Song of the Day #2020

Song of the Day: Raiders of the Lost Ark (“Soundtrack Suite”) [YouTube link], composed by John Williams, derives from the first of five films that he scored for the Indiana Jones franchise, yet another milestone in cinema—and cinematic music—history. Indeed, Williams’s soundtrack to the forthcoming “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny“, set to debut in June 2023, is slated to be the composer’s final film score. This suite (quite different from the one I featured in 2021) comes from the iconic 1981 first film in the series. This year, he is nominated for yet another Oscar (for “The Fabelmans”), making him the oldest nominee for a competitive Oscar in Academy Award history with a total of 53 Oscar nominations, spread over seven decades (second only to Walt Disney). He has won the statuette five times. Today, Williams turns 91. Happy birthday, maestro [YouTube link]!