# Music used a lot in movies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 10, 2006, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-used-a-lot-in-movies/368167 "2006-08-10T16:02:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2006, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-used-a-lot-in-movies/368167/1 "2006-08-10T16:02:03Z")
Okay, my last attempt at discussing incidental music was a [major flop](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=381661), but a recent reference to [this old thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=297143) has inspired me to ask a more general question. What are those pieces of music we hear _all the time_ in movies? The referenced thread refers to the swell of the strings in the Love Theme from Tchaikovsky’s _Romeo and Juliet_, which always indicates the onset of love. How about the chanting in [O Fortuna](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000001GQP/002-6115396-8504008?v=glance&n=5174) from Orff’s _Carmina Burana_ that always builds up to a titanic clash between good and evil (or, apparently, a splash of Old Spice). What else is there? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2006, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-used-a-lot-in-movies/368167/2 "2006-08-10T16:18:13Z")
I assume you’re sticking to classical music, and not to music specifically written for a film that gets re-used. (A lot of Max Steiner’s score for **King Kong** got recycled over the years. And Disney used Horner’s opening score for **The Rocketeer** in a lot of movie trailers.) Bach’s **Toccata and Fugue in D Minor** ended up in a lot of “evil” or “brooding” organ playing by mad geniuses over the years. **Gaudeamus Igitur** is the standard “Look, we’re at a college” music. More rarely, they use Elgar’s **Pomp and Circumstance** for this. The Wedding March from Lohegrin , of course **Happy Birthday to You** , until they started cracking down on the music rights **The Sabre Dance** by Khachaturian was always played during people performing the spinning plates-on-top-of-sticks thing, and a lot of other “busy” taloent competition. **Symphony for Strings** got played a lot on TV in the 1960s. I think it was thought to be a brightm, cheery, inoffensive background. Warner Brothers’ musician for their cartoons, Carl stalling, used to re-use classical and popular motifs a _lot_. **William Tell Overture** , **Lady in Red** , **A cup of Coffee, a Sandwich, and You** , and that piece of industrial music that someone named here ion the Board some time ago that _always_ shows up when the cartoon shows a factory or mechanization. ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2006, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-used-a-lot-in-movies/368167/3 "2006-08-10T16:43:45Z")
The wedding march from Mendelssohn’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” incidental music is almost as familiar as Wagner’s. The funeral march from one of Chopin’s piano sonatas comes up a lot. And of course, there’s Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus”. ---
**Author:** ![FlyingRamenMonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@FlyingRamenMonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRamenMonster)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2006, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-used-a-lot-in-movies/368167/4 "2006-08-10T17:17:00Z")
The Blue Fucking Danube. ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2006, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-used-a-lot-in-movies/368167/5 "2006-08-10T18:31:31Z")
Also, there’s this particular Boccherini minuet that always seems to be playing in the background at the fancy French restaurant when a blue-collar character takes his wife out for their anniversary, and hilarity ensues. Either that, or Mozart’s “Eine Kleine Nachtmuzik”. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2006, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-used-a-lot-in-movies/368167/6 "2006-08-10T18:43:34Z")
“Charging Fort Wagner” from **Glory** is used in countless trailers. Lately it seems I’ve been hearing the “Requiem Remix” from **Requiem For A Dream** a lot, too. It was used in the trailers for **The Two Towers** and **Return of the King**. And of course the **Aliens** score has been recycled quite a few times. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2006, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-used-a-lot-in-movies/368167/7 "2006-08-10T21:24:59Z")
[QUOTE=CalMeacham] that piece of industrial music that someone named here ion the Board some time ago that _always_ shows up when the cartoon shows a factory or mechanization. [/QUOTE] _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:** [August 10, 2006, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-used-a-lot-in-movies/368167/8 "2006-08-10T23:47:52Z")
[QUOTE=mobo85] _Powerhouse_. [/QUOTE] By Raymond Scott. ---
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2006, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-used-a-lot-in-movies/368167/9 "2006-08-11T01:22:15Z")
George Thoroughgood’s “Bad to the Bone” and James Brown’s “I Feel Good” are notorious for being overused in movie trailers. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2006, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-used-a-lot-in-movies/368167/10 "2006-08-11T01:34:58Z")
\*Green Onions \* by \*\*Booker T and the MGs \*\* has been used more than a couple of time. ---
**Author:** ![motomoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a9adbd/32.png) [@motomoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/motomoon)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2006, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-used-a-lot-in-movies/368167/11 "2006-08-11T02:01:56Z")
The theme from the movie Stargate seems to pop up in previews for movies a good amount. ---
**Author:** ![Taber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ac91a4/32.png) [@Taber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taber)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2006, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-used-a-lot-in-movies/368167/12 "2006-08-11T03:45:48Z")
_Bittersweet Symphony seems to have been used in more than one teen movie_ ---
**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:** [August 11, 2006, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-used-a-lot-in-movies/368167/13 "2006-08-11T04:01:32Z")
That haunted house “tiptoe” music, whatever it’s called. ---
**Author:** ![brianjedi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@brianjedi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianjedi)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2006, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-used-a-lot-in-movies/368167/14 "2006-08-11T05:15:55Z")
“Dragula” by Rob Zombie was in just about every movie made between 1998 and 2002, it seems. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2006, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-used-a-lot-in-movies/368167/15 "2006-08-11T14:27:59Z")
[QUOTE=dwc1970] George Thoroughgood’s “Bad to the Bone” and James Brown’s “I Feel Good” are notorious for being overused in movie trailers. [/QUOTE] And “Born to Be Wild” and “Rock and Roll Part 2” or whatever it is. Montage music! ---
**Author:** ![Millit\_the\_Frail](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/51bf81/32.png) [@Millit\_the\_Frail](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Millit_the_Frail)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2006, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-used-a-lot-in-movies/368167/16 "2006-08-11T15:32:50Z")
[QUOTE=CalMeacham] **The Sabre Dance** by Khachaturian was always played during people performing the spinning plates-on-top-of-sticks thing, and a lot of other “busy” talent competition. [/QUOTE] Also known as the Masturbating Bear Music, right? 😛 I also think of “establishing shot music,” such as the song that’s played to establish “we’re in England” or the other one for “we’re in France.” I’m not certain what they’re called, but I know exactly what they sound like. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2006, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-used-a-lot-in-movies/368167/17 "2006-08-11T15:37:18Z")
> [@](#): > > also think of “establishing shot music,” such as the song that’s played to establish “we’re in England” or the other one for “we’re in France.” I’m not certain what they’re called, but I know exactly what they sound like. They usually use **Rule Brittania** for England and **Le Marseilleaise** (sp?) for France. Although outdoor bistro scenes get accordian music of some kind. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Swan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_Swan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Swan)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2006, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-used-a-lot-in-movies/368167/18 "2006-08-11T15:50:11Z")
Am I the only one who notices _Blue Rondo A La Turk_ by **Dave Brubeck** (and his quartet) in what seems like every other movie?? I do like the song, though. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2006, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-used-a-lot-in-movies/368167/19 "2006-08-11T16:18:03Z")
Movies set in France always have “La Vie en Rose,” “La Mer” (“Beyond the Sea”), and “Les Yeux Ouverts” (“Dream a Little Dream of Me”) in the soundtrack somewhere. and there’s that outdoor bistro song that **Cal** mentioned. I can’t work it out at the moment. ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2006, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-used-a-lot-in-movies/368167/20 "2006-08-11T16:24:22Z")
Samuel Barber’s [Adagio For Strings](http://imdb.com/name/nm0053462/), perhaps best known in the movies as part of the soundtrack for _Platoon._ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-used-a-lot-in-movies/368167.md?page=2)