Did You Know the Composer Behind Your Favorite Movies Also Wrote the Olympic Theme?
What can we say? The man knows how to write a banger.
Star Wars. Indiana Jones. Jurassic Park. … The Olympics?
Indeed, the legendary composer John Williams wrote the song you’ll most likely be hearing on repeat over the next couple of weeks as the 2024 Summer Olympics take over Paris.
I was in the audience at the Hollywood Bowl for the annual production “Maestro of the Movies.” John Williams is well known and loved for his many contributions to film history, and he has many musical selections to pull from when he curates these concerts. The big surprise for me the first time I saw it was the familiar ring of the Olympic theme song. As the orchestra played a song I’ve known my whole life, the big screens projected images of iconic Olympic moments. It’s moving and inspiring and it’s the one selection I’ve heard all times I’ve attended this concert, which can only mean … he’s really proud of it.
So how did this come to be?
In 1968, NBC started using French composer Leo Arnaud’s “Bugler’s Dream” in their Olympic broadcasts. It’s 45 seconds of regal grandeur—just what you’d like from a song celebrating the accomplishments of athletes across the world. (Bonus fact: John Williams actually knew Leo Arnaud as a friend of his father’s. Small world!)
Then Los Angeles, California became the host city for the 1984 Summer Olympics. The Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee approached Williams with a request to write a new theme with some parameters. It needed to match the energy of the Arnaud piece, and it had to translate into an arrangement that could be played by herald trumpets.
This composition became known as “Olympic Fanfare and Theme.” The world premiere was on June 12, 1984 at Symphony Hall with the Boston Pops. It then had its West Coast premier at the Hollywood Bowl on July 27, 1984. Finally, it premiered on the international stage at the opening ceremonies of the 1984 Summer Olympics in the Los Angeles Coliseum on July 28, 1984.
The finished piece is epic
When interviewed by the The New York Times, Williams talked about the inspiration for the piece. ”A wonderful thing about the Olympics is that young athletes strain their guts to find and produce their best efforts. The human spirit stretching to prove itself is also typical of what musicians attempt to achieve in a symphonic effort.”
He expanded on this in a 1992 interview with John Burlingame for TV Update, Williams said the piece is meant to capture “the spirit of cooperation, of heroic achievement, all the striving and preparation that go before the events and the applause that comes after them.”
In that way, it’s extremely successful. It’s superhero music for superhuman feats. If you close your eyes, you start to recognize the musical hallmarks that Williams is known for. Perhaps there are even threads of compositions that would come later.
It doesn’t stop there
John Williams would eventually go on to compose pieces for three more Olympics broadcasts.
NBC commissioned Williams to write new music for the 1988 games in Seoul, Korea. This piece is called “The Olympic Spirit.” It’s much more mellow and clearly meant to be talked over. “Summon the Heroes” is a much more recognizable piece. Written for the 1996 games in Atlanta, Georgia, it brings back the fanfare feel from the original theme song.
Williams’ last Olympic theme song was written for the opening ceremony of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. “Call of the Champions” is the only Olympic composition from Williams performed by an orchestra and a choir. The song has a soaring, majestic quality to it, slightly reminiscent of his work on the Harry Potter films.
Give Mr. Williams his flowers
In 2003, Williams received the Olympic Order. This is the highest honor that can be bestowed by the International Olympic Committee and is given for an individual’s contribution to the Olympic movement.
It cannot be overstated just how influential and permeating the music of John Williams is in American culture. Even when you aren’t thinking about it, you might find yourself humming a tune only to find out John Williams composed it. Don’t believe me? Look up who composed the Sunday Night Football theme.
It’s incredible to think how one man could be responsible for writing the soundtrack to our lives. And yet … he walks among us. What a treasure.
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