TV and Movies

[Cumbercookie13]

Disney still produces good original songs. I know I really enjoyed the Moana soundtrack. Will they be as memorable as classic Disney songs? Probably not, but they'll still be recognizable for years to come. 

I think with the movie content that's made now, there's more focus on special effects and looking good than music. Also, almost everything coming out now is an adaptation of a comic book, or a novel, or or adding prequels and sequels to original content, so focusing on the source material comes first before thinking about music.

And horror film scores, where music is just as important as the scares, is also little to be desired now. 

TV though, is where memorable theme songs and music is really lacking these days. With most shows, all you get is a few bars of some forgettable tune, and no opening credits, we go right to the scene, and ending credits get crunched for ads so you can't hear the end theme in its entirety. 

[Still Raining]

I made the mistake of downloading lots of these tunes and I swear if the grandkids stream Star Wars one more time.......

[Pearlee]

I really would like to please exclude musicals from this discussion as I stated in my OP. Musicals are known for great songs and most have more than one great song to them. So let's just please exclude them because they are really not relevant to the point I'm making.

[Alison Wonderland]

Movies with great soundtracks:

• The Man from U.N.C.L.E (I downloaded the soundtrack at the theater exit and played it on the drive home. Some tracks have been used in ads, TV shows, and other movies.)
• Gladiator (Hans Zimmer)
• Pirates of the Caribbean (composed by Klaus Badelt and Hans Zimmer, you can hear the links between The Gladiator Waltz and the main Pirates theme.)
• Jurassic Park (Also, literally anything scored by John Williams.)
• Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (You've likely heard the main theme of the track Bruce and Linda in ads and sports events and probably didn't know it. It's been used in all kinds of things, from the ad for Forest Gump to ice skating.)
• Lara Croft: Tomb Raider

[golding76]

Has anyone mentioned the trending away from original music to score a film?  The industry pivoted toward using popular music of the era depicted, and that changed everything.

I'm thinking that things changed dramatically after the release of The Last Picture Show in 1971.  The soundtrack from that film was a series of popular hits from the late '50s and after.  Did a film prior to this do the same?  If you remember, please post which film or films did.

Goodfellas (1990) also used period pop tunes for its soundtrack, and it seems the movie industry took to using this variation for providing a film's soundtrack.

[Pearlee]

This isn't really a theme, but at the mention of Psycho that slashing music from the shower scene that makes me go "eek"! Pops immediately to mind. I guess this is the same thought as the poster who posted about Jaws.
Music, if not a song, that comes to mind associated with a film.

[Alter Ego]

I would have to think about this a bit more for modern examples. This goes back a little too far, but I think should be included.

Lose Yourself by Eminem (8 Miles.)

A few years ago, Eminem starred in a SuperBowl commercial for Chrysler, with this beat in the background. Was an extremely effective commercial and one I definitely still remember in large part because of the song and how powerful it was.