Final Friday Top Five: Scores

Final Friday Top Five

Film Scores

5. Sharknado series: (The Ballad of) Sharknado by Quint

It is no secret that despite being a shark advocate, I love a good Creature Feature B-Movie. The Sharknado series ticks all my boxes: bad acting, ridiculous premise, cheap CGI, and an escalation of silliness you couldn't predict in a million years. Plus, all the cameos! And the music does not disappoint. It enhances the aesthetic and completes the tone to the film. It's fun and everything it needs to be.



4. Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea: Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea - Movie Version by Joe Hisashi

You get the Noah Cyrus and Bonus Jonas version, rather than original Japanese.

In my books, Joe Hisashi can do no wrong. The man knows his way around an orchestra. I am a fan. (I mean, I have the score to Spirited Away tattooed on my arm.) I can (and regularly do) listen to his music for hours on end. His scores are the perfect accompaniment to Hayao Miyazaki's beautiful animation. Honestly, I think my happy place is a Ghibli animated seascape with Joe Hisashi scores to soothe the soul.

Ponyo is no exception to Hisashi's skill. The score encapsulates the youth and innocence to the characters. Their inherent curiosity is brought to life in the music. I cannot express the beauty of Hisashi's music enough, the words have not yet been developed! It's amazing the way it just transports you into the Ghibli world while developing the characters with a little bit of whimsy, a little bit of drama; all the while with the iconic theme which is laced throughout. He does it with every score.

The man got skillz.

3. Jaws: Main Title and First Victim by John Williams

I mean, of course this made it onto the list. John Williams is a legend in the film score world. He's composed Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter and so many more! You can buy piano books dedicated to his works and are likely to know at least 75% of them.

The simplistic score to the Jaws theme is part of what makes it so. iconic. It's two notes - TWO NOTES!! - and yet when you hear them, chills. It perfectly embodies the suspenseful tone of the film. It's so mimicable - who hasn't played shark on the school playground while singing this song? (Just me? Fine, weirdos.) There are so many elements to the Jaws film which rightly give it its title of "First Ever Blockbuster", and the score is one of them.

It's a proven fact that putting scary music over footage of a shark makes it instantly more terrifying, and I think we have John Williams to blame for that! Music alerts audiences on how they should be feeling. Play some sad violins over a crying woman and we feel sad. Play a triumphant melody at the end of the big match and we know to celebrate. Music is powerful. And that is exactly what's at play with the Jaws theme. It's scary, it's ominous, we're seeing the shadow of a big, scary shape - WE MUST BE TERRIFIED!!! In the context of the film, that is everything we should be feeling. (People just need to remember that in the wild, sharks don't come with ominous cellos!)

 2. The Little Mermaid: Part of Your World by Jodi Benson (Alan Menken & Howard Ashman)

Ah, Disney. I honestly believe that a huge part of the Disney magic stems from the music. It fleshes out the world drawn before you, it gives it life, feeling. And largely helps distract you from all the glaring pot holes you only notice as an adult. (Seriously, why did she just not write Prince Eric a note?)

There is an essence of wonderment to Disney scores and Alan Menken brings it to life time and time again. Pair it with Howard Ashman's beautiful lyrics and you get classics like Part of Your World and Beauty and the Beast. The world was robbed to only have two and a half films with this iconic duo of Menken and Ashman. (Ashman sadly passed away in 1991, mid way through production of Aladdin. Watch the credits of Beauty and the Beast, there is a touching homage to him.)

The Little Mermaid is full of banging tunes. Under the Sea is so high energy and full of aquatic rhyming couplets. Kiss the Girl has layers and layers, really adding to the romantic mood. (Somewhat ruined by the notion that Eric doesn't speak crab or frog and would be hearing ribbits and whatever noises crabs make!) Part of Your World is beautiful. It really showcases what it's like to be a sixteen year old girl - full of longing for elsewhere with little bit of youthful ignorance (what's the word again? Oh, feet!). Jodi Benson's vocals are top notch and you can bet that I have spent many an hour trying to match them. With varying degrees of success!

On a whole, the score has that magical feel to it which we've come to expect from Disney films. There is a reason Alan Menken has done a lot of the scores since the Disney Renaissance. They sound full - brass rounding out the sound, floaty flutes to twitter out a tune, strong and iconic melodies laced throughout, backed by a chorus of ethereal voices. Never stop, Alan Menken, you have got the formula down.

 Honourable Mentions
Pirates of the Caribbean series by Hans Zimmer
Finding Nemo by Thomas Newman
Pirates! In An Adventure with Scientists by Theodore Shapiro

1. Blue Planet II: The Blue Planet by Hans Zimmer, Jacob Shea, and David Flemming

Three words for you: Hans. Freaking. Zimmer.

The man behind the Lion King and Pirates of the Caribbean score. His music is iconic, distinctive, and just plain amazing. In Blue Planet, he manages to elicit so much emotion and drama out of animals just being animals. I love David Attenborough as much as the next eco geek, but would Blue Planet have been half the documentary it was without Hans Zimmer providing the soundscape?

The music gives character to the animals. Normally this is done through animation, anthropomorphising features to give them more human-like expressions. Usually, they give them eyebrows. (And I don't just mean to make them look like Martin Scorsese!) Aardman Animations were originally going to give Gromit a voice until they realised just how expressive they could make him with eyebrows alone. Gromit has no problem communicating to the audience, it's just a shame Wallace can't read his face!

Anyway, sidetracked by animation nerding.

Character. The music in Blue Planet breaths character into these creatures. It bolsters the story which Attenborough is narrating. Ultimately, it makes their real lives interesting and creates investment for the audience. Do I need to remind you about the lizard vs snake clip? (I realise it's the other documentary, but it's also Hans Zimmer, so Imma let it slide.) We are rooting for the little guy to escape. We are cheering when the big beasty gets its dinner. We are overwhelmed with joy when the families overcome danger.

And the best bit is it's all real. (Film nerd: well, even documentaries skew information to create a story.) These are real life animals, alive today in some cases, and these documentaries have done something environmental scientists have been trying to do for years. They've got the population to care. There was a spike in anti-plastic movements after Blue Planet II. By showing audiences the beauty of our world, giving it a compelling and exciting score, they have increased awareness and support.

By all accounts, that is a bonus benefit. Hans Zimmer was enough for this to earn the number one spot. I mean, he was in the honourable mentions as well! (The PotC scores are iconic, even if the films are less so.)

Which water-y film scores are your favourites? Have I missed anything obvious? Would you order these differently? Lemme know below! And have a listen to these scores for yourself - I made a playlist and it is available at the bottom of the page.

Treat your earballs! They are in lockdown too!

Listening to: Final Friday Top Five Scores 

And so can you!