Duh-Duh! Steven Spielberg Thought That the 'Jaws' Theme Song Was a Joke! Here's What Happened!
Steven Spielberg originally thought the Jaws theme was a joke.
That sounds like a joke in and of itself. The Jaws theme song, created by the incredible John Williams, is without question one of the most well known, memorable, and famous theme songs there is. However, when the recent West Side Story adaptation director first heard it, he did not believe that it was for real.
According to an article on The Hollywood Reporter, Spielberg recollected this initial reaction on a making-of Jaws featurette DVD. The brilliant creative recollected:
"I expected to hear something kind of weird and melodic, something tonal, but eerie; something of another world, almost like outer space under the water...And what he played me instead, with two fingers on the lower keys, was 'dun dun, dun dun, dun dun.' And at first, I began to laugh. He had a great sense of humor, and I thought he was putting me on."
While the song is iconic, Spielberg's initial confusion is understandable. It is very simple. Yet, within its obvious simplicity it proves the power and intelligence behind the song. It creates the perfect air of suspense that has thrilled audiences for years. Williams knew what he was doing. On the DVD he explained:
"You could alter the speed of this ostinato; any kind of alteration, very slow and very fast, very soft and very loud. There were opportunities to advertise the shark with music. There are also opportunities when we don't have the music and, the audience has a sense of the absence. They sense the absence because they don't hear the 'dun dun' because you've conditioned them to do that."
Spielberg quickly came around to hear the logic of the simple mastery. He expressed, "I think the score was responsible for half of the success of that movie."
We are so glad that the Jaws theme song strikes the perfect chord it does.
