Confession

[tarotgal]

Confession:
I am a theme song whore.

Completely and utterly. Which is maybe why I like fan music vids so much, now that I think about it. In the early days of the internet before I met fanvids I used to pick songs that I would use for the main theme song in a series' spin-off series(like 'Carry on my Wayward Son' from Kansas for a Richie spin-off from Highlander)

I've got a folder of theme songs in mp3 format that's up to a hundred-something now. I love them. I think because they make me think of the characters and scenes from the shows and movies that I love so much. Images in my head, memories of my favorite parts, etc.
I have whole burned CD's dedicated to series of theme songs.
I have a whole CD just for anime opening and closing show songs and excluding all other internal series music (which is maybe another reason why I love Weiss... there are so many of them! lol)

And at the same time, while I like soundtracks, it's usually the main theme or the main theme song itself that's my favorite (which the exception of Titanic where I skip over My Heart Will Go On in favor of the rest of the CD) There's just something about the main theme that makes me... I don't know... FEEL the show/movie. So I don't buy a lot of soundtracks in the end. It takes a LOT to make me buy a soundtrack. And usually that LOT is a lot of songs with lyrics (like Moulin Rouge) rather than something like PotC. I like lyrics. I'm a writer, not a musician. I need lyrics. Classical and instrumental are fine but I need to hear words in my head when I listen and I very rarely do with most instrumentals(though I do sometimes).

I love theme songs. I sing along to them and make it a point to learn all the words. I refuse to turn away from a program or stop recording just because closing credits are rolling (though that's also an anal "needs to be complete" sort of thing, really) And when shows have bad theme songs, I just won't watch them. It's terrible, I know. But that's me. I'm a theme song whore and make no sense :-)

Comments

[ladykorana.livejournal.com]

Wow! I totally love movie soundtracks, but I couldn't be more different from you individual tastes. Maybe it's the band geek in me (go clarinets!), but I MUCH prefer the instrumental scores from movies, especially for sci-fi/fantasy type movies. I adore the mood that movie scores put me in...and I listen to them so often that I can just pop in a soundtrack and know exactly what's going on in the movie during that precise instant of music. I find that songs with words take me right out of that trance-like dream world and plop me straight into present day and time, knowing who sings each song, and what they look like, especially if they themselves weren't in the movie, just totally kills the magic for me. The only exception to this (for sci-fi/fantasy movies) is the elvish singing in LOTR, but that's because I don't know what they are saying, and, well...it's elvish and elves put me into that mood without any musical help! Lyrics in english force ideas on me that leave me less free to dream and fantasize, IMHO.

Now, the complete opposite is true for most "normal" movies. Usually those have fairly mundane scores that are pretty forgettable, with the occasional headlining song that's fun to sing along to, or gets the energy pumping. That's good and I enjoy it sometimes, but it just doesn't have the same magic for me. I don't buy those soundtracks, only scores, or the very occasional musical. I totally agree with you about loving anime theme songs though!

Just for reference, I own these scores:
-LOTR: FOTR & TTT
-SW: Eps I, II, IV, V, and VI
-Star Trek: II, III, IV, VI, Generations, First Contact, and Insurrection
-Best of Star Trek I-V
-Jurassic Park
-Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
-The Princess Bride
-Stargate
-Stargate SG-1: Best of season 1
-Titanic
-Moulin Rouge
-POTC: Curse of the Black Pearl
-Beauty and the Beast
-Aladdin
-The Little Mermaid
-Independence Day
-X-Files: Fight the Future
-The Truth and the Light: Music from the X-Files
-Rurouni Kenshin OAV
-Princess Mononoke

And I own these more vocal soundtracks:
-Cruel Intentions
-Say Anything
-X-Files: Fight the Future (yes, I bought both)
-Queen: A Kind of Magic (I consider it basically the soundtrack for 'Highlander')

[ladykorana.livejournal.com]

Oops, messed up in my categorizing. Should have made a separate movie category and put Moulin Rouge and the Disney movies in there. Sorry!

Interesting...

[tarotgal]

Though I must echo your "Go clarinets!" I was never a band geek, even when I was first chair. I don't mind instrumentals... and there are certainly select ones that do indeed speak to me(usually the main themes, though, like in Star Wars or the Jurrassic Park main theme) and put me in a particular mood. And they're nice when I'm trying to get work done and need something in the background. But for the most part I really need lyrics. That's the reason I can't listen to a lot of techno songs as well... pretty sounds and repetitive phrases like "all around the world" doesn't make me like a song. I feel badly about it, though. I've always wanted to be one of those people who loved listening to classical and instrumentals in general and pointing out things or feeling different things. But most times it'll put me to sleep more often then not, which isn't great when driving.
That's so fantastic though, I really envy you :-) And that's a fantastic collection *G*

Queen: A Kind of Magic is the official soundtrack for Highlander since it was all comissioned specifically for the movie. Mmmm Freddy. I love Queen. I own the Highlander:Endgame soundtrack... I think I've listened to it maybe twice? Ug. I'm terrible with my need for words. I wish I wasn't so dependant on it. And it's not like I feel nothing while listening to instrumentals... I just don't usually feel the same UMPH unless it's a main theme or very strong in other areas (if it's a song not associated with a movie/show, I mean) But more power to you! I'm jealous :-)