John Williams (and the Olympics)

Music generally isn't a huge deal to me. I don't spend much time exploring artists or keeping up with what's popular and just kinda scroll through the radio. If I had to pick a single music type I'm most passionate about, it's probably film scores. I have a Pandora station seeded with composers that do that sort of work. Whenever I hear a familiar tune that I know comes from a movie, I badly want place it and get annoyed if I can't. I'm drawn to throw in Howard Shore's masterful Lord of the Rings soundtrack from time to time. Other times I absolutely need to hear the main theme from Last of the Mohicans or Chariots of Fire or The Third Man. It's crazy the emotions invoked by these and so many others.

We (I) don't have time to assess the breadth of the entirety of music in film. Instead I want to talk about one man, John Williams, that stands on top of this world due to his massive catalog of recognizable music. Working frequently with Steven Spielberg and/or George Lucas, Williams pumped out score after score in major motion pictures starting in the 1970s. He was consistently great and his creations became inseparable from the success of those films. Even if you've never heard of this man you'll be shocked how many of his themes you already know. At 89 he's somehow still active today btw, though I can't imagine he works nearly as much as he did in the past. Let's get to some of his music. I'll go chronologically so I don't have to rank them.

Spielberg collaborated with Williams from very beginning. In 1975 came 'Jaws,' Spielberg's second feature length film and the summer blockbuster. This one still haunts.

1977 saw the release of a little film called 'Star Wars.' It was Williams first time working with Lucas and the fanfare he produced is part of likely the most well-known score in history.

Richard Donner hired Williams for his 1978 'Superman.' You still hear this heroic theme today (hello Goldy).

In 1980 he returned to a galaxy far, far away for 'The Empire Strikes Back,' which added the menacing The Imperial March to the pop culture consciousness.

When Spielberg and Lucas made a film together they, of course, brought in John Williams. 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' came out in 1981. This, naturally, is my favorite.

In 1982, Spielberg made 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.' Somehow childhood itself is collapsed into a piece of music.

'Home Alone' released in 1990. Williams put out something you hear every December.

1993. More Spielberg, more Williams, more adventure. Welcome to 'Jurassic Park!'

No, I'm not into Harry Potter. I do however understand the importance of Hedwig's Theme, from the 2001 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone.'

Others:

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

Born on the Fourth of July (1989)

Hook (1991)

Schindler's List (1993)

Saving Private Ryan (1998)

The Patriot (2001)

So far Williams has collaborated with Spielberg 28 times, which includes smaller films with fun scores like 'Catch Me If You Can' (2002) and 'The Adventures of Tintin' (2011). He did all nine of Star Wars episodes (released 1977, '80, '83, '99, 2002, '05, '15, '17, and '19). I haven't even mentioned Duel of the Fates, another Star Wars gem. He did all four Indiana Jones adventures (released 1981, '84, '89, and sigh, 2008) and apparently plans to do the next one due out in 2022. He did the first three Harry Potters (released 2001, '02, '04), establishing lasting themes that'd continue through the rest. There's a lot more too but you get the point. His mastery of cinema composition is complete and his talent goes well beyond the bombastic, even if that's why he'll be most fondly remembered. If you care about such things, at the Academy Awards he's taken home 5 Oscars, for Fiddler on the Roof (1971, an adaptation), Jaws, Star Wars, E.T. and Schindler's List. Such an incredibly productive career.

But the work in film wasn't what instigated this post today, even if it's certainly been fun to go through. In addition to everything else John Williams also wrote nearly all the music you hear for the Olympics. With the 2020 Games just wrapping up, this seemed the perfect time to talk about him.

Williams actually composed music for the competitions in 1984 (Los Angeles), 1988 (Seoul), 1996 (Atlanta) and 2002 (Salt Lake City). Most of the piece above, 'Olympic Fanfare and Theme,' debuted in 1984, though the arrangement best known (the video above) is from 1996. This altered version has a section, the horns at the start, not written by him that's been associated with the Olympics since 1968. The rest, however, is all Williams and includes the best part (from 2:54), that plays constantly during NBC's coverage, and the ads, and repeatedly gets stuck in your head. Some of the new music for 1996, called 'Summon the Heroes,' (the video below) you'll probably also recognize if you watch the Olympics like I do.

Even if ratings are falling this year and overall interest is down, I'm still a big fan of the worldwide competition. It's the true pinnacle of sport and sportsmanship and the vast majority of the athletes that have made it deserve our respect no matter what they do there. That said, of course it's thrilling to take in so many breathtaking and stupidly close events. It's amusing seeing new and otherwise unknown to me sports (like the 50k race-walk). It's impossible not to get sucked in watching the pure emotion on the faces of athletes who've trained their whole lives for this fleeting moment, with both exhilaration and utter deflation and everything in between. More than anything it's been amazing this time getting to share it with my toddler, who's loved all of it as well (most especially beach volleyball). It helps my personal interest that the U.S. always dominates the medal count and has so many easy to root for individuals competing under its flag. For now I'm ready for the Summer Games to end. I'm also excited, perhaps, for the Winter Games next year (downhill skiing!), though admittedly Beijing 2022 could be delayed or justifiably boycotted. And finally, to bring everything back together, just like with so many of his film themes it's impossible to separate the joy of the Olympics from John William's score. Bravo sir.

I should end it here but as I've looked into Williams I'm even more impressed by further discoveries, like other work for NBC. He wrote the NBC Nightly News theme. He even wrote the tune for Sunday Night Football. Is there anything he can't do?