# "Factory music"... anyone know where it came from? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 31, 2007, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factory-music-anyone-know-where-it-came-from/390281 "2007-01-31T16:56:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hugh\_Mongoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8dc957/32.png) [@Hugh\_Mongoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hugh_Mongoose)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2007, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factory-music-anyone-know-where-it-came-from/390281/1 "2007-01-31T16:56:26Z")
You all know the bit I’m talking about - it’s been used everywhere from the main theme to “Honey, I shrunk the kids” to a manic interlude in “Rhythm Section Want Ad” on They Might Be Giants’ first album, to the bassline of “Bus to Beelzebub” by Soul Coughing. It seems to be one of those melodies that I’ve always been familiar with; I swear it’s been used in numerous Warner Brother cartoon shorts. In my mind it’s always associated with either factory-like imagery (it’s easy to imagine pistons pumping and machines putting rivets into a giant robot) or as something menacing/hellish. Or both. Anyone know what I’m talking about, or where it originated? ---
**Author:** ![Birdmonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71e660/32.png) [@Birdmonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Birdmonster)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2007, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factory-music-anyone-know-where-it-came-from/390281/2 "2007-01-31T17:02:44Z")
I know exactly what you’re talking about…and the fact I can’t locate it is driving me batty. Here’s to hoping I find it or someone beats me out with, you know, actual knowledge. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2007, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factory-music-anyone-know-where-it-came-from/390281/3 "2007-01-31T17:08:55Z")
You probably mean Raymond Scott’s [Powerhouse](http://raymondscott.com/MENsndf.html). ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2007, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factory-music-anyone-know-where-it-came-from/390281/4 "2007-01-31T17:09:39Z")
Without even knowing those songs, I know you’ve gotta be talking about “Powerhouse” by Raymond Scott. ---
**Author:** ![Birdmonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71e660/32.png) [@Birdmonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Birdmonster)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2007, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factory-music-anyone-know-where-it-came-from/390281/5 "2007-01-31T17:13:44Z")
I weep with joy. ---
**Author:** ![Hugh\_Mongoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8dc957/32.png) [@Hugh\_Mongoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hugh_Mongoose)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2007, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factory-music-anyone-know-where-it-came-from/390281/6 "2007-01-31T17:16:44Z")
THANK YOU! I can now die a content man. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2007, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factory-music-anyone-know-where-it-came-from/390281/7 "2007-01-31T18:27:59Z")
Check out the rest of Raymond Scott’s body of work. His Jazz number, _Manhattan Minuet_ is wonderful. ---
**Author:** ![TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2007, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factory-music-anyone-know-where-it-came-from/390281/8 "2007-01-31T18:40:30Z")
Yeah, Raymond Scott was amazing. His electronic works are _insane_. In fact, he’s the originator of about a million of those little tunes that you’ve heard a million times before. His “the melonball bounce,” originally composed for a sprite jingle in the fifties, recently showed up in a tic-tacs commercial. ---
**Author:** ![Hugh\_Mongoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8dc957/32.png) [@Hugh\_Mongoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hugh_Mongoose)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2007, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factory-music-anyone-know-where-it-came-from/390281/9 "2007-01-31T19:00:25Z")
I’m definitely going to check out some more of his work. Looking at Wikipedia’s Raymond Scott page, I noticed that the use of “Powerhouse” was uncredited in Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. I recall a few years borrowing the movie from a friend just to see if I could find the origin song in the credits and was quite perturbed when I hit a dead end; I knew James Horner (born in 1953) couldn’t possibly have written the music that was used in all the old Warner cartoons. Turns out he stole it, and got sued. Another mystery solved! ---
**Author:** ![Hugh\_Mongoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8dc957/32.png) [@Hugh\_Mongoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hugh_Mongoose)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2007, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factory-music-anyone-know-where-it-came-from/390281/10 "2007-01-31T19:02:24Z")
> [@](#): > > I recall a few years borrowing the movie from a friend Make that “I recall a few years _ago_ I borrowed…” I don’t think he would have been to happy if I borrowed the moview for a few years! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Hugh\_Mongoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8dc957/32.png) [@Hugh\_Mongoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hugh_Mongoose)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2007, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factory-music-anyone-know-where-it-came-from/390281/11 "2007-01-31T19:05:10Z")
You can assume the :smack: was also in response to all the mistakes in that last post! ---
**Author:** ![Hodge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Hodge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hodge)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2007, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factory-music-anyone-know-where-it-came-from/390281/12 "2007-01-31T20:56:48Z")
[QUOTE=Hugh Mongoose] I knew James Horner (born in 1953) couldn’t possibly have written the music that was used in all the old Warner cartoons. Turns out he stole it, and got sued. [/QUOTE] Horner is infamous for lifting themes and phrases from other works. I never knew he got sued for it, though. Whenever anybody mentions Raymond Scott or the old Warner Bros. cartoon music, I have to recommend [Bug Music](http://www.amazon.com/Bug-Music-Quintette-Orchestra-Ellington/dp/B000002I2Z/sr=8-1/qid=1170276347/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-3337966-4483900?ie=UTF8&s=music) by Don Byron. It contains some of my all-time favourite interpretations of his music, along with some excellent Duke Ellington and John Kirby pieces. If you want to explore other music in the same genre, this is an excellent place to start. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2007, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factory-music-anyone-know-where-it-came-from/390281/13 "2007-01-31T21:29:36Z")
[QUOTE=VCO3] His “the melonball bounce,” originally composed for a sprite jingle in the fifties, recently showed up in a tic-tacs commercial. [/QUOTE] So were you one of the 28 people who viewed my post about it? 🙂 > **[Tic Tac ad - Raymond Scott music](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=339465)** > > Anybody else notice this? The background music in the first commercial was “In the Hall of the Mountain Queen”. The new commercial uses the music from his old Sprite commercial. “Sprite - makes - the melon balls bounce” (in punch, of course). ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2007, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factory-music-anyone-know-where-it-came-from/390281/14 "2007-01-31T21:41:34Z")
I would just add that (as has been pointed out before) the “Powerhouse” is the kind of music you would expect to hear if Rube Goldberg actually built one of his contraptions. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2007, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factory-music-anyone-know-where-it-came-from/390281/15 "2007-01-31T23:34:55Z")
[QUOTE=VCO3] Yeah, Raymond Scott was amazing. His electronic works are _insane_. In fact, he’s the originator of about a million of those little tunes that you’ve heard a million times before. His “the melonball bounce,” originally composed for a sprite jingle in the fifties, recently showed up in a tic-tacs commercial. [/QUOTE] Is that the one where the Tic-tacs try to burst out through the people’s cheeks? ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2007, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factory-music-anyone-know-where-it-came-from/390281/16 "2007-02-02T01:09:49Z")
For a similar vibe, check out “Scare Factory Floor” from the _Monsters Inc._ soundtrack. It’s a terrific update/homage/pastiche to “Powerhouse.” ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2007, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factory-music-anyone-know-where-it-came-from/390281/17 "2007-02-02T04:55:36Z")
Raymond Scott was one of the few musicians of the 20th Century I’d dare to call “genius.” His work was remarkably influential, as it foreshadowed lounge music and exotica as well as electronica, and of course the film and cartoon scoring he was most associated with. Carl Stalling borrowed liberally from his work for the old Looney Tunes and Merry Melodies cartoon shorts, and he went on to inspire innovators from Esquivel to Frank Zappa to Ren & Stimpy creator John Kricfalusi. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2007, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factory-music-anyone-know-where-it-came-from/390281/18 "2007-02-02T23:24:48Z")
[QUOTE=Jeep’s Phoenix] Is that the one where the Tic-tacs try to burst out through the people’s cheeks? [/QUOTE] No. The 2 commercials were from the end of 2005. The model was doing unlikely things with them with her tongue, such as juggling them and creating impossibly high single stacks. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2007, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factory-music-anyone-know-where-it-came-from/390281/19 "2007-02-02T23:29:41Z")
Here’s the ad with the Sprite music: [http://youtube.com/watch.php?v=tHWXQgm9xdI](http://youtube.com/watch.php?v=tHWXQgm9xdI) ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2007, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factory-music-anyone-know-where-it-came-from/390281/20 "2007-02-03T00:47:18Z")
I had never seen that one…very cool! Nice use of the music. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factory-music-anyone-know-where-it-came-from/390281.md?page=2)