John Williams' soundtrack to Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park still stands as one of the best film scores of all time. With its mix of menace, wonder, and heroism, it's an album that has stood the test of time. Just ask anyone who went to see Jurassic World opening weekend and they’ll tell you that the moment the original theme kicked in they were choking up big time. As if to prove the point, the recent release of Jurassic World has given rise to an interesting happening: it’s brought the theme from Jurassic Park onto the Billboard charts, and it’s number one with a bullet.
Business Insider made the announcement today that "Jurassic Park Theme" has taken the top spot on the Classical Digital Songs chart. What’s even more interesting is that the awesome classical cover duo known as The Piano Guys have taken the #2 spot on that same chart, with the very same song. The track comes off of their album, Portrait, and can be listened to through the embed below.
Much like the retro success that Guardians Of The Galaxy had with its classic rock/pop soundtrack shooting straight to the top of the Billboard charts, we now have our second summer in a row where nostalgia has proven to be a strong force in movie marketing. Considering the success John Williams’ original theme has had, we’re starting to think that the soundtrack to Star Wars: The Force Awakens is going to pull some killer numbers with new Williams-penned material, as well as that classic theme everyone knows by heart.
Unfortunately, the not so good news about all of this is the fact that Jurassic World’s score, written by Academy Award winner/workhorse of 2015, Michael Giacchino, isn’t faring as well. Charting at 126 out of the Billboard 200, the new film’s score is languishing in a time where scores of such caliber are not always easy to find. While Giacchino does use themes from John Williams’ work on both Jurassic Park and The Lost World: Jurassic Park in his Jurassic World score, he also draws heavily on his experience writing music for Disney theme parks to give even the background music of the park his own special flavor. Though the best work from the new film’s score undoubtedly comes from the film’s best moment, as the track "Our Rex Is Bigger Than Yours" steals the whole movie out from under the original theme. Take a listen and try to remember the first moment you heard this track in Jurassic World. Also, keep an ear out for the beginnings of The Lost World: Jurassic Park theme at 01:51 in the cue.
Not matter if you love the original recipe or prefer the brand new revamp, the theme from Jurassic Park has proven that it’s aged as fine as any mosquito trapped in amber. The only real difference between the two is that if your limited edition Mondo vinyl should skip, it won’t create a creature that tries to eat you. Before you leave and think to yourself that we’ve left you hanging without playing the song that brought us here, allow us to bring you back to the summer of 1993 with John Willams’ classic theme to Jurassic Park in all of its auditory glory.
Jurassic Park, and its sequels, are available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD, while Jurassic World is in theaters now.
