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The various film and television renditions of the Superman character have usually been accompanied by dramatic, heroic musical scores, typically featuring the brass section. Most of them have featured a triad, a 3-note sequence that suggests the three syllables of the character's name.
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Radio, cartoons, early films
The early radio shows already had the famous phrases, "Faster than a speeding bullet... It's a bird... it's a plane... it's Superman!" uttered by studio announcer Jackson Beck. Initially the radio series had no theme tune under its introductory lines.
The Superman cartoon series produced by the Fleischer Studios during the 1940s included a triad-based theme composed by Fleischer musical director Sammy Timberg. The cartoons were clearly intended to extend the characters from radio, as Jackson Beck again provided the introduction voiceover of the famous phrases, and Bud Collyer reprised his radio role as the Man of Steel. Also, the heroic theme devised for the cartoons was brought into the radio series, often played on the organ, a typical instrument in dramatic radio shows.
The two Superman Columbia Pictures serials of the late 1940s, starring Kirk Alyn, featured a theme that began with an obvious triad, repeated once. The rest of the theme was a standard orchestral march that did not refer back to the original triad. This theme was composed by Mischa Bakaleinikoff, who scored a number of the Columbia serials' themes.
All of the above (as well as some TV and movie themes) were recorded by a modern orchestra and released on a 1999 CD called Superman: The Ultimate Collection.
The theatrical release Superman and the Mole Men initially had a standard orchestral arrangement (authorship uncertain) with some standard "sci fi" movie overtones. That film was eventually edited down into a two-part episode in the TV series, with the standard TV theme wrapped around it.
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Television and Broadway
The TV theme for the 1950s series, Adventures of Superman, starring George Reeves, had the unusual lead-in of a harp playing a kind of stringed "drumroll" as the camera moved through space, seguéing into a dramatic brass triad accompanied by cymbals, drums, etc., at the moment when a shooting star explodes on the screen and the title card appears. A variation on the classic "Faster than a speeding bullet..." was rendered by deep-voiced actor Bill Kennedy.
The opening and closing theme, as well as a number of recurring underscore themes from the first season (the "Phyllis Coates episodes"), were released in 2000 on the CD Adventures of Superman: The Original 1950s TV Series. The liner notes make the point that although series musical arranger Leon Klatzkin is conventionally credited with composing the theme, that credit is in some doubt.
The 1960s Broadway musical, It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Superman!, starring Bob Holiday, was scored by Charles Strouse and Lee Adams. The script was written by David Newman and Robert Benton, who would go on to contribute much to the screenplay of the first Superman film (1978).
The theme for the 1990s series, Lois and Clark, starring Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher, was composed by Jay Gruska. This was another dramatic orchestral rendition, with a triad again in evidence, but not so prominently placed in the theme's score.
In keeping with the early 2000s trend, Smallville, starring Tom Welling, has a vocal, rock-oriented theme rather than the traditional "heroic" orchestral score.
Those two recent series have also yielded soundtrack CD collections.
The 1966 series The New Adventures of Superman produced by Filmation Associates was scored by John Gart, under the name John Marion. Its main theme was based on a rising four-note motif evocative of previous Superman themes, but jazzier in style.
The 1988 animated series from Ruby-Spears was scored by Ron Jones. Its main titles opened with the John Williams theme from the Christopher Reeve movies, then segueing into a similarly-styled original theme by Jones which was used as the primary Superman leitmotif in the episodes' underscores.
Shirley Walker's theme for the 1996 is yet another brassy orchestral piece with a triad-based melody. It was occasionally used as Superman's leitmotif in episodes of Justice League.
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The movies
The most widely available scores are from the Christopher Reeve films, and the remainder of this article focuses on these, plus the 2006 film, starring Brandon Routh.
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Principal leitmotifs
A leitmotif is a theme tune connected with a character or an object, in a performance such as a musical play, an opera, or a film.
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First appearance in Superman
"Superman Fanfare". A short triad-based motif, played just before the "Main Theme", or standalone when Superman appears in a quick-cut on-screen. Also restated many times in the "Superman March".
"Superman March" or "Superman Main Theme". Used over opening and closing credits.
"Can You Read My Mind" or the "Love Theme". Typically used when Lois and Superman (or sometimes Clark) find themselves alone together. A portion of it is restated in the "Superman March".
"Krypton fanfare". Used as the viewer zooms in on Krypton, and again with the self-construction of the Fortress of Solitude.
"Krypton crystal" motif or the "Secondary Krypton" motif. Mysterious-sounding theme associated with the green crystal rod, a type of "computer" which Jor-El had sent with Kal-El.
"Smallville Theme". A gentle theme for Smallville and its habitants.
"The March of the Villains" or "Lex Luthor's theme". A comedic march associated with the villain Lex Luthor and his henchman, Otis.
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First appearance in Superman II
Ken Thorne contributed a cue called "Honeymoon Hotel" corresponding to the first scene in Niagara Falls.
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First appearance in Superman III
According to the score analysis at supermancinema.co.uk, Ken Thorne contributed 66% of new material for the film (the other 34% being John Williams' themes). Lois Lane's theme is not present because she is not in the film for more than five minutes.
The 66% in question involves themes for Ross Webster and Gus Gorman, an erotic cue for the scene in which Lorelie Ambrosia is implied to have sex with Superman, and the climactic fight between Clark Kent and Evil Superman, among others.
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First appearance in Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
Two new themes were composed for the film, for the characters Lacy Warfield and Nuclear Man. Since the themes are considered below John Williams' usual level of quality, rumors have surfaced that it was Alexander Courage (who adapted Williams' themes for the film) who wrote them, but other fan sources have claimed that Alexander Courage only adapted the themes. It is unclear which of these cases, or an alternate explanation, is the truth.
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First appearance in Superman Returns
Three new themes were composed for the film, a personal theme for Superman, a motif for Lois and her son, and a darker theme for Lex Luthor. Ottman also incorporated several themes from the first film, such as "Superman March", Lois Lane's love theme ("Can You Read My Mind?"), "Death of John Kent"/"Leaving Home" theme, and the "Krypton" theme.
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Diegetic (or original source) music
This refers to music that is audible to the characters in the film, i.e., it forms part of the story.
"Luthor's Luau" (Superman). A Hawaiian-themed cue heard in the background, on a radio, in Lex Luthor's secret hideaway the day after Superman's debut around the city.
A couple of popular songs were also featured in Superman, not carried on any version of the soundtrack albums, but readily available elsewhere:
"Rock Around the Clock", by Bill Haley and the Comets, was playing on the radio of the "Woodie" being driven by some of Clark's high school classmates. The song seems out of context, as it was presumably the mid-1960s at that point in the narrative, not the mid-1950s. However, coincidentally (or not) it introduces Glenn Ford's final scene in the film. Ford starred in the 1955 film The Blackboard Jungle, in which that song was prominently featured.
A couple of bars of Supertramp's 1977 song, "Give a Little Bit" from the album Even in the Quietest Moments, were heard on Lois' car radio during the climactic earthquake scene. The song was a then-recent hit. Its appearance in the film seems to be for no obvious thematic reason, though there could be a subtle message or two: The group having "Super" in its name; and the words heard on-screen, "Give a little bit... I'll give a little bit of my life for you."
Superman II:
Ken Thorne also composed a slower version for the finale in the Metropolis Diner.
Superman III:
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace:
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Concert suites
"The March of the Villains" (Superman).
"Love Theme from Superman" (Superman).
"Theme from Superman" (Superman). This suite includes "Superman Fanfare", "Superman March" and the "Love Theme".
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Superman
First release on LP by Warner December 20, 1978.
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SIDE 1:
"Theme from Superman (Main Title)" (4:24)
"The Planet Krypton" (4:45)
"Destruction of Krypton" (5:58)
"The Trip to Earth" (2:23)
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SIDE 2:
"Love Theme from Superman" (5:00)
"The Fortress of Solitude" (8:29)
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SIDE 3:
"The Flying Sequence" (4:16)
"Can You Read My Mind" (3:54)
"Lex Luthor's Lair" (2:52)
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SIDE 4:
"The March of the Villains" (3:33)
"Turning Back the World" (2:01)
Total Time: 79:21
2000 release by Rhino including the complete recordings for the first time.
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DISC 1:
"Prelude and Main Title March" (5:29)
"The Planet Krypton" (6:39)
"Destruction of Krypton" (7:52)
"Star Ship Escapes" (2:21)
"The Trip to Earth" (2:28)
"Death of Jonathan Kent" (3:27)
"The Fortress of Solitude" (9:17)
"Welcome to Metropolis" (2:11)
"Lex Luthor's Lair" (4:48)
"Super Crime Fighter" (3:20)
"Luthor's Luau" (Source music) (2:48)
"The Planet Krypton" (Alternate) (4:24)
"Main Title March" (Alternate) (4:38)
Total Time: 75:18
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DISC 2:
"Superman March" (Alternate) (3:48)
"The March of the Villains" (3:36)
"The Flying Sequence" (8:12)
"Crime of the Century" (3:24)
"Misguided Missiles and Kryptonite" (3:26)
"Super Dam and Finding Lois" (5:11)
"Turning Back the World" (2:06)
"Finale and End Title March" (5:42)
"Love Theme from Superman" (5:06)
"Can You read My Mind" (Alternate) (2:56)
"The Flying Sequence/Can You Read My Mind" (8:12)
"Can You Read My Mind" (Alternate: Instrumental) (2:56)
"Theme from Superman" (Concert Version) (4:24)
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Note on the Superman March
No album has ever presented the actual recording used over the opening credits. That track only appears standalone in the "music only" track of the DVD. As mentioned in the liner notes for the Rhino CD (whose version of the march does not precisely match the DVD track), the opening march was edited from two different tracks. The CD's version of the track is "clean", and includes the "plink" of a harp between the introduction and the triad that begins the actual march. All versions of the movie track are a somewhat different mix, emphasizing the bass more than any album version does. The DVD track also emphasizes some noticeable auditory flaws that existed in the original 1978 track: the volume noticeably fades at one point in the intro; and the track lacks the "plink" of the harp at the point where the edit occurs, which calls attention to the pitch turning slightly sharp.
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Superman II
All of the cues in the film, with the exception of one, were John Williams cues adapted by Ken Thorne and played by a 60-piece orchestra (as opposed to the first film, which was played by a 90-piece), which accounts for its somewhat less "rich" sound.
The exception was track 6, "Honeymoon Hotel", and was the only cue directly composed by Thorne.
A score album was released on LP and Tape in 1980 featuring 37 minutes of the score. A CD of this score and the score to Superman III was released in Japan.
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Superman III
Superman III was the first of the films to have a score and soundtrack on the same release. Side A was devoted to 14 minutes of Ken Thorne's score (including new material such as a comedic cue that corresponds with the opening slapstick sequence, a theme for Richard Pryor's character, Gus Gorman, and the climactic fight between Clark Kent and Evil Superman).
Side B was devoted to music by pop mogul Giorgio Moroder. He specifically contributed a synthesized version version of the "Superman II March", but wasn't used in the film and has been considered by fans an insult to John Williams' original cue. A CD of this score and the score to Superman II was released in Japan.
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Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
No soundtrack was ever released. Alexander Courage's reasoning for this was that most of the material for Superman IV was on the Superman: The Movie CD, but much better in quality.
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Superman Returns
The score CD was released Tuesday, June 27th, 2006 by Warner Sunset/Rhino Records.
Little Secrets/Power of the Sun (2:47)
How Could You Leave Us? (5:47)
Tell Me Everything (3:11)
You're Not One of Them (2:20)
Not Like the Train Set (5:10)
The People You Care For (3:25)
I Wanted You to Know (2:54)
In The Hands of Mortals (2:09)
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