Few films are as inextricably linked to their music as Gordon Parks’ Shaft is to Isaac Hayes’ compositions. “Theme From Shaft” is so woven into the fabric of pop culture that it might invite more parody than reverence now, but nearly 50 years ago, it revolutionized how music could be used in film. Before Shaft, soundtracks were collections of popular songs, while scores were designed to accompany action and dial up drama. Hayes’ take on Shaft blended the two approaches, creating an experience that worked in theaters and also on radio and record players—and in the process, topped the charts.

Though Shaft was Hayes’ first film score, he was uniquely equipped for the task. A multi-instrumentalist, producer, arranger, vocalist, and songwriter, he was one of the architects of the funk and R&B sound of Stax Records, and knew how to create something massive from the ground up. When tasked with dramatizing Shaft’s scenes, he enlisted his home team—the Bar-Kays, the Isaac Hayes Movement, and the Memphis Strings & Horns—and drew from a palette of styles that told the story of where black music was and where it was going. Jazz, R&B, rock, blues, funk, and nascent disco are all present and vital. The album would cement Hayes as a star and earn him an Oscar for Best Original Song—the first for an African-American composer. The greatest testament to its impact remains the theme, still purring in our heads today. –Timmhotep Aku

Listen: Isaac Hayes, “Theme From Shaft”