John Williams: Jaws theme
John Williams proves just how scary two repeated notes can be in this ominous soundtrack.
Rarely does a piece of film music seem to so perfectly capture the film's atmosphere. In the case of Jaws (1975), Williams pulled this off to a tee.
His score is widely considered one of the most iconic pieces of film music (it was ranked the sixth greatest score of all time by the American Film Institute) and is almost a character in itself.
Jaws: the two notes that made sharks terrifying
When Williams first played the main two-note motif to Spielberg on a piano, the director initially laughed thinking it was a joke. Williams described the theme, performed on the tuba, as "grinding away at you, just as a shark would do, instinctual, relentless, unstoppable".
