Celebrating 90 years of John Williams

The greatest of film composers, John Williams, celebrates his 90^th birthday today.

From all nine episodes of The Skywalker Saga in Star Wars to the first three Harry Potter films to Home Alone, Williams has scored the soundtracks for dozens of films over the years. He’s scored nearly all of filmmaker Steven Spielberg’s films.

In honor of John’s 90^th birthday, here is a look back at some of his most memorable songs from over the years.

Star Wars Main Theme (Appears in all Skywalker Saga Star Wars films)

This song plays at the beginning of every Star Wars movie. Its epic beginning always signals the start of an adventure in the stars and is instantly recognizable.

The Imperial March aka Darth Vader’s Theme (Appears in all Skywalker Saga films, except for A New Hope).

Introduced in The Empire Strikes Back, this theme represents the Galactic Empire and more specifically, Darth Vader. The theme suggests a feeling of foreboding as the Empire plots to defeat the Rebellion and is heard in every Skywalker Saga film after its introduction in Empire.

Princess Leia’s Theme (Skywalker Saga original and sequel trilogies; Revenge of the Sith)

This theme is associated with Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan. Its most featured scene is when R2-D2 plays the infamous hologram message where Leia asks for Obi-Wan’s help in delivering R2 to the Rebellion so the Rebels can have the plans to the Death Star. The theme appears briefly in Revenge of the Sith when baby Leia is adopted by the Organas, and later plays prominently following Leia’s death in The Rise of Skywalker. John Williams conducted a live performance of this theme at Star Wars Celebration 2017 after the tribute to Carrie Fisher video.

Duel of the Fates (Star Wars Prequel Trilogy)

Duel of the Fates plays during the climatic duel between Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan against Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace. It is known for its loud and dominating chorus that sings Sanskrit lyrics alongside the performing orchestra. The song features in all three films of the prequel trilogy, including the climatic duel between Yoda and Palpatine, which was essentially a battle of the Jedi Order against the Order of the Sith Lords.

Hedwig’s Theme (All Harry Potter films)

Hedwig’s Theme plays at the beginning of the eight Harry Potter films, serving as introduction to the story. The theme is named for Harry’s snowy owl, Hedwig, though it ultimately symbolizes the entire franchise and ultimately closes out the series during the epilogue scene.

Harry’s Wondrous World (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone)

This song represents Harry stepping into the magical world of Hogwarts, though it could ultimately be seen as a song that represents the entire franchise, as with Hedwig’s Theme. Though this theme features only in the first film, it remains a memorable piece for the whole series that represents of the magic of the whole franchise.

Theme from Jurassic Park (Jurassic Park films)

The iconic theme plays over the scene that introduces the characters to the dinosaurs on Isla Nublar in the 1993 film. Like other John Williams themes, this one largely represents the entire franchise, and features in every film. The theme ultimately represents the dinosaurs of the whole franchise and will likely feature in the upcoming Jurassic World Dominion, due for release this summer.

Raiders March (Indiana Jones films)

Though not titled the Indiana Jones Theme Song, this song is the song for the Indiana Jones franchise. This theme is closely associated with the franchise’s main character and features prominently in all four films in the franchise (and hopefully the upcoming fifth film, due out this summer).

Flying (E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial)

This iconic song plays during the scene of E.T. where E.T. makes Elliot’s bike fly so they can travel quickly through the forest in order to contact E.T.’s people. It also plays during the climatic bike escape from the feds as all of the kids race to get E.T. to the forest so he can catch his ship home. Ultimately this theme comes to symbolize the magic of the whole movie. Indeed, Steven Spielberg’s production company Amblin Entertainment has an image from the scene where this theme is introduced as its logo.

Somewhere In My Memory (Home Alone)

Home Alone doesn’t seem like the traditional film Williams would score. It’s not a fantasy movie nor an adventure film, but rather a family Christmas film. Nevertheless, John Williams worked his magic for this film, peaking with this theme that plays at various points in the first two Home Alone films. This song heavily features at the end of the first two films, when Kevin has his moments with the older characters he’s befriended, shortly before he’s yelled at by a family member, ending the films.

There are many more themes and film scores composed by John Williams. This is just a highlight of his extensive discography.