On Tuesday February 8th, 2022, the composer John Williams turned 90.
Now that’s an incredible achievement within itself, however the amazing thing to come from William’s life was the legacy of movie soundtracks that he created, especially during the 1970s and 1980s.
Soundtracks that not only help us recall the movie but also the time in our lives that they were screened.
He also helped to immortalise some of the new directors who commissioned his music. George Lucas and Stephen Spielberg are just two.
In 2012, Spielberg stated that: “John Williams has been the single most significant contributor to my success as a filmmaker,”
The movies Star Wars, Jaws, Indiana Jones, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Superman and E.T. The Extra Terrestrial defined a cinematic era.
Other movies, especially the James Bond series that started in the 1960s, used the then currently famous songwriters and performers to write and perform their theme songs.
Goldfinger, 1964 and Diamonds Are Forever, 1971 are both by Shirley Bassey. Live and Let Die, 1973 by Paul and Linda McCartney and The Spy Who Loved Me, 1977 by Carly Simon, are some I recall.
On reading about John William’s 90th birthday, I searched Spotify for a playlist.
That night, over dinner, we were transported back to another time in our lives.
It’s amazing where music can take you.
