John Williams reveals a surprising fact about creating iconic 'Star Wars' theme song
Вставка
- Опубліковано 19 чер 2024
- Legendary film composer John Williams talks to CNN's Chris Wallace about how he conceived the theme for 'Star Wars' and other iconic movie themes.
#CNN #News
The worst part about this video is that it ended. Would’ve love to hear more of this conversation with the legend about his many other contributions to film.
There is more. Just look it up on CNN UA-cam.
@@GoodJuju.8D This is CNN youtube...
@@allourep lol fuck
@@GoodJuju.8D lol you're going to have to, respectfully, be more specific good sir.
Indeed that is far too sudden a stop!
There must be more hiding somewhere.
What an absolute genius, his themes will move me forever.
Yes for myself as well 🌈
Amen.
His contribution to cinema and pop culture is immeasurable.
he hates pop Culture
@@lucasRem-ku6eb And rightly so.
He’s still the man even at over 90!
Same as biden
@@luke9361 You math is a bit of
@@stc3145 it’s a joke
Some people still look great in their 90s, just ask William Shatner. We are in the 21St Century, and people live longer today. Well, if they take care of themselves but also because of science (medicine mostly) and the lifestyle that we have today in developed countries.
Clint Eastwood is in his 90s too!
5:25 "I smile when I hear it. It's an electrifying brass interpretation. I don't know how much credit I can take for that, but the _great_ brass section of the London symphony." It would be so easy for him at this stage of his life and career to lean into all the credit for one of the most recognizable themes in cinematic history (a category in which he only seems to compete with himself, haha), but he chooses humility. His music isn't the only thing that makes him an all-time great.
He takes more credit than he should by not mentioning the score is based on Holst’s The Planets (which was the temp music used by Lucas).
@@johnnyc.31 Don't you mean King's Row?
@@johnnyc.31 While there is some Holstian rhythms (Mars) and orchestration, ALL composers are affected by and use what has come before them. It would be like you only using the vocabulary you had at age 5 for your entire life.
@@jeremyhowemusic It’s more than a casual influence when it’s literally the direction that was given by Lucas. Ridiculous to frame it as something less intentional than it was.
@@johnnyc.31Ridiculous is the level of seriousness you're applying to this thread
Blows my mind how active he is for 90. One of my biggest disappointments in life will be I didn’t drop what I was doing to see his 90th birthday concert at tanglewood this past summer.
Maybe you can catch his 92nd birthday performance!
I was at his 80th celebration, it was magical. Spielberg showed up, he got lots of video messages, he conducted the whole night. For some reason he chose not to conduct his 90th, so I'm glad I didn't go. I will be there this year for film night though.
Similarly, mine is not seeing his live synched performance of the E.T. score at the 20th Anniversary screening in Los Angeles.
Oh my goodness. I need Chris Wallace to interview John Williams about every single main theme from each of his movies. He is just so insightful and asks such great questions with such great answers.
That's funny, I thought this interview deserved a better interviewer. The questions were basic and repetitive.
Always about Jaws…
@@pbs36 He’s no Mike Wallace. . .
@@pbs36 I agree, I think the questions were pretty "meh" and I didn't see any "surprising fact" revealed. I was expecting something like him going, "I was inspired by Holst", but instead we get these very basic questions.
My son chose to dress up as John Williams for his third grade "wax museum" project. He sent Mr. Williams a letter and received a lovely letter back in reply. John is a treasure to humanity.
John Williams is a national treasure. He wrote the soundtrack of mine, and thousands of others, childhoods. He truly embodies the power of music.
@UA-cam Only no. A treasure across the galaxy.
*billions :)
International treasure John Williams is! :D
Times 10000
I will be forever thankful to John Williams for the score to Superman The Movie. It's not just my favorite score he has composed, it's one of my favorite pieces of music ever.
For some reason Superman always seems to get forgotten, yet it's astonishingly good with some very memorable themes throughout. Definitely one of my favourites.
Krypton fanfare is the best track from Superman score
It's inspiring to play in your car on the way to a job interview!
Just avoid the watered-down Ken Thorne version from Superman II.
He is the reason I love classical music.
It's contemporary, not classical. I'm sorry. But it's never late to discover new things!
@@pacha7977 yeah I know but this was where I started. I would never have dug deeper if it hadn’t been for the Star Wars music
Same with me, he to me as a child of seven back in the eighties, made the door wide open for Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart and my journey continued to Bach etc. Without him, I presume I would never have had an interest for classic, romantic, baroque etc music. And - to me, he still is the benchmark wrt to melodies and themes. Nothing compares to him, nothing. Btw, me as an adult, eventually studied music sciences.
@@pacha7977 Depends if you use a capital or lowercase C
Orchestral music *
If you just pick any random Williams score and listen, it's always an emotional experience.
Half of every Spielberg movie's successes are because of this man's musical genius.
Apart from his genius and unreachable amount of talent... can we please acknowledge the kindness that resonates in his voice, shimmers in his eyes. this man truly is a role model
John Williams is one of my all-time composers and conductors of music. I have loved all of the movies for which he composed and conducted the musical themes. His themes helped bring the movies to life even though you know it is just a film. Without his music the films would not seem to be as real.
He is the goat. He surpassed beethoven. He is the goat only to mozart.
@@dynamicdave2647 No sir I beg to differ! I presume you can't distinguish between classical music and film compositions. These are two different genres. Mind you all the film compositions are directly inspired from the classical music and in the world of music Beethoven is considered as one of great composers. Don't put John Williams into that category! You see one should have good ears for listening to music. But many people don't like to explore beyond their limited exposure.
Without his music many films would not exist. There are themes like 'The Emperor Confronts Luke', 'Final Duel/Into the Death Star' and yes ' Ewok Celebration/Finale' without which I don't think Start Wars would have live on (not to mention the original themes or the themes from 'Empire').
@@toms5996 Mainly Steven Spielberg movies and George Lucas ones! Secondly I am not here to argue about John Williams. I am only stating that people whom claim he is the greatest of all the film composers would be unjustified to the rest of the great composers whom also have enriched the genre of film music. One prime example is the great composer "Miklós Rózsa" who composed for the greatest motion picture of all time "Ben Hur"
@박현민 You high on something? You seem to share the same comments over and over. On other channels! Get a life who ever you are, where ever you are!!
I remember sitting in the theater in the summer of 1977, to see Star Wars for the first time. As soon as the movie started, I was struck by how majestic the theme music was.
Nothing like it before it. 20th Century Fox theme to silence, then the Long ago in a Galaxy far, far away... and then the stab and the music started and my 7 year old mind was blown. Then quiet and the theme continued into the classic first shot of the Star Destroyer chasing the rebel ship. My jaw was on the floor.
Indeed.
He has the ability to see the world from a child’s perspective.
Truly genius.
Thanks for a great interview.
We're lucky to have had John Williams in our lives for five decades (plus, really) of movie music. Literally the soundtrack of my life, honestly. To me it was almost a surprise that people other than Williams made music for movies--that's how ubiquitous his presence was for me in popular culture.
The fact that you know only John Williams might simply reveal your preference for the film of Spielberg or other directors who collaborate with John Williams. I think that Alan Menken, for example, not only is an incredibly skilled composer of cinematic classical, but it's probably even better than John Williams.
The problem is that Alan Menken works for the Disney and many of his scores have been written for animated films. Since animated films are not the cup of tea of many adults (including me), many people tend to torget Alan Menken in the lists of great composers.
THE GOAT!!! the one and only, the sweetest, humbliest guy on earth! love you John!
This man is nothing short of a genious and nothing short of a magician. The first piece of music I ever listened to consciously at age 3 was John Williams' score for Jurassic Park. As a small child I'd often put the VHS tape of that and a few years later the Star Wars tapes and forward to the very end of the movie just to listen to his music in the credits. 28 years later barely a day goes by that I don't listen to something by him and there are no words I could use to describe the wonder and comfort his music has given me.
same
I think for me it must’ve been something by Danny Elfman, like the Simpsons theme or the Beetlejuice cartoon theme which scared me. No wonder I’m so addicted to his music, including Oingo Boingo and his new punk music.
The Stars Wars and Jurassic Park soundtracks are perfect and could not be improved upon.
Bravo Maestro!
The theme for Star Wars , when the movie starts ,reminds me when in ages past royalty would arrive with the sound of trumpets.
Superman theme is iconic
Back to the Future, Poltergeist, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, 1941, The Witches of Eastwick, every single soundtrack this man has ever done is powerful, haunting, and as close as you can get to perfect for the movie it's made for. The man's a musical genius.
The high point of the _Jurassic Park_ theme sounds discordant, or off-key to me, so I don't enjoy it.
ua-cam.com/video/XqxOFP9aRIw/v-deo.html
@@wirelesmike73 He didn't do the Back to the Future score, that was Alan Silvestri, but still a very good work.
So much talent that brought so many of us music that will be with us…always. Thank you John Williams❤️
A living legend & national treasure 🙏
National wide treasure!
International treasure. We as humans can be proud that he exists.
This man is not only a musical genius but played a very important part in the lives of so many people. It also wows me how vibrant he is at the age of 90 years old.
Thank you for respecting and appreciating someone over 50 and treating him with dignity.
He is an national treasure & Genius.
The guy is 91 years old and is as articulate and attentive as someone 30 years younger. What an incredible man!
It's his musical genuis having created all these iconic movie themes coupled with iconic movies that will continue to make these movies stand the test of time.
He was at his peak musically at an awesome time in movie history .
No other film composer could have added what he added musically to these iconic movies.
John Williams is such a dear person and I respect him so deeply. He truly is a musical genius of not only his generation, but of the century. His music MAKES the movies, it's so memorable and so emotional. Jurassic World, Star Wars, Harry Potter... all these movies would be good without the music, but they wouldn't be GREAT. I wish him good health and that we will be blessed by his presence for many years to come yet!
This guy is a genius, not another like him, ever...
This man is the definition of a modern-day genius. The history of cinema would be incomplete without him. He's the reason I have so many fantastic memories from my childhood. The fact that he's still composing beautiful music is truly amazing. I'm so sad to hear Indie 5 will be his last score.
He changed his mind about that.
He created themes and scores that changed our lives, yet he's so humble.
One of the most amazing composers of our lifetime. And a nice, humble man and human being. John Williams is awesome.
I remember reading that Spielberg tailored the end of ET to fit Williams’ score rather than the other way around. That’s how good he is. The best!
I'm surprised Williams didn't mention the influence of Korngold on that opening to Star Wars. The first eight notes and Korngold's 'Kings Row'. Korngold's film music had been re-recorded by Charles Gerhardt and the National Philharmonic Orchestra a few years earlier to great acclaim. It always seemed like Williams was acknowledging that he was starting with Korngold's style, before developing that style in his own way.
Re: Korngold, he imitated not just the melody but the orchestration as well.
Lucas used several cues as placeholders and Williams imitated all of them very closely. Holst Mars when the star destroyer is approaching, Stravinsky Rite of Spring on Tattooine, etc.
@@jstrick85 Yes. I'm not criticising Williams, but only pointing out that his music was meant to emulate the emotional and stylistic impact of Korngold. What you stated is true.
All art is inherited. Williams is no doubt a master of his craft, but he absolutely draws heavily upon the tropes and tools of the classical giants in all of his scores.
Williams' earliest Oscar nomination was in 1968 for Valley of the Dolls, 55 years ago. He has 53 nominations, but wasn't nominated in 53 separate years. He was actually nominated in 37 years. Some of the nominations were for Best Song as well as Score, meaning he sometimes got two nominations for the same movie. For a long time, the Oscars had separate awards for scores to musicals vs. non-musicals, so sometimes he got nominations for each of those in the same year. And there were indeed multiple years where he was nominated in the exact same category of score twice, competing against himself for the wins, in 1973, 1978, 1985, 1988, 1990, 2002, 2006 and 2012. At this point, he's gone 29 years without a win. In another interview, he remarked that his wife wears black to the Oscars because they "always lose." His last win was for Schindler's List in 1994. His Jurassic Park score from that same year was not nominated, which some might consider his biggest snub by the Oscars. A lot of his sequels have been passed over for nominations as well, including Jaws 2, Home Alone 2, the second Jurassic Park, the second Harry Potter, all three Star Wars prequels and the fourth Indiana Jones. Other scores to his Spielberg collaborations that weren't nominated include The Sugarland Express, 1941, Always, Hook (which did get a Song nomination), Minority Report, The Terminal, War of the Worlds, The BFG and The Post. Williams even has one Golden Raspberry nomination, for 1982's Monsignor.
There's a part of the Jurassic Park theme that's discordant, or feels off-key to me each time I hear it.
@@sandal_thong8631 John Williams deliberately used an off key sound to match the Jurassic Park terror that was coming
@@richardwilliams473 Maybe. But this part makes me not like it.
ua-cam.com/video/XqxOFP9aRIw/v-deo.html
A couple of the symphonies seem to skirt over the odd half-note or whatever it's called they put in on the third round, so it may be more or less evident depending who's playing it.
The star wars prequels got nothing? Wow I didn't know that. That's ridiculous. Many fans agree that they have a greater number of beautiful pieces than the original trilogy
@@pseudonymousbeing987 I watched _The Phantom Menace_ opening day before the kids got out of school. I bought the soundtrack and some other merch and then I was like, "This movie has some problems." Despite how much I liked the soundtrack, maybe the music people who can nominate and vote in that category were disappointed with the film, too? Or felt _Angela's Ashes_ was a better score by John Williams.
"If there's only one movie you see in 1999, see _Star Wars;_ but if you see two, then see _Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me,"_ Academy Awards nominee for best makeup.
I was at that concert in San Francisco where Spielberg narrated the scene with Indiana Jones with and without Williams' music. My friend got me front row seats, I could almost reach out and touch them! One of the greatest experiences of my life to see the maestro in action. I also saw him at the Hollywood bowl after episode 1 came out and he had the choir doing Duel of the Fates, it was truly awe-inspiring...
When I was a kid and Jurassic park came out, I loved the movie, but the music really stood out to me, then I realized the same guy who did that was responsible for Star Wars, Jaws, ET, Indiana Jones, Superman. As I got older I started learning the connections many of these scores have to other classical pieces and became a fan of classical music. Thankful for John Williams and the joy I have discovered through his music.
Folks like John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, and James Horner. These are the great orchestral composers of our time and their music will be with us forever.
I’d put Howard Shore in there as well.😁
Please don’t short Elmer Bernstein. His Airplane! theme mocking Williams bests Williams at his very best.
Hans Zimmer aswell
@@robertlitman2661 Let's not forget "Robot Monster"!
🤣 Arvo Pärt is laughing at this comment
A masterclass in musicological articulation from the greatest composer of the last 100 years. He is the Verdi, Wagner and Handel of our time. The Home Alone score as well as The Harry Potter scores are absolute perfection.
John Barry is the greatest film composer of all time.
I still remember the smell of the Star Wars soundtrack album when I opened it up.
I had worked in printing for many years and that smell is the smell of black ink. I saw the movie on it's first day in 77' and notice the smell when I bought the Star Wars book filled with pictures from the movie and later when I bought the album. Years later when I went to work for a Time-Warner printing company, I discovered that smell again whenever they printed anything that had a lot of black. It always reminded me of Star Wars.
@@majorneptunejr I thought it was the vinyl, but that was an amazing gatefold album cover. Thanks for the info!
The force is strong in this one !
John Williams is the Magic of Movies!❤👍
So that is the man who created those moments. That music is deeply embedded within myself and brings back warm memories of childhood. Great interview!!!! It was missing the Jurassic Park theme though 😑
John Williams is the best film composer of all time and I don’t think anyone can top his iconic scores and themes. I still remember watching Star Wars: Episode 3 in theaters and the music was so good in that movie I listen to the soundtrack often. Long Live John Williams.
"John Williams is the best film composer of all time and I don’t think anyone can top his iconic scores and theme"
No one except for Alan Menken.
Well no that would be Bernard Herrmann then Miklos Rozsa then Eric Korngold.
I like that they showed the original cut of Star Wars as it was seen in 1977 without the subtitle Episode 4: A New Hope.
"It's like poetry- something to live for and live by"... what a GREAT quote!
One interesting thing about that Star Wars main theme is that it sounds like Korngold's opening theme for King's Row, even if just for a few notes.
And another part of the theme reminds me of a section John Alden Carpenter's 1st symphony.
Once again Superman the movie isn’t mentioned. This is one his greatest scores yet it rarely receives any recognition.
I’m a child of the 70’s and Star Wars is my all time favourite movie. However Superman is easily one of his greatest works. For meJaws, Star Wars and Superman are equal firsts.
I totally agree; that movie's theme song was incredible. I remember being so disappointed when Superman 3 came out and had that uninspiring, bizarre opening instead of Williams' soaring score. One of many reasons why I didn't like that movie.
Whenever I think of Superman, I always think of John Williams' score, humming or whistling it.
Genius.. He created so much magic 👏👏👏
Legendary Music Composer John Williams' music to the film industries were & still are tremendously fantastic! 🙏 Thank You So Much Master John Williams for the many marvellous & iconic music to accompanied so many Blockbuster movies over the decades ... 🌷🌿🌏💜🕊
Its so beautiful and sad that we cant keep him forever. It does make me smile to know he will live on with his music.
John Williams is a national treasure! Such a humble individual.
I was 9 years old when Star Wars was first released in 1977. After seeing it in the theater, I was obsessed with anything related to Star Wars. About 2-3 weeks later, was in the mall, remember those, with my parents and passed by the record store, another relic from the past. In the window was the Original Star Wars Soundtrack, double vinyl album, with the poster inside! Needless to say I had to have it, not really sure what it was, but begged my folks to advance my allowance so I could get it. Took it home and played it on my parents big RCA stereo console. WOW! by hearing the music, I could remember each scene in the movie that each cut had come from. I would then play the music and re-act the scene in the movie in our living room. Thank you Mr. Williams for one of my favorite childhood memories. The power of music is undeniable! I still have that album today BTW, and is still sounds awesome!
'Thinking of inspiration' - John Williams - you are simply inspiration. You are simply amazing.
John Williams comes over as such a genuinely nice man, and his almost spiritual understanding of what music means to humanity is inspiring. Thank you sir! 🙏❤
What a humble genius! ❤
How wonderful that this humble elder statesman of great accomplishment still approaches music with childlike wonder: "Music sustains our spirits and enriches our souls."
This is the first CNN video I’ve watched in years. This was awesome. I could watch Mr. Williams all day, he is a national treasure.
He never fails to come through. John Williams is the Goat. The very best combination.
I love how all these decades later he is still so clear, sharp, insightful and best of all: Happy and excited about the work he did.
John Williams is a true musical genius. Not a day goes by where I don't hum his wonderful themes like Star Wars, Jurassic Park, or Harry Potter.
I could listen to him for DAYS and I wouldn't get bored at all!
the power of Williams is this: he's not neccessarily my favourite movie scorist, but he EARNED every bit of his reputation; such a LEGEND!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not only the most brilliant film composer of all time….and that’s saying a lot considering the company he’s in….but he’s one of the nicest and most humble men ever. God bless you sir and thanks for all the goosebumps over the years!
I wish someone would sit down with john williams, and go through each and every soundtrack with him, selection by selection, record by record, with a piano and a horn and a violin, and have him do this sort of thing for each and every track....
What is amazing is that John Williams, at the time of this interview, was 91 years old. He seems as sharp, brilliant, insightful, and modest as ever. For over 60 years, he's been a gift to the world of music, from his brilliant early credit as "Johnny Williams" composing the music for the 1965 TV show Lost in Space, to his most recent score for The Fablemans. And many people don't know that his son Joseph Williams became the lead singer for the band Toto.
It's sad that these legendary people can't live forever! Someone please find that fountain of youth, he must be protected forever.
What a remarkable individual, Mr Williams, the world has been in need of your magic more than ever now
I salute the Maestro for his musical generosity and genius AND for his endless patience gracefully answering the same questions over and over again 😅
Such a great man! Listening to his music got me through so many distractions during my school years...
John Williams is musical GENIUS !!!! There will never be another like him.
A wonderful wonderful talent that gave us a gift of music in our favorite movies just would not be the same without him!
I had an opportunity to hear our local orchestra play John Williams music and it was incredible. He truly is talented.
John Williams Oscar nominations were for his own works. Disney's were mostly other people's works.
I would love to hear John Williams talk about his experience with Irwin Allen.
Many forget that he work on many Irwin Allen projects from Lost in Space to Towering Inferno.
@@majorneptunejr , also Allen produced Poseidon Adventure.
What a gifted human being! John Williams you have no idea how much your music has meant to me. I have ADD - Passive and listen to your music anytime -- but most importantly when I write so I can stay focused --- and credit you with my undergraduate and graduate degrees. That was completely you so I could move forward with my life.
With deepest gratitude for you, your music, and your brilliance that has been intrinsic to my life! Blessings!
John Williams is just amazing musician and person. His music changed movies and music. Just amazing.
“…you don’t have that liquid synchronisation that you want.” Jesus - what an absolute bona fide Grade A genius. What a man. What a mind. What a soul. We are truly, truly blessed to all live under the glorious umbrella of Mr Williams’ imagination. ❤
Simply put John Williams is a American Treasure..And in many ways our Generation's Beethoven
*Simply put, John Williams is an American treasure, and in many ways, our generation's Beethoven.
Beethoven was a hack.
Or this generations Tchaikovsky. In many ways
Both geniuses of melody
John William made my childhood and i
Will always love him 😭😭😭😭😭❤️🌹 hope to meet him one day
In my personal opinion! His composition for the close encounters of the third kind is his one of the finest work. Anyone who has good ears for music will appreciate to it. Too bad his work for the close encounters gets drowned due to the excessive exposure of the star wars universe.
I heard his music from “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” for the first time in my life a few weeks ago. In fact, this happened at a concert conducted by John Williams himself. You’re absolutely right, the themes from this particular piece are just dripping with emotion. Not having seen the movie, it’s crazy how I have a sense of what it is about and its underlying message by just having listened to a 10 minute excerpt of the score.
Sometimes I have cried listening to excerpt from Close Encounters, I don't want to discredit his work on Star Wars since it is the saga for which he worked the longest and where he developed a great majority of hist most marvelous themes. To think that he was nominated for the Oscars for both Star Wars and Close Encounters in the same year, and in part his scores gave success to both films and to renewing science fiction in cinema. Close Encounters is an extraordinary film and remains one of Spielberg's best, the scene of the "conversation" between aliens and humans through music is crazy, what I like is that music is an important part of the plot, it even made me wonder if there are extraterrestrial civilizations that have invented or developed the art of music like us or if it is just a human invention.
@@prgmsc45208 Wow, you were very lucky! You should watch the movie someday, it is one of Steven Spielberg's finest work in my opinion.
Such incredible themes.... thank you, Mr Williams. Bravo! 👏👏👏👏
Within 5 seconds I was crying at ET and Raiders how did he do that? Just magical
When ge breaks down some of his approach it sounds so gracefully simple
The Shakespeare of film composers. I am in awe of this man.
Arguably the greatest composer to ever live. A hard act to follow.
He is 91 years old! Amazing.
His music is part of our DNA now. What an accomplishment.
Mr. Williams is a MASTER of his craft a true legend worldwide.
*My music composition idol: John Williams!!!* 💙💜💙💜💙
Music always helps film tell a story. That is where Mr. Williams' music excels.
I really miss Orchestral cinema music.
Electronic music is great and versatile for sure, but there is just something so magical about an orchestra and the way they made us feel.
John Williams is a musical genius. His scores are always appropriate for each film, and for each scene. A good musical score is probably about 80% of a film’s inspiration.
Wishing him many, many years of good health and happiness.
Proud to say I have his autograph. I wrote to him in the 90s and asked him to send me his autrograph. Provided a stamped envelop and index card so he could mail it back and he did. Years later I thought I lost it and wrote to him again and never got a reply but then years later I found the first one. 😄 I have so many of his soundtracts on cds, cassettes, and my iphone itunes. I’m his #1 fan.
I hope John Williams keeps going for a good while yet. Such an icon of cinema. Nobody can do it like him. Hopefully he can get one more Oscar one day.
Great interview, This man is an American treasure. May he live in our lives forever
Williams is simply the greatest. He's a treasure to humanity.
A humble and inspiring man. Reminding us of the special relationship between tonic and dominant, which is a gift from God through nature, demonstrates the power of music again and again. Thank you, Sir. ❤