The music..

[on:]

Hi! I'm new here and i just recently became a huge fan of Futurama. Although i did catch the show when it first originally aired in my area, they only aired Season 1 and then put it off to some other time.

The one thing that really makes this show great (besides the excellent story, gut-wrenching humor, great character development ect..ect..)is the soundtrack/musical scores.

My all time favorites are the "Flashback" orchestra-like scores during the end of Luck Of Fryish (from the "I love u Philip, and I always will" part all the way to "Here lies Philip J Fry, named for his uncle to carry on his spirit" ) *sniff* *sniff* 
The same score was also played briefly during the end of Jurrasic Bark, the part when Fry decided not to bring Seymour back to life.

And of course is the Fry+Leela love theme. It was played at the end of Time Keeps On Slippping, starting onwards when Fry took the helm of the PE ship and climaxed during the infamous I LOVE YOU, LEELA star-message.
Again, this theme was played brieftly at the end of The Sting after Leela woke up and Fry explaning how a familiar voice might help.
 

There are many other musically wonderful moments too!
Xmast Story: Leela looking through  her "Happy Memories" album.
A Flight To Remember: The titanic song-spoof was real good!
Leela's Homeworld: The musical score where we see the Turanga's taking Leela to the orphanirium.
The Devil's Hands are Ideal Playthings: Duh!

Anyways i just wanted to ax u guys whether is there like a Futurama Soundtrack somewhere out there? There has to be like a 3 minute version of the musical scores right?

[Reply #1 on:]

Sorry, but there aren't any official Futurama Soundtrack available. Some fans have talked about making one themself, but so far nothing have emerged from those talks.

Maybe at one point they will release make an official soundtrack, but I doubt it.

Most of these themes and scores are original compositions of Christopher Tyng, I doubt they are much longer than what we hear in the episodes.

Oh, and for what's it's worth, I agree. The music of the show is truely exceptionel.

Welcome to PEEL, Chance. Enjoy it here.

[Reply #2 on:]

I'm going to die under a hail of stones for this, but IMO Futurama's music was one of the less impressive aspects of the show.  It had it's moments (the endings of "A Bicyclops Built for Two" and "Time Keeps on Slippin'" ), but other times I found it very ordinary.

Then again, very few TV shows have truly awesome incidental music, particularly long running shows, which have a habit of recycling old music again and again.  (M*A*S*H and The Simpsons spring to mind.)

Actually I take back what I said, Futurama's incidental music isn't that bad.  I can think of individual episodes of other shows that have better music, but Futurama has more consistency across the series as a whole.

Although it speaks volumes that the music most people seem to remember Futurama for is "Don't You Forget About Me" and "Baby Love Child".

[Reply #3 on:]

*Places PCC Fred at the bottom of a cliff and tips a dumptruck full of stones on him*
 

I think that all the music in Futurama was excellent. The opening sequence is excellent and all the short bits of music work well in episodes. And who could forget Devils Hands?

The reason people remember song like "Don't You Forget About Me" and "Baby Love Child" is probably becuase of the powerful emotional scenes that go with it. Although they were abosulty perfect for those scenes.

[Reply #4 on:]

I can play the theme song on my guitar.

[Reply #5 on:]

Yeah? Nuts.. Thats too bad then. :sad:
Anyways thanks for the welcome, Teral..
Cool pix though. Janeway Leela.. 
They should have made an OST or something..
It was real good. Robiben is right.. I only knew  Baby Love Child due to the "moment" it was played at. I still do whenever i hear that song.
Genius man.. Wonder how they do it? (Sub-blimal brainwashing hypnotoad-like waves perhapes?)

[Reply #6 on:]

 

Originally posted by ChAnCe:
Cool pix though. Janeway Leela..   

I doubt Teral will be pleased to see you liken Leela to Janeway... 

[Reply #7 on:]

 

Originally posted by ChAnCe:
Genius man.. Wonder how they do it? (Sub-blimal brainwashing hypnotoad-like waves perhapes?)

Well as much as the thought of Hypno-toad amuses me its actually a combination of excelent writing, visuals and music"

For this example i'll use the "Baby Love Song" scene from Leela's Homeworld.

First the writing. This episode was a huge chapter closed for the fans of Futurama. Bascially this scene has been building up since Episode 1. Many episodes show Leela to be alone, in relationships and also having no family. So there is a huge emotion hit when you finally learn the truth.

Also another large emotional hit is when Leela almost kills her parents. There is a lot of emotion in that scene because deep down you know the answer and you go "Noooo Leela dont do it!"

Also at the end you see that Leela has not really been alone and that her parents have been by her side the whole time. This again has been bulding up since episode 1.

As far as visuals go, there are subtle hints in the animation. You notice that in the closing montage that Leela s show to be not alone and happy. She is bascially smiling during the end. And also little hints like when Leela is laying in bed. She is laying on one side and the bed looks empty. Her fathers hand pulls her blanket up and you notice the bed seems less empty and you also see that Leela looks content and happy.

And the sound. Well the tune is very fitting bacause it is explaining the endless love that Leela's parents had for her. And it is also a nice tune that helps you feel "all warm and fuzzy" inside.

Anyway thats my rant. i should probaly shut up now. Also i dont think its a bad thing to cry at this episode. I know i do.

[Reply #8 on:]

If you're interested there is a thread that you may find helpful in the PE Stockroom area. Here's the link  http://www.peelified.com/cgi-bin/Futurama/15-000246-1/

EDIT: It's about the music in the series and ideas for tracks for a Futurama The Music CD, just in case.

[Reply #9 on:]

 

Originally posted by PCC Fred:
 I doubt Teral will be pleased to see you liken Leela to Janeway...   

Huh? Sorry i'm new here so i don't really get it. Well just in case then, sorry bout that Teral! My bad..
 
Thanks alot NoAPOlogies for the tread. Looks like there was alredy a topic on this.

PS: I've read from the Gamespy site (or somewhere) that the new Ps2/Xbox Futurama game has a complete musical score if u manage to collect enough "Nibblets" or something. Did anyone play and finished the game yet?

[Reply #10 on:]

 

Originally posted by PCC Fred:
I'm going to die under a hail of stones for this, but IMO Futurama's music was one of the less impressive aspects of the show.  It had it's moments (the endings of "A Bicyclops Built for Two" and "Time Keeps on Slippin'" ), but other times I found it very ordinary.

But isn't incidental music supposed to be less than noticible.  It is there to enhance, not to call attention to itself.  How many shows can you recall the incidental music in?  Star Trek TOS? Batman?  Any others? (In MASH I just remember the Japanesse language version of 40/50 pop songs). 

Tyng's music did a wonderful job of making everthing better without calling attention to itself, although he could when he wanted to and when it was necessary.

[Reply #11 on:]

 

Originally posted by ChAnCe:
   

Originally posted by PCC Fred:
 I doubt Teral will be pleased to see you liken Leela to Janeway...     

Huh? Sorry i'm new here so i don't really get it. Well just in case then, sorry bout that Teral! My bad..

Since you're new I'll let it slide. 

As for what Fred meant, well, let's just say I'm not the biggest "ST: Voyager" fan around here.

I am, however, one of the biggest DS9 fans, and that's were the inspiration for my avatar came from. If the avatar had been a tad bigger I'm sure you could make out the spots. The original art work can be found here: http://www.leelazone.com.ar/fanart/zed/lambdadeltaxciiia.jpg

[Reply #12 on:]

What's this thread about?

[Reply #13 on:]

The music. D'uh.  Yeah, I know I threw it slightly off-topic.

Anyway, apart from what Robiben mentioned, "Don't You Forget About Me", Baby Love Child" and the song from "Jurassic Bark" have one other difference: lyrics. You simply remember a song better than you remember a background/musical score, because the words guide you memory.

And I agree with what LHE mentioned about Tyng's scores being subtle when they served an atmosphere enhancing goal, and memorable when they were a central part of the scene. The Holophoner sonata (or as some of us call it "Sonata For A Cylops" ) was an original Tyng composition, and without lyrics, yet I can vividly remember it and hum along without any help.

Overall not bad, for a drummer.

[Reply #14 on:]

Not all of Tyng's stuff is particularly memorable (listen to some of the music on the "Simpsons Road Rage" video game if you want to see one of his weaker bits of work, though its not really bad either, just not especcially memorable), but when he shines he does really shine, the holophoner solo being a good example.  I think the music of the show is just a little uneven probably.  None of it is bad or anything, but certain parts aren't especcially memorable while other parts absolutely shine.

[Reply #15 on:]

 

Originally posted by Lionel Hutz Esq:
 But isn't incidental music supposed to be less than noticible.  It is there to enhance, not to call attention to itself. 
Tyng's music did a wonderful job of making everthing better without calling attention to itself, although he could when he wanted to and when it was necessary.

Well the "incidental music" was really memorable to me anyway (even for some of the stinko episodes). A picture may paint a thousand words but music raises the heart a thousand metres (yeah, corny stuff!) 
 
Hey Teral! I see what u mean about the dots..
Its Leela Dex! Sorry for the huge mix up just now! How could i been soooo foolish!Was blind now can see! Woe is me! Woe is me!   
   

[Reply #16 on:]

I think the music in Futurama is at least OK, and some of it is really great. Ï especially like the song on the end of HHRHGB, great melody, a funny text and speedy but accurate delivery. The animation that goes with it is also great. The other one is the melody playing in the background in I, Roommate when Fry and Bender are clearing out all the junk in their new apartment, somehow it's just wonderful in its simplicity...
Those are also some of my favorite episodes, especially HHRHGB which I can watch over and over.

[Reply #17 on:]

Anyone knows the name of that song in i, roommate?

[Reply #18 on:]

Er... which song? If it's a piece of background music, chances are it doesn't have a real name.

[Reply #19 on:]

Like ... the Odd Couple Theme?

[Reply #20 on:]

The best backgrounder has to be that sad and beautiful little tune in the lunar lander scene in TSHL with Fry's sobering up from his life-long romantic notions of the moon.

Of course, as some of you have added, it was used perfectly again in 'Bicyclops' at the end when Leela stares out into space when she realizes she may never find another one of her 'kind' and be cursed to live out her life alone.

Anyone remember it ever used again?

Bender's AOI1 death and 'drifting through the American Southwest' tune from 'Godfellas' is worth a mention too.

The sad ones are always the best.

[Reply #21 on:]

 

Originally posted by NoAPOlogies:
If you're interested there is a thread that you may find helpful in the PE Stockroom area. Here's the link  http://www.peelified.com/cgi-bin/Futurama/15-000246-1/

EDIT: It's about the music in the series and ideas for tracks for a Futurama The Music CD, just in case.

In the last page of that thread, there's a more or less complete listing of all the liscensed and other non-original music (most of the unliscensed stuff is classical).  GermanFryFan's amazing contribution is in the first post, and your's truly filled in the holes in the very last post.  The only known piece that's missing is the classical bit played by the Robot Devil in "Hell is Other Robots".  Soon to come (read: when I feel like not being lazy) will be a list of all the original songs (other than the stingers used in establishing shots, etc) composed by Tyng or members of the writing staff.

[Reply #22 on:]

I noticed when the cast from Star Trek were being loaded to the rocket it played a great backround music, the same herd from a part from 'the sting'