Top Scores

from Iconic Movies

Just as memorable as the scenes,

acting and special effects, movie music

provides a crucial element to many

iconic masterpieces of cinema.

Able to deepen the messages conveyed

visually, music affects us on a deeper

emotional level. Who can forget the

majesty of the Star Wars score or the

triumphalism of the Superman

soundtrack? And who hasn’t felt a

shiver of terror when hearing the music

from the infamous Psycho shower

scene.

The following is a brief history of some

of the greatest movie scores in

Hollywood history.

Scoring An

American Icon • Superman was scored in 1978.

• Music from the original movie has

been used in nearly all Superman

movies since then.

• John Williams, who scored Superman,

also scored Star Wars.

• The 2013 reboot Man of Steel, is the

first Superman movie to use none of

Williams’ music.

• Psycho was scored by

Bernard Herrmann in

1960.

• Alfred Hitchcock said the

music was responsible for

about 33 percent of the

terror the movie evoked in

audiences.

• Music from the film’s

shower scene has been

parodied and adapted for

countless television shows

and other films.

A Thrilling

Classic

A Stellar

Score • Scored by John Williams in

1977.

• Considered the best score of

all time by the American Film

Institute.

• Score was inspired in part by

a 1942 film, Kings Row,

which starred Ronald

Reagan.

Taking a

Bite out of

the Box

Office • Yet another John Williams

hit, scored in 1975.

• Won an Academy Award for

best score.

• Sixth greatest score,

according to the American

Film Institute.

• Authorship of the iconic tune is

a point of contention between

John Barry and Monty Norman.

• Used in every James Bond film

since the first in 1962.

• The theme uses a surf rock riff.

When the first Bond movie was

made, surf rock was a popular

musical craze.

Secret Agent

Man

• The Godfather was scored by

Nino Rota in 1972.

• Director Francis Ford

Coppola’s father also

contributed music.

• The original theme from the

film appears in all three

Godfather movies.

Pulling All the

Strings

• Chariots of Fire was scored by

Greek composer Vangelis.

• Vangelis said the Academy

Award winning theme was

dedicated to his father, a runner.

• The movie’s soundtrack also

incorporates classic Gilbert and

Sullivan music.

Chariots of

Fire

About Ricall Music Licensing

Ricall provides licensed music for a variety of film

and video projects, including independent films,

trade show videos, corporate videos and more.

Founded in 1998, Ricall has one of the largest

libraries of popular music available for licensing.

To learn more, visit http://ricall.com/music-

licensing.