s ex-girlfriend Linda, and their inability to make peace even when Joey was dying of lymphoma. All four original Ramones sat for new interviews, and it adds a layer of sorrow to a film that’s already built around frustration and acrimony to note that all four original members have passed on. Thanks to this, however, we are left with the definitive account of their story. —A.G.

‘Matangi/Maya/M.I.A.’ (2018)

Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam and director Steven Loveridge go way back to their art-school days, long before world tours and boom-boom-boom-take-your-mon-eyyy choruses (both of them wanted to be filmmakers, in fact). So when he pitched the idea of doing a movie about her, the Tamil immigrant-turned-global rap-pop juggernaut said yes. She gave him some tapes. He disappeared for five years. And when he finally premiered the end result, it was something completely different than your usual tour bus confessional or highlight reel of in-studio “Eureka! moments and live performances. Delving into the singer’s past, her political belief and trying to hold on to her identity while the pop-music media machine kicks into high gear (yes, there will be a mention of truffle fries), Matangi/Maya/M.I.A. focuses less on the musician behind hits like “Paper Planes” and “Galang” and more on the person who found herself in the middle of a maelstrom. It’s rough, raw and endlessly fascinating. —D.F.

‘The Concert for Bangladesh’ (1972)

On August 1st, 1971, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, Ravi Shankar, Billy Preston, Leon Russell, and Badfinger came together for a pair of shows at Madison Square Garden to raise money for the people of Bangladesh, who were facing a devastating humanitarian crisis due to the Bangladesh Liberation War and the aftermath of a brutal cyclone. The shows were packed with historic moments, like Bob Dylan’s first major public performance since his 1966 motorcycle accident and Harrison breaking out Beatles classics like “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” and “Here Comes The Sun” to a live audience for the very first time. Bigger benefits like Live Aid would come years later, but this initial melding of music, activism and charity was what set the template — and fortunately, director Saul Swimmer captured all of it for this documentary. Despite technical mishaps that made some of the original footage unusable, it’s still a stunning, you-are-there testament to the spirit of those days.  —A.G.

‘Rust Never Sleeps’ (1979)

By 1978, punk rock, new wave and disco were ascendant, and most Sixties rock icons were acts were already coasting on nostalgia. One very large exception: Neil Young. He’d just recorded a near-perfect collection of new songs called Rust Never Sleeps that raged against the idea of growing old gracefully, and even lashed out at his former CSNY bandmates for trying to hold him back. (“So I got bored and left them there,” he sings on “Thrasher.” “They were just dead weight to me.”) He took the music on the road with Crazy Horse and filmed a gig at San Francisco’s Cow Palace for this concert movie. It captures Young at the peak of his live powers as he thrashes out porto-grunge tunes like “Welfare Mothers, ‘”Sedan Delivery,” and “Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black).” In between songs, stage announcements from Woodstock are played, and roadies come onto the stage dressed like Jawas from Star Wars. It’s weird, wonderful, and a the documentation of a moment in Young’s career that he’s never been quite able to repeat. —A.G.

‘Leonard Cohen: Bird on a Wire’ (1974)

Leonard Cohen super fans were aware that a documentary was shot on his 1972 European tour, but for decades it was only seen via low-fi bootlegs taken from a German television broadcast in the Seventies.The raw footage sat in the vaults until 2009, when director Tony Palmer was given the opportunity to cut it into the movie he’d always envisioned. It begins with a riot during a gig in Tel Aviv at the end of the tour, before winding its way through a number of unforgettable fly-on-the-backstage-wall moments: Cohen dealing with extremely pushy fans, a litany of technical problems nearly shutting down one show, an exchange with a female fan that seems extremely eager to get to know him on a more intimate level. Throughout it all, Cohen remains stoic, wise, and the coolest person in any room he enters. —A.G.

‘Let’s Get Lost’ (1988)

His name was Chesney Henry Baker, though some called him the James Dean of jazz or the “Prince of Cool,” thanks to the clean, relaxed, hipper-than-hip sound he helped pioneer on his 1950s records. Mostly, this movie-star handsome trumpeter answered to “Chet,” and his life was a mixture of musical highs, lowlife company, late nights and a serious heroin habit that ended up derailing his career. Photographer-turned-documentarian Bruce Weber’s black-and-white look at the cool-jazz legend is almost as gorgeous as the subject himself, lending a throwback sheen to the proceedings that makes it feel like you’re watching a William Claxton album cover come to life. Claxton is, in fact, one of the various folks attesting to Baker’s greatness here, while Weber’s pals Chris Isaak, Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers and model Lisa Marie hang out to keep Chet company. The movie toggles between vintage clips of the man in his prime and the beautiful wreck he was in the late 1980s, after years of addiction and hard living had aged him. It’s a portrait of artist as a self-destructive supernova. —D.F.

‘The Punk Singer’ (2013)

When Kathleen Hanna went to a workshop held by playwright/novelist Kathy Acker, she declared that she wanted to be a writer because she had so many things to say, but no one ever listened to her. You should be in a band then, the author told her — so Hanna took her advice, started the legendary punk group Bikini Kill, and the rest is rebel-girl-you’re-the-queen-of-my-world history. Sini Anderson’s doc deservedly gives the singer-songwriter-activist-icon the spotlight, starting with those early, confrontational shows challenging the sexist status quo and moving into Hanna’s part in the seminal D.I.Y. Riot Grrrl movement, the formation of electroclash provocateurs Le Tigre and how she’s influenced generations of women to speak and/or scream their truth. It also gets into the way that she became a hate-magnet for neanderthals threatened by her ability to stand up for herself and her fellow females, and how health problems in 2006 essentially sidelined her from performing for years. Nevertheless, Hanna persisted. This is what a revolutionary looks like. —D.F.

‘A Poem Is a Naked Person’ (1974)

For decades after it was filmed, Leon Russell expressed displeasure with Les Blank’s documentary, which caught the singer-songwriter at the peak of his carnival-showman powers and popularity in the early Seventies. As a result of Russell’s reaction, as well as music clearance issues, A Poem Is a Naked Person wasn’t officially released until 41 years after it was finished. But other than a scene in which Russell gets annoyed when someone ventures to guess his age, it’s hard to see why he might have objected. The 89-minute doc puts you right in the middle of Leon’s rock-the-gospel live shows as well as casual recording sessions singing country songs, and its depictions of life on the rock road are revealing of its time (drugs, hangers-on) without being too unsavory. —D.B.

‘Festival’ (1967)

When filmmaker Murray Lerner showed up at the 1963 Newport Folk Festival, he had no idea he’d be capturing Bob Dylan at the very moment he emerged as a superstar. And when the documentarian returned two years later, he was equally unaware that he was about to witness the very moment when Dylan betray his folk audience by plugging in and playing loud rock and roll. And while the shadow of one of the greatest songwriters in history looms very large over Lerner’s 1967 film on the Newport Folk Festival (not to mention the legacy of the festival itself), the movie also features stunning performances by everybody from Johnny Cash and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band to Son House, Howlin’ Wolf, and Mississippi John Hurt. Lerner and his team caught every last moment of it, making Festival both a priceless historic artifact and one of the great music docs of its day.  —A.G.

’20 Feet From Stardom’ (2013)

Meet the voices behind the voices: Morgan Neville’s doc on backup singers shines the spotlight on those golden-throated goddesses who too often get left out of the story. Listening to legends like Darlene Love and Lisa Fischer (between the two of them, they’ve graced hits by everyone from the Ronettes to Sinatra and Sting) talk of their experiences adding textures and harmonies, you feel like a secret chapter of rock history has been unlocked. The highlight is Merry Clayton recounting the recording “Gimme Shelter” ; the sound of her voice breaking over an isolated vocal track will still make your hair stand on end. —D.F.

‘History of the Eagles’ (2013)

When Fred Armisen, Seth Meyers, and Bill Hader were looking for parody fodder for their TV show Documentary Now, Allison Ellwood’s two-part look back at the tempestuous band behind “Take It Easy” was an obvious early choice. “What sort of delighted us about that film was that you have this really soft sound,” Meyers told Rolling Stone in 2015 , “and then you have these aggressive alpha males talking about the journey to get that soft sound.” That journey involved no shortage of physical altercations, drug busts, firings, and bruising lawsuits — and thankfully all seven past-and-present Eagles aren’t shy about re-living it on camera. It culminates with Glen Frey and Don Felder actually threatening each other during a 1980 fundraising concert for California senator Alan Cranston (“I’m going to kick your ass when we get off the stage”), and then breaking up for the next 14 years. Most sanctioned documentaries shy away from unflattering scenes like that confrontation, but the Eagles wanted a warts-and-all documentary…and that’s what exactly Ellwood gave them. It’s no wonder the Go-Go’s hired her a few years later to make their doc. —A.G.

‘The Carter’ (2009)

Hip-hop’s reliance on artifice and bullshit is lifted in a profile so honest, its subject tried to prevent the film’s release. Ostensibly a movie about Lil Wayne’s rise from New Orleans teenage rapper to one of the world’s most popular MCs, The Carter shuns hagiography, showing Weezy’s hostile interviews with journalists and imbibing copious amounts of sizzurp right before the release of Tha Carter III. The rapper initially agreed to the project, but after seeing how much actual vérité the cinéma vérité-styled film had, he filed a lawsuit to prevent its distribution. A judge threw out the case, providing fans with a rare peek behind the curtain of life as a hip-hop superstar. — J.N.

‘Shine a Light’ (2008)

Most Rolling Stones concerts over the past 40 years have taken place at arenas, stadiums and festivals — and it’s nearly impossible to make shows of that magnitude work without creating somewhat of a spectacle and playing mainly the hits. But in the fall of 2006, the Stones played a couple of gigs at New York’s 2,894-seat Beacon Theater that allowed them to create a very different kind of magic. They brought out deeper cuts like “Far Away Eyes,” “Some Girls” and “All Down The Line,” as well as inviting Jack White, Buddy Guy, and Christina Aguilera to join them for a few tunes. And lucky for us, longtime superfan Martin Scorsese was in the house, with his cameras rolling. There are many Rolling Stones concert films, but none make you feel like you’re there quite like this one. —A.G.

‘Long Strange Trip’ (2017)

From psychedelic experimentalists to neo-Americana troubadours, San Francisco cult band to Rock Inc. touring entity — the free-form jam cosmonauts known as the Grateful Dead turned the Sixties notion of tuning in, turning on and dropping out into both a musical ideology and a decade-long business model. Amir Bar-Lev’s marathon-length look back (it’s nearly four hours or, to put it in Deadhead parlance, about six versions of “Dark Star”) at Jerry Garcia & Co. dives into the Dead’s history and unearths some deep cuts about their lives, their career and their demise after the frontman’s passing. It more than earns its title. —D.F.

‘Jazz on a Summer’s Day’ (1959)

Years before Dylan made the Newport Folk Festival famous by going electric, photographer Bert Stern traveled up to the Rhode Island city for its equally lauded jazz festival, and managed to capture a murderer’s row of musicians — Louis Armstrong, Chuck Berry, Mahalia Jackson, Thelonious Monk, Dinah Washington, Anita O’Day (whose 120mph rendition of “Tea For Two” breaks landspeed records in terms of song covers) — thrilling an outdoor audience of hipsters, hepcats, jazzbos and curious locals. Co-directed by Stern and editor Aram Avakian, Jazz on a Summer’s Day is a hell of a late ’50s time capsule. But it’s also a prototype for the modern concert film, alternating between performances, audience reactions and the ambience of the setting in an attempt to capture not just songs and sets but an entire experience. Invaluable. —D.F.

‘Hype!’ (1996)

This history of Seattle grunge might be the best portrait ever of the rock and roll boom-and-bust cycle, following the rise of the city’s indigenous rock scene from hopeful nascence in the form of bands like Green River, the Melvins, Tad and Seven Year Bitch, to the Nevermind -engorged corporate/mass media feeding frenzy that came later, as well as the confused, tragic fallout. The music still sounds violently alive, and the conflicted kvetching about selling out — expressed by stars like Eddie Vedder and Soundgarden’s Kim Thayill — now has an almost prelapsarian quaintness about it (one local talks about People magazine coming to town they way one might discuss a cancer diagnosis). Few rock docs do such a good job of capturing not just the music, but the ethos behind it. —J.D.

‘Meeting People Is Easy’ (1998)

The perfect visual embodiment of alternative rock’s “success = sucks eggs” mantra, Grant Gee’s Radiohead doc turns arena stardom into a psychological horror movie. Covering the band’s whirlwind OK Computer tour, director Grant Gee offers an impressionistic snapshot of the group (especially singer Thom Yorke) slowly losing their shit as interviews, shows, traveling and tedium wear them down. Many concert films come across as non-threatening fan items; this one is as jagged and honest about its alienation as the album that spawned it. — T.G.

‘Shut Up and Play the Hits’ (2012)

This farewell to LCD Soundsystem — via capturing their final live show at Madison Square Garden in 2011 — is an excellent primer on the band’s witty, transcendent dance music. But Shut Up and Play the Hits also works as an exploration of one of pop music’s greatest challenges: knowing when it’s time to call it quits. Burly, self-deprecating singer/LCD braintrust James Murphy was always an unlikely rock star, but his thoughts on aging and fame prove that he may also be one of our sanest. — T.G.

‘I Am Trying to Break Your Heart’ (2002)

Band records seminal album; a film captures the behind-the-scenes proceedings; everybody ends up happy. Well, two out of three ain’t bad: Wilco’s lauded Yankee Hotel Foxtrot remains the group’s bestselling album and artistic highmark, but video director Sam Jones’ movie illustrates how hard it was for Jeff Tweedy to reach the finish line. Feuding with bandmate Jay Bennett and battling label executives who didn’t like Wilco’s sonic curveball, Tweedy became an indie-rock hero, albeit one whose frequent migraines made his life hell. — T.G.

‘George Harrison: Living in the Material World’ (2011)

Martin Scorsese and his team spent over five years creating this look back at the life of “the Quiet Beatle” — quite a feat, considering that Harrison lived the least public life of any of the four Beatles, by a wide margin. It proved to be a monumental task that involved combing through stacks of private photos and countless hours of unseen film from his personal archives, as well as interviewing everyone from Paul McCartney and Eric Clapton to Eric Idle, Tom Petty, and even Phil Spector. That result, however, was wroth it: This two-part, 208-minute epic doesn’t just the story of the Beatles from Harrison’s vantage point — it also covers his long spiritual journey, his solo career, his home life at the British estate Friar Park, the story behind his pioneering benefit concert for Bangladesh, the evolution of Monty Python’s film career and the 1999 home invasion attack that nearly killed him. It may be too much for a casual fan, but hardcore Beatlemaniacs rightfully recognize this as the best account of Harrison’s life. —A.G.

‘Dave Chappelle’s Block Party’ (2005)

An embarrassment of musical riches, Michel Gondry’s chronicle of Dave Chappelle’s “surprise” get-together in Brooklyn watches as the TV star uses his clout to coax acts like Dead Prez, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu and a reunited Fugees to perform. It’s also a nonchalant portrait of a gifted comedian on the cusp of reaching a career-defining crossroads (he would abandon his influential Chappelle’s Show the following year), but in terms of a hip-hop/neo-soul revue circa 2004, this documentary is damn near peerless. Six words: Kanye West and a marching band. — T.G.

‘Buena Vista Social Club’ (1999)

The Ry Cooder-produced 1997 album “Buena Vista Social Club” was an unexpected international sensation, introducing millions of listeners to Cuban music. Two years later, German filmmaker Wim Wenders’ appropriately (and uncharacteristically) straightforward film documented Cooder’s subsequent trip to Havana to record an album by 72-year-old singer Ibrahim Ferrer, as well as several Buena Vista Social Club concerts in New York and Amsterdam. The movie is politically hands off, letting images of a decaying Havana speak for themselves, while unpretentiously capturing wonderful performances by a multi-generational group of musicians — most memorably 77 year-old pianist Ruben Gonzales, who was playing as an accompaniment to ballet classes when Cooder found him. —J.D.

‘Sign ‘o’ the Times’ (1987)

If you’ve ever fast-forwarded past the familial psychodrama bits of Purple Rain to get to the performance footage, then this Prince concert film — directed by the mono-monikered man himself — is a dream come true. There are a few offstage scenes to buffer the musical numbers (a word-game contest between prostitutes and a john here, a writhing around a back alley there), but mostly, it’s simply the artist doing what he does best: ripping through numbers off the titular album that synthesize Hendrix’s guitar heroics, James Brown’s dance moves and Sly Stone’s social commentary into one white-hot funk-up. This is what a Prince show looked like in 1987, complete with lingerie-chic outfits, urban-blight set decor, cameos from Sheena Easton and a post-Revolution band that includes Sheila E. treating her drum set like it owed her money. — D.F.

‘The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years’ (1988)

Director Penelope Spheeris’ first Decline of Western Civilization captured the ragged desperation and willful poverty of L.A.’s hardcore bands in 1981, but The Metal Years showed what happens when the same types of musicians got a little money, a lot of drugs and gallons of hairspray. W.A.S.P. guitarist Chris Holmes steals the show by drunkenly floating in a swimming pool while arguing with his mom, but jaw-dropping scenes of Ozzy Osbourne cooking breakfast in a leopard-print robe and Kiss’ Paul Stanley flanked in bed with scantly clad women also help the film live up to its Decline title. — K.G.

‘I Called Him Morgan’ (2016)

With this portrait of the late trumpeter Lee Morgan, Swedish director Kasper Collin spliced two genres that shouldn’t make any kind of sense together — true crime and jazz documentary — and ended up with a moody, sui generis triumph. At the film’s heart is a haunting retelling of the 1972 shooting of Morgan at New York club Slugs’ Saloon by his common-law wife, Helen. Collin fleshes out that account with intimate recollections from his subject’s musical peers and a revelatory 1996 audio interview with Helen herself, crafting an impressively shaded story of how the woman who ultimately took his life had previously saved him from the throes of addiction. The film expertly captures the eerie pull that that night at Slugs’ still has for everyone in the Morgans’ orbit — and why the tragedy of the shooting runs deeper than the loss of one musical giant. —H.S.

‘Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage’ (2010)

Few bands have had such a divide between critical praise and fan adulation as Rush. Sam Dunn and Scot McFadyen’s straightforward doc chronicles the Canadian group from its beginnings as a high school band to the arena-filling prog behemoths they would become. Trent Reznor, Les Claypool, Jack Black, Kirk Hammett, Gene Simmons and Billy Corgan all appear to laud the group’s music and influence, but this one makes the list for the treasure trove of archival footage geared toward the Rush completist (including a teen Alex Lifeson fighting with his parents about not finishing school). When the film was released, the self-described “world’s most popular cult band” were still three years away from their Hall of Fame induction, but Stage functions as the cinematic accompaniment to that cherry-on-top honor. — J.N.

‘The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus’ (1966)

On December 11th, 1968, Mick Jagger — tired of conventional concert performances — assembled the Who, Eric Clapton, Jethro Tull, Mitch Mitchell, Marianne Faithfull and Yoko Ono inside an replicated big top, combining actual circus performers with one-off collaborations. Despite the historical importance — it was Brian Jones’ last public performance and the only time Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi performed with Tull — the footage was shelved for nearly 30 years, reportedly due to the Stones’ unhappiness with their own set (and by being upstaged by Pete Townshend and Co.). Gimme Shelter and Shine a Light are better documents of the band, but nothing compares to the sheer lunacy and singularity of this doc that literalized the metaphorical circus that was both the Stones in 1968 and Swinging London. — J.N.

‘Marley’ (2012)

The best doc on reggae music’s No. 1 prophet touches on nearly everything you’d want from such a thorough look back at the gone-too-soon legend. With the help of just about every then-surviving Wailer and family member, we see and hear about: Marley’s upbringing (and his white father), his early recordings and brief period in Delaware (growing tall weed!), the evolution of reggae, the acrimonious departures of Wailers co-founders Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer, the 1976 assassination attempt, and his final days as he struggled to beat melanoma. Ample footage of him on stage and in the studio — Marley fully in thrall to his music — also captures his undeniable, simmering charisma. (The many smitten women in his life also attest to how potent that was too.) —D.B.

‘Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars’ (1973)

Doc legend D.A. Pennebaker knew little about David Bowie’s music before he captured what would be his last performance as glam god Ziggy Stardust — but he certainly knew a star when he saw one. Bathed in a red spotlight, and voguing via scarlet hair, dark raccoon eyes, and an assortment of feathers, knee highs, black mesh and bangles, the Thin White Duke’s a shimmering, intergalactic Dietrich. Pennebaker sticks to the stage to present a near-complete record of the show, witnessing several mind-melting solos by sideman Mick Ronson, not to mention Bowie’s formidably bare thighs.  EH

‘Rolling Thunder Revue’ (2019)

No, Sharon Stone wasn’t a teenage groupie on Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue tour of 1975/76. Congressman Jack Tanner — from Robert Altman’s 1988 campaign mockumentary Tanner ’88 — didn’t materialize from the fictional universe to attend a show in Niagara Falls. And Dylan wasn’t inspired to wear white makeup onstage after seeing a Kiss concert in Queens. Adding these fake elements into an otherwise straight account of the tour (which draws from a lot of previously-unseen outtakes from Renaldo and Clara ) is a typically perverse Dylan move that adds an element of mischief and confusion to the project. It’s also an acknowledgment that Napoleon was right when he said that history is a “set of lies that people have agreed upon.” In this case, the lies are quite entertaining. More importantly, the concert footage captures Dylan at one of his peaks as a live performer. —A.G.

‘Rhyme & Reason’ (1997)

Peter Spirer’s ambitious doc stands out both for its breadth of testimonials and skill in placing hip-hop as part of a broader contextual musical continuum. Eschewing flash for substance, the film interviews more than 80 rappers — including Chuck D, Lauryn Hill, Puff Daddy and Dr. Dre — to provide the most widespread examination of the form’s culture circa 1997 as well as its history. Anyone can find archival footage of a Bronx block party in the Seventies. It takes skill, though, to tie the genre back to its jazz and gospel roots without sounding didactic. — J.N.

‘Year of the Horse’ (1997)

While there’s no scarcity of films about or featuring Neil Young (he’s even directed a few, including the genuinely batshit Human Highway ), none capture his collaboration with longtime backing band Crazy Horse as uncannily as Jim Jarmusch’s 1996 tour diary. The director gets roasted on the bus for attempting to discover the essence of the Horse (“It’s gonna be some cutesy stuff like you’d use in some artsy film and make everybody think he’s cool,” Frank “Poncho” Sampredro predicts), but he comes damn close to embodying it through the movie’s lo-fi look and feel, which is a mash-up of fuzzed-out analog film and video, and thunderous, amp-blasting sound.  EH

‘Soul Power’ (2008)

Quite possibly the greatest outtakes-fueled rockumentary ever, Soul Power chronicles “Zaire ’74,” the largely forgotten concert that coincided with Muhammad Ali and George Foreman’s championship bout (a.k.a. the Rumble in the Jungle) in Kinshasa, Zaire. The fight formed the basis for the 1996 Oscar-winning documentary When We Were Kings, and 12 years later director Jeff Levy-Hinte compiled dynamite archival sets from the likes of the Spinners and Bill Withers. Spoiler alert: James Brown closes the film — and steals the show. — T.G.

‘Style Wars’ (1983)

In the early Eighties, before hip hop even had much of a national profile (let alone the global dominance it would eventually attain), this PBS-produced film chronicled the emergent culture in its infancy. Style Wars focused on the battle between graffiti writers and city officials, each side fighting to see who would determine the literal look of New York at the time. The city itself appears as an almost mythically gritty character in the film; its heroes are the young black and Latino kids trying to create their own identity while giving the drab urban spaces color and life; its villain is mayor Ed Koch, glibly patting himself on the back not giving these kids the death penalty. And the music on hand gives you a taste of the art form’s early landmarks, from Grandmaster Flash’s “The Message” to the Fearless Four’s “Rockin’ It.” —J.D.

‘Dig!’ (2004)

A real-life This Is Spinal Tap for the indie-rock generation, Dig! proved that, at least among musicians, douchey self-delusion knows no bounds. Captured over seven years and culled from thousands of hours of footage, Ondi Timoner’s Sundance winner tracked the diverging paths of retro-Sixties singers and frenemies Anton Newcombe of the Brian Jonestown Massacre and Courtney Taylor of the Dandy Warhols. While the pragmatic, preening Taylor finds some measure of success, the gifted but toxic Newcombe is a hot mess, battling addiction, mental illness, and everyone in his path. Following an onstage brawl, he even has a “these go to 11” moment, snarling “You fuckin’ broke my sitar, fucker,” without a trace of irony. — E.H.

‘The Devil and Daniel Johnston’ (2005)

Both a celebration and a cautionary tale, Jeff Feuerzeig’s portrait of the legendary outsider artist captures the heartbreaking simplicity of his songs without downplaying his mental-health issues — or glibly equating the two. The movie doesn’t condemn fans who take Johnston’s illness as proof of his authenticity, but neither does it spare exploring just how difficult it can make his life, or how much anguish it causes his loving and supportive parents. You’ll never hear “Speeding Motorcycle” the same way again. — S.A.

‘Urgh! A Music War’ (1981)

Capturing a song apiece from nearly three dozen acts, this scattershot doc’s lineup might have been chosen by throwing a handful of darts into the nearest college radio station. But if nothing holds its subjects together beyond a vague allegiance to the New Wave and the fact that they were touring in 1980, Urgh! is full of jaw-dropping performances from otherwise undocumented bands like the Au Pairs, whose “Come Again” dramatizes a man’s attempt to pleasure a female lover with uncomfortable hilarity — as well as ringers like the Police, the Go-Go’s and Devo.  SA

‘Message to Love: The Isle of Wight Festival’ (1997)

It’s a concise encapsulation of Age-of-Aquarius contradictions: An overhead shot of some 600,000 festivalgoers filling up the grounds of the East Afton Farm on England’s Isle of Wight — which immediately cuts to the festival’s M.C., Rikki Farr, telling the audience that they can go to hell for ruining a chance at rock & roll bliss. The community-versus-commerce argument over rock-fest admission fees runs throughout Murray Lerner’s doc on the ill-fated 1970 endeavor, in which disillusioned organizers and artists tussle with hippie entitlement (“We want the world, and we want it now!”), and both iron fences and utopian hopes come crashing down. In addition to 20/20 hindsight, however, Message also brims with amazing performance footage of the period: a blistering number from The Who; Hendrix, less than three weeks from shuffling off this mortal coil, doing “Voodoo Chile”; the Doors tearing into ‘The End”; a Bitches Brew era Miles Davis Group; and Joni Mitchell, playing (ironically) “Woodstock” and almost being attacked by a dead ringer for Charles Manson. —D.F.

‘No Direction Home’ (2005)

Bob Dylan’s life has been studied and analyzed more than almost any other artist of the 20th Century. But Martin Scorsese still managed to create a revelatory documentary about his early days by fusing together never-before-seen footage from the Dylan vault along with new interviews with Joan Baez, Allen Ginsberg, Liam Clancy, Pete Seeger, Mavis Staples, Suze Rotolo, Dave Van Ronk, and many other key figures from his past. Dylan himself even sat for a rare on-camera interview. “I had ambitions to set out and find…like an odyssey, going home somewhere,” Dylan says near at the beginning. “I was born very far from where I’m supposed to be, and so I’m on my way home.” The centerpiece of the film is thrilling footage from the 1966 tour with the Hawks where Dylan was booed most nights for playing electric music, including the fabled moment in Birmingham, England where a furious fan calls him “Judas.” —A.G.

‘Wattstax’ (1973)

In its first incarnation, Stax Records was a tribute to the creative force of racial integration, but after Martin Luther King’s murder rocked Memphis to its core, new co-owner Al Bell pushed the label to pursue African-American uplift. The culmination of his vision was a celebratory concert timed to the seventh anniversary of the Watts riots, featuring Jesse Jackson and Richard Pryor alongside Isaac Hayes and the Staples Singers. For all its inspirational moments, the show is stolen by prankster Rufus Thomas, who masters an unruly crowd with his rendition of “Do the Funky Chicken.”  SA

‘The Filth and the Fury’ (2000)

Two decades after director Julien Temple cut his teeth by making The Great Rock & Roll Swindle, the surrealistic and sarcastic Sex Pistols mockumentary guided by their former manager, he returned to his original subject, letting the band members tell the story of the punk revolution from their perspective. The band members are all shrouded in shadows – head agitator Johnny Rotten is just an orange paintbrush of hair rising from the dark – adding emphasis to gritty, never-before-seen Seventies-era footage of the band members and their peers. The best part was Temple had the good sense to cut the story before the band’s mid-Nineties Filthy Lucre reunion. — K.G.

‘Elvis: That’s the Way It Is’ (1970)

Like his 1968 comeback special, this record of the preparations for Elvis Presley’s first tour in 13 years is a tale of two Elvises. There’s the cocky country boy, whose studio performances with his crack band tap the primal energy of his best performances; and the stage entertainer, swaddled in foot-long fringe and buttressed by a small army of backing singers. (At one point, he jokes to the Vegas crowd that he’s filming a movie called “Elvis Loses His Excess.”) The 2001 recut, just released on Blu-ray, strips away footage of fans to provide more of the King in his domain. — S.A.

‘Depeche Mode 101’ (1989)

The gents from Essex may be a gloomy bunch on record, but this film about the final leg of the band’s 1988 American tour is positively buoyant. Rather than a straightforward concert film like his previous Ziggy Stardust, D.A. Pennebaker (along with partner Chris Hegedus) brings their fly-on-the-wall approach to the entire traveling circus — from nimble lighting technicians to giddy number-crunchers, and from pinball-obsessed Dave Gahan to equally charismatic fans en route to see the finale at the Rose Bowl. For once, rock & roll isn’t presented as a spectacle of Dionysian excess, but of good — if not entirely clean — fun. — E.H.

‘The T.A.M.I. Show’ (1964)

Justly celebrated  for its incandescent performances by James Brown and the Rolling Stones — who chose, unwisely, to play after him — The T.A.M.I. Show ‘s overview of “teenage music” circa 1964 serves as a primer in the tensions that would shortly rip the culture wide open. The variety-show staging and the goofy intros by emcees Jan and Dean act as a security blanket for anxious parents, assuring them that this rock & roll madness won’t get too out of hand. But by the time Brown and the Stones have worked their will on the crowd, you can feel a riot coming on.  SA

‘Awesome; I Fuckin’ Shot That!’ (2006)

Sure, the Beastie Boys could have hired D.A. Pennebaker or Jonathan Demme to film their Madison Square Garden concert on October 9th, 2004 — or they could just give 50 attendees digital cameras, let them shoot the show and then see what comes back. Subtitled “an authorized bootleg,” this crowd-sourced performance movie technically lists Nathaniel Hornblower (a.k.a. the lederhosen-wearing alter ego of baritoned Beastie Adam Yauch) as the director — but it really is a fans-eye view of a great show and the ultimate testament of the trio’s belief in D.I.Y. empowerment. Plus you get to see the Beastie Boys at the Garden, cold-kickin’ it live. Rest in peace, MCA. — D.F.

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10 of the best music documentaries on Netflix that you can watch right now

Netflix is full of interesting music documentaries to sink your teeth into.

Below, we've listed 10 of the best.

Among them are films about The Notorious B.I.G., Metallica, and Nina Simone.

"Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell" (2021)

Director: Emmett Malloy

"Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell" offers an alternative look into the life of the late rapper The Notorious B.I.G. through rare footage and interviews with his family and friends.

The Guardian's Ellen E Jones praised the documentary for sidestepping the already much-covered ground of the rapper's 1997 shooting death to instead deliver a "moving life story."

"Quincy" (2018)

Directors: Rashida Jones, Alan Hicks

Having worked with Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Ray Charles, and Donna Summer among others, Quincy Jones is widely regarded as one of the most legendary music producers of all time.

2018's "Quincy" uses unparalleled access to Jones and his personal archives to celebrate his life and legacy.

"Wham!" (2023)

Director:  Chris Smith

From meeting as children to conquering America, "Wham!" chronicles the rise of the iconic British pop duo of the same name.

Delivered mostly through a blend of archival footage and interviews with George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, Forbes described the documentary as a "heartwarming story" about "two friends chasing their dream."

"Lewis Capaldi: How I'm Feeling Now" (2023)

Director: Joe Pearlman

"Lewis Capaldi: How I'm Feeling Now" provides a behind-the-scenes look into the life and creative process of the British musician, Lewis Capaldi.

Most notably, the film sheds light on Capaldi's journey with Tourette's syndrome.

Chris Azzopardi of The New York Times praised the film for managing to "escape most of the promotional trappings of its ilk" and strike "a more meaningful note than other pop star docs."

"Broken Idol: The Undoing of Diomedes Diaz" (2022)

Directors: Jaime Barbosa, Jorge Duran

"Broken Idol: The Undoing of Diomedes Diaz" documents the rise and fall of one of Colombia's most revered ever singers, Diomedes Díaz.

Through a mix of interviews and archival footage, the film unravels the complexities of Diaz's tumultuous life, including his struggles with drug addiction and his conviction in relation to the suspicious death of a fan at his house in 1997.

"What Happened, Miss Simone?" (2015)

Director: Liz Garbus

"What Happened, Miss Simone?" looks back on the music career of the great Nina Simone, her involvement in the civil rights movement, and her decision to move to Liberia in 1974.

Graeme Tuckett of Stuff described the documentary as a "blazingly intelligent, nuanced and insightful dive into the life of the woman born Eunice Waymon and her journey into gospel, classical, jazz and blues."

"Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool" (2019)

Director: Stanley Nelson

Using the same title as his famous 1957 album, "Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool" features Miles Davis' family, friends, and contemporaries reflecting on his life and legacy as a jazz legend.

In 2021, the documentary won two Emmy awards for outstanding arts and culture documentary, and outstanding sound.

"I'll Sleep When I'm Dead " (2016)

Director:  Justin Krook

"I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" dives into the life and career of electronic music producer and DJ Steve Aoki, providing an intimate look at the impact of his father, Japanese-American restaurateur Rocky Aoki, on his hunger (no pun intended) for success.

Tribeca Film described it as "an energetic and fast-paced bio-doc that examines the story behind one of the most prolific and well-known DJs working today."

"ReMastered: The Two Killings of Sam Cooke" (2019)

Director:  Kelly Duane

"ReMastered: The Two Killings of Sam Cooke" provides a comprehensive look at the mysterious circumstances surrounding the murder of legendary soul singer Sam Cooke, including his growing involvement in the civil rights movement before he was killed.

"For such a relatively short running time, 'Re-Mastered: The Two Killings of Sam Cooke' does an exemplary job of exploring the dual thesis that its title alludes to," critic Patrick Nabarro wrote of the documentary.

"Metallica: Some Kind of Monster" (2004)

Directors: Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky

"Metallica: Some Kind of Monster" offers viewers a glimpse into one of the most turbulent periods in the history of heavy metal legends Metallica, documenting frontman James Hetfield's battle with alcoholism and the departure of bassist Jason Newsted while trying to record their eighth studio album, "St. Anger."

Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly called it "one of the most revelatory rock portraits ever made."

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15 of the best music documentaries to stream right now

From Moonage Daydream to Framing Britney Spears , these music documentaries will inspire and enlighten in equal measure

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It’s easy for music documentaries to descend into navel-gazing celebrity puff. But for our troubles, we have also been rewarded with an abundance of films that are insightful, creative and even – whispers – authentic.

From that agenda-setting Britney documentary that cracked the story on the secret trauma of the world's biggest popstar to the relics of the rock and roll heyday before people thought ‘Hey, maybe we shouldn’t film this and give it to the world,' the best docs out there interrogate the nature of celebrity, musicianship and what it means to be an artist at different points in history.

Music documentaries are as varied as music itself, weaving between introspective behind-the-scenes ‘human beneath the superstar’ stories and bombastic shows of artistic spectacle. There are forgotten histories unearthed, like in Summer Of Soul; generation-defining eras excavated, like in Homecoming and tragic catastrophes remembered, like in Gimme Shelter .

Scroll for GQ ’s pick of the best music documentaries you can stream right now – and thank us later.

The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years

Penelope Spheeris's original film, The Decline of Western Civilization in 1980, explored the LA punk scene. Seven years later, she turned her camera to the heavy metal club scene in the same city, exploring the hedonistic and excessive lives of the genre's biggest stars – like Ozzy Osbourne, Alice Cooper and Gene Simmons – alongside the underground figures trying to get a foot in the door. It's a snapshot in time, before our greatest hair metal rock legends sold out on their own nostalgia; before Ozzy Osbourne was the grumbling old man from the MTV reality show or KISS were selling cruise liner packages. Almost as soon as this film was released, the bubble of glam metal had burst, meaning its the last vestige of a dying empire. You can watch The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years on Amazon .

There was some sense when Homecoming was released in 2019 that we were watching history being made. In the years since, Beyoncé's hold over the world of music and culture has only boomed, meaning this deep exploration into her process and work ethic around her headline slot at Coachella feels like a sacred text – like we've been given a documentary into how Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel. She's replicated the formula since with her behind-the-scenes Renaissance tour film, but Homecoming feels like the true tip of the scales in Beyoncé being the most powerful pop culture icon we have. If there was any doubt that Beyoncé is a master of her craft – from actual skills to the logistical mindfucks behind putting a tour together – this film shatters it. You can watch Homecoming on Netflix .

Don’t Look Back

Some of the best music documentaries paint a picture of iconic eras now lost to time. Don't Look Back , the film dedicated to Bob Dylan 's 1965 England tour, is credited as the first real ‘rockumentary’. It lands us in the days of the counterculture, as artists, like Dylan, who rose to prominence on the fringes of the mainstream reckons with how his fame intersects with his art. It's not a pretty picture, most of the time, as it's never great to see our heroes in their messy, arrogant, human form. It's really a portrait of the final moments before Dylan went stratospheric, holding in it the last glimpses of a man not entirely consumed by status. You can watch Don’t Look Back on Amazon .

Gimme Shelter

It's rare that a music documentary feels like a horror film, but going into Gimme Shelter , The Rolling Stones' 1969 tour film, feels like you're preparing your body for a simmering build of dread. We all know what happened at the band's Altamont Free Concert – the crowds clashed with the Hells Angels, who were hired as security for the festival, in a drug-fuelled rage – which resulted in countless injuries and a handful of deaths as the Stones played their set. Gimme Shelter had been documenting the group's tour to that point, and there's something startling about having such a raw and firsthand account of before, during and after an unforeseen event from a time that's often relegated to spoken word accounts now. You can watch Gimme Shelter on Amazon .

What Happened, Miss Simone?

What Happened, Miss Simone? does the challenging job of trying to distil Nina Simone's essence into one film. The iconic singer – who has one of the most unique voices in history – was also a fierce civil rights activist and became the voice of a generation of black people fighting for equal rights against the backdrop of segregation and racism. The film weaves unseen archival footage with spellbinding performances and interviews with her friends family to create a full picture of one of our most historically significant, talented and complicated stars. You can watch What Happened, Miss Simone? on Netflix .

Trainwreck: Woodstock '99

What happened when the peace, love and unity of 1969's Woodstock festival attempted to be emulated 30 years later but with awful management and an abundance of 90s nihilism? Complete and utter chaos. Woodstock '99 promised a haven in the form of a music festival, but instead descended into three days of riots, lootings and sexual assaults. Not exactly peace signs and rainbows. This documentary looks into just how that all happened, from terrible top-down decisions that are infuriating to see whitewashed even today to reckless egging on from headliners. You can watch Woodstock '99 on Netflix .

Moonage Daydream

A maximalist fever dream of a performer like David Bowie deserves a maximalist fever dream like Moonage Daydream . The documentary is a cinematic odyssey of the iconic legend, splicing together previously unseen footage from the singer's private collection and historic moments from his career. There's no shortage of explorations of Bowie. As is often the case with icons taken too soon, we relish in excavating as much as possible from history to understand what we've lost. That task seems even more enormous with a figure like David Bowie. As the first documentary authorised by Bowie's estate, it's the defining archive of his life. You can watch Moonage Daydream on Netflix .

Wham is one of British music's crowning jewels, crystalising an 80s sound like no other and rocking some great feathered layers while they did it. Netflix's WHAM! looks at the advent of the duo, made up of the late George Michael and Andrew Ridgley, as they get set to record their debut album . It follows your classic Netflix documentary series formula, with a mix of archival footage, testimony from friends and fans and some really great jams throughout. It's always impactful to look back on stars before they reached the big time when you know how stratospheric they're about to be. You can watch WHAM! on Netflix .

Framing Britney Spears

Probably the most talked-about music documentary of the past few years, Framing Britney Spears ushered in a wave of films about what it means to be a woman in the music industry. From the New York Times , it sheds new light on the damaging effects of early-2000s paparazzi culture and delves into the conservatorship that has given Spears’ father control of her career and finances since 2008. Definitely worth a watch. You can watch Framing Britney Spears on Now TV.

Composed of present-day interviews and archive material, Tina takes a broad look at the life and career of Tina Turner, the undisputed Queen of Rock and Roll . Details about the abuse she suffered at the hands of Ike Turner make for the film’s darkest, most painful moments, but ones that deserve the most light, as time has sanded down that element of Tina's story into something more polished and inspirational. There is joy, though, not least in footage of her extraordinary comeback years. From Oscar winners Daniel Lindsay and TJ Martin, it is a fitting tribute to a late musical icon. You can watch Tina on Now TV.

Biggie: I Got A Story To Tell

One in a string of films and documentaries about The Notorious BIG, AKA Christopher Wallace, 2021's I Got A Story To Tell features rare footage shot by his best friend, Damion “D-Roc” Butler, as well as interviews with other close friends and musicians and, touchingly, Wallace’s mother. Together, they paint an intimate portrait of the rap icon. And unlike previous attempts to chronicle Biggie’s legacy, this film focuses on his life and work, rather than his tragic death. You can watch Biggie: I Got A Story To Tell on Netflix.

1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything

Nineteen seventy-one – the year of Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On , Carole King’s Tapestry , Gil Scott-Heron’s The Revolution Will Not Be Televised and George Harrison's Concert For Bangladesh – was also the year of the Vietnam War, the Attica Prison uprising and the Manson verdicts. Part music docuseries, part cultural anthology, Asif Kapadia’s The Year That Music Changed Everything is collage-like in structure. Relying on archive footage and voiceover, it makes for an immersive and wholly edifying watch. You can watch 1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything on Apple TV+.

Billie Eilish – The World’s A Little Blurry

Considerably less sombre than most of the music docs we’ve received in the past few years , The World’s A Little Blurry is a two hour 20 minute-long deep dive into the life of a teenage mega star. Director RJ Cutler spent two-and-a-half years filming Eilish in her family home, at rehearsals and on tour, making for a wonderfully unfiltered look at her rapid ascent to fame and the challenges that have come with it. The fact that, even since making this film, Eilish has gone on to even more stratospheric heights, fuels calls for a follow-up. You can watch Billie Eilish – The World’s A Little Blurry on Apple TV+.

Under The Volcano

During its short life in the 80s, George Martin’s Air studio – which was located under the shadow a volcano on the Caribbean island of Montserrat – hosted an array of music legends including Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, The Police and Duran Duran. With a pool on sight and lush greenery all around, it was a work-play paradise for all the artists who stayed there. Then a hurricane hit the island in 1989 and the studio was destroyed. Out in 2021, the documentary proved to be a deeply fascinating look at a small but significant slice of music history. You can watch Under The Volcano on YouTube.

Summer Of Soul

In 1969, the same year as Woodstock, another history-making concert took place. At least, it should have been history-making. Instead, footage of the Harlem Cultural Festival – a free event that included artists such as Stevie Wonder and Nina Simone – was left in a basement for 50 years. In Summer Of Soul , Questlove revives that footage, interspersing it with interviews and archive footage of civil unrest in the 1960s. The result is truly astonishing. You can watch Summer Of Soul on Disney+ .

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The best music biopics can have a cultural impact that goes far beyond devoted fans. Here are 30 must-sees.

Published on

Technology may have impacted on the way we consume music in the 21st Century, but our love of the cinema remains undiminished. Indeed, as global smashes such as Bohemian Rhapsody, Judy, and Straight Outta Compton have shown, the best music biopics can account for some of the biggest draws in the movies. So grab some popcorn, dim the lights, and enjoy our list of the 30 best music biopics to grace screens both big and small. If we’ve missed any of your favorites, let us know in the comments section.

30: Jersey Boys

Directed by Clint Eastwood, Jersey Boys is adapted from the Tony Award-winning stage musical of the same name, which first debuted in 2005. In both cases, the subject is the story of New Jersey rock and pop troupe The Four Seasons, with original members Frankie Valli and Bob Gaudio serving as executive producers, and Gaudio composing the film’s music. The biopic was advertised as the story of four kids “from the wrong side of the tracks”, and thus drugs, excess, and The Four Seasons’ regular run-ins with mobsters are all part and parcel of one of 2014’s most memorable films.

29: Miles Ahead

First released in 2017, Miles Ahead was something of a labor of love for Don Cheadle, who co-wrote the script, and co-produced and made his directorial debut with the movie, not to mention while also playing the lead, the colossal jazz legend Miles Davis . Cheadle’s herculean efforts failed to win over some of the critics, but he did a great job capturing Davis’, attitude, drug-fuelled paranoia, and even his famous death-ray stare in this compelling and passionate biopic.

Cass Elliot’s Iconic ‘Make Your Own Kind Of Music’

‘mary poppins’: the music of the disney classic, the sublime world of leonard bernstein’s broadway productions.

28: Nowhere Boy

First released in the UK in 2009 and then granted a US cinema release to coincide with what should have been John Lennon ’s 70th birthday, on 9 October 2010, Nowhere Boy revisits the future Beatle’s early years in Liverpool, taking in the creation of his first band, The Quarrymen, and their gradual transition into The Beatles . Unlike Ian Hart in Backbeat , Aaron Taylor-Johnson bears little physical resemblance to the young Lennon, but he captures the wit of the adolescent future Beatle. There’s a strong supporting cast, too, with Anne Marie-Duff playing Lennon’s mother, Julia, and Kristin Scott-Thomas attempting to instill discipline as John’s stern yet dependable Aunt Mimi.

27: Get On Up

Tate Taylor’s James Brown biopic, Get On Up , is a rollercoaster ride for the viewer as the action jumps around from the 80s to the 60s and the 30s, connecting events through thematic links rather than chronology. If you can keep up, however, there’s plenty to savor here, not least because Chadwick Boseman puts in a superlative performance in the lead role, capturing Brown’s strutting, fireproof confidence in all its glory. Curiously, Get On Up struggled at the box office in 2014, but it’s a critical favorite (renowned US critic Robert Christgau wrote, “It’s great – better than The Help , which I quite admire, and Ray , which I love”) that’s well worth rediscovering.

26: Great Balls Of Fire!

Jerry Lee Lewis’ reputation as one of rock’n’roll’s greatest hellraisers will always precede him. However, Jim McBride’s 1989 biopic leans more towards the positive, concentrating on The Killer’s irresistible rise to rock’n’roll stardom, which may have seen him overtake Elvis Presley if it hadn’t been for his controversial marriage to his 13-year-old cousin, Myra Gale Brown, whose biography the film is partially based upon. Great Balls Of Fire! has its critics, but Alec Baldwin plays Jerry Lee’s infamous pastor cousin, Jimmy Swaggart, with aplomb, and Dennis Quaid – whose performance was praised by Lewis himself – is superb in the lead role.

25: The Doors

The Doors should perhaps simply have been titled The Jim Morrison Movie , as director Oliver Stone ( Midnight Express , Wall Street , Natural Born Killers ) homes in almost exclusively on the life and times of the band’s iconic frontman, often pushing the contributions of his bandmates off into the sidelines in this big-budget biopic from 1991. However, while hardcore fans, and The Doors themselves, voiced their disapproval, the critics disagreed, with Rolling Stone awarding it four stars. In retrospect, it’s fair to say Stone took some hefty liberties with the real story, but for all that, Val Kilmer is hypnotic as Morrison, and if you can overlook the more hackneyed Hollywood clichés, The Doors is well worth searching out.

24: 24 Hour Party People

Director Michael Winterbottom’s 24 Hour Party People follows the seismic – and sometimes surreal – career arc of Factory Records boss Tony Wilson through the decades. It takes in his work with Joy Division, including the memorable scene where Wilson (his dry-witted persona captured beautifully by Steve Coogan) inks their recording contract in his own blood, through to the opening of the iconic – if bank-breaking – Haçienda nightclub. Fiction sometimes makes a mockery of fact (though there is real-life footage of Sex Pistols ’ legendary gig at Manchester’s Lesser Free Trade Hall), but it’s still an enthusiastic and heartfelt tribute to both the late 80s Madchester era and one of the UK’s most singular independent record labels .

23: The Runaways

Based on lead singer Cherie Currie’s book, Neon Angel: A Memoir Of A Runaway , this self-explanatory 2010 biopic covers the rise and fall of groundbreaking all-girl 70s rock sensations The Runaways. Primarily centering around the relationship between the band’s two prime movers, Currie (played by Dakota Fanning) and Joan Jett (Kristen Stewart), but with Michael Shannon also doing a sterling job as their Svengali-esque manager/producer, Kim Fowley, The Runaways offers a fascinating behind-the-scenes insight. Jett herself told Interview magazine that the film perfectly captured “the glam and intensity” of Los Angeles in the mid-70s.

22: Love & Mercy

Director Bill Pohlad and writers Michael Alan Lerner and Oren Moverman cast The Beach Boys ’ Brian Wilson in an honest light in 2015’s Love & Mercy . The iconic singer-songwriter’s story is tailor-made for cinema, with Love & Mercy homing in on the pivotal mid-60s period during which the group created their masterpiece, Pet Sounds , and the struggles Wilson subsequently faced. Actors Paul Dano and John Cusack weigh in with astonishing dual performances as Wilson, in different stages of his career, and further kudos should be doled out for the film’s painstaking recreation of The Beach Boys’ recording methods.

You could argue that 8 Mile isn’t truly a biopic, as Eminem ’s Jimmy “B-Rabbit” Smith is a fictional character. However, you could just as easily feel it deserves a high ranking on any self-respecting list of the best music biopics for providing genuine insight into Detroit’s millennial hip-hop scene through the superstar rapper’s early career in the city. Further lifted by Eminem’s passionate and ultra-frank performance, 8 Mile significantly raised hip-hop’s global profile and, thanks to its Oscar-winning spin-off hit, “Lose Yourself,” it not only recouped its expensive budget ($40 million), but generated whopping box office receipts believed to have topped $240 million.

20: Backbeat

Director Iain Softley’s Backbeat (1994) delved into The Beatles’ pre-fame Hamburg era, when The Fab Four were The Fab Five with the ill-starred Stu Sutcliffe on bass. The Beatles’ songs were re-recorded for the film by an all-star alt.rock outfit including Dave Grohl , R.E.M. ’s Mike Mills, and Sonic Youth ’s Thurston Moore, while the script concentrated on the close friendship between Sutcliffe and John Lennon, played convincingly by Stephen Dorff and Ian Hart, respectively. Backbeat has since been praised by insiders including Julian Lennon and Pete Best, and it was adapted into a successful theatrical production in 2010.

1997’s Selena is the story of Selena Quintanilla-Perez, who transitions from precocious child talent to fast-rising pop star in both the US and her native Mexico, only to be murdered by Yolanda Saldivar, the president of her fan club, when she was just 23. In itself, it’s a sensational storyline, though the biopic’s appeal may have remained at cult level had Jennifer Lopez not been cast in the starring role. In fairness, J-Lo plays the part to perfection, earning earned widespread praise and a well-deserved Golden Globe nomination for her portrayal of the singer. Selena’s father, Abraham Quintanilla, Jr, meanwhile, served as producer and consultant to ensure the film avoided the worst Hollywood excesses.

18: Bound For Glory

Loosely adapted from his partly fictionalized 1943 autobiography of the same name, Bound For Glory is a beautifully framed portrait of the enigmatic Woody Guthrie. Luxuriously shot by director Hal Ashby, it features David Carradine in the lead role and follows the pioneering folk star on his Grapes Of Wrath -esque migration from his Dust Bowl Oklahoma home to the promised land of California during the height of the Great Depression. Carradine puts in a compelling performance as Guthrie, and may well have secured an Oscar had Bound For Glory not been up against the likes of All The President’s Men , Rocky, and Taxi Driver in 1976.

17: La Bamba

His tragic death alongside Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper in a plane crash on February 3, 1959 , inevitably overshadowed Richie Valens’ life prior to La Bamba . However, Luis Valdez’ heartfelt 1987 portrayal of the charismatic, Mexico-born rock’n’roll trailblazer helped redress the balance. Lou Diamond Phillips is electric in the lead role, but while the film is broadly chronological, it isn’t a straight depiction of Valens’ life, as it delves into how Valens’ professional success impacted on the lives of his half-brother, Bob Morales, his girlfriend Donna Ludwig and the rest of his family. The film did brisk business on both sides of the Atlantic, with Los Lobos’ version of the titular song topping the US and UK charts.

Produced and directed by Hollywood icon Clint Eastwood, Bird (1988) stars Forest Whitaker as the brilliant but mercurial jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker . The stuff of legend, Parker’s storied life struggles included battles with drug addiction, the death of his child, and a heart attack before his own premature death, aged 34, by which time he’d long since joined jazz’s pantheon of greats. Constructed as a montage of scenes from Parker’s life, Bird is riveting and it later yielded a Best Director Golden Globe for Eastwood and a Cannes Film Festival Best Actor gong for Whitaker.

15: Sid & Nancy

Sid & Nancy , Alex Cox’s retelling of punk icon Sid Vicious’ doomed love affair with Nancy Spungen, polarised opinion from the off. Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon later savaged it in his autobiography – and he has a point, because (as Malcolm McLaren did with The Great Rock’n’Roll Swindle ) the script takes major liberties with the band’s real story. Despite this – and the fact it was a financial failure upon release, in 1986 – Sid & Nancy has since been reappraised. Respected US critic Roger Ebert dubbed the late duo “punk rock’s Romeo and Juliet”, and the film’s leads, Gary Oldman ( Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy , Darkest Hour ) and Chloe Webb turn in passionate, poignant performances which have set Sid & Nancy ’s reputation as a cult classic in stone.

14: I’m Not There

The collective brainchild of Love & Mercy ’s Oren Moverman and Velvet Goldmine director Todd Haynes, the Bob Dylan biopic I’m Not There (2007) is often as enigmatic as its influential subject. On paper, the premise – on-screen stars Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Marcus Carl Franklin, Richard Gere, Ben Whishaw, and the much-missed Heath Ledger portray Dylan at different stages in his life – would seem ambitious to say the least, yet Haynes weaves the narrative together beautifully and the cast all play a blinder, ensuring that I’m Not There is a Bob Dylan biopic that even the casual fan should watch.

13: Behind The Candelabra

Directed by Steven Soderbergh ( Sex, Lies, And Videotape , Erin Brockovich ), the Liberace biopic Behind The Candelabra (2013) was in production for the best part of a decade and was originally a made-for-TV movie. After hitting the silver screen, however, the film won several Emmys and a Golden Globe. Based on Liberace’s latter-day lover Scott Thorson’s memoir of the same name, it details the flamboyant pianist’s final decade, with both Michael Douglas (Liberace) and Matt Damon (Thorson) turning in terrific performances. Moving and salacious, it’s an absorbing biopic that even the vaguely curious should check out.

Several directors have attempted to capture Elvis Presley ’s mercurial life since his premature death, in 1977, but John Carpenter’s made-for-TV Elvis (1979) remains the benchmark. The then little-known Kurt Russell received an Emmy nomination for his memorable portrayal of The King, capturing his brooding charisma without lapsing into parody. While Russell didn’t actually sing in the movie (he lip-synched to vocals recorded by country star Ronnie McDowell), he succeeded in channeling the raw power of Presley at his electrifying best onstage.

11: Control

Inevitably creating a myth and a lasting cult status, Joy Division singer Ian Curtis killed himself aged just 23, just as his Manchester-based band were on the cusp of mainstream success after two superb, critically-acclaimed albums. Anton Corbijn’s excellent 2007 biopic, Control , peels away much of the legend and hearsay to reveal Curtis the human being: a complex and flawed individual who ultimately can’t reconcile having an affair while being married with a young child. Both Sam Riley, as Curtis, and Samantha Morton, as his wife, Deborah, are highly compelling, and the director’s reliance on black-and-white footage vividly captures the starkness of the Mancunian landscape a decade before the city morphed into the epicenter of cool during the Madchester era.

10: What’s Love Got To Do With It?

Adapted from the book I, Tina , by Tina Turner and Kurt Loder, this popular biopic was big news at the box office in 1993, grossing almost $40 million in the US alone. Directed by Brian Gibson, it deals with the tempestuous relationship between Ike and Tina Turner, whose string of remarkable, Phil Spector-produced hits are unable to mask the fact Tina is suffering at the hands of her abusive spouse. Post-divorce, Tina would become a global superstar in her own right, and she’s portrayed sympathetically here by the Golden Globe-winning Angela Bassett, while Laurence Fishburne is equally inspired as the cruel, volatile Ike.

9: La Vie En Rose

French actress Marion Cotillard had already begun to prove herself on the global stage during the early 00s with roles in mainstream films such as Ridley Scott’s A Good Year , in which she played opposite Russell Crowe. However, few would have expected her to shine as brightly as she did while playing chanteuse extraordinaire Edith Piaf in Olivier Dahon’s La Vie En Rose . Indeed, Cotillard does a remarkable job of capturing The Little Sparrow’s vulnerability and volatility as she rises from the gutter to staging performances in France’s grandest music halls in this memorable 2007 biopic. The actress rightly received an Academy Award for the role, marking the first time an Oscar was awarded for a French-language role.

8: The Buddy Holly Story

Released in 1978, director Steve Rash’s Buddy Holly biopic features Gary Busey turning in an admirable portrayal of the Lubbock-born singer-songwriter who influenced iconic future names including The Beatles and The Rolling Stones . Still eminently watchable, it charts Holly’s life from teen rocker in Texas to global stardom with The Crickets, and his latter-day solo career, involving a heavy touring schedule that would prematurely claim his life in an ill-fated plane crash in February 1959. Busey rightly received an Oscar nomination for his performance and The Buddy Holly Story remains a consistently acclaimed entry in the best music biopics of all time.

7: Coal Miner’s Daughter

Reputedly hand-picked by the artist herself, Sissy Spacek turned in an arguable career-best performance in her portrayal of troubled country star Loretta Lynn in this much-acclaimed 1980 biopic. Based upon Lynn’s autobiography, and also featuring Tommy Lee Jones and The Band ’s Levon Helm, Coal Miner’s Daughter follows the legendary singer’s life, from her desperately poor childhood to superstardom, with Spacek’s inspirational performance yielding her an Academy Award. It remains a biopic with across-the-board appeal, and its spin-off soundtrack album also sold half a million copies and went gold.

Lavishly shot with no expense spared, 1984’s Amadeus is One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest director Miloš Forman’s fictionalized biography of the groundbreaking 18th-century composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with the plot homing in on the notorious rivalry between Mozart (played with ruthless intensity by Tom Hulce) and Italian composer Antonio Salieri (F Murray Abraham) at the court of Emperor Joseph II. Widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time, it’s a grandiose epic in the best possible sense of the term and it went on to win a staggering eight Academy Awards, including an Oscar for Best Picture.

5: Lady Sings The Blues

One icon played another in 1972’s Lady Sings The Blues , with soul diva Diana Ross turning in a commanding performance as legendary jazz chanteuse Billie Holiday . Directed by Sidney J Furie of The Ipcress File fame, the film follows the jazz star from her traumatic youth through her rise to fame. While the storyline pulls few punches where Holiday’s personal demons are concerned, it ends on a high note, recreating her triumphant return to the stage at New York’s Carnegie Hall. Lady Sings The Blues received five Academy Award nominations, and even notoriously sniffy US film critic Roger Ebert admitted Ross’ portrayal of Holiday was “one of the great performances of 1972.”

4: Walk The Line

One of 2005’s most successful films, director James Mangold’s much-anticipated Johnny Cash biopic didn’t disappoint. Based upon two separate autobiographies penned by the iconic singer-songwriter, Walk The Line featured electrifying performances by Joaquin Phoenix as Cash and Reese Witherspoon as June Carter, and delves into the highs and lows of The Man In Black’s life, from his musical career and his romance with Carter through to his tussles with drugs and alcohol, and his legendary shows at America’s notorious Folsom Prison, in January 1968. Widely acclaimed, Walk The Line bagged five Oscar nominations, with Witherspoon taking home the Best Actress Award.

3: Straight Outta Compton

NWA biopic Straight Outta Compton (2015) was directed by F Gary Gray, but the influential hip-hop outfit’s surviving members were involved all the way down the line, with Ice Cube and Dr. Dre producing, and Ice Cube being played by his real-life son O’Shea Jackson, Jr. Consequently, this is a biopic which pulls few punches and strives to keep it real – at least from the group’s perspective. Highly absorbing throughout, Straight Outta Compton went on to scoop a truckload of industry awards, including an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, and it also inspired Dr. Dre’s widely-acclaimed solo album Compton .

Written, directed, and produced by Taylor Hackford, Ray (2004) focuses on 30 years in the life of pioneering soul music/R&B icon Ray Charles , tracing the arc of his career from his early years in the clubs on North America’s chitlin’ circuit through his crossover success with Atlantic Records, his commercial decline during the 70s and his remarkable latter-day comeback, winning a Grammy for his Chaka Khan collaboration “I’ll Be Good To You.” Jamie Foxx oozes charisma in the lead role and his career-defining performance earned him five industry awards, including an Oscar, a BAFTA, and a Golden Globe.

1: Bohemian Rhapsody

One of the biggest releases of 2018, Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody blew away the competition in the commercial sense, with Billboard dubbing it the highest-grossing music biopic of all time at the end of the year. Critically, however, it was also a phenomenon, attracting multiple industry awards, including the coveted Best Actor for Rami Malek’s magnificent portrayal of Freddie Mercury . It completely changed all expectations of what the best music biopics can achieve.

June 4, 2021 at 4:36 am

Dirt – Motley Crue

June 5, 2021 at 1:52 am

‘…then little-known Kurt Russell’?

The Real Thang

September 14, 2023 at 7:06 am

Bohemian Rhapsody was hot garbage and an obvious Hollywood controlled retelling. THE TEMPTATIONS for whatever is not in this list and should be top 10.

Daniel A Ribel

March 27, 2024 at 4:13 pm

Not including Baz Luhrmann’s ELVIS shows you have little attention span. It was nominated everywhere and Austin Butler made Kurt Russell look ridiculous. Butler was not only Oscar and SAG nominated, but won the Foreign Press Golden Globe,International Press Satellite,UK BAFTA Australia AACTA international,Irish IFTA International, Catalonia Spain Sant Jordi, South African Film Critics ect and actually made millions of new Elvis fans around the world

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The 30 best documentaries on Netflix

From provocative history lessons to fascinating celebrity profiles, there's something on the streamer for any mood or interest.

Ilana Gordon is an entertainment, culture, and comedy writer originally from Connecticut. She currently lives in Los Angeles.

'Tis the season for learning, and if you're looking to get educated without cracking a book, Netflix has you covered. Some of the documentaries on this list have gone on to become critical darlings — including 13th , American Factory , and Crip Camp — while others, like Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond and The Tinder Swindler, are stories so juicy, you couldn't make them up. From educational to endearing to entertaining, regardless of your mood and mindset, there's a documentary available that can give lectures a run for their money.

Here are EW's picks for the 30 best documentaries on Netflix.

13th (2016)

The 13th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, but this searing documentary argues that both have only taken on different forms in the years since its adoption. The Emmy-winning work, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Ava DuVernay , traces the systematic oppression of Black Americans following the official end of slavery in 1865, from segregation to the disproportionate targeting of minorities during the war on drugs to the prison-industrial complex, of which private contractors have benefited financially.

DuVernay tackles varied and complicated forms of corruption here, but 13th is carefully plotted to show how each act of disenfranchisement leads to another, serving as a riveting rallying cry. — Kevin Jacobsen

Where to watch 13th : Netflix

EW grade: A ( read the review )

Director: Ava DuVernay

American Factory (2019)

This first film from Barack and Michelle Obama 's production company Higher Ground — and winner of the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature — is an even-handed look at the trials and tribulations of a Chinese-owned windshield factory in Dayton, Ohio. As its domestic workers are tasked with more intensive labor for lower pay, their Chinese employers experience culture shock while adjusting to the American way of life.

Told with matter-of-fact honesty, American Factory drew rave reviews that included EW's critic, who notes , "The heart and soul of American Factory , like all American factories, is never really politics of course; it's people." — K.J.

Where to watch American Factory : Netflix

EW grade: B+ ( read the review )

Directors: Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert

Bad Vegan (2022)

The New York food scene has never seen a story like Sarma Melngailis, the celebrity restaurateur who was responsible for successful upscale vegan eateries like Pure Food and Wine and One Lucky Duck. Bolstered by critical acclaim and celebrity patrons, Melngailis’ stock was rising in the raw food world — until her restaurant empire was brought down by a marriage to a con man.

A scandalous story told over four episodes, Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives is the only documentary to include true crime intrigue, vegans on the run, and a Dominos order gone terribly wrong. If you’ve ever wanted to see a story in which canine immortality and meat suits feature prominently, run — don’t walk — to your TV and fill up on the insanity that is the story of Bad Vegan. —Ilana Gordon 

Where to watch Bad Vegan : Netflix

Director: Chris Smith  

Crip Camp (2020)

Following the success of American Factory , Higher Ground released this Oscar-nominated documentary about a New York summer camp called Camp Jened, which served as a haven for people with disabilities. Featuring footage of co-director James LeBrecht's experiences there in the early 1970s, the film demonstrates how the campers went on to fight in the disability rights movement of the late-20th century.

Balancing warmth with the urgency of its message, Crip Camp gives a more three-dimensional view of this marginalized community than most films, emphasizing the power of advocating for one's rights. As EW's critic writes , "Like most good storytelling, it takes care to make the political personal." — K.J.

Where to watch Crip Camp : Netflix

EW grade: A– ( read the review )

Directors: Nicole Newnham and James Lebrecht

Dick Johnson Is Dead (2020)

Life and death are inexorably linked in this unique film by celebrated documentary cinematographer Kirsten Johnson ( Cameraperson ). As her father lives with dementia, Johnson stages various fictional scenarios in which he accidentally dies — from tripping down the stairs to getting hit by a falling air conditioner — which he charmingly acts out for the camera.

What may sound morbid in writing is actually a bittersweet meditation on the stigma surrounding death and a daughter's special way of bonding with her dad before it's too late. Come for the absurdly planned schemes, stay for, as EW's critic observes , "the immeasurable love between [the film's] maker and its muse." — K.J.

Where to watch Dick Johnson Is Dead : Netflix

Director: Kirsten Johnson

Disclosure (2020)

Similar to the 1995 landmark film The Celluloid Closet — which discusses LGBTQIA+ representation on screen — this documentary narrows in on depictions of trans characters in Hollywood. From problematic movies such as The Crying Game and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective to groundbreaking shows like Orange Is the New Black and Pose , Disclosure deftly tracks the evolution of trans acceptance and how far we still have to go.

While the footage often speaks for itself, the value of this documentary comes from real-life actors and artists discussing how those cultural depictions shaped not only the societal perception of trans people but also how they view themselves. — K.J.

Where to watch Disclosure : Netflix

Director: Sam Feder

Downfall: The Case Against Boeing (2022)

Boeing used to be the pride of American manufacturing, but now the company’s name is synonymous with safety failures. Downfall: The Case Against Boeing goes deep into how pressure from Wall Street corrupted the company’s safety culture, ultimately leading to two crashes of Boeing MAX 737 planes in October of 2018 and March of 2019.

Boeing refused to be involved in the making of the film, but the project does an excellent job of breaking down how desire to keep the company’s stock price high led Boeing to knowingly fail pilots and passengers. —I.G.           

Where to watch Downfall: The Case Against Boeing : Netflix

Director: Rory Kennedy

Found (2021)

The effects of China's one-child policy are explored through the stories of three adopted American teenage girls in this rousing documentary. Each is adopted from China and come to discover they're cousins, leading them to explore their ancestry.

What makes Found fascinating is in how it allows for multiple perspectives from the cousins — one feels perfectly at home in America, while another is hoping that reconnecting with her roots will provide some resolution. It also makes room to honor the caretakers who house orphaned children and the sensitive nature of the adoption process. Have tissues nearby when watching. — K.J.

Where to watch Found : Netflix

Director: Amanda Lipitz

Four Daughters (2023)

Well-deserving of its Oscar nomination for Best Documentary Feature, Four Daughters is a Tunisian film that mixes traditional documentary practices with fictionalized moments to create a cinematic project unlike anything else in the genre. The four daughters in question belong to Olfa Hamrouni, a Tunisian mother who lost two of her four children when they were radicalized by the Islamic State and moved to Libya.

Performers stand in for the two eldest siblings, and Tunisian and Egyptian actress Hend Sabry plays Olfa, but interviews with the real-life Olfa and her two youngest daughters are also heavily featured. A film about mothers and daughters as told through one family’s traumatic story, Four Daughters is affecting, creatively structured, and deeply memorable. —I.G.

Where to watch Four Daughters : Netflix

Director: Kaouther Ben Hania

Fyre (2019)

The extravagant 2017 deserted island musical festival never took place, but it did manage to land organizer/scammer Billy McFarland a prison sentence and inspire two documentaries. At least as far as Emmy nominations are concerned , Netflix’s Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened is the superior option, providing a comprehensive look at the events that led to the festival’s formation and subsequent downfall.

A film that put event organizer Andy King on the map as the poster boy for hard-working employees, Fyre is fascinating, exasperating, and one of the ultimate tales of scamming gone wrong. Directed by Chris Smith (also of Bad Vegan fame), Fyre is an entertaining romp through early influencer culture. —I.G.   

Where to watch Fyre : Netflix

EW grade: B+ ( read the review ) 

Director: Chris Smith  

The Greatest Night in Pop (2024)

Courtesy of Netflix 

Remember that cringeworthy moment when Gal Gadot and a gaggle of celebs sat in their respective lavish homes and recorded a sing-a-long to John Lennon's "Imagine" during the start of the COVID pandemic? Well, let's rewind to 1985, when 46 music legends responded to a crisis and produced a hit that made a real impact.

Written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie , artists including Bruce Springsteen , Cyndi Lauper , Stevie Wonder and Diana Ross united Avengers-style in A&M studio to record "We Are the World" — a chart-topping anthem that raised more than $80 million to combat famine in Africa, clinched four Grammys (including Record of the Year and Song of the Year), and became one of the best-selling singles of all time. If you ever wished to be fly on the wall during that historic night of music-making, turn to this Netflix documentary that spoon-feeds you archival footage, revelatory firsthand accounts, and plenty of nostalgia. —James Mercadante

Where to watch The Greatest Night in Pop : Netflix

Director: Bao Nguyen

Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé (2019)

This Grammy-winning documentary — written, directed, produced by, and starring Beyoncé — is more than just a concert film: It's an experience unto itself. Following the superstar's journey conceiving of and performing her headlining concert at Coachella in 2018, Homecoming is as much a tribute to Black artistry as it is a celebration of Queen B and her loyal BeyHive.

Edited with razor-sharp precision to deliver the best possible experience, the film also devotes time to the Black artists and leaders who inspire the singer between showcasing her own personal challenges with motherhood, all while trying to get physically and emotionally prepared for the performance. But it's the main event, now affectionately referred to as "Beychella," that'll have you revisiting this doc again and again in all its resplendent glory. — K.J.

Where to watch Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé : Netflix

Director: Beyoncé

Jim & Andy: the Great Beyond (2017)

There's method acting, and then there's what Jim Carrey did to play Andy Kaufman in 1999's Man on the Moon . Having stayed in character as the avant-garde comedian throughout the entirety of the shoot, Universal Pictures effectively buried the behind the scenes B-roll for the actor's own benefit. This documentary unearths the footage, with present-day Carrey commenting on the effect of trying to mirror his comedy idol so intensely.

EW's critic calls the film "an enthralling look at the artistic process," especially in its depiction of an A-lister at the height of his box-office powers who's able to get away with anything and everything. — K.J.

Where to watch Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond : Netflix

EW grade: B ( read the review )

Director: Chris Smith

Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey (2022)

Courtesy of Netflix

When did serving as a religious leader turn into a quest to have sex with as many underage girls as possible? That’s the question Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey attempts to answer in its four-episode docu-series centered on Warren Jeffs, former head of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS). This documentary draws you in as it explores the philosophies and teachings of the FLDS, Jeffs’  rise to power, the many girls forced to become wives and mothers before their time, and the families torn apart by his misdeeds. — Diedre Johnson

Where to watch Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey : Netflix 

EW grade: A– ( read the review ) 

Directors: Rachel Dretzin, Grace McNally  

Miss Americana (2020)

Taylor Swift ’s Eras Tour inspired one of the biggest pop culture conversations of 2023, but even as Swift proved over and over why she’s one of the best in the business, it’s worth traveling back in time a few years to a period when her reputation was on the line and much less respect was afforded to her work. Miss Americana allows Swift the chance to get truly vulnerable, scrubbing away her strategically crafted image to reveal the human being behind the lyrics.

Taylor opens up about her struggles with feuds and fame, her issues with disordered eating, her political frustrations, and ultimately, the responsibility she feels towards her fans, her music, and her legacy. A film for Swifties, music lovers, and anyone interested in learning more about one of the most successful artists working today, Miss Americana will, as EW’s reviewer writes , make “you wish you’d seen more of this Taylor a long time ago.” —I.G.

Where to watch Miss Americana : Netflix

Director: Lana Wilson  

Cast: Taylor Swift  

My Octopus Teacher (2021)

Winner of the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, My Octopus Teacher is a story of relationships, as told by a filmmaker who bonds with an octopus. Craig Foster spent a year free-diving and following an octopus living in a South African kelp forest, and the bond he develops with the animal as she invites him into her underwater life helps to inform and transform his relationships with his fellow humans — especially his son.

It takes a talented production team to make a movie about sea creatures feel like an important story about humanity, but this crew pulls it off, creating a piece of art that is affecting, educational, and inspiring. —I.G.  

Where to watch My Octopus Teacher : Netflix

Directors: Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed  

Cast: Craig Foster, Tom Foster  

Our Father (2022)

Imagine if the life you've always known changed with one email. That's exactly what happened to dozens of people who found out it was highly likely (in the 90th percentile) that their birth father was the same man. From the early 1970s to 1989, Dr. Donald Cline, a married Indiana-based fertility doctor, helped medically inseminate women — only it was actually his sperm. Our Father focuses on the affected families' confusion, grief, anger, and, invariably, the bonds forged between these half-brothers and sisters. — D.J.

Where to watch Our Father : Netflix

Director: Lucie Jourdan

Race to the Summit (2023)

Fans of Free Solo will find new heights to explore in Race to the Summit . This sports and climbing documentary chronicles the rivalry between alpinists Ueli Steck and Dani Arnold as both climbers race to secure the fastest times on their ascents up the Swiss Alps' great north faces.

As with all climbing documentaries, non-climbers will struggle to understand what drives a person to risk their life like this, but the film’s stunning vistas and the athletes’ dedication to their sport needs no explanation. Viewers with fears of heights may want to steer clear, however: These shots are guaranteed to raise your heart rate and take your breath away. —I.G.    

Where to watch Race to the Summit : Netflix

Directors: Nicholas de Taranto, Götz Werner  

Cast: Dani Arnold, Alex Honnold, Ueli Steck

Rolling Thunder Revue (2019)

Martin Scorsese blurs the line between fiction and reality in this glimpse into Bob Dylan 's eponymous 1975 tour. The director blends archival footage with modern interviews from those who were in the singer's circle, including Joan Baez and Sam Shepard , as well as from fictional characters, played by the likes of Sharon Stone and Michael Murphy. This fluid style pays tribute to Dylan's 1978 film Renaldo and Clara , which also combines documentary footage and fictional vignettes.

While your enjoyment may vary depending on your tolerance for experimentation, EW's critic writes , "The Rolling Thunder Revue was Dylan's personal magical mystery tour — and in Scorsese's hands, there's no shortage of magic or mystery." — K.J.

Where to watch Rolling Thunder Revue : Netflix

Director: Martin Scorsese

Shirkers (2018)

Anyone who's ever had their artistic dreams dashed will resonate with the plight of Sandi Tan, who directs this underrated gem. In 1992, Tan and her friends made an independent film in Singapore called Shirkers , but their mentor, Georges Cardona, made off with the footage and disappeared. Decades later, the movie finally resurfaced thanks to Cardona's ex-wife, who mailed it to Tan following his death. This documentary follows the filmmaker's decision to repurpose her once-lost project as she processes her adviser's devastating betrayal.

Deeply personal and inventive, Shirkers is a testament to creativity, with Tan telling EW that, "After every screening, people are vibrating with wanting to [create something of their own]. If we can carry that energy throughout the world when people are watching the film, then I've succeeded beyond my wildest dreams." — K.J.

Where to watch Shirkers : Netflix

Director: Sandi Tan

The Social Dilemma (2020)

"I always felt like, fundamentally, it was a force for good," says Alex Roetter, former head of engineering for Twitter in this incisive documentary. "I don't know if I feel that way anymore." The Social Dilemma dives deep into the manipulation tactics of sites like Facebook, Google, Twitter, and Instagram to keep users hooked and the negative consequences that result — from the spread of misinformation to depression and suicide.

The doc features various talking heads from former employees of these social media sites, who explain their companies' insidious practices. Additionally, the film presents a dramatization of an average family of five to demonstrate social media addiction in various forms. After watching The Social Dilemma , which presents its thesis in sobering fashion, it will be hard not to think twice before mindlessly scrolling Facebook or Instagram again. — K.J.

Where to watch The Social Dilemma : Netflix

Director: Jeff Orlowski

"Sr." (2022)

Before Robert Downey Jr. became one of the faces of mainstream cinema, there was his counterculture filmmaker father. Robert Downey Sr. made a name for himself in the independent cinema scene in the '60s and '70s, directing a series of anti-establishment films. His life is profiled in this moving documentary, delving into his unconventinal career and his relationship with his son.

Downey Jr. — one of the producers on "Sr." — unpacks family traumas and shares his remembrances of his father throughout the doc. The film serves as a deeply personal tribute from a son to a father, and a loving eulogy, as Downey Sr. died in 2021 from complications of Parkinson's disease. — K.J.

Where to watch "Sr." : Netflix

Take Care of Maya (2023)

In early 2015, Jack and Beata Kowalski scoured the Internet and consulted countless doctors to solve the mystery behind their 9-year-old daughter Maya's debilitating chronic pain, among other symptoms. Relief finally came with a diagnosis of advanced complex regional pain syndrome, which could be treated with ketamine. However, the trajectory of their lives took a tragic turn when a visit to the ER at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital led to accusations of Munchausen syndrome by proxy, triggering a false imprisonment of Maya for three months without proper care.

Exposing the shortcomings within the American healthcare and child welfare systems, Take Care of Maya renders a brutal cautionary tale where the Kowalskis — including now-17-year-old Maya — share their raw, gut-wrenching testimonies as they seek justice against the institution that tore their family apart. —J.M.

Where to watch Take Care of Maya : Netflix

Director: Henry Roosevelt

The Tinder Swindler (2022)

This Emmy-nominated documentary describes how con artist Shimon Hayat posed as a jewelry mogul on Tinder and scammed millions of dollars out of women who believed him to and fell for his charms. The Tinder Swindler was so timely that, when it debuted last year, Hayut was still very much on the loose and duping more unsuspecting victims out of their cash. That is, until he was banned from the app after the revelations presented here.

This documentary doubles as a cautionary tale for those swiping right and hoping to find their soulmate, showing just how easily one can get tricked into believing their date is who they say they are. — D.J.

Where to watch The Tinder Swindler : Netflix

Director: Felicity Morris

To Kill a Tiger (2023)

One of the best documentaries to premiere in 2022, To Kill a Tiger is a Canadian film that tells the story of one family’s fight for justice for their 13-year-old after news of her rape becomes public in their small village in India. Emotional, educational, and deeply personal, the film was nominated for a Best Documentary Feature Oscar in 2024, and cleaned up on the film festival circuit in 2023. Executive produced by Mindy Kaling , Dev Patel , Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and the poet Rupi Kaur, among others, To Kill a Tiger is a necessary film with an important message, told and packaged with bravery and compassion by director Nisha Pahuja. —I.G

Where to watch To Kill a Tiger : Netflix

Director: Nisha Pahuja

Virunga (2014)

The Oscar-nominated documentary Virunga is one of the prime examples of a documentarian shifting perspectives dramatically to follow the more interesting story. Filmmaker Orlando von Einsiedel set out to document the preservation efforts of workers at the Democratic Republic of Congo's Virunga National Park to protect endangered gorillas. Shortly into filming, a rebellion by the military group M23 took place in the region, adding further dimension to Einsiedel's original plan.

The doc explores the impact of the rebellion on the park, in addition to the exploits of a British oil company hoping to drill in the area. Unfolding with earned dramatic tension, Virunga is urgent and powerful in its message of mankind's destruction on natural environments, while giving us heroes worth rooting for. — K.J.

Where to watch Virunga : Netflix

Director: Orlando von Einsiedel

What Happened, Miss Simone (2015)

Netflix is home to numerous documentaries about celebrities and artists, but few have led a life as fascinating as Nina Simone 's. The iconic jazz blues singer — responsible for definitive versions of such classics as "Feeling Good," "I Put a Spell on You," and "Sinnerman," as well as originals like "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" and "To Be Young, Gifted and Black" — was an outspoken activist during the civil rights movement, infusing progressive messages into her music and risking her own career to stand up for what she believed in.

While EW's critic notes that "No medium could ever quite contain the multitudes of Ms. Nina Simone," this documentary is an "excellently clear-eyed primer" nonetheless, one that will have you searching for her virtuosic performances on YouTube for hours on end. — K.J.

Where to watch What Happened, Miss Simone? : Netflix

Director: Liz Garbus

White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch (2022)

This documentary provides a revealing look at Abercrombie & Fitch's glory days and the eventual fallout when people realized the company was openly discriminatory. What's even more interesting are the interviews with customers who, at the time, never even gave it a second thought.

The film dives deep into how former A&F CEO Michael Jeffries targeted and marketed to particular consumers: white teenagers attending high school and wanting to be one of the "cool, good-looking" kids — meanwhile, Black and Asian applicants were allegedly not hired for front-of-store jobs. The retailer even went so far as to offer Jersey Shore reality star Mike "the Situation" Sorrentino money to not wear the brand. — D.J.

Where to watch White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch : Netflix

Director: Alison Klayman

Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom (2015)

Released seven years before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Winter on Fire follows a Ukrainian fight of a different kind. The visceral documentary centers on the Maidan Uprising of 2013 and 2014, which began after a free-trade deal with the European Union fell through at the last minute, with then-Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych making a deal with Russia instead.

Through immersive on-the-ground footage, Winter on Fire tracks protestors from peaceful demonstrations to violent confrontations with police as people from all walks of life fight against a government preventing them from moving forward as a nation. The galvanizing documentary earned an Oscar nomination, and director Evgeny Afineevsky released a companion film in 2022, Freedom on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom , which chronicles the Russian invasion. — K.J.

Where to watch Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom : Netflix

Director: Evgeny Afineevsky

Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018)

The love for Mister Rogers' Neighborhood lives on in the hearts and minds of those who grew up learning life lessons from its cardigan-clad host. This archival footage documentary centers on the life of Fred Rogers and the guiding sense of decency that he infused into the beloved children's program. Won't You Be My Neighbor smartly demonstrates Rogers' empathetic approach while also depicting his fight to keep his show on the airwaves. As EW's critic puts it , the documentary is "a security blanket for our troubled times," and a reminder of the inherent value of kindness in a world that needs it now more than ever. — K.J.

Where to watch Won't You Be My Neighbor? : Netflix

Director: Morgan Neville

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14 Best Biopics on Netflix (August 2024)

Biopics are an aspirational genre of filmmaking that arouses feelings ranging from tragedy to triumphant joy inside all of us. They serve as a reminder of the achievements of real-life people and the hardships endured while trying to accomplish something. Naturally, we are drawn to these shining examples of endeavor, perseverance, and grit. Most biopics depict personalities who are driven by something greater than them, showing us what it means to strive for higher objectives. Their life and experiences, told through a dramatic lens, inspire us to look at our own while dissecting the complexities of theirs. As such, to cater to your need for stories about real-life figures, here is a list of the best biopics available on Netflix.   

14. Blonde (2022)

‘ Blonde ’ tells the story of Hollywood and film industry icon Marilyn Monroe (Ana de Armas) , whose rise to stardom is punctuated by internal conflicts and pressure to live up to a pristine image as she winds down a circuitous path of torment. Writer and director Andrew Dominik presents a more fictionalized version of her life based on the 2000 eponymous biographical novel by Joyce Carol Oates. 

Although it is not the most authentic tale owing to its deviations from the real-life story of Monroe, the film’s portrayal of mental health challenges and its uncommon narration style make it an intriguing watch for those who want an inside look into the famed actresses’ life. Separating fact from fiction is a different matter altogether, but it should not detract from an otherwise solid viewing experience. It can be streamed here.    

13. Big George Foreman (2023)

Directed by George Tillman Jr., ‘ Big George Foreman, ’ also known as ‘Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World,’ follows the remarkable life of boxer George Foreman (Khris Davis). The narrative covers his retirement from boxing, his new life as a preacher, and his return to the Heavyweight Division of boxing. Owing to the vast yet astounding events surrounding his achievements, the narrative picks up on Foreman’s incredible feats when everyone thinks he is done and dusted. The underdog story of blood, sweat, and tears may be a well-versed motif, but it’s present in abundance to make the audience root for Foreman every step of the way . Watch the film here.

12. Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022)

In ‘Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody,’ director Kasi Lemmons shines the spotlight on the life, legacy, and career of celebrated singer Whitney Houston (Naomi Ackie). The film chronicles her rise from a church choir singer to the legendary vocalist she later became. The biopic dives into the major successes of her professional life and the failures that arose in her personal one, including her struggles with addiction, fame, and relationships. As such, the intimate portrayal provides a more holistic glimpse into the complexities of her superstar persona without much of a filter and what it took to get there. The film can be streamed here.

11. Victoria & Abdul (2017)

Adapted from the 2010 non-fiction book by Shrabani Basu, ‘ Victoria and Abdul ’ tells the unlikely but true story of friendship and maternal affection between Queen Victoria and her Munshi Abdul Karim. After arriving from India, Abdul strikes an accord with the Queen, challenging the societal norms of the time present in British culture. Subsequently, the narrative captures their deep alliance and trusted bond as the Queen herself learns more about Abdul’s culture and the restrictions of her own. Helmed by Stephen Frears, ‘Victoria and Abdul’ taps into a forgotten piece of history as it delves into an extraordinary bond between two people from different worlds, whose views change as they influence one another to strive for more. The film is available to watch here.

10. Roxanne Roxanne (2017)

Living in the Queensbridge housing projects during the 1980s was not easy . In the Michael Larnell-directed film, ‘Roxanne Roxanne,’ the iconic hip-hop figure, Roxanne Shanté, has to navigate the difficulties of an impoverished beginning in the projects while plotting her eventual rise to stardom amidst a whole host of challenges. 

The film depicts her challenges with making a name for herself in a male-dominated industry, the complexities of her interpersonal relationships, and her familial responsibilities. Roxanne’s journey presents a rousing tale of overcoming obstacles, achieving success, and aspiring to be the best no matter what. Although life is rarely easy, Roxanne showcases the determination and optimism it takes to push through the struggle. ‘Roxanne Roxanne’ can be streamed here.    

9. Harriet (2019)

‘Harriet’ uncovers the heroic exploits of famed American abolitionist and activist Harriet Tubman (Cynthia Erivo), who was a huge proponent of anti-slavery struggles during the 1800s. The Kasi Lemmons directorial depicts Harriet’s extraordinary fight and the methods she employed to save the lives of those who had been enslaved around the country. The film highlights her work conducting the Underground Railroad, which helped save other enslaved people  and her contributions during the Civil War.

Few figures in history could hold a candle to Harriet’s accomplishments, which have not only stood the test of time but influenced people’s attitudes going forward. Her willingness to put herself in the line of danger is a testament to her greatness, which is portrayed sincerely in the film. Viewers will especially resonate with the movie’s core message of strength, courage, fighting spirit, selflessness, and faith in a future where equality prevails. Check it out here.

8. Srikanth (2024)

The Indian Hindi-language film, ‘Srikanth,’ tells the story of successful entrepreneur Srikanth Bolla (Rajkummar Rao), who defies all odds to turn an eco-friendly products manufacturing company, Bollant Industries, into a viable, profitable business in the modern market. Director Tushar Hiranandani depicts the struggles faced by the eponymous business leader after being born visually impaired in a rural village in the former state of Andhra Pradesh, India. 

The film is a sparkling reminder of the perceived limitations of individuals and how Srikanth turns the adversity in his life into a force for change. The narrative brilliantly showcases his drive, motivation, and inability to give up as he fights to achieve his ambitions despite a whole world of naysayers stacked against him. It is a rousing and inspiring entry that can be watched here.

7. Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022)

In ‘ Gangubai Kathiawadi, ’ a young girl named Ganga is duped into traveling to Mumbai, India, by her boyfriend under the lure of a career in the film industry. Once there, she is sold into sex work at a brothel. However, she rises to power within the ranks and becomes the madam of the establishment, fighting for the rights of her sex workers and the equality of women who are overlooked by society.

Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ is an adaptation of a chapter from the non-fiction novel ‘Mafia Queens of Mumbai: Stories of Women from the Ganglands’ by Hussain Zaidi. The Bhansali directorial is a powerful exploration of resilience in the darkest corners of the world as the real-life protagonist climbs her way out of obscurity to fight for the freedoms she never had. It highlights her work and how formidable she was despite the cards dealt in her favor. You can watch her journey here.

6. On the Basis of Sex (2018)

Directed by Mimi Leder, ‘ On the Basis of Sex’ depicts the trials and tribulations of young fledgling lawyer Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Felicity Jones), whose personal challenges with her husband’s health and being a woman in a primarily male-led legal industry during the mid-1900s forces her to fight against the prevailing attitude to prove her worth. The film mainly revolves around Ginsburg’s early life and her work promoting gender equality through her cases.

It is an insightful look into the life of a pioneering individual in a demanding field with various trappings. Ginsburg’s struggles and accomplishments form the tapestry of the film’s emotional core, further enhanced by the presence of those who helped her along the way and her growing influence as a powerful figure. You can savor the movie here.    

5. Maestro (2023)

‘Maestro’ chronicles the life and career of famed American conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein. Written, directed, and produced by Bradley Cooper, who also plays Bernstein, the film dives into the complexities of the composer’s inner battles with sexuality and his complicated relationship with his wife, Felicia Montealegre. His turbulent bond with her plays a pivotal role in his personal life as he tries to come to grips with his identity and musical genius. 

The film is an intricate mosaic examining the various facets that made Bernstein who he was, making it an intriguing watch with a sharp performance by Cooper in the lead role. While it may not have a definite plot, watching a man’s life unfold over several decades, alongside his musical ambitions, presents a sense of deep poignancy to the narration and the humanity at its center. The film is available for streaming here.  

4. Rustin (2023)

The George C. Wolfe-directed film, ‘Rustin,’ unearths the real-life story of a lesser-known figure in history named Bayard Rustin (Colman Domingo), who played an integral role in organizing the 1963 March on Washington, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered the “I Have a Dream” speech. The film explores how, as a Black gay man, Rustin’s work and influence were diminished as he tried to fight against the discrimination of the time.

The narrative alights upon several critical moments within the Civil Rights Movement, providing an unseen perspective into the affair through the eyes of Rustin, who makes enormous contributions to the struggle despite never gaining attention. His unending work, beliefs, vision, and optimism are faithfully brought to the fore through the prescient movie and Colman Domingo’s stellar portrayal of a complicated man torn by the forces of his time but looking ahead all the same. Stream the film here.

3. Darkest Hour (2017)

With fears surrounding World War II gathering in Western Europe, the world looks for comfort and leadership in a precarious period. Newly appointed British prime minister Winston Churchill faces a difficult task in ‘ Darkest Hour ’ when he has to navigate the treacherous waters of parliament while trying to fight Hitler’s growing power, which threatens the rest of Europe, including his home nation. 

Helmed by Joe Wright, the film explores the strength, caliber, and legacy of the iconic leader facing the impossible task of unification against a turbulent tide of War. The film is graced by a mesmerizing performance by Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill, who evokes the great man with deftness. Additionally, the film provides a fresh vantage point into World War II, one led through politics, making it a unique exploration of an otherwise well-covered subject. Watch it here.  

2. Tick, Tick … Boom! (2021)

In his directorial debut, ‘ Tick, Tick… Boom! ’ Lin-Manuel Miranda tells the story of Jonathan Larson (Andrew Garfield), a composer in his early 30s who hears a strange ticking sound in his head that sounds akin to the expiring time limit on his life. Larson is worried about the pressures of his career, constantly wondering if he made the wrong choice. While battling his inner fears, he discovers what it means to be an artist who is caught in the web of achieving success without finding any triumph.  

Based on the eponymous semi-autobiographical stage musical by the real-life Jonathan Larson, the film explores his doubts, relationships, and anxieties about an uncertain future in which nothing seems to go to plan. The narrative is a meditation on a person’s dreams and what it takes to see them through, regardless of the countless failures on the path. Larson’s life is one that many aspiring career professionals will latch on to as they find moments of levity, joy, and creativity in a story about human perseverance. Check it out here.  

1. Hacksaw Ridge (2016)

‘ Hacksaw Ridge ’ delves into the miraculous true story of Pfc. Desmond T. Doss (Andrew Garfield), a drafted soldier in World War II who refuses to bear arms and wage violence against the enemy owing to his religious formation. Desmond is ostracized by his fellow soldiers, who ridicule his pacifism. However, when push comes to shove, he single-handedly saves the lives of 75 men in the Battle of Okinawa, earning the admiration and respect of those who shun him.

Directed by Mel Gibson, the film is based on the documentary film ‘The Conscientious Objector’ by Terry Benedict, which chronicles the extraordinary heroism of Desmond Doss. ‘Hacksaw Ridge’ is a deep, introspective look into the power of faith, love, and forgiveness in a harrowing and impossible situation. The film earned nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Sound Editing at the Academy Awards and is a must-watch for those looking for a genuinely complex but entertaining biopic brimming with all kinds of emotions. You can stream it here now.   

Read More: Best Historical Movies on Netflix

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The Best Biographical Documentaries on Netflix

Netflix is particularly savvy at burying all its categorical key words; “biographical documentaries” isn’t exactly a phrase or sub-genre that comes to mind immediately when browsing for something to stream. See also: “biographical music & concert documentaries” or “gritty biographical documentaries” or “German biographical documentaries,” and so on. Which is why Paste is here to pick through all the algorithms to find the best of what that esoteric signifier has to offer.

Here are the best biographical documentaries currently streaming on Netflix:

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