Entertainment
10 Best Movie Scores by John Williams
# 10 Best Movie Scores by John Williams: The Definitive Ranking John Williams is more than a composer; he is the architect of our cinematic dreams, t...
10 Best Movie Scores by John Williams: The Definitive Ranking
John Williams is more than a composer; he is the architect of our cinematic dreams, the man who gave flight to superheroes and spaceships with the soaring power of an orchestra. For over six decades, his name has been synonymous with the magic of movies, crafting soundscapes that are as iconic and beloved as the films they accompany. Williams revitalized the grand symphonic film score in an era dominated by pop soundtracks, creating a legacy that has earned him five Academy Awards and 54 nominations, making him the most-nominated living person in Oscar history. His ability to forge unforgettable themes—simple, yet emotionally profound—has made his work indelible in the collective cultural psyche. From the heart-pounding terror of a shark's approach to the whimsical wonder of a boy befriending an alien, Williams' music is not just background noise; it is a narrative voice, a character in its own right.
This list aims to celebrate that monumental legacy by ranking the best John Williams scores. Whittling down a catalog filled with masterpieces is a Herculean task, as nearly every score is a masterclass in composition and emotional storytelling. This definitive ranking considers not only the catchiness of the main themes but also the score's overall impact on its film, its technical brilliance, and its enduring cultural significance. These are the compositions that have transcended the silver screen to become the soundtracks of our lives, demonstrating time and again why John Williams is unequivocally the greatest film composer of all time.
10. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
John Williams had the profound challenge of creating the sound of magic itself, and with his score for the first Harry Potter film, he succeeded beyond all imagination. The music of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is a whimsical and enchanting tapestry that perfectly captures the wonder and mystery of the wizarding world.
### Hedwig's Theme: The Sound of Magic
The score's centerpiece, "Hedwig's Theme," has become the defining musical identity for the entire Harry Potter franchise. Introduced with the delicate, bell-like tones of a celesta, the theme is instantly transportive, evoking a sense of childlike awe and magical possibility. This unique instrumentation sets the magical tone for the series, creating a sound that is both mysterious and inviting. The theme is masterfully woven throughout the film, appearing in various orchestrations that adapt to the narrative's shifting tones, from the bustling energy of Diagon Alley to the hushed corridors of Hogwarts at night.
### Capturing the Wonder of a New World
Beyond its iconic main theme, the score is rich with melodies that flesh out the emotional landscape of Harry's journey. Williams crafts music that swells with the grandeur of the Great Hall, sparkles with the thrill of a Quidditch match, and darkens with the nascent threat of Voldemort. The score balances moments of sweeping orchestral bombast with quiet, intimate cues, mirroring Harry's own experiences of discovering a world he never knew existed. Williams only scored the first three films, but his foundational themes were so powerful that they were integrated into the subsequent five, cementing his musical DNA as an inseparable part of the wizarding world's enduring legacy.
9. Superman: The Movie (1978)
Before 1978, audiences might not have believed a man could fly, but John Williams' score for Superman: The Movie made them certain of it. This is arguably the most definitive and triumphant superhero theme ever written, a piece of music that single-handedly embodies the concepts of heroism, optimism, and unabashed goodness.
### The "Superman March": An Anthem for a Hero
The main theme, often called the "Superman March," is a masterwork of musical branding. It opens with a bold, brassy fanfare that feels like a call to arms, instantly commanding attention. This gives way to a soaring, heroic march with a three-note phrasing that many have said sounds like it's spelling out "Su-per-man." Williams brilliantly captured the film's fun, slightly tongue-in-cheek tone, creating a theme that was grand and theatrical without taking itself too seriously. The music became so inextricably linked to the character that Christopher Reeve himself once joked, "if you try to fly without that theme, you go nowhere.”
### More Than Just a March
While the main theme is its most famous component, the full score for Superman is a rich and varied composition. Williams penned a beautiful, sweeping love theme for Lois Lane, "Can You Read My Mind," that provides a romantic counterpoint to the heroic bombast. He also composed nostalgic, Aaron Copland-esque music for Clark Kent's upbringing in Smallville, perfectly capturing the film's Americana heartland feel. The score is a complete narrative journey, from the crystalline, mysterious sounds of Krypton to the bustling chaos of Metropolis. It’s one of the best John Williams scores because it doesn't just accompany the hero; it defines him.
8. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
For Close Encounters of the Third Kind, John Williams was tasked with a unique challenge: creating music that was not just a score, but a key element of the plot itself. The result is an innovative and awe-inspiring work that bridges the gap between humanity and the cosmos, proving that music is truly a universal language.
### The Five-Note Motif: A Galactic Greeting
The film's most memorable musical element is the iconic five-note motif (D-E-C-C-G), which becomes the method of communication between humans and the visiting aliens. This simple, elegant phrase is the heart of the film's narrative. Williams reportedly worked tirelessly with director Steven Spielberg, composing over 300 different five-note combinations before they settled on the perfect one. The motif is both simple enough to be universally understood and complex enough to convey a sense of otherworldly intelligence. Its use culminates in the film's stunning finale, where the human and alien vessels engage in a "conversation" of light and sound, a dazzling symphony orchestrated by Williams.
### Blending Awe and Dissonance
The score for Close Encounters is a brilliant study in contrasts. Williams balances moments of atonal, atmospheric tension—reflecting the fear and uncertainty of the unknown—with passages of breathtaking, majestic beauty. Early scenes are filled with dissonant strings and unsettling orchestral effects, capturing the initial panic and confusion. However, as the film progresses and the characters' fear turns to wonder, the music shifts. The climactic sequences are pure symphonic splendor, filled with lush, sweeping orchestrations and a sense of profound awe that perfectly encapsulates humanity's first contact with extraterrestrial life.
7. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Creating one of the most heartwarming and emotionally resonant films in history required a score of equal tenderness and power, and John Williams' music for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is nothing short of magical. It's a score that captures the innocence of childhood, the pain of loneliness, and the pure, unadulterated joy of friendship and flight. For his work, Williams earned his fourth Academy Award.
### The "Flying Theme": The Sound of Pure Joy
The "Flying Theme" is one of Williams' most beloved and uplifting compositions. It first appears as Elliott and E.T. take flight on their bicycle, and the music swells with a sense of wonder and liberation that is almost overwhelming. The theme, with its soaring strings and powerful brass, perfectly captures the magic of the moment. Director Steven Spielberg was so captivated by Williams' music for the final chase sequence that he famously turned off the projector and told Williams to conduct it as he wished, later re-editing the scene to match the music's emotional beats—a testament to the score's narrative power.
### A Score of Intimate Emotion
While the "Flying Theme" provides the bombastic highlights, the true genius of the E.T. score lies in its emotional intimacy. Williams composed gentle, curious themes for E.T. himself, often using a solo piccolo or harp to reflect the alien's gentle and vulnerable nature. The score skillfully navigates a complex emotional journey, from the initial fear and trepidation to the deep, loving bond that forms between the boy and the alien. Williams' music allows the audience to feel everything Elliott feels, making the heartbreaking farewell and triumphant departure an unforgettable cinematic experience. It remains a high point in a filmography filled with them, easily earning its place among the best John Williams scores.
6. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
The score for Raiders of the Lost Ark is pure, distilled adventure. It’s the sound of cracking whips, daring escapes, and high-stakes treasure hunting. John Williams crafted a score that perfectly matched the film's breakneck pace and its loving homage to the Saturday matinee serials of a bygone era.
### "The Raiders March": An Adventurer's Anthem
"The Raiders March" is, without question, one of the most recognizable and exhilarating movie themes ever composed. It perfectly captures the swashbuckling, heroic spirit of Indiana Jones. Interestingly, Williams presented director Steven Spielberg with two different musical ideas for the hero. Spielberg loved them both so much that he suggested Williams combine them, resulting in the iconic march we know today. The theme is used brilliantly throughout the film, swelling at just the right moments to underscore Indy's triumphs and get the audience's adrenaline pumping. It’s a piece of music so effective, it makes you feel like you could take on the world with just a fedora and a whip.
### Romance, Mysticism, and Menace
Beyond the rousing main theme, the score is layered with other memorable motifs. "Marion's Theme" is a lush, romantic piece that evokes the classic Hollywood love stories, providing a beautiful emotional core to the film. In stark contrast, the theme for the Ark of the Covenant is mysterious, otherworldly, and genuinely frightening. Williams uses it to build a sense of ancient power and divine terror, which pays off spectacularly in the film's horrifying climax. The entire score is a masterclass in action storytelling, with sharp rhythms and slicing strings that practically tell the characters when to run, duck, and fight.
5. Jurassic Park (1993)
How do you score the sight of a creature that has been extinct for 65 million years? For Jurassic Park, John Williams composed a score that perfectly balanced the sheer awe and wonder of seeing dinosaurs brought to life with the primal terror of being hunted by them. The music is majestic, beautiful, and utterly terrifying all at once.
### The "Theme from Jurassic Park": A Symphony of Wonder
The main theme of Jurassic Park is a piece of music that conveys a profound sense of majesty and awe. When the characters first lay eyes on the Brachiosaurus and the theme swells, the audience feels the same spine-tingling wonder. The sweeping melody, carried by horns and strings, captures the grandeur of something thought impossible made real. But Williams also infuses it with a gentle, almost lyrical quality, especially in quieter moments played on the piano, suggesting the fragile beauty of these resurrected creatures.
### The Music of Suspense and Terror
Contrasting with the majestic main theme is the dark, menacing music that signals danger. Williams creates tension with rhythmic, percussive suspense cues and a simple, four-note "raptor motif" that is as effective at inducing fear as his famous shark theme. This motif is used brilliantly in the film's most suspenseful sequences, like the terrifying kitchen scene, where the music becomes a relentless harbinger of the intelligent, lethal predators. Williams' ability to pivot from breathtaking beauty to heart-stopping terror is what makes this score a masterpiece of an era and one of his absolute best.
4. Jaws (1975)
With just two notes, John Williams created the sound of pure, primal fear and changed movie music forever. The score for Jaws is a masterclass in minimalism and psychological manipulation. It’s a testament to the idea that what you don’t see—but what you hear—can be the most terrifying thing of all. The score was so effective it won Williams his second Oscar and cemented his legendary collaboration with Steven Spielberg.
### The Two-Note Motif: The Sound of Impending Doom
The main "shark theme"—a simple, alternating two-note ostinato (E and F)—is one of the most famous musical motifs in film history. Williams described it as "grinding away at you, just as a shark would do, instinctual, relentless, unstoppable." The theme functions as the shark's heartbeat, growing faster and louder as the predator approaches, creating almost unbearable tension. The genius of the score is how it conditions the audience; the music is the shark. In a brilliant move, during the film's climax, the shark appears without the musical cue, making the moment all the more shocking.
### Orchestrating the Hunt
While the two-note motif is its most iconic element, the full score for Jaws is far more complex. Williams composed traditional, swashbuckling adventure music for the Orca's hunt, evoking a sense of a high-seas battle between man and beast. The orchestration brings the small island community to life and brilliantly builds the mystery and terror of the unseen threat. The score's effectiveness lies in its brilliant contrast between the complex, traditional orchestration and the brutally simple, terrifyingly modern shark theme. It’s a perfect fusion of musical styles that helped make Jaws a blockbuster and redefined the role of music in suspense films.
3. Schindler's List (1993)
For Schindler's List, John Williams composed a score that was a world away from his usual blockbuster fare. It is a work of profound intimacy, sorrow, and quiet dignity. Director Steven Spielberg initially thought Williams was too famous for such a somber project and approached him with hesitation. Williams, after watching the film, was so moved that he told Spielberg, "You need a better composer than I am for this film." Spielberg simply replied, "I know. But they're all dead." The result was Williams' fifth Oscar-winning score, and arguably the most emotionally devastating music of his career.
### The Main Theme: A Voice of Sorrow
The main theme from Schindler's List is a haunting and sorrowful melody, carried primarily by a solo violin performed by the legendary Itzhak Perlman. The choice of the violin is central to the score's emotional impact, as its plaintive, voice-like quality seems to weep for the immense tragedy of the Holocaust. The simple, expressive melody creates an immediate emotional connection, serving as a recurring voice of loss and remembrance throughout the film. The music never sensationalizes the horror; instead, it provides a space for reflection and grief, making the historical tragedy feel personal and immediate.
### Music of Identity and Hope
Beyond the main theme, Williams incorporates other powerful musical ideas. A "Remembrance Theme" offers a different kind of solemnity, while a "Workers Theme" incorporates Jewish musical elements, grounding the score in the cultural context of the characters and enhancing the realism of the story. The score also features a choral piece, "Immolation (With Our Lives, We Give Life)," which uses Hebrew text to convey both despair and a glimmer of enduring hope. The music of Schindler's List is so masterful that it can be almost painful to listen to, but its power, grace, and profound humanity make it one of the greatest film scores ever written.
2. The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
How do you follow up a score that redefined the sound of cinema? For the first Star Wars sequel, John Williams not only met but exceeded the impossibly high bar he had set. The score for The Empire Strikes Back is darker, more complex, and more emotionally mature than its predecessor. Williams expanded the musical universe of the saga, composing what are now some of his most iconic and enduring themes.
### "The Imperial March": The Ultimate Villain's Theme
The single most famous piece of music to emerge from this score is "The Imperial March," also known as Darth Vader's Theme. This menacing, militaristic march is the definitive musical embodiment of galactic evil. Its powerful, rumbling brass and relentless rhythm perfectly capture the might and terror of the Empire and its most fearsome enforcer. Williams himself reportedly considers "The Imperial March" to be one of the pieces he is most happy with in his entire film career. Its introduction in this film elevated Darth Vader from a simple villain to a truly iconic and terrifying figure of immense power.
### Expanding the Musical Galaxy
Beyond Vader's theme, Williams composed a wealth of new material that deepened the saga's emotional palette. "Yoda's Theme" is a gentle, wise, and slightly whimsical piece that perfectly encapsulates the quirky Jedi Master. Princess Leia's theme is developed further, and a sweeping, passionate love theme for Han and Leia is introduced. Williams masterfully weaves these new themes with the existing motifs from the first film, creating a rich, operatic tapestry that elevates the storytelling to a new level. The confidence and complexity of this score make it a fan favorite and a true masterpiece of film composition.
1. Star Wars: A New Hope (1977)
Placing A New Hope at the top of this list is inescapable. In 1977, John Williams' score for the original Star Wars did more than just accompany a film; it launched a cultural phenomenon and single-handedly revitalized the grand, symphonic film score for a new generation. It is a work of such sweeping, operatic power that it has become the gold standard for science fiction and adventure music. The American Film Institute named it the greatest American film score of all time, and its opening fanfare is arguably the most recognized piece of movie music in history.
### A Symphony of Leitmotifs
Drawing inspiration from the Golden Age Hollywood composers like Erich Wolfgang Korngold and Romantic classical composers like Richard Wagner, Williams structured the score around a series of brilliant leitmotifs—recurring musical themes that represent specific characters, objects, or ideas. There is the heroic, triumphant main title, which also serves as Luke Skywalker's theme; the beautiful and romantic horn melody for Princess Leia; and the noble, mysterious theme for the Force, which carries a sense of struggle and hope. This approach gives the score an incredible narrative depth, allowing the music to tell the story and comment on the action in a way that few scores had done before.
### The Enduring Impact
The impact of the Star Wars score cannot be overstated. At a time when film music was dominated by pop songs and smaller-scale scores, Williams brought back the full power of the symphony orchestra, creating a sound that was both classic and groundbreaking. The music lent George Lucas's galaxy far, far away a sense of history, grandeur, and emotional weight that was crucial to its success. It is the quintessential adventure score, a perfect marriage of music and image that defined the summer blockbuster. For its innovation, its iconic status, and its sheer, breathtaking power, Star Wars: A New Hope remains the single best John Williams score and a pinnacle of the art form.
Conclusion
From the depths of the ocean to a galaxy far, far away, the music of John Williams has transported audiences for generations. His ability to craft themes that are at once instantly memorable and deeply emotional is unparalleled. The ten scores listed here represent the pinnacle of an extraordinary career, but they are merely a glimpse into a body of work filled with countless moments of musical genius. Williams' compositions are more than just scores; they are the emotional heartbeat of modern cinema, and their legacy will continue to inspire and enchant audiences for centuries to come.