We grew up in a
great era for film. Regardless of the
genre, movies in the 1980s and 1990s more often than not delivered with solid acting,
well-written plots and tons of memorable moments. But one aspect of great films that is
sometimes underrated by the general public is a great soundtrack. The Golden Age produced some of the most
memorable movie scores and themes of all-time, and in this entry, I’ll weigh in
with my Top 10.
A disclaimer: As
usual with a Top 10 list, please remember that there is room for differences in
opinion. I’m sure there are some awesome
themes that I’ve left out here. Also, while I
typically consider the Golden Age to be the Mid 1980s through the 1990s, the
“boundaries” of the age are pretty fluid, and for the purposes of this list
I’ve gone a little further back into the 80s for a few tracks. The idea is to catch themes from movies that
our generation grew up on—even if those films were released a little
earlier. That said, I have deliberately
left out the themes from movies like Star Wars, Rocky and the Godfather. Even though those series had movies come out
during the Golden Age, they all certainly started in the 70s, and so their
music belongs to that generation.
Finally, I tried to keep the list to songs that were either composed
specifically for the film they were featured in or songs that were designated
as the movie’s “theme” music. There were
a ton of good songs that played in Golden Age movies, sometimes in very
memorable scenes, but for this list we’re just looking at movie themes.
Honorable Mention: Axel F (Beverly Hills Cop Theme)
Ok, so I
couldn’t quite find a spot for this one in the Top 10, but it’s definitely
worth remembering. Starring 80s Icon
Eddie Murphy, the Beverly Hills Cop series was one of the best action comedy
series of the era, helping bring popularity to the genre that would later give
us quality Golden Age films like Lethal Weapon, Bad Boys and Rush Hour. The heavy synth/techno vibe still sounds
pretty slick 20-some years later, like you could still throw this track on at a
party today. To kids today, it’s
probably better known as “The Crazy Frog Song”, since it was covered by the
computer-generated Crazy Frog character and made into a ring tone in the early
2000’s.
10. Forrest Gump Theme
In a movie full
of great music, including tracks by Buffalo Springfield, CCR, Bob Seger and
Fleetwood Mac, Forrest Gump's orchestral theme still manages to stand out as a brilliant
composition. Composed by Alan Silvestri
(who we will see again a little later), the Forrest Gump theme sets the stage
for what is, in my opinion, one of the greatest stories ever told in a motion
picture. In particular the part of the
score around 2:50 in the video above brings about a flood of emotion and
reminds me of the beauty of this terrific film.
Also, the part that begins around 6:55 reminds me of Forrest’s time
returning kicks for the Crimson Tide, one of the most memorable parts of this
epic movie.
9. Indiana Jones Theme
So, this is my
first (and biggest) bend of my own rules, as Raiders of the Lost Ark came out
in 1981, a few years before I’d typically say the Golden Age began. That said, RotLA and the Indy Sequels are
distinctly 80s in nature, and many of us grew up on them, so why get hung up on
technicalities? Plus, who could say no
to this brilliant piece of music? It
sets the score perfectly for the action and adventure that Harrison Ford’s
Indiana Jones character would encounter.
The song also serves as our first reminder of a simple rule that will be
proven right time and again in this list: John Williams and the London Symphony
Orchestra are amazing and everything they touch is gold.
8. Ghostbusters Theme
This is an
example of a movie theme that grew to be almost as big as the movie
itself. Ray Parker Jr.’s Ghostbusters
theme not only set the stage for Dan Akroyd and Bill Murray’s 1984 box office
smash, it reached the top of the Billboard Top 100 chart the summer the film
came out and stayed there for 3 weeks.
Every kid in the Golden Age knew the tune and of course the memorable “I
ain’t afraid of no ghost!” slogan. On a
personal level, every Halloween my elementary school would have a little
mini-parade in the school parking lot for all the kids to show off their
costumes, and the Ghostbusters theme was always played at least once each
year. It’s a warm-fuzzy Golden Age
memory for me, and every time I hear the theme I’m reminded of it.
7. Top Gun Anthem (theme from Top Gun)
I’m not sure
that there was a cooler movie made in the 80s than Top Gun. The film features a lot of great music but
only one title theme, and it certainly delivers. Featuring Harold Faltermeyer (who was also
responsible for the Beverly Hills Cop theme) on piano and a big-haired Steve
Stevens absolutely rocking it on
electric guitar, the Top Gun Anthem took home a Grammy award in 1987 for Best
Pop Instrumental Performance. Well
deserved, I’d say—this song rocked pretty hard and contributed to many Golden
Agers wishing they could feel, even for a moment, as cool as Tom Cruise’s
“Maverick” in Top Gun.
6. Braveheart Theme
On first listen,
you might think that the theme for Braveheart seems very gentle and beautiful
for a movie that’s best known for (Mel Gibson as) William Wallace’s rousing
pre-battle speech. But at its core,
Braveheart isn’t just about war, it’s about a man who is as brave and noble as
they come, who loves his wife, who remembers what his father died for, and who
loves his country so much that he is willing to give the last full measure of
devotion. The soft wind instruments
mixed with the bagpipes give the song a very sentimental and distinctly
Scottish sound. It was composed by James
Horner and performed by—you guessed it—The London Symphany Orchestra.
5. E.T. Theme
Once again I’m
stretching the bounds a little bit, dipping into 1982 for this one. But is there any more classic 80’s kids movie
than E.T.? John Williams did it again
here. Empire Magazine (and a
number of other film critics through the years) once proclaimed Elliot and
E.T.’s flight to the forest as “the most magical moment in cinema” ever. High praise, but difficult to argue with, and
this theme song is inextricably linked to (and is a big part of) the magic of
that scene. The soaring melody, starting
at the 0:13 second mark, mirrors Elliot and E.T. soaring over the forest and
past the moon. As kids, we all watched
that scene with a sense of magic and wonder, and listening to the theme now
brings those feelings rushing back. If
interested, there is also video on youtube of John Williams conductingthis song live, and the crowd literally cannot help but gasp and applaud when
the melody soars at the :07 second mark.
4. Don’t You Forget About Me (The Breakfast Club Theme)
An absolute 80s
anthem. The Breakfast club is the
prototype for a teen movie, telling the story of 5 high schoolers with
completely different backgrounds who are all brought together by having to
spend a winter Saturday in detention.
The song is awesome by itself, one of my favorites from a decade filled
with amazing music, and it topped the charts in more than one country. But its association with a classic movie like
the Breakfast Club makes it truly unforgettable. You can’t think of one without the other, and
they’re both top-notch. As an aside, any
time you walk underneath a goalpost, it’s obligatory to mimic Bender’s fist
pump at the end of the movie and sing or hum this song.
3. Jurassic Park
Perhaps more
than any other song on this list, this theme transports me back in time to my
childhood. I remember it like yesterday:
it was field day at our elementary school, a Friday afternoon about a week
before school let out for summer, and a friend’s dad offered to take a bunch of
us to the movies to see the new movie called Jurassic Park. Needless to say, all of us were completely
blown away by the film and the (at that time) state-of-the-art special effects
that made the dinosaurs seem so real. Of
course, when you watch it back now the effects don’t seem nearly as impressive,
but the music has held up wonderfully, maybe even gotten better with age. Like Forrest Gump, the main theme really
contains a few different movements—one which is the most epic and which plays
as the helicopter arrives and a bit later when the old guy says “WELCOME… to
JURASSIC PARK!”; another more gentle piece that plays when the main characters
first see the island’s dinosaurs; and a final piece which plays during the
movies more tense scenes. John Williams,
you have done it again sir.
2. Promontory (The Last of the Mohicans Theme)
Holy crap this
theme is epic. Crank the volume up in
your headphones and enjoy this beautiful piece from Trevor Jones and Randy
Edelman. Based on the 19th Century novel
by James Fenimore Cooper, The Last of the Mohicans was one of the most
critically acclaimed films of 1992 (and still has 97% positive at Rotten
Tomatoes). Starring Daniel Day Lewis as
Hawkeye, the movie is set in 1757 during the French and Indian War, when
America was almost entirely a vast and untamed frontier. “Promontory” was actually based on a tune
called “The Gael” by Scottish songwriter Dougie MacLean, and I think you can
certainly hear the Scottish influence in the violin sound. It sets the perfect tone for the movies tale
of love and war, very similar to Braveheart’s theme. In the last decade the track saw a bump in
popularity: first it was featured in a viral video about the changing globalsocio-economic picture, then shortly thereafter in a Nike commercial featuring Steven Jackson and Shawn Merriman.
1. Back to the Future Theme
“Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.”
Topping our list
is the classic theme from my favorite movie of all time (though I tried to not
be biased), Back to the Future. Composed
by Alan Silvestri, the film’s score plays many times throughout the movie, but
perhaps most memorably during the scene where Doc slides down from the clock
tower to ensure Marty’s return to 1985—for my money, one of the best scenes in
any movie ever made. There’s a very
magical quality to this film, and every single time I hear this theme it makes
me want to immediately drop everything and go watch it. It will never get old or tired, it will
always be a classic, and for me it’ll always be the #1 theme in a Golden Age
for movie themes.
So, that’s our
Top 10. Who did we overrate? Who did we leave out altogether? We’d love to hear your list—post a comment or
hit us on Twitter @GoldenAge4Kids
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