Composing Greatness: #17. John Williams - "Yes, Giorgio" (1982)

Scene from Yes, Giorgio

Welcome to Composing Greatness: a column dedicated to exploring the work of film composers. This will specifically focus on the films that earned them Oscar nominations while exploring what makes it so special. This will be broken down into a look at the overall style, interesting moments within the composition, and what made the score worth nominating in the first place. This will also include various subcategories where I will rank the themes of each film along with any time that the composer actually wins. This is a column meant to explore a side of film that doesn't get enough credit while hopefully introducing audiences to an enriched view of more prolific composers' work. This will only cover scores/songs that are compiled in an easily accessible format (so no extended scores will be considered). Join me every Sunday as I cover these talents that if you don't know by name, you recognize by sound.

Series Composer: John Williams

Entry: Yes, Giorgio (1982)

Collaborators (If Available): Alan Bergman & Marilyn Bergman (Lyrics, "If We Were in Love"), Luciano Pavarotti (Singer, "If We Were in Love")

Nomination: Best Music, Original Song

Did He Win: No

Other Nominees:

-"Up Where We Belong" - An Officer and A Gentleman (Jack Nitzsche, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Will Jennings) *winner
-"Eye of the Tiger" - Rocky III (Jim Peterik, Frankie Sullivan)
-"How Do You Keep the Music Playing?" - Best Friends (Michel Legrand, Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman)
-"It Might Be You" - Tootsie (Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman)

Additional Information

This is to help provide perspective of where each composer is in their Oscar-nominated life as it related to the current entry.

Oscar Nomination: 18

Oscar Wins: 4

Track List

Exploring the Music

The area of the column where I will explore the music in as much detail as I see fit for each entry.

Theme Exploration:

Unlike everything that came before, it's difficult to assess this on a familiar rubric. There's no overarching themes to speak of, at least not over more than one song. Still, there's plenty to like in the orchestration of John Williams' penchant strings, which fill the song with a romanticism that compliments the vocal styling of Luciano Pavarotti. I think the strengths of the song are more in the lyrics and vocal performance than Williams himself, but it is necessary to create something as engaging as this. It's not the greatest song from a year that was full of Bergman numbers, but it manages to turn an operatic voice into something tender and powerful. Overall, it's a pretty decent song that is way different from the pop standards that filled the nominations around this time.

Did This Deserve an Oscar Nomination?:

Yes

I will admit that my brain isn't quite focused on what songs could've made the cut in 1982. I am sure if given time that I could find a whole heap of numbers that are worthy of taking Yes, Giorgio's spot. However, this is an operatic pop song that works pretty well at creating a mood. Everything about it is true to the genre without being as isolating as an Irene Dunne number could sometimes be. John Williams may be only one of the reasons that this works, and one of the lesser for that matter, but it still works as a song in ways that are unassuming. It's not the best song, but it's a good one nonetheless.

Up Next: Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) for Best Music, Original Score

Best Theme

A ranking of all themes composed by John Williams.

1. "Flying"- E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) 
2. "The Raiders March" - Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
3. "Main Theme (Theme From 'Jaws')" - Jaws (1975)
4. "Theme From 'Superman'" - Jaws (1978) 
5. "Prologue/Tradition" - Fiddler on the Roof (1971)
6. "Main Title and Mountain Visions" - Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
7. "Main Title/The Ice Planet/Hoth" - Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
8. "Main Title" - The Towering Inferno (1974)
9. "Main Title/Rebel Blockade/Runner Medley" - Star Wars (1977)
10. "Wednesday Special (Main Theme)" - Cinderella Liberty (1973)
11. "Main Title/First Introduction/The Winton Flyer" - The Reivers (1969)
12. "River Song"- Tom Sawyer (1973)
13. "Where Did My Childhood Go?" - Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969)
14. "Theme from 'Valley of the Dolls'"/"Theme from 'Valley of the Dolls' - Reprise" - Valley of the Dolls (1967)
15. "Opening Titles" - The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
16. "In Search of Unicorns" - Images (1972)

Best Song

A ranking of all Oscar-nominated songs composed by John Williams.

1. "Nice to Be Around" - Cinderella Liberty (1973)
2. "If We Were in Love" - Yes, Giorgio (1983)

Best Winner

A ranking of all winners composed by John Williams.

1. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) for Best Music, Original Score
2. Jaws (1975) for Best Music, Original Dramatic Score
3. Fiddler on the Roof (1971) for Best Music, Scoring Adaptation and Original Song Score
4. Star Wars (1977) for Best Music, Original Dramatic Score