Why Do We Like Film Music?

[Naïve Old Fart 9,640]

It's a simple question, but it is one that I have been muling over for some time.

So...why do we like soundtracks? Are soundtracks the main source of our musical pleasure, or are there musical forms that we might prefer?

Where did it all start? What introduced us to film music, and what keeps us coming back for more?

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

I like film music because I like film. I like film because I like art. I like art because it's something worth doing with our existence, which can last as long as there is anyone who will or can experience it, and because it nourishes the soul.

I asked myself recently why I listen more and more to film music rather than, say, concert music. I think it's the collaborative, all-encompassing nature of film. A symphony is all well and good but a score is part of a larger world built by many people and, these days anyway, shared by far more people than a symphony. Film is sort of the ultimate art form to me, so the musical component is just densely packed with significance - some of it inherent to the world of the film, some of it brought in by ourselves. And it's not to say that other forms of music aren't significant. Film music just takes the cake in my mind.

The marriage of music with story, the human element, is the zenith of musical creative practice.

[Quintus 5,399]

I like film music because it makes the hairs on my arms stand up more often than any other kind of music.

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

More succinct than I could ever hope to be.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,640]

Fantastic answer, Pil, let's lock this thread now!

Seriously...you hit on the nature of film scores, that they are a very piecemeal art-form. They have no function but to support the film for which they were composed, yet film music thrives, and is probably now more successful, and popular than ever. Is that down to one man..? Just about.

What sort of mind listens to this "cut 'n' paste" art form, and how much is our liking for a film wrapped-up in our liking for its score?

This post is meant to answer Pil's first post, but Quint beat me to it. Damn you. Damn you all to Hell!

Actually, Pil, while you gave a cerebral answer, Quint cut to the chase, and gave a very emotional answer. Both fit together nicely.

[A24 4,362]

For me, having my hairs on my arm stand up more would be an indication that I like it, but it would not explain WHY I like it.

Alexandre

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Because it's more approachable then classical music

[A24 4,362]

Is it? It seems to me that listening to Mozart or Vivaldi is easier than listening to 40 minutes of nervous action cues.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

But we come into contact with film music because we watch films. That's how ALL of us started I guess.

[A24 4,362]

Many people watch movies, few become soundtrack lovers. Most people follow the safe taste of popular radio stations. I guess music on the radio is even more 'available'.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

The question was "why do WE like film music?"

I assume that means us soundtrack lovers. So not "most people".

[Quintus 5,399]

For me, having my hairs on my arm stand up more would be an indication that I like it, but it would not explain WHY I like it.

Hey, I just go where the nice sensations are.

Pondering the spiritual aspect is fascinating, but only as long as it doesn't interrupt my body's chemical reaction to the music

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Film music Lee. Not coke.

I know you confuse the two at times. Like that day you accidentally tried to snort the Jurassic Park CD....

[Quintus 5,399]

Good shit.

In all seriousness though, I was being serious.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Did you actually Journey To The Island that night? Or did you have An Incident At Isla Nublar?

[Quintus 5,399]

I have no idea what you're talking about.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Forget it. It's sunday.

I agree with you though. The reason I started listening to film music is because it evoked a far stronger reaction then any other. Naturally the films were a big part of that. I do believe, even though many of us prefer the film scores that are able to stand on their own, we begin listening to it though the medium it was written for.

[Richard Penna 3,737]

I have no idea. All I know is that around the millennium, instrumental music in general started becoming interesting to me. Film music happens to be a mainstream source of it.

[TownerFan 4,991]

I'm a film buff since I was a very, very little kid. The movies I grew up with (Star Wars, Raiders, Superman, E.T.) were big, bold adventures perfect for a kid in search of big gushy feelings. As we know very well, in these films music plays a major role in getting you excited, scared, awed, frightened, inspired--in a nutshell, emotionally connected. When I connected the dots and realized that the music for all these movies was written by the same person, I realized the importance of it for me. That music was part of my own emotional (and maybe even spiritual) baggage and was able to define a big part of myself. So, it was crucial to be able to get that music OUT of the film context and enjoy it as pure music, first recording the audio directly from the TV set and then buying records - yes, records! - of the soundtracks. The music of John Williams was indeed the soundtrack of myself. And I always related to it in a very personal, intimate way, like a true friendship.

As I grew up older, I noticed more and more the role of music in films and I learned to appreciate and love the work of many other composers like Bernard Herrmann, Ennio Morricone and Jerry Goldsmith, getting a wider sense of what could be done with music in films. At that point, my passion for film music was quite cemented and I thank all the music gods that I fell in love with the artform through the works of real, true composers like the one I mentioned, because those masters were surely superb dramatist in serving the films they were writing for, but they were also damn good composers able to produce beautiful music in itself. This led to the discovery of the great classical repertoire (thanks also to one of my brothers, who was a classical music fan and who constantly told me, "If you like John Williams, then you should also like this", handing me a copy of Rimsky-Korsakov's Sheherazade) and then to the discovery of many other great music and composers.

So, I definitely started because of love of film. But as I started to listen to it more and more with attention on the music itself, it really opened the gateway for the appreciation of good music in general, above the constrictions of genre, style and purpose. So, I'd say that I don't like film music in itself, like I would say that I like jazz or rock. I like good music and it happens that quite a lot of it that I listen to is written for films (mostly older ones, according to my playlists and CDs stacked on my desk).

In this sense, it's difficult for me to define film music as a genre or, worse, as a style. And here lies the problem I have with quite a lot of film music produced in recent times and that's why I don't listen to most of it. To my ears, quite a lot sounds like someone writing in a kind of "film style" because that's how you give people a sense of watching/being in a movie. More often than not, this is at the expense of all the notions of musical architecture/construction that makes a piece of music worth listening. It's all down to the most superficial sense.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I listen to music because it transports me into a world unknown to the one in which I live. It makes me think and feel.

[Glóin the Dark 1,229]

For me, what made film music accessible initially was the fact that I was becoming acquainted with particular scores without even realising it (because I was watching the film). This way, the music was able surreptitiously to overcome my narrow-mindedness and demand for instant gratification. I started to become open to and interested in film music in general, and thought that that was the type of music which specifically appealed to me. Over the course of my mid-to-late teens, I very gradually discovered (through listening to film music and other orchestral music of a filmic disposition) the rewards of patience and exploration, and found myself seeking a wider variety of types of music and focusing more on structure and development than on particular tunes and chord-sequences. Film music isn't my primary field of musical interest any more, but it was my way in.

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

We like film music because it provides temporary respite from the voices in out heads.

In all seriousness, I don't listen to escape from reality, I listen to embrace it.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

I listen because it's sexier than other music. Hence those hairs standing up like what Quint said. It all comes back to sex.

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

I listen because it's sexier than other music. Hence those hairs standing up.

Among other things.

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

In all seriousness, I don't listen to escape from reality, I listen to embrace it.

Another more succinct version of what I was trying to say.

[Henry B 50]

I don't think film music is better or worse than concert music. The visceral/nostalgic appeal is obvious; I grew up with movies like everybody here. But I will say that there's a technical reason for why film music is or can be interesting: it subverts expectations. Dedicated underscoring, particularly in the "mickey mousing" vein, is remarkably complex and unusual structurally. It's full of mixed meter, clipped rhythms and seemingly incomplete phrases. You know, the stuff that Thor hates. But this appeals to me, and what I think is cool is that it's an incidental outgrowth of film editing and pacing, rather than a sacrifice. Film composers have had to tear apart traditional musical forms and ideas of symmetry to jam their ideas into the appropriate time slots, but the results (when done well) have their own logic and beauty. Concert composers have been doing this for a hundred years, albeit usually with a less accessible harmonic language. In other words, I like some film music because you can't count "1, 2, 3, 4" to it. You can't easily rest.

Here's an example: the track "Map/Out of Fuel" from Temple of Doom. There's this gorgeous rendition of Willy's theme that we think is going to blossom, but instead Williams just hits the brakes and moves on. Now we all know the more familiar rescore of this track, in which Williams skipped the buildup, went right to Willy's theme and allowed it time to blossom, but I like the original. It's less expected!

[Faleel 5,400]

I like taking the "Musical Journey", I don't exactly need to shoehorn the music to fit my expectations of how it should be.

[BLUMENKOHL 1,070]

I'm not a particularly "I'm special" or "I have great taste" man. I don't believe I'm here listening to John Williams' wonderful music because I have exceptional taste. I don't believe I am here because of an exploratory spirit that drove me through piles of useless music to find what I enjoy now.

I believe in science and in the balance of nature and nurture that drives us.

By chance, I happened to be at the right place at the right time for film music to capture my attention. And I was fortunate enough that I was born with the particular set of genes and raised with the chance circumstances that made it possible for my attention to be captured when it was.

There are oodles and oodles of scientific studies that show our overarching or fundamental tastes in things from clothes to music establish themselves rather firmly between the ages of 18-22 ± 1-2 years. We may deviate here and there throughout our lives. But that core taste that drives those deviations remains the same.

I ran into film music around that age. I listened to film around that age because it was new and different for me and I enjoyed it.

If I had found another genre around that age I may well be on another forum right now discussing another musician altogether.

But here I am.

[karelm 2,915]

I personally prefer to listen to concert music finding it generally more rewarding to time investment where film music tends to reduce its impact the more I listen. Only the greatest film scores constantly surprise me and the more I listen the more nuance I hear. This is why I love JW so much. Along with Goldsmith, Herrmann, the classics who were really very polished composers and end up with film music as a genre for practical reasons rather than artistic ones. For example, Herrmann was always frustrated to be classified as a film composer rather than a composer who works in film. I believe JW is the same way and at its best, film music stands proudly along with other musical examples of exceptional refinement. With the passing of Peter O'toole, "Lawrance of Arabia" was on the radio and that music is just so perfectly written to encapsulate the larger than life settings and characters. I recall hearing it in concert once (probably a Hollywood Bowl thing) and was just blown away by the sweep and grandeur. Just like concert music has good historic periods and less good ones, when it's good, it's VERY good and I can say it changed my life. I think the same for JW's music. I don't think the same for film music in general.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I'm not a particularly "I'm special" or "I have great taste" man. I don't believe I'm here listening to John Williams' wonderful music because I have exceptional taste. I don't believe I am here because of an exploratory spirit that drove me through piles of useless music to find what I enjoy now.

I believe in science and in the balance of nature and nurture that drives us.

By chance, I happened to be at the right place at the right time for film music to capture my attention. And I was fortunate enough that I was born with the particular set of genes and raised with the chance circumstances that made it possible for my attention to be captured when it was.

There are oodles and oodles of scientific studies that show our overarching or fundamental tastes in things from clothes to music establish themselves rather firmly between the ages of 18-22 ± 1-2 years. We may deviate here and there throughout our lives. But that core taste that drives those deviations remains the same.

I ran into film music around that age. I listened to film around that age because it was new and different for me and I enjoyed it.

If I had found another genre around that age I may well be on another forum right now discussing another musician altogether.

But here I am.

I agree to a certain degree, but I've been in love with film music since I was 6, so...

[Joni Wiljami 1,206]

I personally prefer to listen to concert music finding it generally more rewarding to time investment where film music tends to reduce its impact the more I listen. Only the greatest film scores constantly surprise me and the more I listen the more nuance I hear. This is why I love JW so much. Along with Goldsmith, Herrmann, the classics who were really very polished composers and end up with film music as a genre for practical reasons rather than artistic ones. For example, Herrmann was always frustrated to be classified as a film composer rather than a composer who works in film. I believe JW is the same way and at its best, film music stands proudly along with other musical examples of exceptional refinement. With the passing of Peter O'toole, "Lawrance of Arabia" was on the radio and that music is just so perfectly written to encapsulate the larger than life settings and characters. I recall hearing it in concert once (probably a Hollywood Bowl thing) and was just blown away by the sweep and grandeur. Just like concert music has good historic periods and less good ones, when it's good, it's VERY good and I can say it changed my life. I think the same for JW's music. I don't think the same for film music in general.

I agree to a certain degree but my love for the concert music has reduced lately, probably too many years in the orchestras. And the appreciation for

the film music has risen but only the music of the Greatest you also mentioned. Mediocre film music is agonizing, more than mediocre concert music.

[karelm 2,915]

I personally prefer to listen to concert music finding it generally more rewarding to time investment where film music tends to reduce its impact the more I listen. Only the greatest film scores constantly surprise me and the more I listen the more nuance I hear. This is why I love JW so much. Along with Goldsmith, Herrmann, the classics who were really very polished composers and end up with film music as a genre for practical reasons rather than artistic ones. For example, Herrmann was always frustrated to be classified as a film composer rather than a composer who works in film. I believe JW is the same way and at its best, film music stands proudly along with other musical examples of exceptional refinement. With the passing of Peter O'toole, "Lawrance of Arabia" was on the radio and that music is just so perfectly written to encapsulate the larger than life settings and characters. I recall hearing it in concert once (probably a Hollywood Bowl thing) and was just blown away by the sweep and grandeur. Just like concert music has good historic periods and less good ones, when it's good, it's VERY good and I can say it changed my life. I think the same for JW's music. I don't think the same for film music in general.

I agree to a certain degree but my love for the concert music has reduced lately, probably too many years in the orchestras. And the appreciation for

the film music has risen but only the music of the Greatest you also mentioned. Mediocre film music is agonizing, more than mediocre concert music.

Right. I think the bottom line is a really dislike lazy musical efforts regardless of the medium. I feel with the great composers as mentioned already, they never are lazy with their effort. When a concert composer ends up sounding too much like it was just "phoned in" if you know what I mean, I'll probably hate it because it lacks a vigorous or determined effort. They are charlatans in my opinion. I've worked with/for some of them too and it's insulting to the craft.

[Datameister 2,073]

I like film music because it makes the hairs on my arms stand up more often than any other kind of music.

That about sums it up for me.

Why does it make the hairs on my arms stand up more often than any other kind of music? That's a lot harder to say. In one sense, it's almost Darwinian - the music that "works" on some level is the music that tends to be emulated, studied, ripped off, riffed off, recombined, reinterpreted...and listened to, ultimately.

For me, I know that these are some of the qualities that tend to be strongly correlated with music I like:

* Use of an orchestra. Its variety of timbres fondle my cochlea in a most pleasing way.

* Sparse use of more unusual timbres (synths, exotic percussion, unconventional playing techniques, etc.) alongside the orchestra, to add some interest.

* Straightforward, effective harmonic constructions intermittently veiled in varying layers of complexity.

* Rhythmic and structural approaches that somehow evoke the unpredictable imperfections of real life (as opposed to a more idealized, formalized structure).

* A variety of different emotions being expressed - joy, anger, fear, humor, chaos, sadness, peace, elation, you name it.

* Use - but not overuse - of melodies that are in some way catchy or memorable.

* Association with a film or other creative product that is emotionally powerful in and of itself.

[karelm 2,915]

I like film music because it makes the hairs on my arms stand up more often than any other kind of music.

That about sums it up for me.

Why does it make the hairs on my arms stand up more often than any other kind of music? That's a lot harder to say. In one sense, it's almost Darwinian - the music that "works" on some level is the music that tends to be emulated, studied, ripped off, riffed off, recombined, reinterpreted...and listened to, ultimately.

For me, I know that these are some of the qualities that tend to be strongly correlated with music I like:

* Use of an orchestra. Its variety of timbres fondle my cochlea in a most pleasing way.

* Sparse use of more unusual timbres (synths, exotic percussion, unconventional playing techniques, etc.) alongside the orchestra, to add some interest.

* Straightforward, effective harmonic constructions intermittently veiled in varying layers of complexity.

* Rhythmic and structural approaches that somehow evoke the unpredictable imperfections of real life (as opposed to a more idealized, formalized structure).

* A variety of different emotions being expressed - joy, anger, fear, humor, chaos, sadness, peace, elation, you name it.

* Use - but not overuse - of melodies that are in some way catchy or memorable.

* Association with a film or other creative product that is emotionally powerful in and of itself.

Well put. I'd also add the importance of structure. I believe it to be somewhat intrinsic to our nature. Sonata form has been around for hundreds of years and the basic idea is contrast and development. It's as if sound and form is fundamental mode of expression and some very smart people have theorized it existed before language. What this means to this discussion is that just like story structure (Joseph Campbell et al) has been around for thousands of years, so to has song structure. When something has a good sound but lacks structure, it is quickly replaceable and will not last in one's mind.

[Thor 7,583]

But we come into contact with film music because we watch films. That's how ALL of us started I guess.

Not all of us.

I have a somewhat complex and dual relationship to the artform.

My love of soundtrack albums has ironically little to do with the films themselves. It's an interest that grew out of listening to instrumental electronic music, prog rock, symphonic rock, art rock etc. When I was in my early teens, I suspected that soundtracks might have a similar 'concept album' feel, especially after I got a cassette of TWIN PEAKS, so I sought them out. And since this was in the days BEFORE the C&C phenomenon had taken hold, soundtracks did indeed succeed on that level.

On the other hand, I've also been a film lover all my life, like most of you. This interest encompassed all the aspects that make up the artform, including acting, directing, cinematography, editing and -- yes -- music. It's a more 'academic' interest, perhaps, but I've always been interested in analyzing music in a film context (that's my Ph.D. right there, after all).

Interestingly, although the music comes from the same source, these two interests have nothing to do with each other. For me, soundtrack album listening and FILM music appreciation are as different as knitting and mountain climbing. Before I got a film music network, I assumed this way of listening to soundtrack albums was the 'normal' way. It's only in the last 10 years or so that I've come to the understanding that it is -- in fact -- a minority approach, considered 'odd' by many!

[JoeinAR 1,949]

I don't know that I'm truly a film music fan. I am a John Williams fan first and foremost. I love other composers and film music, but I don't care for most film music today.

[indy4 155]

I like the cool stickers and screensavers that sometimes come with the soundtrack releases.

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

Me too. I just wish my dial-up could handle the bonus web content.