In the Hall of The Mountain King is a piece that was written in 1875 by Edvard Grieg and has attained mass notoriety thanks to its many different uses. A large number of films, TV shows, and even other artists have incorporated Grieg’s work into their own, taking either the entire piece or finding bits and pieces from the original track that would compliment their own. It is a fairly playful tune that invokes feelings whimsy and rather dark, unseen things that may or may not be desired. In any case this classic has become something of an iconic tune as it has been redone in so many different ways.
Here are a few uses in which this track was matched perfectly with the movie it was selected for.
5. Needful Things
If you’ve ever read the book you’ll know that it gets much, much darker than the movie ever could. Yet despite the calmer tone of the film, the song still settles perfectly with it considering that Mr. Leland Gaunt is in fact a trickster and does not actually take part in any of the damage that his efforts cause. He is a trader and a dealer in souls, though his purpose is far more sinister than his character would let on.
4. Rat Race
Sometimes this track simply denotes trouble when it is about to happen. The Cody brothers are simply an accident waiting to happen, as this clip denotes. It’s a wonder the track doesn’t simply follow the brothers around the entire movie so as to highlight the hilarity and inherent clumsiness of the brothers. You simply know what at any point in the movie they’re going to do something messed up and eventually get themselves in trouble.
3. The Social Network
Sometimes this track can be used to convey a sense of urgency as well, as it does in this film. It might look like a thing of ease, but rowing in tandem is much harder than it looks, and is a great accomplishment when one finally crosses that finish line victorious. The track highlights this scene perfectly and sets the tone for the rest of the movie as well.
2. Trolls
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-gp5aTuPL0
This is where the song tends to be used in a more whimsical manner, and it suits the film that it’s matched with in this case. For a children’s film the track seems to be the perfect selection, and for the subject it couldn’t get any better. There is almost at Tolkien-esque association between this track and the film, a connection that might not be seen by some, but is more than obvious to others.
1. Inspector Gadget
Just listen to the opening theme song of Inspector Gadget and you’ll hear Grieg’s song in several aspects of the piece. It’s enough to know that this theme song was based off Grieg’s work to realize that pop culture has really taken on the classics more than many people realize. This is a large part of why classical music will be around for many generations to come.
Whether you’re into classical music or not there’s no denying that it has made its mark in today’s popular culture.
