4 Movies That Made John Williams The GOAT 

I may or may not be doing a video with my old music school professor INSERT QUESTION HERE but definitely don't ask anything embarrassing about me.

"We could talk all day..." WELL LET'S JUST TALK ALL DAY THEN

The fact that Jurassic Park and Harry Potter weren’t even MENTIONED is a testament to how many bangers John Williams has put out.

Everyone's talking about leaving out Harry Potter and Jurassic Park and no one seems to mention his work on Schindler's List, Memoirs of a Geisha , or even his great concert works like "On Willow and Birches" for Harp and Orchestra. There's so much out there that he's done besides his scores. Next time you watch the Olympics, you'll be hearing his work or even NBC news programs. Williams is a powerhouse and I hope one day we'll get to hear his unreleased symphony.

Random take: Williams' Star Wars score almost plays double duty by being a character in the film itself, that being of the Force. Leia's theme always feels like its building into the main theme. It feels like the music is a current directing the characters toward the will of the Force itself.

“Without John Williams, bikes don’t really fly, nor do brooms in Quidditch matches, nor do men in red capes,” said Spielberg

Charles: I could make a whole video on Star Wars music alone Me: Dew it

Here's a testament to his greatness. My 5 year old daughter watched Home Alone for the first time this Christmas. A couple weeks later I was listening to Dual of the Fates on the speakers while doing stuff around the house and she commented that it sounds little like Home Alone.

Over the years, I’ve noticed that people really struggle to make a Christmas staple. John Williams’ score for Home Alone instantly does exactly that. Part of his magic is creating the feeling of wonder for the audience.

John Williams has the weird ability to make me feel nostalgic for films I've never seen

As an Orchestral Composer who worked in the Hollywood Movie Trailer industy for several years, I wholeheartedly agree! John Williams is to film music what Mozart is to Classical Music as we know it. Btw, to anyone who loves his SW work a lot, I'd recommend to check out The Planets by Holst!

As SOON as heard Leia's theme, I got goosebumps and felt this overwhelming rush of emotion, and warmth over my head and my shoulders. It's absolutely magical musical writing. Mr. John Williams is an absolute gem of a person.

My FAVORITE example of John Williams' "GOATness" is in ET when they are out on halloween and ET sees (and recognizes) a kid in a Yoda costume and John Williams sneaks "Yoda's Theme" into the background music so perfectly without it seeming out of place or forced. love it

Star Wars and Indiana Jones wouldn't be Star Wars and Indiana Jones without his music

The love theme from Star Wars you couldn’t remember is call “Han Solo and the Princess” and the second one you played was “Princess Leia’s Theme”

As a bassoon player I love John Williams for including us lol, specially when watching clone wars, the bassoon solos are so pretty

The immolation scene from Star Wars Revenge of the Sith. The chords are amazing

I am shocked that Jurassic Park wasn’t even mentioned during this video.

2:00 He jump cut to him talking but he left the chord ringing so that he didn't cut off the music. LOVE this kind of editing and attention to detail!

I don't think Michael Giacchino gets enough credit. His jazz-pop feel is so unique and it's chock full of that same singable quality that we all love from John Williams. He worked on the Incredibles, Up, the Star Trek reboots, and even some Star Wars!

He scored my childhood. He's definitely the most impactful composer of my lifetime, and I am eternally grateful for his influence on modern composition.

I’m not completely sure, but I think this guy really likes music

Dont forget the Schindler’s List theme. That theme is the most heart wrenching thing I’ve ever heard and is another brilliant piece of music by Williams, expounding upon the emotional turmoil of the people that had to go through such an event. Truly one of his best

I'd love to see you do a video on the LOTR score, there are so many great themes and motifs, as well as amazing use of group vocals that you don't often see in contemporary film scores.

My favorite soundtrack of all time is Prince of Egypt by Hans Zimmer, but still I definitely agree that John is the greatest. You can instantly recognize and separate his compositions from any other composer! Truly a legend!

Charles: "John Williams is the best". Star Wars fans: We know.

John Williams is indeed THE GREATEST!

I love the "Close Encounters of The Third Kind" soundtrack...its amazing

My personal favorite Williams piece, which I feel like few people talk about, is Hymn to the Fallen from Saving Private Ryan

"Hedwig's Theme" and the music of the first three Harry Potter movies would like to have a word with you, Charles. Also, gimme a Charles Cornell + Sideways collab! That'd be incredible!

“Leia’s theme” and “han solo and the princess” are the songs he mentioned btw

Hi Charles- I'm an orchestra conductor and had the pleasure of conducting John William's music in concert a couple of years ago. Your joy is infectious and reminded me of just how much I love his chord choice, orchestrations, everything. It's phenomenal to nerd out with you.

Jerry Goldsmith is definitely my second favorite. I feel he was underrated in his lifetime for the incredible body of work he created.

“Regardless of all the special effects and graphics, at the end of the day, the audience is listening to the music.” -George Lucas

One of his soundtracks that gets sadly overlooked is his work on the Adventures of Tintin. He gets a very similar sense of adventure, action, and mystery to the Indiana Jones soundtrack, but his tone is altered to fit the tone of the movie. Whereas Indie is a gruff badass, Tintin is more plucky and upbeat, and his music reflects that very well. And the music during the pirate sequences is absolutely orgasmic. "Sir Francis and the Unicorn" is one of the single greatest orchestral pieces ever written, and it is a goddamn travesty that more people aren't talking about it. Side note: I've loved John Williams ever since I was a kid, he is and always will be one of the greats, but for my money, Ennio Morricone just barely beats him out as my favorite composer

I love John Williams, and his ability to tie a motif to a feeling. The strongest motivic associations, however, have always been from LotR, especially the ring theme. I can FEEL the nature of The One Ring because of Howard Shore's brilliant composition.

New subscriber here! I’m a professional orchestral violinist; last year, I got to play the entire soundtrack of HP and The Philosopher’s Stone, live, as the film was shown on a massive screen. Actually seeing the score, understanding how he writes (from a purely analytical perspective), has led me to the firm belief that he is possibly the greatest symphonic composer of our time- one who just happened to have an extraordinarily special talent for composing for film. Some impossibly hard writing for strings, but SO satisfying to play!

Find someone who looks at you the way Charles does when he hears the Indiana Jones theme at 5:40

John Williams is the god of movie soundtracks

John Williams I think is by far the most consistently brilliant at writing simple melodies that are total earworms but then also perfectly encapsulates the themes of the movies he's writing for with the much more complex harmony behind them. Also, shout out to Michael Giacchino as possibly the greatest of the newer generation of film composers. The Incredibles soundtrack is the greatest Bond soundtrack that never happened and his work on Inside Out is just sublime!

I could talk about the emotion in John Williams composing all day, but something that does go a little unnoticed is the film score arrangers that work along side John’s composing to perfectly fit motifs into the film.

“Han Solo and the Princess” and “Princess Leia’s Theme” are the two you’re thinking about. But there’s also “Luke and Leia,” which weaves in some of those same themes.

1:54 "You think of" me thinking of "the bridge of khazad dum"

1:54 Is it bad that the first thing that came to my mind was "THEY'RE TAKING THE HOBBITS TO ISENGARD GARD GARD GA-GARD GARD"?

If you like Interstellar's OST, listen to Glassworks by Philip Glass and thank me later. :)

John Williams’ genius is found in no greater form than “Home Alone”. He created Christmas music that felt nostalgic and memorable even though it was original.

Across The Stars is one of my favorites

Ennio Morricone is one of the most theme-memorable film composers. Just search up “The Good The Bad and The Ugly theme” and you’ll know what I’m talking about

Even though we frequently talk about how great John Williams is, I still don't believe enough people realise that John Williams is at least 50% of the reason why they love a certain franchise. Williams has the ability to truly transport you into these fantastical worlds. I'm not even sure that Shore pulls that off as well, but maybe that's just me.

This isn't an opinion, this is a straight up fact. I personally think John Williams is the greatest composer of our time. Almost every piece he's written are recognizable. Also I feel like the music makes the movies. None of his movies would have been those movies without the music he provides. Something else I think is cool about him is that he wrote the Olympics theme.

My 14-yr old son introduced me to your channel and we love watching together! It's been awesome hearing someone put into words what I have tried to figure out for a long, long time. I play piano but I didn't take theory... My kid does theory. And we love all the "delicious" chords, too. Question: any chance you might analyze spy genre music or specifically Adele's Skyfall? It's so iconic Bond.

The anthem that accompanies the reveal of the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park is pure genius. It is lovely and benign, almost lullaby-like. A lesser composer might have gone more obviously dramatic but Williams holds back for the mayhem to follow. It’s one of my favorite movie themes and a magical moment in film. Still holds up almost thirty years later.

DOOD you should talk about Hans Zimmer's masterpiece: Prince of Egypt

When I was in Elementary School, our teacher did "composer of the month" where she would pick a composer at the beginning of each month of school and tell us what they have composed. This is how I discovered that not only Superman (1978 - 85) and Star Wars (1977 - present) had the same composer, but he also scored Raiders of the lost Ark (1981) E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, Jaws (1975), Harry Potter 1 through 3, and Jurassic Park (1993). This man is a powerhouse to say the least.

Every one of these songs gives me goosebumps, it’s wonderful.

Williams wrote such good music that Meco was able to build an entire career just by converting John Williams soundtracks into Disco. My 2nd favorite film composer is Vangelis. His number of films is fairly small but they are all amazing. His score for Bladerunner helped set the tone for all of cyberpunk for decades after the release.

As a kid I listened to the Star Wars and Indiana Jones soundtracks constantly. All of the songs. In those days I was the only person I knew that loved that music. It was transcendental to the point that the immediacy of my daydreams felt tangible and alive. It's REALLY nice to see someone else having these WOW moments with this music in the same way I did and still do. This video is fucking awesome.

Anyone else get chills and almost feel like crying when he played the Lord of the Rings theme? Yeah...wow. The power of music

You need to know that you are a fantastic Music theorist!!! As an aspiring one myself, I marvel at your proficiency!!! Well done sir!

John Williams always manages to create music that somehow perfectly describes what is happening on screen, as if there is no other music that could suit it so well.

Yes! Exactly! There's a certain group of people who completely dismiss him for 'stealing' from classical music and his music not being 'complex enough', and videos like this that celebrate his work as a genuinely transformative phenomenon and the product of natural music making push back in a wonderful way!

No film music makes me weep as hard in a movie as a carefully placed Force Theme. So powerful !

I'm convinced that John Williams will be remembered as a great Classical composer for this era. A century from now, his music will be featured in classical concerts alongside other greats like Beethoven and Tchaikovsky.

One of my favorite “deep cut” John Williams soundtracks is The Terminal. While everyone knows his epic scores to Superman, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, ET, Jurassic Park, etc, here comes this whimsical Eastern European soundtrack, full of clarinet and accordion, and it sounds absolutely amazing! Check out his soundtrack to The Terminal if you have not already. It is worth the time invested.

Had the privilege of playing some John Williams music and the way you feel moved as a performer is so powerful. I play the oboe and the way he understood each orchestral instrument so well and wrote solos tailored so beautifully to them was so inspiring and I honestly think playing his compositions is the best feeling I have ever had while performing orchestral music

"Hook" is my favorite overlooked soundtrack gem from Williams.

I'm a little sad that the Harry Potter Soundtrack didn't make the list, but the Leaving Hogwarts theme makes me feel stupidly emotional every time I listen to it. It perfectly encapsulates the melancholy of the last day of school while still keeping a warm and contemplative feeling, like you'll never forget what happened within those walls.

For us who came of age in the 80s and 90s, John Williams I think captured our sense of wonder and imagination.

Binary sunset will always be on the godtier of his compositions. So good.

He also created the framework for the entire Harry Potter series! Even though he didn’t do all 10 movies (including fantastic beasts), every single composer has used his themes to immerse us in the magic. Keep up the great content!!

As Hans Zimmer himself said in his masterclass, John Williams is an amazing pianist. So it makes sense his melodies start on a piano and sound good on just a piano. Zimmer said he is more of synth guy himself, a geek using computers, and self thought to add, and he can talk for hours about synths. It's actually a very interesting masterclass about how he got there and his process of thinking when he is scoring movies.

I love John Williams! E.T. is my absolute favorite. I bought the sound track and listen to it all the time. It’s why I play Horn. The end credits are my happy place.

you forgot across the stars, imo best film love theme ever written...

Imagine making the score to Jurassic Park and yet in a 13 minute long video about your musical achievements it doesn't even get mentioned. The man isn't human.

The music that plays in Return of The Jedi when Luke goes "ape" after Vader threatens to turn Leia (the scene where Luke is hiding in the throne room battle), still gives me chills every time.

My favourite is Lord of The Rings, everytime I hear that soundtrack, it will just take me back! Another is How To Train Your Dragon 2! Awesome score by John Powell!

I feel like you'd really enjoy Joe Hisaishi's work in all the Studio Ghibli movies. Like John Williams, Hisaishi's compositions are very lyrical and melodic, and he often composes western orchestral with inspirations from Japanese folk music and jazz. On another note, on the gaming side of things, Yoko Shimomura and her work on Kingdom Hearts -- especially the character themes -- has a lot of depth and interplay between them, might be worth checking out

Charles: “John Williams is the best composer of all time. You may disagree” Us: No no, we all agree with you

This is an excellent video- John's use of the MM7 chord is SO prevalent in his works from the "era" of 1977-1982 and are featured heavily in his themes from "Star Wars" (Lando's theme, anyone?), "Superman", and "Raiders of the Lost Ark". I think that's honestly part of the magic of his sound and musical constructions of that era. Great stuff, again. Thanks for sharing!

My first ever record purchase was the Star Wars soundtrack, from the discount bin of the local dollar store back in 1978. Prior to that, I’d listened a lot to classical music on public radio, a little R&B from my dad’s record collection, random disco from my older brother’s 8-track stash and many, many replays of his newly-purchased Superman soundtrack - which I just adored. At the time, I was nine years old and I just responded to what I loved - namely, both movies and their music. Before purchasing the Star Wars soundtrack and reading its extensive liner notes, I had no idea Star Wars and Superman shared a composer, an orchestrator, a recording engineer, a music editor and, not least of all, the inimitable performance of the London Symphony Orchestra. But I was hooked and have been ever since. The movie music of John Williams has been the most consistent companion - yes, underscoring many of my favorite movies but also transcending them to become the soundtrack of my life. Adventure, triumph, failure, joy, romance, tragedy, death...there’s some there for everything! Of course, there are other composers whose music occupies a place in my heart - Goldsmith, Bernstein, Horner, Sylvestri, Shore come quickly to mind. But, even when he’s pulling a James Horner and blatantly sharing thematic material across contemporary but unrelated movies (for example, Attack of the Clones and Minority Report), nobody’s work is as distinct, emotional, memorable/singable and durable as John Williams. I got to see him for the first time in Chicago in 2018, conducting the CSO and what an experience that was! So, I’m in agreement: John Williams is the greatest film composer of all time.

We shall not forget famous Disney Composers Randy Newman & Alan Menken , who composed a lot of iconic disney songs.

Petition time! Who else d e s p e r a t e l y needs a Star Wars and LoTR breakdown series with Charles?? I DO!! Let's try to get him to do it!

It always fascinated me that the E.T. main theme melody ends on the 7th!! He slides right past the tonic... He's such an expert melodist.

John Williams’ works have done so much for my childhood. He WAS Star Wars, Superman, etc. You could completely remove the dialogue and still understand and enjoy the movie. Greatest composer of all time and forever.

I would die to see you talk about your favorite video game composers. There's so much talent there that no one really talks about!

Charles: Thats just my opinion Everyone: Yeah thats mine aswell

I absolutely LOVE the joy and enthusiasm you display in your videos.

Schindler’s List theme makes me tear up every time.

Jazz Medley of Star Wars Themes?!?! Please make this happen.....

When I think of lord of the rings I think of “DADADUUUUUH, DUH DUH Duh. DADADUUUUUH, DUH DUH.” *ominous drums rumble*

It should be pointed out, speaking of Star Wars, that Ludwig Göransson has somehow made a soundtrack for a Star Wars property that is nothing like John Williams' approach yet still captures the essence of that world beautifully. What he did on the season finale for season 2 of The Mandalorian is simply amazing. This guy is going places too!

Movie scores are soo integral to what constitutes a good movie - it's like looking at the clouds feeling depressed or feeling joyous of life - the underlying feeling that gives a sense and taste to the things seen - that is music! Imagine the best movie you've ever watched but without music to it - it is not nearly as impactful! So wonderful.

Home Alone and Harry Potter are two more of his great and memorable themes

I love it when Charles just gushes about stuff he loves, regardless of if its topical or not. John Williams played a massive role in my discovery of my love of music.

I would love to see more long form videos like this deconstructing composers iconic works. I really love your takes on the subject. I'm pretty much begging you to do a John Williams pt 2 featuring Jurassic park and full episodes for Howard Shore and Hans Zimmer. I'm still subscribed either way, but I would love to see videos song this line.

My Top 6 Favourite JW Scores: 1. Star Wars 2. Harry Potter 3. Superman 4. Indiana Jones 5. Jaws 6. Schindler's List (criminally underrated) John Williams is also my favourite film composer 2. Hans Zimmer 3. Michael Giacchino 4. Alexandre Desplat (criminally underrated) 5. Alan Silvestri 6. Ludwig Göransson

Hes indeed the best i love his compositions and way of writing so much

You should do a whole video about LOTR, I think you’ll find there’s a whole lot more to it than one theme. Loved the video by the way!

Hey Charles, I want to recommend the score from How To Train Your Dragon. Check out the track “This is Berk,” it’s so good!

he combines Romantic and Modern sounds, channels Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky... genuinely melodic, great orchestrations, gets the brass involved, orchestral mallet keyboard sounds. The Cantina band song is great as well, though all things considered I do wish he'd branch out from the orchestra a bit more. He's basically the best