i really cant stress it enough that the difference between non-print stories we love and stories that become iconic or cult favorites is the music. it's the score. the score will make or break it. it is a part of what makes it important to people.

i should include that the score also includes theme songs! opening songs! anime openers put in the fucking WORK for tone setting

but seriously a film/TV show/podcast/etc could be the most derivative shit but it could touch people's lives and become iconic because of the music

sldkfjskdjf that's star wars

the adventure zone balance turned from good to great because of the music. the lord of the rings movies went from "people love these movies bc they love the books" to "these are iconic fantasy films that changed blockbuster cinema" because of the music.

avatar the last airbender/legend of korra could have been silly but they really have some absolutely fantastic music in there, and the opener is ICONIC. there's cartoony sound effects but then there's music that still makes people cry TODAY.

studio ghibli movies would be hits even without joe hisaishi but the music is the reason why these movies have a special place in our hearts and aren't just cult favorites like i will die on this hill

not to be star wars on main again but like as an example people always say "anakin was a little shithead why did padme go for him" but it really is sold in the movie as "romance" bc of the music. and the tragedy then is sold by the music. otherwise we'd be like "mm no'

those prequels hang by the thread of john williams and nothing else!!!!!!!! and thats ok!!!!!!
same thing with rogue one like...that movie could have gone TRULY wrong and been just awful and instead the score gives it this absolute shakespearean tragedy quality

(also the imperial march/hope thing? wow the flavor is IMMACULATE)

i could do a TED talk on how FMAB uses music cues to balance the humor and the serious plotlines to adapt how arakawa balances those things effortlessly in the manga and how the music is the whole reason it feels like such an epic journey like WHEW

as fans of the original FMA know like that story can go either way and the littlest changes can make the biggest difference and i truly believe the music is a part of that in this essay i will -

if we're talking john williams, like, people loved the harry potter books, but they saw that first movie with that music and the harry says "hogwarts is my home" and the music says the exact same thing and people were fucking HOOKED and it turned into a global phenomenon

i should say this goes for more than just cult favorites and scifi/fantasy. think about portrait of a lady on fire. there wasnt a LOT of music in that, but when there was.....BOY was it memorable. it makes or BREAKS the film.

there will always be fans of almost everything you can think of but like....if you ever wonder why a certain thing has just a batshittingly large amount of fans it often has to do with the music. (theres other reasons, too, obviously)

hell, i would put sherlock in here. that show is fucking terrible when you look back on it, but people were APESHIT for it. the music was a banger though, and it sold that benedict cumbsdlfkjsldkfj knew what the fuck he was talking about

do u think supernatural would be as popular as it is without carry on my wayward son? no it would not. no it would not. yes this is a cursed thread. no i will not stop

i am going to keep being fucking cursed and talk about doctor who now. first of all, many many many people have discussed how doctor who has always been on the FOREFRONT of electronic music and sound design, from the TARDIS to the theme song. however -

the one constant in modern doctor who, throughout different showrunners, doctors and companions, was murray gold's scores. certain scenes in a stupid show about a time traveling police box bring people to TEARS because of that music now

wanna talk more cursed shows? ok lets talk about steven universe. obviously this show is a musical, so its even MORE important, and one of the main characters is played by a major pop artist. but -

steven universe would not have BLOWN UP like it did without the absolute nerd dynamite of scores inspired by video games, with showtunes mixed in

let's talk about stranger things! personally i think that show has jumped the shark but it keeps on GOING. why do people love it so much? is it the nostalgia? sure! the kids! sure! but the score sets the tone and does half the storytelling even when the writing falls SO flat

this is also why certain video games touch our hearts and stay with us more than others. i am not a Big Gaymer, but lots of gamers have favorite games, but why do things like Pokemon or Zelda continue to have a place in our heart? a lot of it is the music

do you remember when animal crossing came out? people were CRYING when they got kk slider. the music means a lot to people.

i could go on and on and on and on truly there are so many examples of this. and yes there are other explanations! the larger cultural and economic landscape. the medium and countries it was released in. the time it was released. but why does it stay? why does it remain?

sure there are companies that continue to revive things over and over and over again, but.....as we know, reboots fail. what is it about certain stories that keeps the candle alive for some people?

there are certain books that i read at a time in my life that are integral to the person i am today, and that is the one exception to this (hence the non-print media up at the top). and i think timing in your life counts a lot. but music is the other half.

i could keep this thread going with more and more and more and more examples i truly could. disney movies. non-disney animated movies that didn't do that well but that everyone universally loves. like i could just keep going about how the music played a GIGANTIC part

sdkjlsdjfklsdfjslkdf honestly shrek has gotta be on this list an i am not joking think about it just THINK about it

YES!!!!! YES!!!!!! SEE??? any film with hans zimmer becomes a CULT classic for a REASON even if you dont understand why! pirates of the caribbean was a disney cash grab and it became a cult CLASSIC because of him https://twitter.com/Nerdomniaphile/status/1298745213331157003?s=20