The 10 Best John Williams Scores, From Harry Potter to Home Alone

From Harry Potter to Home Alone

By Seija Rankin May 29, 2015 9:39 PMTags
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We're going to let you in on a little Hollywood secret: Pretty much all your favorite movies have one huge thing in common. Their scores were all composed by the same person—and that person is musical mastermind John Williams.

He's responsible for pretty much every major music moment in film over the last thirty years. (Okay, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but this guy is a big deal). You probably didn't even know that the same person who brought you that iconic Home Alone music is also responsible for bringing Jaws to life. Pretty crazy, huh?

Williams also happens to be the genius behind the score of the original Jurassic Park and the upcoming sequel Jurassic World. So, since we've all been getting amped to see Chris Pratt in all his dinosaur-fighting glory, we decided to take a trip down memory lane and honor our favorite John Williams scores. Not only will you indulge in some serious nostalgia, but you'll gain some serious movie industry knowledge to boot.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Akzaban

Nothing channels whimsy and magic like Hedwig's Theme, the music that accompanies our beloved HP. 

Jaws

Behold, the music that has kept Americans out of the water for decades.

Indiana Jones

Can't you just see Harrison Ford when you listen to this?

Home Alone

Nothing evokes Christmastime (or robberies, or child abandonment) more.

Gilligan's Island

Sit right back, indeed. 

E.T.

If this isn't childhood in a nutshell, we don't know what is.

Star Wars

Even if you've never seen a single Star Wars flick in your life you can still recognize this in a heartbeat.

Meet the Press

Yes, he's even done iconic political talk shows. We can just hear Tim Russert now.

Saving Private Ryan

The saddest music for the saddest movie.

Jurassic Park

Let the countdown to June 12th begin!