Terminator Theme Music
From LoveToKnow Music
The films might be more well known for their contribution to the action genre, but Terminator theme music has been almost as influential as the movies themselves. This incredibly successful film franchise has spawned four blockbuster films, a television show, comic books, graphic novels, and even amusement rides. This article will cover the fantastic Terminator theme music that accompanied each film upon its initial release and will tell you where to go on the Internet to buy soundtracks from these classic movies.
]Terminator Theme Music Movie By Movie
The following analysis of theme music from the Terminator franchise is arranged chronologically starting with 1984's original film The Terminator and ending up with 2009's Terminator Salvation.
- The Terminator – Released in 1984, The Terminator starred Arnold Schwarzenegger and was the first film to be directed and co-written by James Cameron, the filmmaker who went on to write and direct the Oscar Award winning Titanic in 1997 as well as other classic films like Aliens and Rambo: First Blood Part II. Brad Fiedel, whose work has gone on to appear in all subsequent Terminator films, wrote the theme music for the original Terminator. Fiedel is known for his use of electronic instruments like synthesizers, and the theme song for The Terminator displays his expertise with this type of instrumentation. His work in this film was the big break that set his soundtrack and scoring career into motion.
- Terminator 2: Judgement Day – Released in 1991, T2, as it is known among fans, was another smash success for James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger. The theme music for this film is the same theme music from the original Terminator film written by Brad Fiedel. However, another major musical connection to this film came from the rock and roll band Guns N' Roses who used the movie to debut their first single from their highly anticipated new albums Use Your Illusion I & II. The song You Could Be Mine appeared in an action sequence in T2 and also was played during the closing credits. The video for the song, which received major airplay on MTV, featured clips from the movie and a cameo by Arnold Schwarzenegger. This symbiotic relationship between the song and the film proved to be beneficial to both Guns N' Roses and T2 as both enjoyed immense commercial success in 1991.
- Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines – The 2003 installment Rise of the Machines resulted in a bit of a dip in the Terminator franchise, as it didn't meet the commercial or critical success of the previous two films. T2 won four Academy awards twelve years earlier, but Rise of the Machines was not nominated for any. The theme music for the film is again the original theme written by Brad Fiedel, but the movie didn't have a song tie in that was as successful as You Could Be Mine was for T2. Rise of the Machines did feature a unique collaboration between former Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale and Blue Man Group called The Current.
- Terminator Salvation – The 2009 installment Terminator Salvation featured a new composer who contributed the score and worked to modify Brad Fiedel's original theme music. Danny Elfman, a veteran soundtrack and score composer who has worked on such classics as Batman, Spider Man, Men In Black I & II, and many, many more was enlisted to spruce up the old theme from the original films. The other notable musical tie in included in Terminator Salvation was the Alice in Chains song The Rooster which originally appeared on their 1993 album Dirt.
Where to Hear and Buy
Check out the following links to hear some of these songs and to purchase them for yourself.
- YouTube – YouTube has plenty of clips of Terminator theme music spanning all four films.
- Amazon – You can find copies of all the Terminator soundtracks at Amazon.
Stick Around
It appears that the Terminator franchise is showing no signs of slowing down, so there are likely to be plenty of opportunities to hear new Terminator theme music in the years to come.
Learn More
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