This week, I did a deep dive on a piece of music I can't stop thinking about Michael Giacchino's new Fantastic Four theme.
Image via ComicBook.com
I loved analyzing this track or one, the film comes out next month and the official track was released last week!!!
But also because on the surface, it's a masterclass in classic, effective thematic writing.
It opens with a deceptively simple, lullaby-like texture built on a pure G-C-C-G (I-IV-IV-I) progression.
Then, it builds into a powerful heroic anthem, with the French horns and trumpets carrying a strong, memorable melody!
All staples of a classic superhero score.
But what makes this piece so exciting for me is where Giacchino intentionally breaks from that structure.
He's managed to create a theme that feels both completely new and instantly iconic!
It perfectly capturing the 60s retro-futuristic sound Marvel is clearly aiming for with this specific team.
But there's one chord baked into the theme that feels both heroic and SUPER ominous at the same time.
I talk about it a lot in my latest video!
The thing is, I spent A LOT of time trying to put the "correct" music theory label on it...
Is it a simple borrowed, major VI in a major key?
Is it an augmented chord?
A major I chord with a realllllly long appoggiatura?
In the process, I had to remind myself of something important:
The name doesn't really matter.
Yes, theory is essential for understanding our tools.
But at a certain point, what matters more is understanding WHY a specific sound is effective.
HOW it serves the story!
Giacchino didn't choose that specific combination of notes to satisfy diehard theory enthusiasts!
I'm convinced he chose it because it creates a very specific feeling!
It creates a cosmic sense of scale.
Of unease hiding within triumph.
Of a threat on the horizon.
I'm sure there's a musically correct name for what Giacchino is doing...but I don't care!
I care about the story.
I care about how I can get inspired from the effects of that chord!
For me, this theme is a powerful reminder that our ultimate job as composers isn't always to just write technically correct music...
But to write effective music.
It's about using harmony, texture, and melody to create a specific emotional response that serves a larger narrative!
Again, I unpack this whole idea, with a deep dive into that specific chord and the four-act story the theme tells, in my latest YouTube video!
I’d love for you to check out the full breakdown below!
Let me know what you think.