For those of a certain age, the beautiful theme from The Magnificent Seven will forever be associated with Marlboro cigarettes.
You beat me to it. And yes. Yes, she was.
And let’s not forget The Power of Love, forever associated with Back To The Future.
Entry of the Gladiators by Julius Fucik. This must’ve been impressive as heck when it was introduced in 1895. But in 1910 it was re-arranged and retitled “Thunder and Blazes” amnd became a staple of local orchestras, then got picked up by circuses as Clown Entrance Music.
Nowadays, it’s impossible to hear it without thinking of circuses. THIS is that standard “Circusd Music” you’ve grown up hearing. Absolutely impossible to associsate it with gladiators these days, unless they’re wearing white face makeup.
The child killer played by Peter Lorre in Fritz Lang’s classic movie M whistled that song as he worked.
Did I miss “Bolero” in this thread? And if I didn’t, why, oh why, didn’t someone mention it wrt to Ms. Derek and ‘10’?
Entry of the Gladiators music:
Cute, calling his Grand Waltz a Little Waltz.
I think it makes perfect sense to use a theme called Entry of the Gladiators as circus music. Back to the roots of the genre, as it were.
I could not agree with your post more. 
I felt quite weird the time I was out to a restaurant (Chi Chi’s, I think, boy I miss that place) with my parents and “Somebody’s Baby” started playing on their music station.
“There’s just one thing you ought to do: To thine own self be true!”
Ponchielli’s “Dance of the Hours?” Oh, you mean Allan Sherman’s “Hello Mudduh, Hello Fadduh!”
Or Tom Lehrer’s * Camp Grenada*.
That’s as may be, but I doubt I’ll ever hear Jim Croce sing I Got A Name without picturing a just-been-freed slave getting ready for his new life.
The incorrectness of the initial premise and many suggestions that follow is illustrated by the question about the William Tell overture.
For many under 50 years of age and likely for most under 40, there is no association with the Lone Ranger, a show as distant from current consciousness as Fibber Mcgee and Molly.
In another generation, the connection between Wagner and helicopter assaults will be mostly gone.
Hah! Long predating any of these is Entrance of the Gladiators by Czeck composer Julius Fucik. He originally entitled it Grande Marche Chromatique, but he really liked the Roman empire, and so re-named it.
it would probably have remained an obscure cultural footnote, had not a Canadian composer named Louis-Phillipe Laurendeau arranged it for small venues under the title Thunder and Blazes. It was immediately snatched up by circuses as a “screamer” and to use as entrance music for clowns.
Today, the first – and only – thing you think of when you hear it is the Circus. I got to hear the original march when they played it on Public Radio a few months ago. Certainly all I could think of was the circus.
A similar fate would no doubt had also befallen the Bridal Chorus from Lohegrin by Richard Wagner, but he’s really well-known, and Lohegrin continues to be performed. But I can’t hear that music and not think “Here Comes the Bride”.
Yes. I explicitly mentioned that it will be one generation that is affected, though.
Didn’t notice this was zombie, and sp replied cagain.
Zombie Clowns. I think george Romero actually showed one of those in Day of the Dead.
I can’t hear “Gonna wash that man right out of my hair” from South Pacific without thinking of the old “Gonna wash that gray right out of my hair” commercial from the 80’s.
“I explicitly mentioned that it will be one generation that is affected”
Yes, i allowed myself to be misled by the title.
Actually though, one generation is not true. Certainly both my parents’ and my generation associate the tell overture with the Lone ranger.
The “Hoe-Down” section of Aaron Copland’s Rodeo was used for the “Beef–It’s What’s for Dinner” campaign in the 1990s. Hearing it always brings to mind images of steaks and beef casseroles…
…but that’s just me, and as with some of the other examples posted here, later generations won’t have that association.
The Johnny Mathis version of the song “Wonderful! Wonderful!” now sounds creepy and sinister to me, thanks to its use in the very disturbing X-Files episode “Home.”
The same goes for Donovan’s “Hurdy Gurdy Man” and the movie Zodiac.