The Best Music Documentaries on Netflix

Learn the stories behind your favorite music.

You do n’t require to acknowledge the difference between a flugelhorn and a flumpet to apprise a good music documentary . With the proper mix of magnetic and offbeat personality , stringent attention to contingent , and a judicious restriction of outright hagiography , the result can be simply a great movie ( see : Don’t seem Back ) .

Of course , loving the topic only make a medicine doc more pleasurable , and Netflix has a satisfying excerpt of music DoC to help you wile away the hours pondering what it would be like ifyouhad become a sway ' n ' rolling wave superstar .

ALSO READ : Thebest docs and docuseries uncommitted to swarm on Netflix , and thebest documentary of 2021 .

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‘jeen-yuhs’|Netflix

Biggie: I Got a Story To Tell(2021)

Die - hard tap rooter have know since The Notorious B.I.G. ’s second and final studio apartment albumLife After Deaththat the fabled Brooklyn doorknocker had a story to distinguish , but this Netflix ’s documentary film about the hip - hop ikon reveals how so much of his story has actually gone overlooked . Thanks to rarefied footage appropriate by Biggie ’s puerility friend Damion “ D - Roc ” Butler and archived in - depth audience , Biggie : I get a Story to Telloffers an expansive flavor at Christopher Wallace ’s meteoric ascent as a knocker , his evolve mind , and his unrealised dream . Rather than yet another doc focus on the lead - up to his still unsolved murder , this must - watch feature celebrates his life and adds a bit of Christ Within to the dark cloud surround his unseasonable death .

BLACKPINK: Light Up the Sky(2020)

Unless you ’ve been exist under a rock , you should be at least slimly aware that K - popping is one of the handsome , if notthebiggest , phenomenon in music right now . It ’s not needs newfangled , but it ’s still novel to some — and this documentary about the current reigning queens of the writing style , BLACKPINK , is an fantabulous entry level . Documentarian Caroline Suh ( Salt Fat Acid Heat ) chronicle their rise in this film , from their former days being prime by their federal agency YG Entertainment with archival footage to today with contemporary interviews . For those funny about the kinetics of YG and its business mannikin of more or less manufacture star from young ages , you wo n’t find that here;Light Up the Skyis more concerned in turn the stage lighting on these four artists to play up their identity , struggle , and triumphs . It ’ll certainly give you a newfound respect for the girl grouping , or if you ’re already a Blink , await to sleep with these fille even more .

Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives(2017)

Director Chris Perkel’sdocumentary on Clive Davisis the equivalent of a greatest hits package . Literally : The medicine game White House famously sign and brought success to some of the handsome human action in history , include Janis Joplin , Barry Manilow , Billy Joel , Whitney Houston , and many others . It ’s also a wholesale , loving overview of the life and career of the influential former Columbia and Arista Records prexy and RCA chairman , with many iconic talking heads sing his praises . Though the doc veers into hagiography rather than a strictly informational facial expression , regard how Davis touched decades upon decades of popular music is a strike in itself .

Excuse Me, I Love You(2020)

Need to be immerse in a world of aphrodisiac , treacly pop perfection ? Let Ariana Grande help you with that . This tour documentary sit you in the front course on the London hitch of Ari ’s Sweetener World Tour to see her daze performances of hits like " God Is a Woman , " " 7 Rings , " and many others . Because the concert doc , steer by longtime music documentarian Paul Dugdale , can at times feel manufactured to cut to Grande ’s verify image — she is credited as an executive producer — you wo n’t find much unveiled about her personality or the music diligence beyond what appears under the spotlight . That does n’t deny the papa star ’s temptingness or talent , though : sports fan of her music will be served a bubblegum pop delight on a silver grey record .

Gaga: Five Foot Two(2017)

There is the Lady Gaga of then — the heart and soul garb , the lobster hats — and , as chronicled in this behind - the - shot doc , the Gaga of now , a forceful , musical gift who ’s just as vulnerable as every other " little monster " on the planet . Gaga : Five Foot Twocontextualizes the woman behind the belted anthems in daily life , from seconds before her big Super Bowl halftime show to the doctor ’s office , where reality strike firmly . As MTV’sDiaryonce roundly state , " 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 . InHomecoming , the pop icon not only places you in the front row of the concert , but sacrifice an in - depth feeling at the the show ’s excogitation and production , exploring her creative process and just how crucial it was to her to play up the influence of HBCUs and celebrate shameful finish in her set . The motion picture is more than the spectacle of the icon and her vocation - traverse medicine ; it finds Beyoncé in a rare intimate brightness level , 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 talented nothingness player is remove by his common - natural law married woman , who go to prison for execution before being parole and be active to North Carolina . Two 10 later , she establish an interview to her nighttime schooling instructor , then dies a year afterward . Two decade after that , a documentary come out , free-base on her interview and recollections of the malarky musician ’s contemporaries . Sound intimate ? Of course not . The history of jazz trumpeter Lee Morgan , who was shot to death follow a spear during a New York City blizzard , and his wife / murderer is odd , makingI call Him Morgannecessary viewing for any jazz fan and everyone concerned 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 shake off cake into audience member ’s fount during crazed , acrobatic live sets . These two facts probably confirm whatever preconceived notions of EDM non - fans hold , but this seem at Aoki ’s life history and approach to music also illuminate a scene too often stereotyped as just a bunch of rich nestling doing molly and trip the light fantastic toe . Though that ’s there , too .

jeen-yuhs(2022)

Kanye " Ye " West is an unceasingly complicated figure — being a recording creative person who was once an outspoken , groundbreaking heavyweight in knock , but has become synonymous with controversy . This three - parterattempts to reframe the narrative by focusing on the former stages of his career . consist of sexual footage shoot by Clarence " Coodie " Simmons , who also narrates , and Chike Ozah , the directors of West ’s break " Through the Wire " video , the picture conduct you back to West ’s clock time in Chicago , when he was essay to be seen as more than a producer by an increasingly indifferent recording industry . The rarified , early clipping of him in the studio , the Rock - A - Fella office , and spending clock time with his late female parent position the cinema as an underdog storey . But like its case , jeen - yuhsis alsofrustratingin its inability to enjoin a full story , as the filmmakers started losing access as his hotshot ascended , and fails to touch on many career - delimit second . But those who have had a hard time depend with being a fan in recent twelvemonth may still discover something enchanting here .

John & Yoko: Above Us Only Sky(2018)

For a long time , Yoko Ono verbalise about get an expansive accumulation of old footage of John Lennon . It was made available in this documentary film that explores their relationship and the making of his iconic recordImagine . Being so familiar , it ’s understandable why Ono had held onto these archives for years , but for fans of the creative person , it ’s a gift to finally see them live in this film that shows his art up close and personal . It seats you decently in their Tittenhurst Park nursing home to analyze their creative unconscious process , which Ono contributed to far more than she gets credit for . A motion picture both about their partnership and the social modification of the timesImaginecame to be , you ’ll better empathize their idealism , and it ’ll make you feel thepeace and love .

Keith Richards: Under the Influence(2015)

If there ever was a quintessential careen asterisk , it may as well be Keith Richards . The Rolling Stones ' guitarist had his heyday in the rock-and-roll and roll- , drug- , and sex - entrenched ' 60s and ' 70s , but this documentary show he ’s just as interesting and still on a high — albeit an excited one — today . The film focalise on the musician ’s nowadays , 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 older human being ’s still got it .

Metallica: Some Kind of Monster(2004)

What happens when you put a metallic element circle well past its prime into group therapy Roger Sessions as the extremity endeavor to record a novel album?Some Kind of Monster . In the early 2000s , Metallica took the drastic gradation of lease a therapist to avail them ferment through the ( many , many ) intrapersonal publication they ’d build up after spending more than a decade together . The result record album , St. Anger , famouslyinspireddividedopinions(what the hell is lead on with those drumfish ? ) , but the infotainment is a chef-d’oeuvre .

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 better known for his musicianship but also his in particular unmanageable personality , all of which is dissected and demystify here in a biographic format that chart his intact life and innovative career over two hour . While he remains an enigma , the documentary film does all in its power to make Davis more personable , bring it all back to his influential euphony .

Miss Americana(2020)

There is a scene early in director Lana Wilson ’s Taylor Swift documentaryMiss Americanawhere the soda water star say , " 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 good is something jolt to discover coming so blatantly from a major famous person . Much of the cinema examines Swift ’s kinship with idea , rehashing many of her promotional material blunders that turned her into passably of a pop - culture villain . While there is little of anything new on the adept with its content spooned direct from Swift ’s camp , she try 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 jazz a long - can rock doc . He ’s also a big Bob Dylan fan . More of late , he releasedRolling Thunder Revue , but his first Dylan documentary is 2005 ’s sprawl , three - and - a - half - hour - longNo Direction Home , which chronicles the melodious legend ’s animation from growing up as Robert Zimmerman in Minnesota to becoming a folk legend . In particular , the film focuses on his fit of stardom in the Greenwich Village scene and controversial twist towards careen medicine shortly after between the geezerhood 1961–1966 . The film is a classic Dylan text and one for obsessives , featuring astounding archival footage and rare interview to steep , and an illuminating watch as Scorsese paints a full picture of the creative person famously enshroud in mystery .

Quincy(2018)

There ’s no abnegate you ’ve heard Quincy Jones ’ records , whether you know it or not — it ’s good to say he ’s left his mark on the euphony industry . Now a life history vet , the industriousness image shares insight into his lifetime and career in a documentary film directed by his daughter , actress Rashida Jones . While the phratry - spearheaded filmdoesn’t nose dive too deepinto the controversial world that is Quincy Jones , it does allow an cozy look of his liveliness , from growing up on the South Side of Chicago during the Great Depression to working with Michael Jackson . have a number of sole interviews , Quincy Jones will feel like an one-time protagonist by the oddment of the film , one with peculiarly interesting fib about Lionel Richie and other icons .

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

Bob Dylan has long been fence by lore , and Martin Scorsese ’s documentary on his mid-’70s tour further plays into that legend . Rather than a straight concert film that vaunt never - before - seen offstage footage , Scorsese looks at the Rolling Thunder Revue term of enlistment and its revolving door of groundbreaking guests , from Allen Ginsberg to Joan Baez , as Dylan ’s means of exploring the sempiternal bounds of creativity . With interview from Dylan himself , influential collaborator , and even fictional type , it ’s a dizzying doc about the mythos of the artist and his endeavors . Of naturally , there ’s unbowed concert guesswork and clips from behind the scenes , too , but they serve to wring witness ' mind ofwhat ’s realand what ’s not here . It ’s like an inner joke for devoted Dylan - heads , or a enthralling look for entry - storey fans at how he makes prowess .

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

The Show Must Go Onsuggests that it ’s the resolution of circumstances that Queen set up members Brian May and Roger Taylor met Adam Lambert and have been able to carry on their bouncy act with him as their vocaliser . While no one could replace the tardy , great Freddie Mercury , one vigil of this Commerce and you , too , will be convinced that it ’s by some kind of miracle that the rockers come across Lambert when he was still a contestant onAmerican Idol . Full of late performances of Queen ’s beloved bowl anthems , it ’s an entertaining watch , particularly for Queen buff who will see just how much joy fills the radical ’s second life .

Sinatra: All or Nothing At All(2015)

Alex Gibney ( The discoverer , Going Clear ) go late on Frank Sinatra in this two - part documentary film that nears four hour in totality . Although that ’s not even enough to contain the concourse and stories of Ol' Blue Eyes ' life history , it does as superb a job as it can to secernate his lifetime account , grow up humbly in Hoboken , New Jersey , to becoming the Sultan of Swoon , change music and fame culture forever even as he combat his flaws . Told in the singer ’s own parole through archival interview and rarified concert footage , as well as interview with everybody in his biography from his children to Mia Farrow , it ’s as personal a looking at an American picture who ’s always felt like an untouchable myth even after he ’s long perish .

The Sparks Brothers(2021)

It does n’t matter if you know anything at all about the ring Sparks , made up of the crony Russ and Ron Mael , go into Edgar Wright ’s loving and retentive documentary film . You ’ll egress a lover , regardless . Richard Wright sets out to explain the hugger-mugger phenomenon behind Sparks , which has weaved in and out of the public heart since the early ' seventy . The theatre director methodically locomote through the Maels ' discography , highlighting their dad experiments and deeply comic and bizarre lyrics . It ’s punctilious and also enormously funny , featuring insight from the Maels themselves as well as devoted fans like Flea , Weird Al , and Mike Myers . There are renovate recreations , recreations acted out by the older Maels , and loads of archival footage . Mostly , you leave feeling a predominate warmness for these weirdos and their weirdo music , which is probable on the nose what Wright intended .

What Happened, Miss Simone?(2015)

Nina Simone was an icon , a talent without parallel , a socially engaged artist , a soul with genial malady … and so much more . As a Black fair sex artist coming of age during the tumultuous years of post - World War II America , Simone inspired horde of fans and alien some of the mass closest to her . Through interviews and archival footage , this somewhat standard plan of attack to documentary film filmmaking uncovers newfangled layers of a completely nonstandard performer .