To celebrate legendary composer John Williams’ 90th birthday on Tuesday 8th February, Scala Radio invited fans to take part in a poll to find the UK’s favourite John Williams score.

Crowned number one in the vote was the iconic soundtrack for the film E.T. The Extra Terrestrial. Released in 1982, the film was directed by Steven Spielberg, with music composed and conducted by John Williams. The score was the fourth in history to accomplish the feat of winning the Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Grammy Award, and BAFTA Award.

The 1993 historical film Schindler’s List took the runner up spot. Also directed by Steven Spielberg, the original score features an awe-inspiring solo by famous violinist Itzhak Perlman. The album also won the Academy Award for Best Original Score, the BAFTA Award for Best Film Music, and the Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media along with a Golden Globe Award nomination.

Jurassic Park came in at number three, with Jaws at number four and Star Wars: A New Hope (Episode IV) at number five.

The top 10 features six of John Williams’ collaborations with Steven Spielberg including the top three along with Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. In total Williams and Spielberg have collaborated on 28 films together with Spielberg as director.

As a composer, John Williams has won 25 Grammy Awards, seven British Academy Film Awards, five Academy Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards. With 52 Academy Award nominations, he is the second most-nominated individual, after Walt Disney. Scala Radio’s Top 10 includes four of Williams’ Oscar wins: E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, Schindler’s List, Jaws and Star Wars: A New Hope.

The full top ten are listed below. Scala Radio will be revealing the top ten tomorrow across the day from 10am.

T. The Extra Terrestrial
Schindler’s List
Jurassic Park
Jaws
Star Wars: A New Hope (Episode IV)
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Superman
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
Home Alone

To celebrate his birthday Scala Radio have also launched a new Premium station called ‘Celebrating John Williams’ to continue the celebrations across the year. Subscribers can head here to listen to non-stop film scores by John Williams. https://planetradio.co.uk/celebrating-john-williams/