A long time ago I posted that Tubular Bells scares the bejeebus out of me and another poster wondered why this should be since it is a fine example of a contemporary classical piece. Or was it experimental jazz?
I don’t care what you classify it as, to me it’ll always be Music To Get Exorcised By.
This piece has been used as the official music of the European Union. I think that has been dropped now however.
While we are discussing classical music and Kubrick, how about Also Spracht Zarathustra from 2001: A space odyssey? It’s possibly the most iconic soundtrack scene of all time, I for one can’t listen to it without seeing the movement of planets before my eyes.
Also, the Fellini movie **8 1/2 **uses Rossini’s La Barbiere di Siviglia in a very memorable way. Classical music has a way to be able to merge with the moving pictures, because of it being very unique and instrumental.
Star Wars made Holst cool again.
Wow. Funny you should mention that song. It was prominent in L.I.E., and I can’t hear it now without getting all squeamed out.
I’ll always think of the scene in The Karate Kid where Daniel and Allie go to the amusement park on a date when I hear “Feel The Night” by Baxter Robertson.
ACO ruined/enhanced a LOT of music- Pucelli’s (?) Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary,
The Wm Tell Overture, Singing in the Rain, Beethoven’s Ninth, just about everything in it.
Including of course, “Molly Malone” and “I Want to Marry a Lighthouse Keeper”. 
Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries always reminds me of helicopters now. I think it was reinforced by me being in an air cav unit when I first saw Apocalypse Now.
The Righteous Brothers’ You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ seems to have survived Top gun.
All of the music in 2001 are strongly associated with the movie. I can’t even listen to Blue Danube without seeing spaceships. And Lux Aeterna.
I don’t remember the Holst music in Star Wars - in my mind it’s more strongly associated with The Right Stuff.
Does Mrs. Robinson count? I recall it wasn’t written for The Graduate, but I don’t know if the song was out before the movie.
The Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind?” is, in my mind, inexorably linked with the ending scene from Fight Club.
I’ve always associated that with cartoons.
This example is from a TV show instead of a movie, but I can’t listen to “The Final Countdown” without thinking of Gob Bluth dancing around on stage with a knife in his teeth as he is performing a magic trick. Oops, I mean an illusion. Tricks are something a whore does for money.
Speaking of cartoons, there are tons of classical pieces that make me and a lot of other people think of Bugs Bunny.
When I hear “American Girl”, the movie it reminds me of is Sugar and Spice, though they didn’t use the original by Tom Petty, but a cover done by some girl band whose name escapes me at the moment.
It wasn’t?
Whenever I hear Ace of Spades by Helmet I think of that convenience store shootout in Grosse Point Blank
1992, actually. I can’t believe I know that.
William Tell didn’t write the piece for the radio show? Hunh. Who knew?
No, they’ve kept it as the anthem for the EU, and also for the Council of Europe.
Not a movie, but the X-Files episode “Home” completely distorted Johnny Mathis.