My Ten Favorite John Williams Scores

John Williams is probably the only composer whose music is just as familiar to my kids as to my parents.  His career has lasted since the late 1950s through now, which is just staggeringly cool.  And his ninetieth birthday is February 8, so I am celebrating him this weekend by talking about how much I like his music.

Now, I'm no music expert.  I enjoy music.  I love soundtracks.  I can't tell you what makes a soundtrack good or bad, only whether or not I enjoy it.  And I really enjoy a lot of his soundtracks.  Not only has John Williams composed some of the most memorable and recognizable theme songs of all time (Star Wars?  Indiana Jones?  Harry Potter?  All the same guy?  WOW.), but his music is simply fun to listen to.  And he's written for such a variety of genres that there's a little something for everyone, which is always a bonus.

So, here are my top ten favorite John Williams scores, listed in order by how often I pull them out to listen to them (though there are a couple here I don't own on CD, but must listen to as mp3 files or on YouTube because those are what's available).  

Titles are linked to my reviews of the movies themselves, where applicable, but I've also included a link to a YouTube version of a favorite or iconic track for each score.

1. The Patriot (2000).  A beautiful blend of haunting melodies and insistent themes that fill me with resolve.  Listen to the final track here.  It brings a lump to my throat just around the three-minute mark.  And then keeps building.  Glorious.

2. Sabrina (1995).  Floating, gentle, sparkling music that perfectly suits one of my favorite movies of all time.  This is one of the first soundtracks I bought with my own money, though I have long since upgraded my cassette tape copy to a CD.  Listen to the main theme here.

3. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981).  This soundtrack makes me grin and want to go learn to do parkour or ride a horse or something.  Such an upbeat batch of music!  You can hear the last track here, which has all the good stuff in it, especially that march ;-)  Just so classic!

4. Star Wars: A New Hope (1977).  I don't think I could separate these movies from this music.  They're all tied up so well in one happy and exciting package.  My favorite track is probably "The Throne Room/End Credits" because, like so many I'm sharing here, it makes me grin.  Also, I seem to have a thing for the last track on a soundtrack?  Anyway, you can listen to it here.

5. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989).  More happy, bouncy, let's-run-around-and-have-a-lot-of-rowdy-fun music :-)  With some poignant bits here and there, for balance.  My favorite track might be "Scherzo for Motorcycle and Orchestra" which you can listen to here.

6. The Rare Breed (1966).  If this soundtrack was available as an album for real, it would be way higher on this list.  Probably at number two or three.  But it's not.  All I have ever found is a suite, which you can listen to here.  But I love that suite, and I love the movie, so... that's enough to put it on this list.

7. Return of the Jedi (1983).  Even though this is my favorite Star Wars movie, I don't pull the soundtrack out as often as the first one.  But I really like the medley of "Leia's News/Light of the Force" because it's sweet and gentle... and one of my favorite parts of the movie, heh.  Listen to it here.

8. The Phantom Menace (1999).  A rather weird case of me liking the soundtrack better than the movie.  Especially "Duel of the Fates," which is just one of the best movie score tracks ever.  Listen here.  It gives me goosebumps.

9. The Empire Strikes Back (1980).  Even though this is my least-favorite of the original trilogy, it might actually edge out Return of the Jedi for number of tracks I really like.  But when I listen to a soundtrack, I'm listening as much for the pleasure of remembering bits of the movie that goes with it as I am for the music itself, so that bumps this down a few notches.  I really like "Clash of Lightsabers" a lot -- so dark and chilling.  You can hear it here.

10. Superman (1978).  This is the only soundtrack on this list that I do not own a copy of and must listen to on YouTube.  I heartily recommend the main theme because it is such an iconic and delightful fanfare -- listen right here.  It's so exuberant! 

This has been my contribution to the John Williams Blogathon hosted all weekend by Taking Up Room in celebration of John Williams's 90th birthday!

By the way, if you've enjoyed this, I have been sharing an ongoing series of movie soundtrack reviews over the past few months.  You can find a list of all of those on my Movie Music Reviews page.  I'll be sharing a review of one of John Williams's scores on his birthday, too!