It has been three months since my last touch on The Year of Music. This is due almost entirely to the fact that John Williams’ has a musical catalogue nearly triple the size of Springsteen’s (itself substantial). I listened to 54 of his albums, consisting of every film score of his available on Spotify. This is not his entire collection, a few odds and ends are missing, but it was as much as I could freely listen to. This was exhausting because of how much music was in front of me, but it was a terrific experience.
My Most Played Musician
John Williams has topped my most played artist list on Spotify for 5 of the 7 years Spotify has been keeping those stats. He’s one of the first musical artists I remember recognizing, the artist behind the first album I bought on the iTunes store, and a constant presence in my life. I can identify his work within seconds and one of the nerdiest things about me is that I can identify which Star Wars movie the intro belongs to before Williams’ finishes the Main Titles (which despite the same song in every movie, always sounds a little different). John Williams is as much a part of my life as eating or sleeping.
Going In
Going into this experiment, I’d heard a lot of John Williams already. When I published my Springsteen deep dive I included a list of my favorite Williams’ hits with it. That list goes as follows:
Top Albums
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
- Jaws
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
- Episode IV- A New Hope
- Raiders of the Lost Ark
- Episode V- The Empire Strikes Back
- Jurassic Park
- Episode III- Revenge of the Sith
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
- Episode VI- Return of the Jedi
Top Songs
- Leaving Hogwarts
- Yoda and the Force
- Anything Goes
- The Keeper of the Grail
- Yub Nub
- The Birth of the Twins and Padme’s Destiny
- Theme from Jurassic Park
- The Imperial March
- The Map Room/ Dawn
- Duel of the Fates
Mostly, this list remains more or less in tact, however there were a few surprises that really stuck with me and I’d like to address those first.
Surprise Hits
Heartbeeps (1981)
This is a movie I had never seen nor heard of prior to the deep dive. The score is very much a product of the 80s Synth Wave but done with the sweeping style that John Williams’ is known for. Though I still haven’t seen the movie and I don’t much know what it’s about, I’ve felt it. That is the power not just of John Williams but of film score as an art, to sweepingly take us into the emotion of a movie even if we aren’t caught up already in the context.
Jaws 2 (1978)
There is no reason to watch a Jaws film that isn’t Jaws (1975), but Williams’ score for the lackluster sequel is surprisingly luster. The ORCA motif that Williams’ introduces early on is really appealing. It surrounds you in this underwater sense of discovery in a way that only music can really do. I have no idea the context of that motif within the film but it’s a wonderous pleasure to hear on its own.
Lincoln (2012)
I’ve seen this movie only once, and when I was much too young to pay it much attention. Williams’ score feels very epic, but not in the loud and explosive manner as something like Star Wars or Harry Potter. Instead, its a slowly building score that suddenly sweeps you without ever really having to raise its voice.
Overall Takeaways
John Williams’ really is the greatest living composer. Though he’s certainly not alone in having talent within the field, there are none who quite reach his level of versatility and lasting impact. He can be loud and triumphant, sweet and somber. He can score the wrath of God, the decimation of an entire planet, the Emancipation Proclamation, and the daily life of a newspaper reporter. Yet even in instances where his scores sound entirely unlike one another, compare A New Hope to The Terminal, his music still feels uniquely Williams’. The evolution of leitmotifs, the soft playing of the piano, the sweeping brass and wind movements- the tools in his pocket hardly ever change. Yet each time, even when approaching his ninth crack at a single franchise, he steps up to the plate with something that sounds, feels, and moves you like new.
The New Rankings
My initial list didn’t change much. Nostalgia is a tough thing to overcome and its influence in my list remains strong. However, some changes were made.
Top Albums
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
- Jaws 2
- E.T.
- Episode IV- A New Hope
- Raiders of the Lost Ark
- Episode V- The Empire Strikes Back
- Jurassic Park
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
- Episode III- Revenge of the Sith
- Episode VI- Return of the Jedi
Top Songs
- Meeting Tom Riddle
- The Battle of Endor Medley II
- Anything Goes
- The Keeper of the Grail
- Leaving Hogwarts
- The Birth of the Twins and Padme’s Destiny
- Theme from Jurassic Park
- The Imperial March
- The Map Room/ Dawn
- Duel of the Fates
The list didn’t change much and the key franchises are still mostly on top.
The Harry Potter Franchise
Williams scored the first three Harry Potter movies and it is within these three movies both as individual scores and as a trifecta, that I believe he shows the greatest range. Harry Potter utilizes a wild array of different tones, themes, and moods, and Williams’ balances them all deftly. He paints, Harry’s longing for a home, epic battles, fanfare filled sports games, and tender moments in vibrant, vivid colors that give me goosebumps to listen to.
Favorite Songs:
Leaving Hogwarts
The Chess Game
Meeting Tom Riddle
Star Wars
It does not get any more epic than Star Wars. More than that, Williams’ doesn’t get much more romantic than in the galaxy far, far, away. Playing greatly upon the sweeping scores of Erich Korngold, Max Steiner, and the epic, romantic feel of the pictures that inspired George Lucas, John Williams creates sounds and motifs that are instantly recognizable and instantly epic. Whether its the slow build of A New Hope, heavy handed Operatics in The Phantom Menace or the epic climax of old motifs in The Last Jedi, Williams’ always lifts the material in a way that no one else could.
Favorite Songs:
Ben’s Death and Tie Fighter Attack
The Imperial March
The Battle of Endor Medley II
Duel of the Fates
The Birth of the Twins and Padme’s Destiny
The Spark
Canto Bight
Indiana Jones
John Williams’ best work was done in the Indiana Jones franchise. Here is where the epic and sweeping style of Star Wars meets with the sincere and shifting style of Harry Potter. Here Williams’ adoration for the romantic scores of Old Hollywood crescendo in musical adventures filled with tension, love, and heroism. I’m a sucker for the Indy Franchise in general and Williams’ scores are a tremendous reason why. There’s not a character in here who’s on-screen effect isn’t doubled due to the emotion Williams’ builds audibly around them.
Favorite Songs:
Raiders March
The Map Room/ Dawn
The Basket Game/ Marion’s Theme
Children in Chains
Anything Goes
Scherzo for Motorcycle and Orchestra
Indy’s Very First Adventure
The Keeper of the Grail
Finale (from Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull)
Closing Thoughts
John Williams is an artist who is easy to get swept up in. His works remind me of favorite movies, they sweep me up in their emotion, and they have always and will always continue to stoke my love of music. There have never been nor will there ever be any film composers that can meet his regularity and consistency as a musical icon.
Who’s Next?
I’ll be taking a break for the month of July as I go on vacation and generally take on a lighter load. However, I’ll return to this series in August with another longtime favorite- the Piano Man, Billy Joel.
Collin Willis 