# Are movie theme songs dead? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 1, 2012, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-movie-theme-songs-dead/623730 "2012-06-01T02:42:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2012, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-movie-theme-songs-dead/623730/1 "2012-06-01T02:42:44Z")
[Jurassic Park](http://youtu.be/OzSFs-rlc3o).[Back to the Future](http://youtu.be/hDVhSP5sUoY). [Indiana Jones](http://youtu.be/oVNNhBtBbOs). [Star Wars](http://youtu.be/EjMNNpIksaI). I’ll bet most of you can remember the themes to those without even needing to click the links. What happened to memorable theme songs such as those? Do they still exist and I just haven’t noticed? It’s certainly possible they don’t strike the same chord, so to speak, as they did when I was young. Of course, it’s also not lost on me that John Williams was the composer for three out of four of those I mentioned, so perhaps it’s just that he no longer creating songs as memorable as he once did? All I know is that I miss it. I always loved hearing one of those themes kick into gear during specific scenes of a movie; it conveyed an energy–an emotion–that a simple score doesn’t. Am I off base? Or are movie themes just not as memorable as they used to be, if they even exist? And what favorite themes of yours did I miss? ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2012, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-movie-theme-songs-dead/623730/2 "2012-06-01T04:31:49Z")
[Harry Potter](http://youtu.be/vH_u2RO35z4). That’s the only one I can think of that’s more recent than the nearly 20 year-old Jurassic Park. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2012, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-movie-theme-songs-dead/623730/3 "2012-06-01T04:45:55Z")
> [@Red\_Barchetta](#): > > [Harry Potter](http://youtu.be/vH_u2RO35z4). Also by John Williams. I think Howard Shore’s _LOTR_ music is memorable, as are Danny Elfman’s themes for _Spider-Man_ and _Men In Black_ (plus all his scores for Tim Burton), to name a few from the past decade. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2012, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-movie-theme-songs-dead/623730/4 "2012-06-01T05:03:00Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > I think Howard Shore’s _LOTR_ music is memorable, as are Danny Elfman’s themes for _Spider-Man_ and _Men In Black_ (plus all his scores for Tim Burton), to name a few from the past decade. I can’t recall the first two, but I will agree with Men in Black…but that was 97; only slightly newer than Jurassic Park. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2012, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-movie-theme-songs-dead/623730/5 "2012-06-01T05:22:40Z")
All of the movies listed in this thread have had multiple sequels, all of which have theme music which is just a variant on the main theme from the original movie. Since Williams is responsible for several of the originals, he’s responsible for the sound tracks for a bunch of movies: he is the six-hundred pound gorilla cranking out the movie themes of our lives. Elfman’s done a bunch of good stuff, but not too much recently; Bruce Broughton did several successful themes (Silverado, for one), but really, if you’re looking at theme music, you’re looking at Williams, and some people are starting to consider him something of a hack composer because his stuff all ends up sounding the same; and, unless you’re creating a huge, bombastic movie to match his soundtrack, you’re just not going to hire him to write for you anyway. The only big movies made since 2000 that would have had big scores would have been the Batman movies (which probably borrow from Elfman), or the Bourne movies, which, again, just carry forward the same themes from movie to movie. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2012, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-movie-theme-songs-dead/623730/6 "2012-06-01T06:12:14Z")
_Pirates of the Caribbean_ has a memorable soundtrack. And a lot of the melodies in _Lord of the Rings_ stick with you, if you listen a few times. But I agree, strong themes are not common in movie music much anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2012, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-movie-theme-songs-dead/623730/7 "2012-06-01T06:14:35Z")
I don’t know about movies; they still seem to have strong themes. What I lament is the loss of TV show theme songs. Victims to the need for another minute of advertising revenue, I fear. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2012, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-movie-theme-songs-dead/623730/8 "2012-06-01T06:33:45Z")
[Inception](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imamcajBEJs)had a distinctive score, which was also key to the plot. And of course, the [Star Trek reboot](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhD_ui95D7M)had a classic catchy space-epic score. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2012, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-movie-theme-songs-dead/623730/9 "2012-06-01T08:52:03Z")
So, how many of those theme tunes are actually songs? Because I’m pretty sure the theme _ **song** _ is, in fact, dead. (Yes, I fully expect to be roundly ‘refuted’ with a dozen or so tunes-which-are-not-songs.) ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2012, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-movie-theme-songs-dead/623730/10 "2012-06-01T09:02:46Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > So, how many of those theme tunes are actually songs? Because I’m pretty sure the theme _ **song** _ is, in fact, dead. There’s always a pedantic. Sometimes I forget what forum I’m on 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2012, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-movie-theme-songs-dead/623730/11 "2012-06-01T09:51:15Z")
> [@Red\_Barchetta](#): > > There’s always a pedantic. Sometimes I forget what forum I’m on 😛 Seriously, though, when was the last time you saw, well, _anything_ that started with something you could sing along to using actual words? I can think of one TV show (“The Big Bang Theory”) that kind of slips in on a technicality, another (“House”) that uses an actual song with all the singing removed, and I’m willing to spot the Universe a few I’ve missed because I spend more time arguing nonsense online than watching it on TV. When it comes to movies, I’m down to decades-old Bond films. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2012, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-movie-theme-songs-dead/623730/12 "2012-06-01T14:31:06Z")
They’ll have to eliminate Best Song from the Academy Awards. The year “It’s Hard Out There For A Pimp” (!) was the death blow. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2012, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-movie-theme-songs-dead/623730/13 "2012-06-01T14:31:26Z")
> [@Red\_Barchetta](#): > > There’s always a pedantic. Sometimes I forget what forum I’m on 😛 Pedant. And I think the James Bond franchise is the only one keeping the theme **song** alive, or trying to, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2012, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-movie-theme-songs-dead/623730/14 "2012-06-01T16:11:55Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > So, how many of those theme tunes are actually songs? Because I’m pretty sure the theme _ **song** _ is, in fact, dead. > > (Yes, I fully expect to be roundly ‘refuted’ with a dozen or so tunes-which-are-not-songs.) > [@Red\_Barchetta](#): > > There’s always a pedantic. Sometimes I forget what forum I’m on 😛 I don’t think it’s just pedantry; I think it’s a useful distinction, and my first reaction to the OP was “Hey, those aren’t _songs_.” Theme _songs_ are like… well, the various James Bond theme songs may be the best-known examples. In fact, _Back To the Future_ arguably has a theme song: the Huey Lewis song “Back In Time.” ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2012, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-movie-theme-songs-dead/623730/15 "2012-06-01T18:30:12Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > Seriously, though, when was the last time you saw, well, _anything_ that started with something you could sing along to using actual words? _Community_ and _Psych_ both have catchy theme songs with lyrics. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2012, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-movie-theme-songs-dead/623730/16 "2012-06-01T18:43:19Z")
Everyone here is posting about the theme tunes to Hollywood blockbusters, but to many Brits the theme tune to “Get Carter”, A British gangster film from 1971 about a London gangster who goes up north to Newcastle to find out who killed his brother, is totally memorable. Different from many in this thread, because its non orchestral. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2012, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-movie-theme-songs-dead/623730/17 "2012-06-01T18:53:16Z")
Gawd I hate to say this but the TV series Friends has a song. I am so embarrased. Don’t hate me. Oh, and of course MASH and China Beach (damn that lady was smokin). I guess all those are “old” though. ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2012, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-movie-theme-songs-dead/623730/18 "2012-06-01T18:54:33Z")
I cannot watch “Pirates” without humming its theme for an extended period of time. Same for “LOTR” ---
**Author:** ![Helena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c68b51/32.png) [@Helena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2012, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-movie-theme-songs-dead/623730/19 "2012-06-01T19:40:18Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Pedant. I just busted up laughing at that. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2012, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-movie-theme-songs-dead/623730/20 "2012-06-01T22:58:08Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > _Community_ and _Psych_ both have catchy theme songs with lyrics. Are they still making new episodes of _Monk_? Because that certainly qualifies and I forgot it above. _M_A_S_H\* is kind of in the same spot _House_ is in, in that they took a real song and removed the lyrics to make a theme tune. It’s also quite old at this point. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-movie-theme-songs-dead/623730.md?page=2)