The Unsung Hero: Incidental Music in Films/TV

[Deleted]

The thread title so chosen because not only is this music literally unsung, being instrumental pieces, but heartbreakingly is hardly ever celebrated or even available outside of the DVD of the movie it features in.

It seems such an arbitrary distinction between those instrumental 'main themes' to movies, such as The Magnificent 7, Top Gun, Dr Zhivago, which are not only easily available but celebrated to the extent that there's an Oscar category for them, and others. Some of my favourite pieces of instrumental music has (unfortunately) been those incidental bits in films, tv, even some soap operas. I say unfortunately because more often than not there is never any way of obtaining the full version of these absolutely lovely tunes, if there even is a full version. As far as I know those 15 or so seconds dotted around the film/mini-series are all that you will ever get to hear of it, even though some of it is really brilliant.

Some of my favourites:

1. Speaking of Top Gun, in the scene where Goose dies and CTC is thrashing around in the water with his body there's this v. sad piece but unlike the main TG theme this never makes it on to the soundtrack.

2. In the 1980's mini-series If Tomorrow Comes (tragically little-known, but imo a zillion times better than the 'a'-list version The Thomas Crown Affair) there is a tune that plays throughout - in a violin for happy moments, and in a tinkly piano for sad moments and i am just IN LOVE with it. Again, beyond a 'music by Nick Bicat' in the credits there's no way (that i know of, if there's a friend or grandchild to Mr Bicat here please do let me know ha ha!) of ever getting hold of it.

3. In the Aussie soap opera Neighbours, there's this poignant guitar piece that used to play in alot of Karl/Susan scenes in the 90s. Although there's a soundtrack to Neighbours in which the main icky theme features, everything apart from that is just mediocre songs.

4. In 'Lost' the last scene of season 1's finale, the piano bit playing across the flashback scenes of all the characters boarding the plane was the first time, as a casual viewer, that i began to care and find the poignance in the series.

The only thing i've lucked out in are 'Anne of Green Gables' which has a totally obscure CD that's only sold in Canada, but a CD nevertheless which i was able to buy over the net, which has all the great instrumental pieces of this mini-series - not just the main theme, but also the others. So the titles on this CD are 'Anne leaves for college', 'Anne hears that Gilbert is unwell' and so on. So. Awesome. Why can't they do that for these other things?

[GinFizz]

I hear you on the Anne of Green Gables love- who'da thunk that an 1980s Canadian miniseries would have such awesome music?

Trying to figure out the incidental music from movies and TV drives me absolutely nutty- I wish I could help you out on the ones you're looking for, because I know what that frustration feels like.

I'm a period and classic movie buff, so some of my favourites are:

North and South- not the Civil War miniseries from the 80s, but the recent BBC Gaskell adaptation. Fabulous music, nominated for a prestigious Novello award, and not a soundtrack release date in sight (although there have been rumblings).

Homefront- the TV series from the early 90s did a great job on period incidental music, and apart from the well-known Miller/Goodman/Dorsey tunes, there is a little tinkly piano tune that played in several scenes I have been trying to identify for YEARS.

Sabrina- the Hepburn version, not the remake. I love one of the tunes at the party where New! and! Improved! Sabrina hooks up with David. Its also heard in the Loretta Young movie The Accused. I think it was probably written for some Paramount musical in the 30s or 40s, but they're really hard to locate and hardly ever shown on TV.

Waterloo Bridge- Auld Lang Syne was memorably used, but there was another sad waltz tune that played throughout- I believe it was composed especially for the movie, but it's never been released commercially.

Anthony Adverse- the opera scene. Who is the composer? Where did this music come from? I have no idea.

My personal holy grail of obscure incidental tunes- I've been trying to figure out this one for years. It's usually in 20th Century Fox movies of the 40s and 50s- "With A Song in My Heart", "Apartment for Peggy" and "Leave Her to Heaven", but also the non-Fox movie "Dodsworth". They all had a Newman (Alfred or Lionel) as the soundtrack composer.

And finally the Christmas ads on TCM- an extremely catchy doo-wop melody played over an old Busby Berkeley clip of girls frolicking with snowballs. OTOH, TCM's numerous Bill Cosby ads suck hard.

[kostgard]

Heh. I also have the Anne of Green Gables soundtrack - my friend got it for me when she was on Prince Edward Island. I thought I was the only one who loved that.

I like it when you hear recurring themes in the music or even theme music in general. I loved how on Alias Jack Bristow and Irina Derevko (Sydney's - AKA Jennifer Garner's - father and mother) had their own theme music. It fit them both so perfectly and since they were the best characters on the show (IMO) I always sat up a bit when I heard their themes playing.

Northern Exposure also had some great incidental music - I've got both those soundtracks as well.

Side note - On one episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 they were talking about the incidental music they used in shows like "The Beverly Hillbillies" and "Green Acres" and described it as sounding "like someone tickling a pig." Ever since I saw that episode, just the phrase "incidental music" makes me think of that and I always giggle.

[hotransom]

I immediately thought of Angel and Buffy's theme from Buffy. It was a flute with percussion and piano piece that they played for them. When it pops up on my iTunes shuffle, I always start to tear up.

I'm always tempted to buy the soundtrack to Love Actually because of the Glasgow Love Theme- an instrumental that runs throughout various scenes in the movie. It changes from mellow and wistful to this very uplifting piece of music. It seems to fit the different storylines well and always make me want to be in love (for the highs and the lows). Dammit! I think I just talked myself into buying it.

[huntergrayson]

I think Michael Giacchino - the man who is behind the aforementioned music of Lost and Alias - is a total genius. I was so, so psyched when watching the TV and they said he got an Oscar nom for the Incredibles - which turned out to be a massive error on E!'s part.

There is, of course, the biggie of Twin Peaks, which probably started the whole "actually composing for a TV show" thing. Sadly, a second season soundtrack has never been released, but I'm still amazed that the first season has only about 5-6 "themes" but uses them so well. And man, "Laura's Theme?" Still hauntingly, heart-breakingly beautiful.

[swanflake]

I love Michael Giacchino too. My favorite incidental music from Alias is the piece that was originally used in the second season during the scene where all the people burst into flames in the church. I think they continued to use that music during the most intense, brutal catastrophes. I think they used it in the series finale in the scene where Jack convinced Sydney to leave him and go after Irina Derevko.

Another composer I like is Christopher Young. He did the music for the films Urban Legend and Hard Rain. Both dumb movies, but the background music was really, really good.

[hobocamp]

My favorite is what I call the "pensive" music from Donnie Darko, I think when everyone is discussing the school flooding. NPR uses it a lot, too.

True Confession: I used to own the cassette tape of the Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master and listen to it all the time.

[Deleted]

Northern Exposure also had some great incidental music - I've got both those soundtracks as well.

Northern Exposure did have some great music over the years - it's not so frustrating though, because they appear to be actual pieces that were not composed for background music in the show, but already existing and specifically chosen. And so accordingly they have titles, and artists, and there is a great website (i haven't been to it for YEARS!) which listed ALL the music NE ever played. My favourite ('DW Suite' by Lindsay Buckingham - was at the beginnings and ends of the episode 'Spring Break' during the naked running of the bull race, anyone remember? 'If you go - go go go go go go - go insaaaane - sanesanesanesane...) unfortunately did not feature on the soundtrack, and i (or rather my friends, as i do not have the technical know-how to burn cds from those internet libraries of other people's collections) have never been able to get it elsewhere, but hey at least i know the name, which at least feels like something tangible!! Because i don't even have THAT much for those 15 seconds here and there in If Tomorrow Comes (o/t but has anyone seen this mini-series starring Madolyn Smith and Tom Berenger, and heard the music i mean?) and the sad tune in Top Gun. First time that CTC ever choked me up.

[piscessiren]

The instrumental pieces on Wang Chung's To Live and Die in L.A. soundtrack fit so perfectly in the movie. I also remember many a news story, even network, that used snippets as background music in their segments. You'd never think it was Wang Chung.

And I alway get chills listening to the soundtrack to Ric Burns's New York: A Documentary Film. And there can never be enough versions of Rhapsody in Blue.

Word to Gaskell's North and South, GinFizz, it's a crime that it's not available.

[Mutagen]

Gasp! I love incidental music.

One of my favorite pieces ever plays over the end of the film Swimming with Sharks, after Frank Whaley's character has completed his transition into an evil, soulless, successful film producer. It's a very simple piece, but very haunting, and ends the film on a perfect chilling note. Whenever this movie is on TV I sit through the credits and listen to it.

One of my other favorite pieces, believe it or not, is the theme to "Enter the Dragon," particularly as it plays over the three main characters traveling through Hong Kong's harbor. It's slow, meditative, funky and sleazy all at the same time.