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. Superman is a fictional character and one of the most famous and popular comic book superheroes of all time. ...

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. Jackson Beck (July 23, 1912 in Manhattan, New York - July 28, 2004 in Manhattan) was best known as the voice of Bluto in over 300 Popeye cartoons. ... Fleischer Studios, Inc. ... Sammy Timberg (1903-1992) was an American musician and composer who was perhaps most famous for the music he wrote for the cartoons of the Fleischer_Studios, such as Popeye, Betty Boop, and Superman. ... Bud Collyer on Beat The Clock, 1957 Bud Collyer (b. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles accessible from a disambiguation page. ... Kirk Alyn (October 8, 1910 - March 14, 1999) was an American actor. ...

• 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.

Superman and the Mole Men is a 1951 black and white movie starring the titular Superman. ...

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 cast of Adventures of Superman from 1953 to 1957. ... George Bessolo Reeves (January 5 [1], 1914 – June 16, 1959), born George Keefer Brewer to Don Brewer and Helen Lescher, was an American actor best known for playing the title role in the television series Adventures of Superman in the 1950s. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... Phyllis Coates is the stage name of an actress who appeared in various films and TV shows mostly during the 1950s. ...

• 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. Broadway theatre[1] is often considered the highest professional form of theatre in the United States. ... Image:Bobholiday. ... Charles Strouse, (born 7 June 1928), is a Jewish-American composer and three-time winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical. ... Lee Adams (born August 14, 1924 in Mansfield, Ohio) is a Jewish-American lyricist best known for his collaboration with Charles Strouse in the musical theatre. ... Robert Benton (born September 29, 1932 in Waxahachie, Texas) is an American screenwriter and film director. ... Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman was a live-action television series based on the Superman comic books. ... Dean Cain in Iraq Dean George Cain (born July 31, 1966) is an American actor best known for playing Superman in the television series Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman co-starring with Desperate Housewives star Teri Hatcher. ... Hatcher as Lois Lane Teri Lynn Hatcher (born December 8, 1964 in Sunnyvale, California) is an American actress. ... It has been suggested that Talon (Smallville) be merged into this article or section. ... Thomas John Patrick Welling (born April 26, 1977 in Putnam Valley, New York) is an American actor and former male fashion model, most famous for playing Clark Kent on the television series Smallville. ...

• 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 Superman: The Animated Series is yet another brassy orchestral piece with a triad-based melody. It was occasionally used as Superman's leitmotif in episodes of Justice League.

The first Filmation logo. ... Ron Jones was a British television director born in Bristol in August 1945. ... Shirley Walker (April 10, 1945 - November 30, 2006) is a well-respected and renowned American film composer. ... Superman: The Animated Series is the unofficial title given to Warner Bros. ... The Justice League, sometimes called the Justice League of America or JLA for short, is a fictional DC Universe superhero team. ...

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. Christopher Reeve (September 25, 1952 – October 10, 2004) was an American actor, director, producer and writer. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Brandon James Routh[1] (born October 9, 1979) is an American actor and former fashion model. ...

• The Superman score was composed by John Williams.
• The Superman II and Superman III scores were composed/arranged by Ken Thorne, using Williams' themes extensively.
• The Superman IV: The Quest for Peace score was composed by Alexander Courage, with two new themes composed by Williams.
• The Superman Returns score was composed/arranged by John Ottman, also using Williams' compositions.

Christopher Reeve as the Man of Steel, Superman Superman, also known as Superman: The Movie, is a 1978 Warner Bros. ... John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932) is one of the most widely recognized composers of film scores. ... Superman II is the 1980 sequel to the 1978 feature film Superman. ... Superman III is a 1983 movie that was the third of four movies based upon the long-running DC Comics superhero produced in the late 1970s-early 1980s. ... Superman IV: The Quest For Peace is a 1987 film, the last of the Superman theatrical movies. ... Alexander Courage (born December 10, 1919) is a 20th century American composer of music, primarily for television and motion pictures. ... Superman Returns is a 2006 superhero film based on the fictional DC Comics character Superman. ... John Ottman is an American film editor, composer and director born July 6, 1964 in San Diego, California. ...

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. A leitmotif (also spelled leitmotiv) is a recurring musical theme, associated within a particular piece of music with a particular person, place or idea. ...

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.
• "Clark Kent" motif.
• "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.

It has been suggested that Krypton glossary be merged into this article or section. ... Smallville is a fictional town in the United States which Superboy protects and where most of his crime-fighting adventures take place. ...

First appearance in Superman II

Ken Thorne contributed a cue called "Honeymoon Hotel" corresponding to the first scene in Niagara Falls. This article belongs in one or more categories. ...

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.

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.^{[citation needed]} Alexander Courage (born December 10, 1919) is a 20th century American composer of music, primarily for television and motion pictures. ...

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.

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: This article is about the song. ... The original members of Bill Haley and His Comets, c. ... A woodie is a wooden roller coaster. ... Glenn Ford in 1979 Gwyllyn Samuel Newton Glenn Ford (May 1, 1916 – August 30, 2006) was an acclaimed Canadian-American actor from Hollywoods Golden Era with a career that spanned seven decades. ... Blackboard Jungle (also known as The Blackboard Jungle) is a 1955 motion picture of social commentary that catalysed a genre of teacher dramas. ... Supertramp is a British Art Rock and pop band that had a series of top-selling albums in the 1970s. ... Even in the Quietest Moments is the fifth album by progressive rock band Supertramp, released in 1977 (see 1977 in music). ...

• "Pick up the Pieces", by Average White Band, can be heard in the East Houston Restaurant sequence.
• Ken Thorne also composed a slower version for the finale in the Metropolis Diner.

Superman III: Pick Up The Pieces is a song by the Average White Band from their eponymous album, AWB. It is essentially an instrumental apart from the song title being sung at several points in the song. ... The Average White Band (also AWB) is a Scottish funk and R&B band. ...

• "Roll Over Beethoven" by The Beatles and "Earth Angel" by The Penguins can be heard at Clark's high school reunion.

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace: Roll Over Beethoven is a 1956 hit single by Chuck Berry // The song is notable as one of the earliest definitive rock and roll recordings. ... The Beatles were a highly influential English rock and roll band from Liverpool. ... Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine) was a song that was the only top 40 hit for The Penguins. ... The Penguins were an American Doo-Wop group of the 1950s and 60s, best remembered for their only top 40 hit, Earth Angel, which was one of the first rhythm and blues hits to cross over to the pop charts. ...

• "Whole lotta shakin' goin' on" by Jerry Lee Lewis can be heard in Lenny Luthor's car when he's going to release his uncle, Lex Luthor from prison.

Jerry Lee Lewis (born September 29, 1935) is an American rock and roll and country music singer, songwriter, and pianist. ...

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".

The soundtracks

Superman

• First release on LP by Warner December 20, 1978.

Track listing for this release:

SIDE 1:

1. "Theme from Superman (Main Title)" (4:24)
2. "The Planet Krypton" (4:45)
3. "Destruction of Krypton" (5:58)
4. "The Trip to Earth" (2:23)
5. "Growing Up" (2:34)

SIDE 2:

1. "Love Theme from Superman" (5:00)
2. "Leaving Home" (4:48)
3. "The Fortress of Solitude" (8:29)

SIDE 3:

1. "The Flying Sequence" (4:16)
2. "Can You Read My Mind" (3:54)
3. "Super Rescues" (3:24)
4. "Lex Luthor's Lair" (2:52)
5. "Superfeats" (5:00)

SIDE 4:

1. "The March of the Villains" (3:33)
2. "Chasing Rockets" (7:33)
3. "Turning Back the World" (2:01)
4. "End Title" (6:24)

Total Time: 79:21

• 2000 release by Rhino including the complete recordings for the first time.

Rhino Entertainment Company is an American specialty record label. ...

Track listing for this release:

DISC 1:

1. "Prelude and Main Title March" (5:29)
2. "The Planet Krypton" (6:39)
3. "Destruction of Krypton" (7:52)
4. "Star Ship Escapes" (2:21)
5. "The Trip to Earth" (2:28)
6. "Growing Up" (2:34)
7. "Death of Jonathan Kent" (3:27)
8. "Leaving Home" (4:49)
9. "The Fortress of Solitude" (9:17)
10. "Welcome to Metropolis" (2:11)
11. "Lex Luthor's Lair" (4:48)
12. "The Big Rescue" (5:55)
13. "Super Crime Fighter" (3:20)
14. "Super Rescues" (2:14)
15. "Luthor's Luau" (Source music) (2:48)
16. "The Planet Krypton" (Alternate) (4:24)
17. "Main Title March" (Alternate) (4:38)

• Total Time: 75:18

DISC 2:

1. "Superman March" (Alternate) (3:48)
2. "The March of the Villains" (3:36)
3. "The Terrace" (1:36)
4. "The Flying Sequence" (8:12)
5. "Lois and Clark" (0:50)
6. "Crime of the Century" (3:24)
7. "Sonic Greeting" (2:21)
8. "Misguided Missiles and Kryptonite" (3:26)
9. "Chasing Rockets" (4:56)
10. "Super Feats" (4:53)
11. "Super Dam and Finding Lois" (5:11)
12. "Turning Back the World" (2:06)
13. "Finale and End Title March" (5:42)
14. "Love Theme from Superman" (5:06)
15. "Can You read My Mind" (Alternate) (2:56)
16. "The Flying Sequence/Can You Read My Mind" (8:12)
17. "Can You Read My Mind" (Alternate: Instrumental) (2:56)
18. "Theme from Superman" (Concert Version) (4:24)

• Total Time: 73:38

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.

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.

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. He also created a new love them for Clark and Lana Lang. He contributed three other songs that appear mostly in instrumentals in the film, the most prominent being "They Won't Get Me" for Roger Miller, which appears when Gus shows up in a baby blue ten gallon hat to bribe Brad with alcohol. A CD of this score and the score to Superman II was released in Japan. Giorgio Moroder (born Giovanni Giorgio Moroder on April 26, 1940 in Ortisei, Italy) is an Italian record producer, songwriter and performer, whose groundbreaking work with synthesizers during the 1970s was a significant influence on techno and electronic music in general. ... A section of the album jacket for Golden Hits. ...

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.

Superman Returns

• The score CD was released Tuesday, June 27th, 2006 by Warner Sunset/Rhino Records.

1. Main Titles (3:47)
2. Memories (3:05)
3. Rough Flight (5:11)
4. Little Secrets/Power of the Sun (2:47)
5. Bank Job (2:19)
6. How Could You Leave Us? (5:47)
7. Tell Me Everything (3:11)
8. You're Not One of Them (2:20)
9. Not Like the Train Set (5:10)
10. So Long Superman (5:29)
11. The People You Care For (3:25)
12. I Wanted You to Know (2:54)
13. Saving the World (3:10)
14. In The Hands of Mortals (2:09)
15. Reprise/Fly Away (4:17)

• Total Time: 54:59

References

• Michael Matessino's liner notes for the release of the complete score of Superman: The Movie on the Rhino label.

External links

• Complete score analysis of Superman
• Complete score analysis of Superman II
• Complete score analysis of Superman III
• Complete score analysis of Superman IV
• A John Williams fansite