Music is an integral part of film and television, a component just as key as cinematography, lighting, acting, or any other. Anyone who has seen movies or shows scored by Michael Giacchino, such as Up, Star Trek, Super 8, Lost and Fringe, will recognize this fact.
Some composers for film and television have become so prominent, and their music so well known, that their pieces become recognizable songs themselves. Even people who haven’t seen Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark or Jaws will instantly recognize their themes. Many of those people could identify these as John Williams scores, too.
Michael Giacchino hasn’t quite reached that level of prominence, but he sure deserves it. Having won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and two Grammys for Up, as well as an Emmy for Lost, Giacchino has helped make for some of the most memorable and emotional moments in pop culture in the 2000s, from the montage of Carl and Ellie’s life in Up to the final moments of Lost.
Giacchino's upcoming work will include the scores for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Jupiter Ascending, Jurassic World and Inside Out.
Here are the top ten best Michael Giacchino songs (so far).
image via INFevents.com
[ new page = 10. Neighbors of Love ]
10. "Neighbors of Love," Let Me In
From Matt Reeves’ 2010 horror film Let Me In, this theme perfectly captures the tone of the movie and is both beautiful and haunting at the same time. It has elements of one of Giacchino’s traditional love themes, with just a slight feeling of sadness and horror mixed in, perfect for an oddly sweet but bloody and horrifying story.
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9. "Light the Fuse," Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
Though the rest of the songs on this list are completely original, Michael Giacchino also has a great talent for bringing new life into an old theme, and that has never been more evident than with his Mission Impossible theme, perfected in the fourth film, Ghost Protocol, directed by Brad Bird and released in 2011. This song is pure excitement, and the moment in the film where it kicks in over the opening credits is the absolute perfect way to start an action movie.
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8. "Labor of Love," Star Trek
I knew J.J Abrams’ Star Trek reboot would be great right from the brilliant opening scene where George Kirk sacrifices himself to save the lives of his wife and newborn son, James T. Kirk. This song plays as George’s wife is giving birth and as he says his final goodbyes. This is one of the best scenes of the film, and at least 80% of that is due to Giacchino’s score, which was nominated for a Grammy in 2009. I remember seeing the movie in theaters twice, and both times much of the audience was crying, just 10 minutes in to the movie. I simply can’t imagine this scene being nearly as emotional without Giacchino’s score.
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7. "Enterprising Young Men," Star Trek
In classic Giacchino fashion, we dive straight from the emotional birth and death sequence into the film’s opening theme. While the last track is extremely emotional this theme, which coincides with the Star Trek title card bursting in to take up the entire size of the screen, is like a triumphant announcement through music that Star Trek is back. In a time when movie scores are more tone than theme, the Star Trek franchise gives us an instantly recognizable, John Williams style theme, which is now the song I immediately think of when I think of Star Trek. Of all the currently running movie franchises, I have a hard thinking of one with a better theme.
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6. "The Incredibles Theme," The Incredibles
Mission Impossible and Star Trek have some great themes, but in terms of an adrenaline rush of a score from Giacchino, there’s no topping The Incredibles. Playing throughout the movie, and then in full in the final scene where the Incredibles fully embrace their powers, this theme harkens back to some classic spy themes while still feeling modern and not at all derivative.
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5. "The Constant," Lost
Some of Giacchino’s best work was on Lost, for which he did the score for the show’s six year run from 2004 to 2010. Though the show had many great adventure themes, this song was used for scenes of Desmond and Penny’s relationship, first used when (spoiler alert) they have an emotional conversation over the phone on Christmas in Season 4, and then later when they reunite and embrace in the Season 4 finale. It’s one of the show’s best love themes, and the moment when they embrace and the music swells is simply one of the most satisfying moments in the show’s run, in large part due to the presence of Giacchino’s score.
[ new page = 4. Letting Go ]
4. "Letting Go," Super 8
Directed by J.J Abrams in 2011, Super 8 was in many ways a tribute to classic Steven Spielberg, and so Giacchino’s soundtrack feels very much like a classic John Williams score. Still, he’s able to add his own style to it, most evident in this track from the film’s closing scene. The whole film has a feeling of wonder which Giacchino brings to his score, and this song in particular gives us such a feeling of catharsis as the conflict is resolved and Joe Lamb finally lets go.
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3. "Married Life," Up
Carl and Ellie’s life montage from Up has already gone down as one of the best, most emotional sequence in film history. It’s been given the reputation of being able to make you cry even though it takes place only a few minutes into the movie. Because the scene has no dialogue, the music plays even more of a vital role than usual, and here Giacchino’s theme combines a feeling of excitement and wonder with loss and sadness, making one of the most memorable scenes, and most memorable songs, in animation history. Up is the only film Giacchino has received an Academy Award for, and it was certainly well deserved.
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2. "Life and Death," Lost
"Life and Death" is perhaps the most well known theme from Lost's run, and for good reason. Reprised throughout the show during emotional moments but especially during the death of a character, the presence of this music has added enormously to some of the saddest deaths in television history. The theme originally played in Season 1 in a great sequence where one character dies while another gives birth. Because of this, the theme is quite sad but not without a bit of happiness mixed in as we celebrate new life and reflect on the end of another.
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1. "Moving On," Lost
Whether you loved or hated the ending of Lost, it’s hard to deny the power of Giacchino’s score in the closing moments of the series. This is easily Giacchino’s best work, combining elements of some of the previous themes into a musical farewell to the characters we’ve grown to love for six years. Like his "Life and Death" theme, there are elements of sadness to it, but also a feeling of triumph and celebration. In combination with what’s happening on screen, we get the feeling of saying goodbye to a life and peacefully accepting a transition into whatever comes next. Giacchino did some of his best work on Lost, and this track is an excellent culmination of all of that. I look forward to many more Giacchino scores in the future, but I can’t help but feel like this will forever be his masterpiece.