John Williams Is STILL Out Here Making Us Cry With Two Notes And We Have Questions

George Lucas Didn't Even Want An Original Score For Star Wars

Before John Williams ever touched Star Wars, George Lucas planned to just needle-drop classical music over every scene instead of commissioning anything new. Steven Spielberg was the one who insisted Lucas meet Williams, and the rest is, quite literally, movie history.

He's The Most Oscar-Nominated Living Human On Earth

John Williams has racked up 54 Academy Award nominations, putting him second all-time behind only Walt Disney's 59. He's also the only person in Oscar history to be nominated across seven consecutive decades.

Spielberg Genuinely Thought The Jaws Theme Was A Prank

When Williams sat down at the piano and played the now-iconic "dun dun" for Jaws, Spielberg burst out laughing, convinced his composer was pulling his leg. Williams kept a straight face, insisted he was serious, and delivered one of the most terrifying scores in film history.

The Whole Shark Was Just Two Notes

That entire sense of dread in Jaws comes down to a two-note ostinato, a semitone shift from E to F, played over and over by basses and cellos. Williams even had a tuba player perform it uncomfortably high in his range specifically because the strain made it sound more threatening.

His Partnership With Spielberg Has Now Lasted Over 50 Years

Williams and Spielberg first teamed up on 1974's The Sugarland Express, and Williams is currently scoring their 30th collaboration together. He's missed only a handful of Spielberg's films in half a century of working together.

You've Heard His Music Every Night On The News And Never Realized It

In 1985, NBC commissioned Williams to write an entire orchestral suite called "The Mission" for its news broadcasts, and pieces of it are still used on NBC Nightly News today. He said he wanted the music to convey nobility of purpose, consistency, and dignity — for a guy who also wrote the Imperial March, that's a real range flex.

He Spent 14 Seasons Running The Boston Pops

From 1980 to 1993, Williams served as the Boston Pops' principal conductor, taking over from the legendary Arthur Fiedler. He almost quit in 1984 after some orchestra members hissed during a rehearsal of one of his pieces, but he was talked out of resigning and stuck around for nine more years.

He's In His 90s And Still Scoring Movies Right Now

At 93 years old, Williams is currently recording the score for Spielberg's next film, marking their 30th collaboration together. He'd previously hinted at retiring after Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, but apparently changed his mind — which tracks, since a viral rumor about him retiring "immediately" just made the rounds online and turned out to be false.