Continuing with the music from my list of the Top Ten Science Fiction Television Shows, this week I am picking one of the iconic pieces of science fiction related music as the Musical Monday selection: The opening theme song to the classic 1960s science fiction show The Twilight Zone.
There are some snippets of music or scenes from movies that take hold of the popular consciousness and permeate themselves throughout the culture in such a way that people who have never seen the original source are still familiar with it. "Soylent Green is people!" and "We don't need no stinking badges!" are examples of this sort of phenomenon. This piece of music from The Twilight Zone is another example. It has been used in so many homages and parodies and referenced countless other times that I doubt if there is anyone over the age of fifteen or so who has not heard those creepy notes that kick off the theme. And I doubt that there is anyone who has not heard some rendition of Rod Serling's famous voice over in the introduction. People who have never seen a single episode of the show instantly recognize the music and the narration.
Subsequent Musical Monday: This Island Earth by The Nylons
Game, Movie, and Television Music Musical Monday Home
Can't listen. Scares the bejeezus outta me.
ReplyDelete@Julia Rachel Barrett: Yet more evidence of the cultural pervasiveness of this theme song. It is almost synonymous with creepy and unsettling fiction.
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