John Williams Music Quotes in Spielberg Films

Jaws (1975)

• Composer Quoted: Traditional sea shanty
• Piece: "Spanish Ladies"
• Context: When the crew of the Orca is at their wits' end in the battle with the shark, we hear Williams' quote "Spanish Ladies," which was sung by Quint at the start of their voyage.

"Spanish Ladies" as heard in John Williams' "Jaws"

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

• Composer Quoted: Leigh Harline and Ned Washington
• Piece: "When You Wish Upon A Star" from "Pinocchio"
• Context: John Williams interpolates "When You Wish Upon A Star" into the score during the scene when the extra-terrestrials emerge from the mothership. Roy Neary earlier in the film tries to get his kids excited to see Disney's "Pinocchio," and Spielberg cited the lyrics "When you wish upon a star / Makes no difference who you are" as the "very beginning of everything for me."

"When You Wish Upon A Star" as heard in John William's Close Encounters of the Third Kind

1941 (1979)

• Composer Quoted: Traditional Irish tune
• Piece: "The Rakes of Mallow"
• Context: Used during the USO dance brawl scene. The jitterbug ends with Wally being punched by Stretch, setting off a conflict that erupts into a donnybrook. Spielberg was fond of the tune because of its use by Victor Young in John Ford's The Quiet Man, a film and score later referenced in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.

1941 - Medley

• Composer Quoted: June Hershey and Don Swander
• Piece: "Deep in the Heart of Texas"
• Context: Quoted during Kelso's flight when he starts singing it while playing with a squeaky toy. It becomes his theme, continuing up until the dogfight in Hollywood.

"Deep In The Heart Of Texas"

• Composer Quoted: Charles A. Zimmerman
• Piece: "Anchors Aweigh"
• Context: Navy’s "Anchors Aweigh" is featured when the USO riot moves outdoors.

"Anchors Aweigh"

• Composer Quoted: Edmund L. Gruber
• Piece: "Caisson Song"
• Context: The Army's "Caisson Song" is next featured in the USO riot.

"Caisson Song"

• Composer Quoted: James Pierpont
• Piece: "Jingle Bells"
• Context: Brief (unused) quote in the USO riot scene.

"Jingle Bells"

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

• Composer Quoted: Richard Farrelly
• Piece: "The Isle of Innisfree"
• Context: Heard during the scene that parallels John Wayne's kiss in The Quiet Man, which E.T. sees on TV, with Elliott's kiss at school. The lyrics, not heard in the film, express the longing of an Irish emigrant for his native land, paralleling E.T.'s longing for home.

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial - The Kiss

• Composer Quoted: John Williams
• Piece: "Yoda's Theme" from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
• Context: Quoted during the Halloween sequence when Elliott sees a child dressed as Yoda.

The Magic of Halloween

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

• Composer Quoted: Cole Porter
• Piece: "Anything Goes"
• Context: Heard in the opening musical number performed by Willie Scott at Club Obi Wan and then quoted in the score in a long doom laden rendition during the brawl as Indy succumbs to the poison.

"Anything Goes"

Schindler's List (1993)

• Composer Quoted: Traditional Jewish melodies
• Piece: Various traditional Jewish songs, including "Yerushalayim Shel Zahav" (Jerusalem of Gold)
• Context: Quoted to evoke the cultural and historical context of the film.

Yerushalayim Shel Zahav (Jerusalem of Gold)

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

• Composer Quoted: Johannes Brahms
• Pieces: "Gaudeamus Igitur" and "Fuchslied" from "Academic Festival Overture"
• Context: Quoted in "A Whirl Through Academe." "Gaudeamus Igitur" is the grand "graduation theme" at the end of Brahms' overture and "Fuchslied" is best known as the "bassoon theme". These quotes enhance the academic setting of the chase scene. "Fuchslied" inspired the melody to "Catch a Falling Star," a hit Perry Como song in 1957, the same year as the movie takes place and falling star fits as a reference to the interdimensional beings featured in the story. Plus the recurring motif of falling stars in Spielberg's films adds an additional layer of thematic resonance.

"Gaudeamus Igitur" and "Fuchslied" as heard in "A Whirl Through Academe" by John Williams

"Fuchslied" and "Gaudeamus Igitur" as heard in "Academic Festival Overture, Op 80" by Johannes Brahms

"Catch a Falling Star" as sung by Perry Como

The Fabelmans (2022)

• Composer Quoted: John Williams
• Piece: "Out to Sea" from Jaws
• Context: The cue from "The Journey Begins" at 0:22 in The Fabelmans sounds like a quote from "Out to Sea" from the Jaws soundtrack at 1:16. This playful and jaunty part of the Jaws score serves as a self-referential nod to Spielberg's own career and adds a lighthearted touch to the scene.

John Williams - "The Journey Begins" 0:22

John Williams - "Out to Sea" @1:16