# Trailers that hijack their score from other movies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 30, 2004, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trailers-that-hijack-their-score-from-other-movies/247852 "2004-05-30T23:12:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Evil\_Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecccb3/32.png) [@Evil\_Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Death)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2004, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trailers-that-hijack-their-score-from-other-movies/247852/1 "2004-05-30T23:12:20Z")
As tuckerfan pointed out in the Sky Captain thread, it seems to be a fairly common practice for an upcoming film’s trailer to use the score from a completed movie rather than parts of its own score. I’ve noticed it happen a few times myself, such as when LotR: The Two Towers used Lux Aeterna from the Kronos Quartet’s score for _Requiem For A Dream_, but not as much as I possibly should have. What I want to know is, where have _you_ seen this trick in action? Feel free to throw in bits of trivia such as when was it most noticeable, when the old movie’s score fit the new movie even better, and which score has been used the most times in this manner - it’s all interesting to hear. ---
**Author:** ![PastAllReason](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f07891/32.png) [@PastAllReason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastAllReason)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2004, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trailers-that-hijack-their-score-from-other-movies/247852/2 "2004-05-31T02:00:56Z")
I have heard the theme from [Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story](http://imdb.com/title/tt0106770/) in many, many trailers and television spots for movies. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve heard it. Apparently it’s outliving the movie itself. ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2004, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trailers-that-hijack-their-score-from-other-movies/247852/3 "2004-05-31T02:15:10Z")
Roger Corman has a theme song. I first heard the music as the main theme of this horrible little sword-and-sorcery flick, _Sorceress_, about kung-fu-fighting-topless-blonde-wizard-chicks. I have heard that theme music in every trailer for every movie since then that Roger Corman has ever made, produced, or distributed. For that matter, he completely reused it as the music track for the godawful \*Fantastic Four \* movie his daughter made a while back. ---
**Author:** ![Kaitlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/73ab20/32.png) [@Kaitlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaitlyn)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2004, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trailers-that-hijack-their-score-from-other-movies/247852/4 "2004-05-31T04:20:09Z")
The reason this occurs is that trailers are typically produced before the film is finished. This has two consequences, the first being that scenes in the trailer sometimes don’t appear in the finished film. The second is the phenomenon in the op. The company that produces the trailer is usually working from elements provided by the working version of the film. Scoring is among the last things done to finish a film. Thus, the makers of the trailers usually don’t have access to the film’s score, as it’s often written after the trailers are produced. So the makers of the trailers look for music that is a proven commodity, and will reuse the same music over and over. ---
**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:** [May 31, 2004, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trailers-that-hijack-their-score-from-other-movies/247852/5 "2004-05-31T05:35:30Z")
> [@PastAllReason](#): > > I have heard the theme from [Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story](http://imdb.com/title/tt0106770/) in many, many trailers and television spots for movies. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve heard it. Apparently it’s outliving the movie itself. Yeah, this one shows up all over the place. It was used in the trailers for one or both of the Harry Potter movies and more recently for the movie _Radio_. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2004, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trailers-that-hijack-their-score-from-other-movies/247852/6 "2004-05-31T06:34:45Z")
I’d like to know which film score has been taken and used for the opening credits on the TV show **Cold Case**. I know I’ve heard it before. ---
**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:** [May 31, 2004, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trailers-that-hijack-their-score-from-other-movies/247852/7 "2004-05-31T15:56:16Z")
For years, whenever a filmmaker needed movie for a trailer, they took it from **The Stunt Man** , which had both a “lighthearted” theme and a more “serious” one. I’d guess that, other than random classical music, this was the most commonly used source of music for trailers. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2004, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trailers-that-hijack-their-score-from-other-movies/247852/8 "2004-05-31T16:06:51Z")
Listen for the opening part of _What’s This?_ from “Nightmare Before Christmas” which makes an appearance in lots of trailers. It’s often used for fantastical or wonderous moods. ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2004, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trailers-that-hijack-their-score-from-other-movies/247852/9 "2004-05-31T16:27:04Z")
The main theme music from _Dragonheart_ is featured in a ton of trailers. I’ve also heard it connected to many sports games and commercials where the players are jumping up and down in slow motion because of a triumphant win. Huzzah. Danny Elfman’s opening credits music to _Beetlejuice_ has been tacked onto a lot of trailers as well. Mostly to goofy supernatural movies. I think it was on the early trailers of _The Frightners_, but I could be mistaken. ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2004, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trailers-that-hijack-their-score-from-other-movies/247852/10 "2004-05-31T18:08:03Z")
**First Knight** ’s trailer used music from **Conan the Barbarian**. I was quite aghast at that. **Titanic** ’s trailer used music from **Braveheart**. It didn’t fit. Anyone remember the TV ads for **Pearl Harbor**? They used a beautiful, sad orchestral piece that I haven’t been able to identify, but it all sounded pretty familiar… ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2004, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trailers-that-hijack-their-score-from-other-movies/247852/11 "2004-05-31T20:10:11Z")
Part of the score from **Hoffa** are used quite a bit as well. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2004, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trailers-that-hijack-their-score-from-other-movies/247852/12 "2004-06-01T00:21:29Z")
> [@Kilt-wearin' man](#): > > **First Knight** ’s trailer used music from **Conan the Barbarian**. I was quite aghast at that. > > **Titanic** ’s trailer used music from **Braveheart**. It didn’t fit. I thought it was the chorus from ‘Carmina Burana’ whcih is also commonly used and sounds a lot like ‘Conan music’. It was also used in the score for ‘Excaliber’. Bethovans ‘Ode to Joy’ (AKA ‘Die Hard’ theme) is also commonly used as is Enya’s 'Book of Days (AKA Far and Away theme). The theme from Stargate is probably one of the most common ones I’ve heard as well. > [@Kilt-wearin' man](#): > > Anyone remember the TV ads for **Pearl Harbor**? They used a beautiful, sad orchestral piece that I haven’t been able to identify, but it all sounded pretty familiar… Most likely it is one of the themes from Thin Red Line (a movie that IMHO makes Saving Private Ryan look like Stripes by comparison) ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2004, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trailers-that-hijack-their-score-from-other-movies/247852/13 "2004-06-01T01:03:04Z")
Some of the music from Brahm Stoker’s Dracula is used in a lot of trailers. I’ve even heard it on the History Channel. Marc ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2004, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trailers-that-hijack-their-score-from-other-movies/247852/14 "2004-06-01T01:09:16Z")
Although I haven’t heard it being used in quite a while now, James Horner’s **‘Bishop’s Countdown’** from **Aliens** was heard over dozens of trailers for years after it first came out. ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2004, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trailers-that-hijack-their-score-from-other-movies/247852/15 "2004-06-01T01:19:21Z")
Another couple of ‘action trailer cliches’: “O Fortuna” – a Gregorian Chant like song which inevitably ends up with a bunch of fireballs going off in the background (hilariously parodied and basically put to death by the South Park movie) and “Roll Tide” from Crimson Tide, which took over from the Aliens score mentioned above. A **great** resource for this is [Filmtracks](http://www.filmmusic.com/trailers/) , which also includes the names of songs used in addition to score snippets. ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2004, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trailers-that-hijack-their-score-from-other-movies/247852/16 "2004-06-01T01:23:26Z")
I keep on hearing music from Jerry Goldsmith’s _Rudy_. In countless trailers. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2004, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trailers-that-hijack-their-score-from-other-movies/247852/17 "2004-06-01T01:30:14Z")
The theme music from _ **The Last Starfighter** _ appears in the trailer to that immortal classic, _The Jetsons Movie_. (I know y’all have been agonizing over not knowing that for years now.) ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2004, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trailers-that-hijack-their-score-from-other-movies/247852/18 "2004-06-01T01:33:05Z")
Oh, and the Conan the Barbarian track that gets used (like for Gladiator) is called “The Anvil of Crom”. ---
**Author:** ![GythaOgg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/49beb7/32.png) [@GythaOgg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GythaOgg)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2004, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trailers-that-hijack-their-score-from-other-movies/247852/19 "2004-06-01T02:20:36Z")
Both my husband and I have noticed that the theme from ‘The Rocketeer’ gets used a heck of a lot - I know I’ve noticed it used in a trailer within the last year or two, and in many more prior. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2004, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trailers-that-hijack-their-score-from-other-movies/247852/20 "2004-06-01T13:18:34Z")
The theme from Beetlejuice… pretty distinctive Elfman piece… used for the trailer to the ‘My Favorite Martian’ movie (the one with Christopher Lloyd). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trailers-that-hijack-their-score-from-other-movies/247852.md?page=2)