Soap Opera Background Music Thread

[DramatistDreamer]

This seems as good a thread as any to post this article, as we have often discussed music rights affecting streaming and boxed set collections if classic soap episodes.

 

Interesting to note that the musicians themselves want their music to be on these shows but the record companies like Sony are the biggest obstacle. I would imagine that indepedently produced artists, unattached to a major label would present more attractive prospect to television showrunners these days.

 

Good for shows like Freaks and Geeks, for not compromising quality.

Edited April 22, 2021 by DramatistDreamer

[fivethej]

Is this score used anymore? I can't understand why this piece was never released to fans.

 

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[Toups]

“Victor’s theme”? It’s not used anymore, unfortunately. 

[Dion]

Another classic Y&R cue, which I suspect most here would know, particularly from 0:39 onwards:

 

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[ChickenNuggetz92]

Per Mike Dobson, this cue is called "The Hunt", which was used often used not only for Victor when it was introduced in 1999, but also quite frequently in the Megan/Tony storyline. I think this was the last time it was used.

Edited September 26, 2021 by ChickenNuggetz92

[Cruising Soaps]

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[fivethej]

 

Thanks for info.

Is it true the cue was also used during 2011 Diane Jenkins murder story line with a police station scene?

 

[LondonScribe]

Inject all of this cue (all one score) into my veins.

[Cat]

Y&R's iconic cues are, for me, the Gold Standard in background music. You can hear the complex arrangement, the first-class orchestration in all these clips. It was on a cinematic level and IMO part of Y&R's DNA. So integral to the show was this music that (like NYC in Sex & the City), I would class it as an additional character.

As I've said before on this board, Bill Bell's prior work before soaps as a Chicago adman brought him into contact with (then) new concepts of human psychology. He imbued his writing of characters with this understanding. Recognizing that a person's psychology can be unspoken or even subconscious, Y&R's use of music in its first 30 years was meant to 'fill the gap' -- touch on a person's mental or emotional state that the dialogue might not fully reveal.

 

This is illustrated so perfectly by the score @Dionposted, especially the creepy, ghostly, music-box cue that starts at 0.39. The tension it evokes! Goosebumps. I always associated this music with a character contemplating going mentally rogue. Like when Lisa locked Brad in that cage.

This theme especially (but a lot of other Y&R cues) seems very influenced by the great John Barry and his seminal music for the James Bond films. John Barry was a genius at evocative incidental music, so Y&R's composers were borrowing from the best.

I will never forgive JFP for trashing these great compositions and replacing them with her signature one-dimensional, generic crap tapped out on a Casio keyboard.

Edited September 28, 2021 by Cat

[Dion]

Here's a couple of scenes with mostly background music and little dialogue from when Bo chases The Dragon across London (like the actual real London, not a set lol)

Since this thread is about background music, discussion should be limited to the music in the scene here but I've also posted this in DAYS behind the scenes, articles/photos for people who may want to discuss the scene itself.

 

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[ChickenNuggetz92]

I'm by no means a piano player, but this was a lil something I managed to whip up on my iPad. You may recognize this Y&R cue from the early 2000s. Enjoy!

 

[kalbir]

@ChickenNuggetz92 Were you trying to compose 11.3 AM?

[Broderick]

That sounds great!  

[ChickenNuggetz92]

11:30 AM is a different cue from the 1994 set. I'm not quite sure about the title of this one because it hasn't been commercially released but here's the scene I referenced. (At 10:02 mark)

https://youtu.be/qWTOaSOsnPg?list=PLoeEe7VyF-9nZoqrUNvw_UB8GSVgKas8X&t=602

[BoldRestless]

It's amazing that you're able to recreate that!