With over 50 Oscar nominations to his name, John Williams is one of the most Oscar-nominated individuals of all time. As famous and influential as he is, one of the most well-known composers in modern music history, the music of John Williams includes dozens of memorable refrains and motifs that live on today.
Yet, at the heart of what Williams does for the films and television shows he works on is a love of music and soundtracking that you, too, can harness for your own projects.
Whether you’re an aspiring filmmaker or a marketer creating soundtracks for any type of content for yourself or your brand, there is tons of inspiration and lessons to be taken from John Williams' most famous scores.
To celebrate Williams' career, let’s explore some of his most famous works as well as shed some insights and advice on how you can find and use the right soundtracks for your projects.
John Williams legacy
Originally from New York, Williams's father was a drummer and percussionist who played with many famous jazz musicians of the time. After studying at Juilliard, Williams' career began in Los Angeles, where he worked as an orchestrator-director for various film studios.
Williams' first notable projects included the composition for Daddy-O (1958), as well as composing for television shows like Bachelor Father (1957–59), Lost in Space (1965–68), and Land of the Giants (1968-70).
However, for most film fans, Williams' career really took off with his work as the film composer for feature films like Valley of the Dolls (1967), Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969), Images and The Cowboys (both 1972), The Long Goodbye (1973), and The Towering Inferno (1974).
Best John Williams soundtracks
These early works, and Williams' musical background, led the talented composer to eventually work on many of his most famous works starting in the late 1970s with Jaws (1975), Star Wars.
From there, Williams would become one of the most in demand and influential film composers in the industry as he partnered with great filmmakers on projects like E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), the Indiana Jones franchise (1981–2023), the first two Home Alone films (1990–1992), and the first three Harry Potter films (2001–2004).
Without looking to cause controversy, we’re happy to list some of John Williams’ most famous scores, as follows:
Star Wars
Jurassic Park
Jaws
Indiana Jones
Harry Potter
Superman
Home Alone
Creating soundtracks for your projects that hit just right
Williams' career has earned him over 50 Academy Award nominations, 26 Grammy Awards, 7 BAFTA Awards, 3 Emmy Awards, and 4 Golden Globe Awards. His work is among the most recognizable and celebrated in modern musical composition, with his themes and motifs instantly memorable and a significant part of film history.
While it’s an impossible bar to meet, it’s worth trying to explore how you too can find the right royalty free soundtracks for your projects—even if you don’t have the resources or connections to get a John Williams to compose your score.
The real trick, though, is to find real musicians who create royalty free soundtrack music with a similar passion as Williams. And that’s precisely what Soundstripe offers. With nearly 60 thousand tracks from Grammy-winning talent and rising independent musicians, Soundstripe works with real artists globally to deliver diverse music that enhances emotional arcs and fits any format, especially if you're creating soundtracks for film, ads, or branded videos.
Soundstripe also has Supe, a brand-new AI search assistant that reimagines music search as a dynamic, back-and-forth interaction.
Instead of entering a single search prompt and scrolling through static results, users can now collaborate with an intelligent assistant that understands natural language, reacts to feedback, and guides them toward the perfect track.
Think of it as a personal music supervisor with an uncanny knack for reading your creative mind. If you’re curious, you can learn more about Supe here.
The perks of creating royalty free soundtracks
Now, don’t get us wrong, there’s a lot to consider when looking to choose the music for films or video projects. Even for other types of content, there are many variables to consider.
And while many of the nuanced decisions about tempo and genre will be up to your preferences, one area that should be non-negotiable has to do with licensing. Soundstripe offers royalty-free music that is pre-cleared and easy to license for all your marketing purposes.
To understand how music rights and royalties work, you must know that all music has basic copyrights. These copyrights extend to both the composer of the music and the musicians who performed and recorded it. And if you want to use any music in any videos, you’ll need to obtain permission from the copyright owners.
Royalty free soundtrack music can be an excellent option, simply because it’s easy to find and use. Soundstripe’s music is composed and recorded by Grammy-winning artists who know how to make inspired music for motion pictures and all types of film and video content.
More inspiration and advice for creating soundtracks
If you’re looking for more inspiration and advice on how to find (and use) the best royalty free soundtrack music for your films and videos, or if you’d simply like more insights into how music licensing in general works, here are some additional articles on the Soundstripe blog which we’d recommend checking out
