Rudolf rediscovery
Starting last Christmas, I came to the realization that the songs in Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer are really awesome. Johnny Marks was the guy who wrote the songs and Burl Ives did a lot of the singing, but even the songs he didn’t sing are excellent. The tune that’s sung on the Island of Misfit Toys is a wonderfully melodic waltz - something that probably even Johann Strauss would have given a big thumbs up.
It makes me think of other things I’ve seen where the movie or show had that same type of synergy with its music - resulting in something greater than the sum of its parts. Here are some that come to mind in no particular order:
The Wizard of Oz
Aside from Judy Garland’s amazingly mature voice in the signature song, other tunes like “If I Only Had a Brain” are catchy enough to drive me crazy.
Harold and Maude
Still one of my favorite movies, thanks in no small part to the fantastic Cat Stevens soundtrack.
Star Wars
The movie already had a sweeping epic feel to it, but the music took it to a level that made it all seem bigger than life.
Valley Girl
Unlike the often sappy John Hughes movie soundtracks of the 80s, this one has some real gems that weren’t played to death on the radio. It wasn’t often that New Wave and Punk music could peacefully coexist.
O Brother, Where Art Thou
The soundtrack to this movie is so strong, it almost seems like the movie was made as a video to showcase the songs. Still, the Coen brothers do a great job of intertwining the Homer’s Odyssey plot with the folk music.
any Looney Tunes cartoon
Carl Stalling was an absolute genius. He could kluge together every imaginable musical style to come up with absolutely schizophrenic pieces that still perfectly followed the cartoon plots. It must have either been a blast or very puzzling to be in the orchestras he directed.