How a Superhero Theme Works

[@jaredhall5169]

Also Superman's initial costume was inspired by circus strong men. So having a march for his theme works on even more levels.

[@TheDylandProductions]

YES! People always seem to forget this. Superheroes and Pro Wrestling both took inspiration from the same origin point - circus strong men. Every time I hear someone say 'the underwear looks stupid' I always point them to B.A.'s like Stone Cold or The Rock. Superhero costumes were meant to call similarly respected/feared individuals to mind! :D

[@undertakernumberone1]

@@TheDylandProductions WEll, it's not that Pro Wrestling took inspiration from that... this is where it started. Pro Wrestling used to be one of those Circus/Festival Attractions

[@creed8712]

Dyland Pictures the underwear on the outside is iconic but it also looks stupid in the modern age. Straight I swear at least, something that looks more like boxers isn’t that bad. In the case of superhero’s like batman and Superman the real benefit is breaking up the colors, which can also be done with the belt but I think there still hasn’t been a good enough middle ground cause as much as I do love the underwear the only people who could pull it off are Christopher Reeves and maybe Adam West

[@undertakernumberone1]

@@creed8712 Boxers wouldn't fit the design. A reasonable, non-oversized Belt would likely look too small... and there is no reason for supes to wear a belt.

[@brandonporter8509]

I still can’t believe hardly anyone seems to mention this circus strong man, wrestler look even gets into Japanese animation sometimes. I’d even fathom A guess that when Toriyama was designing what would saiyans wear for the post time skip in dragon ball he thought. Well goku (based on sun wukong the monkey king) is wearing a martial arts gi (eastern martial artist) what would his species of space Aliens wear. Discounting the space Armor what do all members of Frieza’s family’s planet trade organization wear. Various forms of Western wrestling/strongman attire. Such as unitards, leotards, and briefs all which bear a resemblance to various styles of spandex or Lycra form fitting clothing commonly worn by professional and amateur wrestlers. I don’t know if it was intentional But if so then it provides an interesting contrast in goku and vegeta in that goku is wearing the clothing of an eastern martial artist (a karate gi). And vegeta under the armor is wearing the clothing of a western martial Athlete (a wrestling unitard) Edit: it also doesn’t hurt the frommouter space look to have saiyans wearing spandex like outfits since spandex bodysuits is a hallmark of retro sci fi so it also gives it that little bit of sci fi space man aesthetic too.

[@simonnorris8076]

Sideways should make a leitmotif leitmotif, so that everyone starts associating leitmotifs with that leitmotif. Added bonus, the leitmotif would end up representing itself.

[@SuperMustache555]

Meta genius

[@fuzzybuzzy3159]

Please YES

[@FilmScoreandMore]

Hey, I came up with the same ridiculous joke! I posted it months ago on his Discord server.

[@MarlonOwnsYourCake]

I'm kind of mad that as soon as I read this, the lick popped into my head.

[@River_StGrey]

I like the idea of Leitmotif having it's own leitmotif. It's just very neat.

[@Harry-x4n]

It's like I just can't escape how unfathomably amazing John Williams is.

[@ThinWhiteAxe]

I'm right there with ya

[@kevinpetersen9090]

My favorite feeling from the Superman theme is that the fanfare is a solo. It's this brassy fanfare that shows how alone Superman is as the last Kryptonian and how he has to hide from the world as Clark, but he shows up in power and majesty as Superman.

[@mattyt3625]

I wouldn't say he hides himself as Clark. He is Clark Kent. He sees himself as a human because that's how he's always thought of himself while still realising he isn't like everyone else and yet he still uses his powers to help people even if he doesn't have to. That's what makes Clark Kent/superman such a great character among other things

[@Vyrexuviel]

The best way I've heard it described is that "Superman is Clark Kent's Customer Service Voice". The man -is- Clark Kent, but Superman is his public persona.

[@virusguy5611]

Haven’t watched it yet but I bet you’re going to mention leitmotif

[@jacobvansparrentak1355]

Its sideways what do u expect

[@barmiro]

not even two minutes in

[@holly3330]

We’ll you’re right.

[@holly3330]

We’ll you’re right.

[@metcas]

lol.....

[@Clickle]

"See, It all started with the Ottoman Empire..." Me: "Heh, funny" Sideways: keeps going Me: "Oh"

[@baturalpdurmaz9272]

As a Turk even i wasn't expect to see Ottoman Empire in this video

[@orthia87]

@@baturalpdurmaz9272 Same.. I was like whaaat?! From superman to mehter... a connection that I never be able to think.

[@CadDriftarus]

He goes on Game Theory style tangents and I love it

[@summernovah]

No literally, I also thought it was a bit and he was gonna stop himself and then he kept going and I was like well time to strap in i guess

[@CadDriftarus]

Another thing to add about Superman's theme. The rhythmic piece the orchestra plays(Da-nana Da-nana na na na na na) is supposed to represent the clacking sounds a Typewriter makes, representing the stories told about him and his role at the Daily Planet. So it's the theme for _both_ Superman and Clark Kent.

[@80sRockIsKing]

ok, as a former band child from small town USA, I did not realize how embedded marches were into American culture but you are so right....just hearing snippets of the stars and stripes forever and the other marches takes me right back to childhood and summer. Damn.

[@FizzleBurger]

Coplandesque music is extremely appropriate to Superman for another reason: Superman was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster who, like Copland, were first-generation Americans born to Jewish immigrants. The idea of Superman is meant to inspire confidence in the American dream, even and especially among people who feel alien in America. I'd also like to mention that we get a touch of Captain America's leitmotif in Avengers End Game. It's the scene where he picks his shield up for the first time since Civil War.

[@valentinegonsalves7322]

While I love John Williams score for Superman, I'm a 90s kid. To me, Superman's theme will always be the damned animated series' opening titles music. That is a march too. Doesn't have a fanfare, just opens with the heroic horns, then follows the strings interlude with images of his past and present family and Lois Lane and the end of the theme literally three notes repeated with a different bass note and images of Lex Luthor. The conclusion of the theme literally says, "keep going, keep being good, things will get tough, but persevere and you will win.

[@perfectlyhopeless]

Sideways: this is why they're called horns my mind: *blown*

[@ghostmangm3059]

the horns: blown

[@jasminewilliams3351]

Me too!!

[@waywardlaser]

Elfman's Spider-Man theme will always be iconic to me, I get chills every time.

[@koichidignitythief7429]

What I love about it is that in some parts, the music sound like a spider spinning its web, and in other parts, it sounds like it's swinging just like Spiderman.

[@Shalalacls]

But I think he didn't make it stand out enough, cause to me Elfman's Spiderman theme will always be the piece with all the strings that sounds JUST LIKE A WEB and it still blows my mind that I can hear a spider webbing in that music. Maybe he sould have used more intruments rather than making it a horn solo, but then that would go against the whole "friendly neighborhood Spiderman" idea.

[@Luke56721]

i love his theme in Ang Lee's Hulk.

[@althealligator1467]

The best superhero theme. My second favorite theme after Hedwig's Theme.

[@althealligator1467]

@@koichidignitythief7429 Exactly, but to me, the first melody us more like spiders walking than spinning a web. I guess they're doing both. Then thee swinging melody is perfect, you can just imagine the city laying underneath a hovering Spidey.

[@Hegataro]

One way Marvel could've done the "group up" vs "solo" themes is that each hero either: has a main instrument in their theme, be it an electric guitar (iron man), brass (Captain America) or drums (Black Panther), and when they're grouped up, the theme is comprised of those instruments, and when they're solo, the theme is more than just that one instrument or each one has a leitmotif associated with them that the group theme is built out of and they could use either style to show when a character is the focus while still in a group setting (the instrument comes forward or the leitmotif does)

[@caylya7869]

That’s what I was thinking.

[@randonn_nes2181]

That thought gave me more serotonin then I thought it would

[@godemarcus4245]

i think id like watching marvel movies if they did that

[@sndjdnsjej]

that would be way too ‘in your face’ and borderline funny for me but i understand a lot of people sound like theyd like it so wh waddayouknow

[@YellowSnow]

that's what was done in across the spiderverse and it worked wonderfully

[@sethdavis3869]

The last part when the Punisher is mentioned, and you asked if you would still use a march for him, I would say yes. The Punisher is a Marine, a veteran of the United States military, so a theme for him would be a march (possibly based on Semper Fidelis) but in a minor key due to his dark past and his brutal methods. You could even put a minor key choir version of the Marine's Hymn in a scene where his past comes back in a bitter sweet way to accompany the theme to remind the audience of his past and present the idea that he wasn't always a violent vigilante. (The choir part came to mind purely due to the fact that my background is as a vocalist and not as someone who knows how to play any instruments and I know that the human voice can be very versatile to convey emotion and abstract thoughts)

[@psyc840]

I would like to think it would be some kind of twisted version of a marching band, like with the irregular time signatures used in horror music, just to represent the Punisher as a corruption of those American ideals of “fighting for what is right”. It would be like the musical equivalent of walking in on a zombified family member.

[@KiKiStarling]

Would love a conversation in this vein about the various Star Trek themes. There's so much idealism about democracy and collaboration and adventure within the shows.

[@ethannorton564]

Thank you

[@imfsresidentotaku9699]

I second that.

[@summernovah]

Yeah, some of the songs featured in this video, especially the Fanfare of the Common Man, remind me a lot of the opening themes to Next Gen and Voyager

[@Wecoc1]

Brass is too generic, that's why the Avengers theme is played on a flute using one of your nostrils

[@thelordz33]

So basically SpongeBob?

[@labattman]

Ahh the Ralph Wiggum method

[@annamagill]

? Is it like a specific flute, cause I don't play my flute with my nostrils (I use an embouchure)

[@Custerd1]

Kazoo. And jaw harp.

[@annamagill]

@@Custerd1 okay thank you

[@aswallace88]

John Philip Sousa also gave us the Liberty Bell March, which is better known for being the Monty Python's Flying Circus theme song.

[@TheHopperUK]

Bucky's 'Winter Soldier' theme is one of my favourites in the MCU. It only really works for Bucky in his tormented, conflicted state though.

[@TheHopperUK]

@Mitchell Howell I'd love to hear that, some kind of horn-filled superhero theme with industrial sounds added in

[@abbacadaver]

I just made a comment like this! Really different and recognizable

[@sia6045]

The theme is literally Bucky’s scream from when he falls of the freight car in the mountains. It’s just made to sound mechanized to represent the “Winter Soldier”

[@TheHopperUK]

@@sia6045 Yeah I found this out literally yesterday! At about 25 secs in you can hear Steve shout 'no!' too. It's like the theme is all Bucky's memories, twisted and distorted as he tries to hang onto them. It's heartrending, I love it.

[@guyr3618]

That theme is literally just one note, though... Which, I guess, makes it a perfect representation of Bucky's character :)

[@sharpduds]

Can we acknowledge just how beautiful late seventies/early eighties films photographed? That slightly hazy, kind of grainy, super-saturated nonsense is just *cheff's kiss* also, the Sousa brought out the horrified memories of the time I worked at a coffee shop, and the owner had us play John Phillip Sousa all day. All. Damn. Day.

[@TheRibottoStudios]

"But would you still structure his theme like a march? Would you even use brass? Does that mean, he's still a hero?" Chills man. Straight chills.

[@tristantoole7363]

Frank Castle was a Vietnam War vet and a police officer. Considering that most of his "punishments" use military-grade weaponry and ...enhanced interrogation techniques... you bet yer ass I'd use a march. :)

[@koichidignitythief7429]

Great another "Batman shouldn't kill people" even though this is not only meant to be a different take on the bazillion versions of him, but no one bats an eye (pun intended) when the other versions, Keaton, Kilmer, Clooney, and Bale, do kill people. Also, Batman doesn't make all of his equipment. Fuck, one of the plot points in the Dark Knight Trilogy was that Bruce got all his gear from Lucius.

[@EssenceofPureFlavor]

@@koichidignitythief7429 And that's a terrible take on batman.

[@koichidignitythief7429]

And why exactly? because of the aforementioned ", he shouldn't kill people no matter what even if they're mass murders" or "Zack Snyder doesn't know anything about comics because I have a different taste in comics" or is it because of some stupid meme shit like Martha and Do You Bleed?

[@TheRibottoStudios]

@@koichidignitythief7429 Batman doesn't kill the Joker who IS a literal serial killer but kills rando thugs ok cool cool

[@thatnerd2032]

I love how from 22:48 to 23:11 Sideways just digs into Affleck's Batman on a musical level and brings out the exact truth that none of the adrenaline junkies who like that character would want to admit.

[@andrewfortmusic]

Wow; you resisted an entire minute and 39 seconds before you said "leitmotifs"! I'm so proud of you!

[@DeekoJones]

I LOVE Captain America: Winter Soldier. It's one of my favorite films of all time, and I think Henry Jackman did some phenomenal work with the score. I can definitely see how the Winter Soldier's theme laid the musical groundwork for what ultimately became the incredibly tense theme of the Prowler in Spiderverse. That said, I did find it odd that they didn't incorporate any of the music from The First Avenger into Winter Soldier, especially since they reprised that original leitmotif in Thor: The Dark World in that brief moment when Loki turns into Captain America after Thor releases him from confinement. It actually seemed like the MCU was going to commit to maintaining more leitmotifs throughout its phases, and then the whole practice ceased unceremoniously.

[@MusicalMercenary]

The original version of this got taken down? That just ain't right. I'm watching it through again cuz you're awesome, your material is awesome, all badass brass moments are awesome, and leitmotif's are.... undoubtedly... awesome. Good day sir. Keep up the good work.

[@MohammedMangera]

I was wondering why there was no Batman music!

[@sarosenna5850]

I'd argue Giacchino *does* have a leitmotif for Spider-Man. The six-note melody is played by strings as his fingers drum the table and he glances towards the clock for school to end, or by brass as he rushes towards Washington Monument to save his friends. It's surprisingly similar to Vulture's in a classic shadow self kinda way, except Vulture's has more percussion. But also, Holland's Spider-Man differs from the previous iterations because it approaches the theme of responsibility in a more coming-of-age story of balancing all your obligations, rather than the more self-sacrificing approaches Maguire and Garfield's Spider-Man stories take.

[@waterlemonandfriends]

Sideways 2017: "This whole franchise, as of right now, cannot construct anything that even comes close to this incredibly moving train scene." Sideways 2019: PORTALS IS THE GREATEST PIECE OF MUSIC OF ALL TIME

[@thebrutusmars]

It is currently 2020

[@waterlemonandfriends]

@@thebrutusmars Yeah but I thought he made the video about Endgame in 2019

[@thebrutusmars]

WaterlemonTheArtist I left this comment before I finished the video and I thought that was a reference to this one lmao sorry

[@adithyasudheer1561]

It is the greatest peice of music ever composed

[@hayatobun]

because it's Linkin Park

[@imnotherenow200]

This video made me really appreciate what Yuuki Hayashi did for All Might's theme in My Hero Academia. Having it in a march just fits with his plus ultra levels of American vibes he gives. Also, "Young All Might" is better than "You Say Run". Change my mind.

[@DarthTingleBinks]

So I've been listening to the Avengers: Age of Ultron score lately and it's actually very interesting. Particularly the song New Avengers by Danny Elfman. At the very beginning I can hear something similar to the Captain America March theme by Alan Sylvestri, and just a but later I hear something that resembles Iron Man 3 by Brian Tyler for...Iron Man 3. And, of course, it alludes to The Avengers theme by Alan Sylvestri as well. I think you should definitely make a video on it, or at least give it a listen. Note: I can also hear a string section that makes me think of Danny Elfman's Spider-Man theme, but that might be an "Easter egg" from Danny.

[@jonathanscores6478]

Yeah I noticed some of each Avengers themes played during Danny's composition, like the Brian Tyler Iron Man 3 theme when Hulk buster appears

[@Richard_Nickerson]

Danny Elfman was one of the few skilled people who got to score in the MCU, so of course he tied other movies into his. As for your "Easter Egg," I doubt it was intentional... it sounds like you're hearing his sound... like how you can tell a John Williams score is a John Williams score, or how you can tell Danny Elfman, Hans Zimmer, Alan Silvestri, etc did the music without checking the credits.

[@Chablar89]

I'm pretty sure I read somewhere they both had a part in the score. Tyler wrote the bulk of the score for the battle scenes and things like that, but the main theme (the brilliant piece that plays during the credits that sounds VERY Spiderman-esque) was written by Elfman. They are both credited for the score on IMDB.

[@peterfrank3365]

I read that Silvestri also briefly suggested to incorporate the other heroes' respective themes in the 'Infinity War' score but it fall through.

[@DarthTingleBinks]

@@Chablar89 Yes, they did both score the film. But regardless, I just wanted to point it out for Sideways when he was talking about the Marvel movies.

[@TheSteakStyles]

The ending question of whether or not these big budget hollywood movies can create a lasting memorable theme, and simply ending the video with the intro to "Fanfare for the common Man" is such a huge mic drop

[@k.k.fairbanksart389]

I’ve learned more abt music theory from Sideways than in my choir and orchestra classes and I love it

[@bobbywillis1466]

K.K. Fairbanks Art well this is the super fun stuff. The only theory I’ve learned in music class is scales and rhythms.

[@rsolsjo]

Spider-Man: Homecoming = Daddy issues, or something. Best summary I've ever heard. 😂

[@christianbjorck816]

Robin Yup, same for Spiderverse.

[@6pades]

@@christianbjorck816 spiderverse is a more coming of age movie, no daddy issues, really not sure where you got that :?

[@christianbjorck816]

작은 홉이 The whole underlying plot is Miles whining about his dad not putting his ”art” on the fridge

[@Ryan-si6qu]

Spiderman: Daddy Issues

[@CB30001]

Most MCU heroes have Daddy issues. DCEU has mommy issues like in Aquaman.

[@bytesizeillustrator]

No One: Sideways: Truth, justice and the American way

[@eddydrouet1888]

In* the American way

[@tortis6342]

If you listen closely it’s actually “Truth n’ justice n’ the American way”

[@bytesizeillustrator]

Y'all really out here nitpicking at my meme F in pieces

[@sheahon1179]

Drinking game, everytime that clip of superman saying "truth, justice, and the American way" take a shot.

[@scs998]

I know you can't cover every super hero movie, though I kinda wish you'd brought up the spider-verse music. That horn theme mixed with the rap sound gets me every time

[@DATFilms]

He has a video about that The Sound of Spiderverse

[@MarlonOwnsYourCake]

"there's a passage in the Bible about horns being used to signal something" I don't even know where to start with this 😂😂😂

[@zyaicob]

Just the one?😂😂😂

[@annamagill]

'"I mean this isn't rocket surgery."' Edit: If anyone is confused I just got it from what he said in the video, I didn't know it was from something else

[@Big_Dai]

Classic

[@kentleighenglish1388]

I believe that is called a malaphor.

[@theanarkiddie4569]

Lol i can't stop imagining this "Sorry sir we will need to perform an apollo 12 on you"

[@marlonmontelhiggins8570]

That threw me for a loop for a second, NGL.

[@kentleighenglish1388]

@Alexander Supertramp I assume there's some joke there that I'm missing?

[@biazacha]

Funny enough my favorite Superhero theme is probably the recent one for Wonder Woman; is epic but at the same time electric and empowering... you feel like throwing a tank or taking bullets with your bracelets and really does a great job pumping her scenes.

[@alyssa01825]

her theme is so badass

[@summernovah]

Yess, I love her theme so much

[@beladendron]

If you listen, Elfman's Batman is an inverted form of Also Sprach Zarathustra. That tune is iconic for it indicating a big reveal to shock and awe. Kinda fitting for a character who comes out of the shadows to frighten the villains.

[@pancakemogul]

Kudos to Sideways for noticing and memorizing a piece of music in a Marvel movie.

[@saltyboi4897]

I'd argue that the 1966 Batman intro is the most fitting Batman theme. Think about it. It perfectly Captures how Batman catches criminals. A fast pased build up; which corresponds to batman chasing/stalking the criminal; then the word "Batman" meaning to say that Batman has made his move.

[@communistpropagandist4608]

Interesting. The batman logo for the originals series is also similar to the POW and ZAP bubbles that come up when Batman strikes. It's a consistent theme in batman iconography as well as music.

[@Braxant]

Batman theme in Mask of the Phantasm 😉

[@JainaSoloB312]

@@Braxant I came here to say this. Mask of the Phantasm's theme is an absolutely perfect representation of Batman's character

[@commandercaptain4664]

I liken it more to surf music, but it's still cool.

[@docd-monik4380]

Theme from Tim Burton's Batman was the best imo

[@DeathbyPixels]

“Fledermaus” LITERALLY means “flying mouse” but it’s the German word for “bat” :)

[@extraterrestrialhorse9722]

How's fleder flying?

[@davidgustavsson4000]

I don't know about German, but "fladder" in Swedish's "fladdermus" means "flutter" or "flap". Flap mouse.

[@DeathbyPixels]

Extraterrestrial Horse I MADE A STUPID. YOU’RE RIGHT. SORRY, IT’S “FLUTTER” NOT “FLYING.” It’s been a while since I took German ;_;

[@matthewleary3329]

“Flittermouse” is an archaic word for bat in English. Undoubtedly came to us through English’s German roots.

[@seabassthegamer6644]

From what very little I know about German (as in, schadenfruede, berg, nouns are capitalized, and some stuff I just googled), compound words are either incredibly literal or incredibly abstract. The word for "glove" would translate literally to "handshoe." On the other end, there's "Ohrwurm," which refers to a song stuck in one's head, and is likely the origin of the English word "earworm." "Schadenfruede" (harmjoy) is in a similar category.

[@wandererclarisse]

I’ve never seen superman but the amount of times sideways has mentioned this movie in his videos has convinced me to watch it

[@alyssa01825]

dude it’s amazing please watch it

[@casper-dakotanurse-baker7052]

Start your ‘leitmotif mentions’ counters everybody!

[@offshorecomedy]

the ending scene with superman walking majestically with copland's score elevating his rise to glory legit had me in tears

[@bluelanternguardianangel8038]

It's kinda interesting cuz I once saw a video a couple of months ago where someone edited scenes from the first avengers movie but instead of the usual music, they put in each avengers personal leitmotif. It wasn't until THAT scene (you know the one) where when they all come together, the music comes together and creates the avengers theme proper. I'd suggest to try to find it but KZbin be KZbin lol

[@natashawilliamson3507]

I usually don't give a shit about music, I literally only listen to what's on the radio, and then only occasionally. But damn if your passion and knowledge doesn't MAKE me care. This is the only channel I can say teaches me something brand new with every single video, I was completely ignorant to everything to do with movie music before, I really had zero idea. Thank you so much for this channel!

[@ebear5595]

I gotta say, I absolutely LOVE the Buzz Lightyear theme

[@jackpayne1861]

would never ever have noticed the responsibility motif appearing in No Way Home had it not been for how carefully u broke it down in this video. it was so cool to hear Giacchino quote the original Elfman score-one of the movie’s best intertextual moments. only worked for me cuz i’d seen this. i appreciated it.

[@jogeller5731]

ngl the only superhero theme from the MCU I remember is Ant-Man's, and I adore the use of huge contrasts to indicate his size-shifting powers as well as how Scott usually alternates between stealth and sabotage as Ant-Man and manpower and destruction as Giant- Man, as well as giving him an edge of nobility for a man who rose to the occasion when he has to and doesn't bask in any kind of glory, because he's just doing the right thing (mmmost of the time.) Maybe I just really like Ant-Man.

[@ginsan8198]

I like Ant Man too. It may be unpopular opinion, but I like Ant Man more than Guardians of the Galaxy. Also, the music is really good, I agree.

[@peterfrank3365]

I think 'Ant-Man' falls as one of MCU's weakest films (Ironic given my profile picture), but Christophe Beck's work in it is grossly overlooked. My personal favorite is the 'Guardians of the Galaxy' theme though.

[@commandercaptain4664]

Debney's theme (most pronounced in Monaco Mayhem) is my favorite Iron Man theme, even though the best score of that trilogy is Tyler's Iron Man 3 (and I prefer Tyler's Thor theme over Doyle's). Djawadi's score for Iron Man 1, especially evidenced in the video clip, is just so much faux rock, I was begging for AC/DC to take over, and I don't like that band either (bust out some Slayer, people!!!).

[@littlebee33]

@@peterfrank3365 I think the first Ant Man was really good. Maybe the 2nd could be considered the weakest.

[@peterfrank3365]

@@littlebee33 They both are rather weak, especially as to what Edgar Wright could've brought.

[@Cybermeleon]

Man that Spider-Man leitmotif sounds just like the music in Cats' Memory right before the iconic "touch me it's so easy to leave me" line

[@RafaelMartinezSalas]

YES ITS BACK BABY

[@crash3366]

This is a perfect example of why the multiple songs during the clone wars are so frickin awesome, the music gave the clones a butt ton of characterization and the music was just outright good

[@JonathanBates]

I have never thought of or realized any of this before in music in the movies. Never would have considered the horns or march part of America or how that is why it's represented in Supermans's theme. I thought "Fanfare for the Common Man" was just the Apollo 13 movie theme... Glad to be learning all of this and being able to enjoy the new nuances of movies I have enjoyed.

[@thecrimsoncomet9917]

Quick question: Isn't using the Spider-Man theme from the 60's cartoon in the beginning of Spider-Man Homecoming technically just using a leitmotif that most people associate with Spider-Man?

[@ADHadh]

Pretty much. Spider-Man 2 used it too.

[@Nitroliger]

The Spider-Man homecoming theme is not the 60s one, it's this one. kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5uphJWHm8iiq6M

[@aradraugfea6755]

A lot of the MCU callouts to old themes for the characters (Iron Man's ringtone in Iron Man 1 is the OLD theme song from a very cheap and very bad cartoon from the 60s) are really just easter eggs. Spider-Man is kind of a rare exception because the old theme song (which has somehow managed to stick to the character despite basically nobody who grew up with THAT version of Spider-Man making pop culture decisions anymore) is worked into NEW music for those films. In those cases, it does behave more like a leitmotif. Honestly, thinking on it, if you REALLY stretch, you can almost hear the 'classic' theme in the 90s cartoon's theme. If you pressure wash the 90s of that theme, you can hear the notes of the "spider-man, spider-man" underneath. Or maybe that's just me.

[@Oturan20]

@@aradraugfea6755 "Pressure wash the 90s" 🤣 That was way funnier to me than it should've been.

[@nadiavazquez2846]

I spent 4 minutes thinking I was having a crazy deja vu until I finally noticed it was re-upload

[@harpistforever3137]

As someone with a music degree, I love the way this channel reviews my education while also teaching me new things

[@aticasaito6462]

Description says: "This is a re-upload of a video that was originally uploaded on Aug 16th 2017 but was blocked by the copyright bot"

[@IrregularGuyYT]

22:47 - The greatest superhero argument ever! Someone didn't follow the pre-established leitmotif.

[@nowhereman6019]

NOOOO! THE ORIGINAL GOT TAKEN DOWN!? THAT WAS ONE OF MY FAVORITE KZbin VIDEOS!

[@mickey4125]

Love the name and profile pic! Isn't he a bit like you and me-ee-ee? :)

[@theludonarrian]

Every time I hear the Superman theme my eyes tear up a lot. Superman represents the purest good you can be and that always gets to me.

[@qwerty_and_azerty]

I watched this again to support you in light of the copyright issues, and it’s so interesting how the Avengers managed to turn things around musically by doubling down on the main theme in Infinity War and Endgame.

[@A._Person]

Side note: Sousa also wrote the 'Liberty Bell March', a piece of which was used as the opening music for Monty Python's Flying Circus, and appears in SpaceX's video 'Hoe Not To Land A Rocket'.

[@Keokithederp]

You made this whole video just so you can take a dig at the Schneider Batman while still being extremely informative about the topic? I respect it

[@homerc9101]

He wasn't that informative, the problem with his video is that he AVOIDED Zimmer work because the Nolan and Snyder movies broke his argument. Specially Wondy's theme. The OST of those movies were fantastic and not as derivative as the forgettable stuff in the MCU

[@chimedemon]

AHHH!!! I so badly just wanna create a giant personal project for all of the films, that basically creates a constant consistency with all of the themes, ideas, motifs, and playing around with the way that it can be put into a team, be broken apart, have new instances of different people coming in, and maybe creating a new, more fluid genre of music for it that throws out some of the major constraints that the straight up march music poses. I have no idea, I’ve been thinking about it for years, but I feel it would also discredit the ALREADY majorly unnoticed composers.

[@Indianadixon]

me: Hey this seems familiar Description: "This is a re-upload of a video that was originally uploaded on Aug 16th 2017"

[@DebjyotiZ]

I thought I was having Deja Vu or something

[@Pheicou]

I always interpret the initial fast arpeggio intro strings in Elfman’s Spider-Man theme which you can hear multiple times throughout the films as spiders crawling, and the main theme sounds like the melody is swinging somehow.

[@strayorion2031]

I just needed this, I was making my own version of a anime protagonist's main theme and that character entire arc consists of him wanting to become a hero

[@theunfortunatecat]

i find it kind of hilarious how Sideways was saying stuff like "no Marvel superhero is recognizable through theme alone, you're never gonna come close to the emotional impact of that scene from Spider-Man" meanwhile there's a hundred people bawling their eyes out whenever they listen to Cap's theme and geeking out over Tony's or hyper-analyzing every melody of Bucky's serious talk, i think the themes of the heroes in each movie are more based on the actual *movie*, holding the tone and plot of the movie rather than the hero's personal goals or personality. thats why you can still catch parts of Cap's original theme from the first movie in the second one, and its used at the moments that make it powerful and meaningful.

[@mariopalenciagutierrez4318]

A great example of having a hero's and villian's motif opose each other is Lord of The Rings. Jaime Altolozano has an awesome analisis of each of the movies, their motifs and their symbolism.

[@jenkinsfamily2229]

I just want to put this out here. I will NEVER get tired of gargantuan brass fanfares representing superheros or good guys. In fact, one of the main reasons I play trombone is because of compositions like The Imperial March and Hans Zimmer's score for Pirates of the Caribbean.

[@francesatty7022]

"We, as Americans" me, not American: 😳

[@Amory-wd3ws]

You’re missing out. Edit: my initial grammar was awful.

[@weirdofromhalo]

Non-inclusive we

[@francesatty7022]

@@Amory-wd3ws ..am I?

[@thebiggestbuffunion6744]

@@francesatty7022 .. it depends

[@30yroldwinemom56]

@Frances Fatty your not this place sucks

[@fredleggett923]

I think that, when Williams passes, the era of thematic scoring will be at an end. You might occasionally catch a memorable track here and there, like what Christopher Young and Danny Elfman can pull off when they want to, but it'll be infrequent, bordering on rare. It will be an incredibly sad day akin to a film funeral of state when that happens.

[@electromaniacal]

I've seen this before, but I'll watch it again because it's just that good.

[@waywardwillard]

Thanks for the reupload! I get chills every time the Copland music plays; he was my grandpa’s favorite composer and now I can truly appreciate why. (P.S. Of course it’s the Marines playing in most of the military marching clips. They love them some pomp.)

[@-Unidentified_Comment-]

Hm something about this seems...familiar?

[@thriftedjumper8767]

Brandon Soya yeah it’s a reupload, the original got copyright stricken :)

[@junamboqcg2369]

Must be the leitmotif

[@starryguiders]

@Eduardo Rivero Mejía That's because it is!

[@jackosys]

this video inspired me a lot! I'm an amateur music producer (just a hobbyist) bc I'm primarily a visual development and background artist, but I like to write themes for my characters. one of my characters is an atypical superhero who is really just a kid intentionally trying to be renowned and help people despite being.. well, a 15-year-old baby. I've been struggling with how to write their theme for a while, but I think today I might just compose it

[@Custerd1]

"What does this hero stand for/fight for?" Interesting - considering Tony Stark's character development through the Avengers films was complex and thorough. None of the other heroes had such a dramatic character development and, dare I say, metamorphosis. He was a completely different person by Endgame.

[@jasonparker3925]

He learned from his mistakes.

[@fearlessleader889]

My favorite heroic music is You Say Run from My Hero Academia. Of course, it capitalizes on the brass. But it also makes use of the odd choice of an electric guitar and a drum set. They set a fast-paced, badass tempo. You wouldn't think they go with a heroic theme, but it SOOO works. It also makes use of violins in the parts of the theme for the emotional moments in the fight scene.

[@meegsMB1993]

Would have loved to hear about wonder woman’s theme cuz it’s so cool too! I always get chills/get pumped up when I hear it! Super interesting nonetheless, very well constructed video!!!

[@spainbarcafootyfan]

I started learning piano less than a year ago but for a long time I’ve been interested in film music- I was drawn to it and found it central to a story but could never quite explain why seeing as I had not training or knowledge. Now that I discovered your videos, you break things down so easily (a lot of other people who analyse music assume you have a signifiant level of theory and their content is kinda exclusive in that sense) and while it’s fun to watch your videos from a cinéphile POV they also help me learn a lot as a new musician. Thank you so much! Your efforts are appreciated :)

[@WillfulVisions]

I'd be interested to see an analysis of more themes like Wonder Woman (2017) or Batman Beyond or Constantine

[@eethompson32695]

Sideways: John Phillip Sousa wrote Stars and Stripes are Forever. Me: *has flashbacks to playing that song every year in high-school for concert band competitions*

[@thatsroughbuddy4712]

"I mean, this isn't rocket surgery" 10/10 Beautiful, I'm gonna start using that Crops: watered Acne: cleared Hotel: trivago That is all

[@joshscholman]

a very subtle nod to How It Should Have Ended's video on Venom

[@FirstnameLastname-bh9qs]

I'm so glad you talked about Elfman's Spiderman. It's one of my favorite scores.

[@RaYtAy151]

Love the video. Also wanna give a shout out to Batman V Superman's soundtrack where they managed to give each main character a leitmotif. Superman' MOS theme returns, batman has his new dark &gothic theme, Lex luthor's theme reminds you of a deranged person, Wonder Woman's theme represents badassery, and Doomsdays theme is end-of-the-world like.

[@Gojirawars03]

But the important part is that not only do they get leitmotifs, but those same leitmotifs change and develop as the film goes on to suit the story. Wonder Woman’s starts out quiet, subtle, and mysterious, and by the end of the film it’s loud, powerful and electric when she goes full warrior goddess mode on Doomsday. Superman’s music is soft in gentle moments, both as Clark and Superman, somber in moments where he doubts himself, and ultimately heroic and powerful when he decides to come back and do the right thing, building to a really powerful reworking when he sacrifices himself. And Batman’s theme. OH, Batman’s theme. By far the best part of this movie’s score for me. Because it perfectly encapsulates what makes Ben Affleck’s Batman different from all the others before and after him. Holkeborg’s Batman theme is written like a straight up VILLAIN theme, with variations that go from loud and powerful, demonstrating Bruce’s rage and hatred, to slow and somber, showcasing his depression and tragedy, to even having moments where it sounds like something straight out of a horror movie, which is probably how most of the criminals he faces feel when meeting him. Like they’re coming face to face with a demon. It all perfectly captures this darker, angrier, more bitter, more jaded, and lawless Batman who’s abandoned all of his morals and code, fighting for the sake of fighting, and having lost all faith in humanity. Luthor’s theme probably gets the least to do variation wise, but it is nice that it can be quieter or louder depending on how directly Luthor is involved in a scene. When his plan is unfolding in grandiose ways, his theme plays loud and bombastically, while his more subtle and sinister moments are accompanied by equally subtle renditions of the motif. Plus, any time Snyder is cuing us in to what parts of the story are directly parts of Luthor’s plan, we get to hear his music play. Honestly I want Sideways to do a whole video just on this movie, but I doubt he will. It would be amazing if he did, though.

[@mattyt3625]

@@Gojirawars03 I didn't really think about the musical in the film because I was too focused on how stupid that film was and how it greatly misrepresented the characters. Especially superman.

[@Gojirawars03]

@@mattyt3625 I’m so sorry that was your thought process. The rest of us were enjoying a fantastic comic book film with an exceptional score.

[@mattyt3625]

@@Gojirawars03 the rest of us? You must not have paid much attention to the film then and how it misunderstands the characters, especially the superman characters. The music would be great because it's Hans Zimmer I believe but that doesn't save the film from being laughably bad

[@Gojirawars03]

@@mattyt3625 Actually understands and explores the characters substantially _better_ than most other film depictions of them, but yeah, because it tries to be different, that automatically made it awful, right? Whatever, I’m not here to tell you you’re wrong for disliking it. It’s still your opinion on it either way. But for me and plenty of other people, it’s a great watch that really explores the sort of impacts these legends would have on a realistic world.

[@Grim2]

6:35 - It's because Fleischer Superman's theme was also a marching tune. It's literally a nod to that.

[@EdTheOrangeBlob]

Now that Endgame and Infinity War came out since this video was uploaded, I can safely say one of the most powerful Marvel motifs I've ever heard is the Vormir piece. It is used in both the movie's main sacrifices at Vormir, and it gives you the exact same feeling of grief and dread as it did in Infinity War.

[@elisewebb9914]

Three years, and I still keep coming back to this video over and over again.

[@sirleyserrano5115]

“ I mean this isn’t rocket surgery”

[@Tareltonlives]

This is an excellent companion piece to David Collin's podcasts on Superman and Star Wars. Williams is constantly given the role of making a heroic leitmotif, and while they're all similar, each is very distinct. Superman, Luke skywalker, Indiana Jones all have different types of fanfare leitmotifs despite having pretty much the same orchestration and often the same tempo

[@evergreenrodeo]

I like wonder woman's theme

[@jenniferchough]

Supes' Theme is the definitive hero theme for me. I'm more than glad to be reminded of Supes when I hear Captain America's theme because they are fraternal in a way just in different universes.

[@joshuaalexander4595]

Can you do one on Mad Max: Fury Road? That music stuck with me for weeks. Also, just leaned through your Wonder Woman video that Junkie XL (who composed the Fury Road soundtrack) worked with Hans Zimmer on BvS!

[@kenny6449]

Like I'm aware of how legendary John Williams is, but I cant be the only one who is shocked. One man is responsible for the music of star wars, Jurassic park, e.t. jaws, superman, Indiana Jones, etc.ONE HUMAN ALL THESE ICONIC PIECES OF MUSIC

[@SmellsLikeBrass]

My three cents: 1) for the Superman theme I would argua that the 'purity' of the fanfare - it only uses a perfect fifth and an octave, like Richard Strauß at the beginning of "Also sprach Zarathustra" - also represents the purity of Supermans character. 2) 13:32 why didn't you say "DARK night"? That would have been the perfect pun. :-( 3) fuck copyright bots.

[@nathandrake5544]

Yeah I always that John William's Superman March was directly inspired by Zarathustra. Also Hanz Zimmer's score for "Man of Steel" appears to be based off the same concept, and is in the same key as both of the other compositions.

[@dannycarrington1601]

Williams' "Love Theme" for Superman is also very Straussian - it's thisclose to one of the melodies from "Death and Transfiguration" while The "March of the Villains" sound like Prokofiev.

[@ADHadh]

My favourite Spider-Man theme is still the one from Marvel Super Heroes vs Street Fighter. But you could argue that making an orchestral version of the cartoon theme is the best choice. While Spider-Man is all about responsibility, his moniker is "Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man" and that cartoon theme evocates that he's a hero who's approachable and a little silly. Disney movies play that down a little and curiously he comes off as the one hero who *doesn't* joke, but is also the one to whom everyday funny situations happen the most.

[@philshome2776]

Well I don’t know if you would call it a superhero theme however the “arrival to earth” theme from transformers has to be one of my most favorite themes, I love the string leading into brass it’s fantastic

[@TornaitSuperBird]

Should have been the Autobot leitmotif for the entire series...

[@philshome2776]

@@TornaitSuperBird that’s the truth

[@ΧΙΗΙΧ]

I also think there is a component of ‘does it fit the hero on the outside?’ Spider-Man's themes are usually very energetic, lighthearted and not powerful but emotional. Electro has dubstep electronics and voices in his head. Ant-Man starts out small and simple, just little staccato notes (which also sounds infiltration/mission like), and then BAM the orchestra kicks in, like Scott turning normal for the attack. Thor sounds majestic and Royal. I'm not sure how to describe how the Man of Steel music works, but it does, very.. Floaty. Why So Serious? really nails the Joker for the entire nine minutes

[@berniceboshoff1503]

No one: Absolutely no one: Sideways: leitmotif :)

[@thegraphicgoose]

The Incredibles Theme is the best superhero music on its own when separated from the superheroes, on its own its really good.

[@gabrielleduplessis7388]

No one: Sideways: have I discussed leitmotifs yet?