

Okay, the last part of my question is a tad facetious, but hear me out.



I've had an off again on again discussion with several folks about film scores, and discussing why it is that, as best as I can tell, there hasn't been a major motion picture released in 20 or more years that had as part of its score a 'theme' (if you will) that has become ingrained in the collective cultural conscience in the same way that films from years past have. I feel as though Jurassic Park may be the most recent one, and that came out in 1993. Why is that?



Think about films from the last 20 years that might be candidates here. I'm willing to listen to arguments for perhaps the Harry Potter films or the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Maybe Titanic,Gladiator, or 'Duel of the Fates' from The Phantom Menace, but I just don't think any of those occupy our consciences in the same way than nearly anything from the years prior.



I think you could potentially pick out dozens of films from the 60s, 70s, 80s, and early 90s, hum or play a few bars from its theme, and people would know it immediately. And sure, John Williams may be responsible for a large portion of such music, but your Batmans, Back to the Futures, Godfathers, etc. were created by a variety of other composers, so I don't think the 'Well it's just John Williams' syndrome applies here either.



So again, why is this the case? Why hasn't there been a piece from a film score in the last 20 years that's achieved the same status as Jaws, or Indiana Jones, or Batman, or so on? Obviously John Williams continues to write for and score films, as do Alan Silvestri, Danny Elfman, and Hans Zimmer - but nothing's really caught fire.



To be clear, I'm not talking about a song from a film - so things like 'My Heart Will Go On', or 'Get Happy', or 'Let It Go' don't count.



Lastly, allow me to posit a potential answer just to give some additional food for thought: is it possible that the current state of film scores is because they don't 'sell' in the same way on digital storefronts (iTunes, say) and aren't as easily marketable as a single like 'Let It Go' is? In this day and age, is the attraction of getting a song out in front of a film as a way to market the movie and potentially make beau coups of money outside of ticket sales so enticing that a film's score takes a backseat, in a way, to generating a hit single? Again, I'm not arguing that there aren't good scores still being written or that they're not important, nor do I believe anyone is telling John Williams 'Hey, maybe don't create a super recognizable theme like you used to okay?', but the cynic in me feels like there may be some correlation here.



So, wrapping up, I'd be curious to hear the Hive Mind's thoughts on this subject. Is there a simpler answer I'm overlooking? Maybe enough time just hasn't passed yet? Some detail that might unequivocally refute my argument? Is it just that the concept of 'themes' is dead?

What is the most recent piece of instrumental music from a film score that the general public could immediately identify upon hearing, and why is it the theme from Jurassic Park? (many) Details inside!