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The first time I heard this song and recognized it for its epic-ness, it was actually on one of the segments for "The Electric Company", the 1970s children's program to help in reading and grammar. Various characters encounter a monolith in space which crumbles down to reveal a phonic. Meanwhile, the song emphasizes the absolute importance of the discovery.
I would eventually see the motion picture that starts out with that very song...or should I say, tone poem by Richard Strauss, "Also sprach Zarathustra" that was composed in 1896 (technically, it's the initial "Sonnenaufgang" section). Regardless, it and the 1968 film (or hallucinogenic experience) "2001: A Space Odyssey" are totally connected at the hip, and I would compare it to John Williams' "Jaws" in terms of a small series of notes that can command the most attention from everybody. But though Williams' classic two-note realm of terror is about a carnivorous sea creature, Strauss' incredible five-note beginning can span the cosmos; one YouTube commenter even said that it could be the anthem for the entire solar system. With those horns and the timpani pounding out boulders, I can believe it.
Of course, the final ten-minute sequence at the end of the movie with all of those effects and the haunting chorus probably should or shouldn't be seen under the influence of some major pharmaceuticals. People like Dr. Braino would understand. Go easy on the red beauty jackets, though!
Apart from its time in "The Electric Company", "Also sprach Zarathustra" has been getting its due in commercials and various other television shows and movies where it once again and again has gargantuanly commanded attention to products and characters. I can only hope that if a manned NASA mission ever heads out to Jupiter or even Mars in my lifetime, Strauss' spirit would get a kick from his magnum opus being played.
April 3rd 1968 was the date that "2001" was released in the United States. Well, what was hitting the top spots on the brand spanking new Oricon on April Fools' Day 1968? We have Nos. 2-4.
2. Yukari Ito -- Koi no Shizuku （恋のしずく）
3. Tomoko Ogawa -- Yuube no Himitsu （ゆうべの秘密）
4. The Tempters -- Kamisama Onegai （神様お願い）
This was a fascinating walk down memory lane, although not mine since I did not exist. A Space Odyssey is now a legendary movie and I have heard the name, but I have never seen the movie.
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