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Also Sprach Zarathustra (Thus Spake Zarathustra) is a tone poem composed by Richard Strauss in 1896 (named after the book by Friedrich Nietzsche). The melody of the "Sunrise" movement is undeniably epic, so it's a perfect way to tell the audience, "This is where you're supposed to be impressed."Stanley Kubrick certainly thought so, and used "Also Sprach Zarathustra" as a leitmotif for several key scenes in 2001: A Space Odyssey. It worked. In fact, it worked so well that these days the composition is better known as "that song from 2001" than by its own name.note Specifically, it was meant to symbolize the moment where mankind (or its proto-ape equivalent) achieved enlightenment — first when apes figured out how to use tools, then when Bowman becomes the Starchild. Likewise, most people will probably only recognize the first minute and a half; the entire piece is about half an hour.Consequently, usage of the composition as a Standard Snippet seem to have been eclipsed by its usage as an Homage or Affectionate Parody of 2001. It's also far more likely to emphasize something painfully mundane than to be used straight. (Arguably, the only place it's been used straight since 2001 was in Two Thousand Ten The Year We Make Contact.)Also see The Monolith.Compare "Ride of the Valkyries".Any resemblance to The Three Stooges' "Hello... hello... hello! Hello," is probably coincidental. Not to be confused with the third game in the Xenosaga trilogy, also titled Also Sprach Zarathustra. (All 3 games are titled after Nietzsche's works.)
The opening to the Axis Powers Hetalia anime uses a similar motif in its opening sequence.
In a Clip Show episode of Samurai Champloo, one original scene has Mugen arguing with an old samurai master, with his spiked hair rising sun-like over the latter's bald head to the theme from 2001.
In Skip Beat!, episode 24, the music is played when Bo (Kyoko in disguise) and Ren stares angrily at each other.
"In the beginning, there was one. Now there's two — Barqtoos II!" They had to up the tempo a bit in accordance with the short attention span expected of ad viewers.
Used in a radio ad for a hardware store in Montreal.
Rogers commercials tend to use this as well.
A pizza commercial (if he recalls) had the surrounding family playing this while opening the pizza box. The Stinger had this pun:
Mother: No oboes on the table.
*twin daughters lower oboes to the floor*
Used for Master Builders Australia radio advertisements.
As mentioned above, 2001: A Space Odyssey is the Trope Codifier. It's particularly amusing to note that the most dramatic part of the score is not for the title or the on-screen vista, but for the appearance of Kubrick's name.
Its use in 2001 is rather apropos. The main theme of Nietzsche's book was the "Übermensch", which was what Dave Bowman becomes when this music plays at the end of the film.
In For All Mankind, a documentary about the Apollo moon missions, an astronaut plays Also Sprach Zarathustra on a cassette player, and he gives a shoutout to 2001.
In Catch-22, it is used to properly introduce a hot Italian chick.
Used in Wall E, when the Captain becomes the first human in centuries to stand up. They originally put the score in as a joke, but test audiences cheered, so they left it in.
Danny Elfman's score for Tim Burton's Batman has some musical Shout-Outs here and there, perhaps most obviously at the very end of the film, just before everything fades to black. Those three notes that play as Batman is standing on the cathedral roof looking out at the Bat-Signal may not have been intended to evoke Also Sprach Zarathrustra, but it sure sounded like Elfman was trying.
In the Buzz Lightyear videogame at the beginning of Toy Story 2, the hover-platforms over the bottomless chasm play this melody as Buzz leaps across them.
Which fall immediately after the melody is finished.
Used in Magnolia to introduce Tom Cruise's character. In this case, it is diegetic sound, chosen by his pompous character.
Zoolander used it in comedy homage to 2001 when Derek and Hansel were trying to figure out how to turn on Mugatu's computer. As the computer's workings confound them, their behavior grows increasingly ape-like, culminating in Hansel grabbing an appropriately-shaped bone that just happened to be nearby to smash the machine.
Being There: Slight variation, with Deodato's funk-jazz version of Also Sprach Zarathustra playing on the soundtrack as Chance makes his first journey into the city.
May possibly double as a subtle Actor Allusion hearkening back to Sellers' arguably most famous role(s) in Dr. Strangelove, directed by Mr. Stanley '2001' Kubrick himself.
Parodied in Spaceballs (of course): "Spaceball One has become... [cut to kettle-drum player, who plays the obligatory measures] Mega Maid"
Parodied in Hot Stuff. Briefly, the movie is about a police sting operation, focusing on capturing thieves. The police involved in the actual sting set up a pawnshop, and due to a distinct lack of support from their department supervisors, have to bankroll the operation by actually selling some of the items people have sold them. The theme comes about halfway through, when the police captain demands to see what they've actually accomplished with their 'little scheme', and they take him into the rear warehouse... which is stacked ten feet high with stolen goods and a crowing rooster, for some reason.
Used in Casino as the the theme of a flamboyant Show Within a Show and as an element of a Gilligan Cut made after the protagonist is asked for discretion.
In the film The Big Bus, when the nuclear powered bus is first rolled out of the garage onto the parking lot for the press to see, the beginning of this composition is played.
Interstellar: Certain parts of the main theme have strings of the climax of the sunrise portion of the song.
Richard Dawkins once put together the Blind Watchmaker program as a sort of Cliff Notes evolution synthesizer. According to the book The Blind Watchmaker, when he began producing little monochrome 2D insects instead of the trees that were all he'd been expecting, he immediately thought of this music.
Done in Monty Python's Flying Circus as a animation by Terry Gilliam in which Earth arises from behind the moon in a parody of a similar scene of 2001. The Earth is then kicked away like a soccer ball.
Doctors used it when Karen, who had been making efforts to eat healthily, finally snapped and tucked into a burger at a Greasy Spoon cafe.
In Frasier Roz suggests using it in her space documentary, Frasier suggests a different tune saying Also Sprach Zarathustra is too commonplace or a bit on the nose as Frasier puts it.
In Misfits, a jazzy version by Deodato plays when Nathan tries to swing himself off the meat hook. It doesn't work.
The jingle accompanying Viacom's "V of Doom" Vanity Plate somewhat resembles it, and the logo itself echoes The Monolith.
A number of the musical themes in Power Rangers Time Force borrow from Also Sprach Zarathustra. Notably, it's the only Power Rangers series to have been nominated for an Emmy... for sound editing.
One Foot in the Grave. Victor is unpacking a new fridge, which is presented in Hitler Cam as the Monolith, surrounded by the styrofoam formers looking like bones. Cue ASZ playing as a Slow Motion Victor smashes up the formers with a distinctly ape-like demeanor.
This is one of the pieces Jon Stewart put the memetic campaign ad for Mitch Mc Connell to.
On at least one of her tours, Jann Arden would be backed by musicians from the orchestra of the city she was currently playing in. When she'd introduce them with her trademark humourous banter, she'd always ask the timpani player "can you play the '2001' theme on those things? Well of course you can, what else are they good for?"
Dream Theater used it for intro music in at least one of their live shows, such as several gigs of the "Chaos In Motion" (the promotional tour for Systematic Chaos) tour.
Similarly, Green Day used this as intro music during their 2005 American Idiot tour.
And let's not forget about the man who predated them all: Elvis Presley, who used it as his entrance music starting around 1972.
The motif is inserted into Doctor Steel's song "Spaceboy."
The old Lifespring Basic Training Program, back when they still gave it, used this music to convene every session.
This was played for the unveiling of the B-2. It was a sunny day and because of that nobody could see into the shadowed hanger that the plane was in, and as the song started the B-2 slowly rolled out into the light.
Russians will mainly know it from the trivia show What? Where? When?.
Used as the entrance music for the University of South Carolina football team.
Likewise used when the teams take the field at Portsmouth Football Club's ground.
Was intended to be the background music of Apollo 13's television broadcast before Fred Haise secretly switched songs on them. And then the broadcast didn't air anyway. (though there is still a snippet of mission video where the song can be heard playing).
The Sandstone Hyren◊ in Magi-Nation uses what is unmistakably an onomotopoeic version of the song as flavor text. Also, the card itself does have an ability called "Monolith..."
Spore: At the end of the Creature stage, your creature gains sentience, and a general parody of the entire scene from 2001 occurs (although the stick falls back down and hits your creature on the head)
Final Fantasy VI: A similar theme accompanies the final boss as he descends from the heavens.
Used in the eighth mission of Army MenRTS, substituting a standing PS2 for The Monolith. To the Army Men, it's the equivalent of an infinite power source.
Parodied in Questionable Content: Hannelore mentions one of the big drawbacks of living in a space station is having to listen to Also Sprach Zarathustra every time the sun rises.
Utilized by the Angry Video Game Nerd in part two of his Double-Vision episode, to poke fun at the ridiculous size of the AC adapter for the colecovision game console.
Used in the Futurama episode "Godfellas", when Bender floats into view, with a colony of Shrimpkins (and their brewery) living on him. This is a parody of the floating monolith scene in "2001".
And in "Near-Death Wish", when the crew enters the room with the retirement boxes. ("Duh-Dun" is replaced with "Ding-Dong", though.)
Bender: My god, it's full of geezers!
Used in a couch gag in The Simpsons where the camera zooms out from the house into space and into Homer's head, ending where it started.
Also parodied in Little Girl in the Big Ten. Long story short, it plays when Lisa is thrown off the roof of Springfield Elementary in a plastic bubble, landing in a massive cake and splattering Skinner with it.
Again, also parodied in Deep Space Homer at the end when Bart throws the marker pen in the air, like the ape throwing the bone in the air scene in "2001".
Used in the episode "Illegal Booze" from a Finnish animated series Pasila in the scene the rioters suddenly get drunk despite not having had any alcohol.
Used in Daria as the soundtrack to Charles "Upchuck" Ruttheimer III's bizarre multimedia project.
Used in the "Monolith" segements of The Electric Company revealing a letter dipthong or small word, subsequently pronounced by a deistic voice, directly referencing 2001.
In My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, "Suited For Success", the opening of the song is used in Twilight Sparkle's introduction in the fashion show, complementing her starry-night dress. A variation is also used in "The Cutie Mark Chronicles" when Rarity finds the gem-filled rock during her filly flashback.
Used in The Ren & Stimpy Show episode "The Scotsman in Space" when Commander Hoek and Cadet Stimpy see Haggis MacHaggis out the window and he lifts up his kilt to moon them.
Used in The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy episode "Irwin Gets a Clue" during a flashback to how Hoss Delgado became a strong badass. Hoss's buttcheeks bounce in time to the timpani beats.
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