As I am watching Richard Donner's cut of Superman II, I started to wonder what John Williams' most famous theme song is. Humming the Superman theme, I was almost positive it would be among the top five of Williams' tunes, but once I looked his filmography up on IMDb, I was astounded at how many great scores he has delivered. I always knew he had produced some great music, but I had forgotten how famous some of his work really was.
Well, I have narrowed down his top five theme songs and here they are. The following selections are the most recognizable pieces of music that any person would be able to identify whether they had seen the movie or not.
5. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Those famous five notes might not immediately remind people what sci-fi movie they saw in 1977, but it certainly has become an oft-repeated hummed tune. It was even used in 1979's Moonraker as a passcode for a secret laboratory.
4. Superman
Any time I hear the Man of Steel's theme song I instantly think of those blue letters zooming through space telling the audience you are about to watch a movie that made an entire world believe a man could really fly.
3. Jaws
What boy hasn't thought of this hugely popular theme song while underwater slowly swimming toward a sibling? The monstrous shark's theme helped begin what is now known as the summer blockbuster and it also kept a large number of frightened moviegoers out of the water.
2. Raiders of the Lost Ark
While Indiana Jones' theme song might not be quite as famous as Jaws' "Dun Dun, Dun Dun, Dun Dun Dun Dun Dun Dun Dun Doodoodoo," it certainly reminds me of my adolescence and brings to mind my childhood hero whipping his way through temples of doom and fighting off Nazis during the last crusade. The personal touch this theme song has helped it move up one notch on the list.
1. Star Wars
What's there to say about this theme song? Williams did such a good job with the Star Wars series, he created two famous theme songs decades apart (The Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme) from Episode V and Duel of the Fates from Episode I), but he also established that any time the 20th Century drumroll is heard it brings to mind George Lucas' hit film series. This is his most recognized work and will most likely be what he is known for by the largest group of people.
Two movie themes that get honorable mention and just missed the cut were Jurassic Park
and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Williams' theme for Jurassic Park immediately takes people back to the moment the scientists (and audience) see the dinosaurs for the first time roaming the plains of the island.
Obviously Williams' theme songs are products of the great movies they go along with, but it is his music that helps shape the films into classics. John Williams is a genius at his craft and deserves the 34 Academy Award nominations, five Oscar wins and countless other musical accolades for his talents and contributions to the film industry.
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