I have a great appreciation for music. That is to say, it has the ability to speak to my soul like it’s supposed to. So when I listen to a happy song, I feel happy, when I listen to a sad song, I feel sad, and so on. It’s more than just “oh that’s a nice song,” I mean I really feel it. Whenever I watch movies, I appreciate the effect the music has on certain moods. Every movie has music in it, and most movies have a main theme that repeats throughout.
I have selected some of my favorite themes here. My top eleven just because I couldn’t narrow it down to anymore than that. I’ve chosen them based on how much emotion they manage to get out of me purely through music (and not the subject content), whether or not I can actually sit through the entire thing without getting bored or if there’s just one part I enjoy, how much I can re-listen to them like any song on the radio with words, and just how freakin’ awesome they are.
Here we go, my top 11 in order:
11)“Halloween Theme”- John Carpenter (Halloween 1979)
There’s something just so creepy and eerie about this theme song. I’ve never seen any of the Halloween movies, but this is one of the most encapsulating horror themes I’ve ever heard. The eerie, repetitive piano notes, the ominous strings in the background. I wouldn’t listen to this while walking alone. It’s at the bottom of the list because it does get old after a while. It is just the same thing over and over again.
10) “Back to the Future Main Theme”- Alan Silvestri (Back to the Future trilogy 1985-90)
Tell me you don’t get excited when you hear this? I love the way it builds up. It’s not anything super epic and extraordinary, but it’s still full of fun and adventure. It gets you in the mood to go time traveling, right? ;)
9) “The Raiders March/Indiana Jones Theme”- John Williams (Indiana Jones franchise 1981-2008)
Speaking of fun and adventure, here’s the ultimate theme song right here. If you ever want to feel like a total adventurer while doing something, just play this in the background and you’ll feel so much more epic.
8) “Theme from Jaws”- John Williams (Jaws franchise 1975-87)
Those two notes though. That’s all it takes to freak people out. Unlike with the Halloween theme, the repetition of the same notes over and over again in this case doesn’t get boring. I can listen to the entire thing and not get bored. John Williams is the master of capturing the mood and essence of the movie he is scoring. Even if you have never seen Jaws, you can just picture the shark creeping up on you attacking, right? It’s so suspenseful.
7) “Hedwig’s Theme”- John Williams (Harry Potter franchise 2001-11)
I tried not to let my personal nostalgia get in the way here, but this theme song is so great! Just listen to the entire thing and tell me you don’t picture a world full of wonder and magic. All the different little themes intertwined into one song give you different feelings of the world you’re supposed to be entering. Amazing!
6) “The Batman Theme”- Danny Elfman (Batman franchise 1989-97, Batman the Animated Series 1992-95)
It’s just an epic theme song. It’s dark and brooding, but also action-packed with a little bit of mournful romantic themes. That is Batman. I can listen to it over and over.
5) “Theme from Jurassic Park”- John Williams (Jurassic Park franchise 1993-2015)
Now we’re getting to the theme songs that get stuck in my head on a regular basis. This theme is so full of wonder. It’s so epic and yet so beautiful. It totally fits with the idea of visiting an island with dinosaurs.
4) “Psycho Main Theme/The Murder”- Bernard Hermann (Psycho 1960)
This is one intense theme. Something interesting about the entire score of the movie is that it is entirely composed of strings; no percussion, to horns, nothing. I think the strings make it that much more intense. I love the main part of the theme and how unnerving it it, but the actual murder part with just the repetitive violins is also very inspired. It creeps under your skin
3) “He’s a Pirate”- Klaus Badelt (Pirates of the Caribbean franchise 2003-17)
This theme song has a similar effect on me as the Indiana Jones one except on a greater level. I want to go swinging from rope, jump over cliffs, swim across oceans, sword fighting with pirates, or whatever just as long as this music is playing behind me. Plus, I can listen to the entire thing on repeat and never tire of it.
2) “Main Title”- John Williams (Star Wars franchise 1978-?)
Okay, my inner Star Wars fan really wanted me to put this as number one just because it was Star Wars, but I had to be unbiased about subject matter and put it second because the first one... well, I explain later. The thing about this theme is that the one moment that is REALLY gets you excited is at the beginning during the credits scroll and there there are tiny glimpses of it throughout the film. It’s super similar to my number one, but I put this one as number two because it’s not quite on number one level, but still good. I love how just plain epic this theme is. It’s just laying out this grand, amazing tale you’re about to behold for you (which is why it plays over the opening scrawl). It’s such a great way to get the audience super pumped just through music.
1) “Superman Main Theme”- John Williams (Superman franchise 1978-87 and others)
So THIS beat out Star Wars because the two themes are remarkably similar (really, try singing one and then switching over to the other. It’s super hard.) However, I chose this theme as number one because of how well it captures its subject matter. It’s fun, it’s campy, it’s epic, it’s heroic, it’s romantic, it’s gentle, it’s out of this world, and it’s just super! Even years later after those movies came out, the song is still associated with Superman. Almost every adaption of Superman that has come out since then has incorporated the theme somehow. If a composer can manage to encapsulate such a beloved and epic character simply through music, that is an accomplishment. Plus, I can listen to this song as part of my regular music on repeat, it’s that good.
No comments:
Post a Comment