LALO SCHIFRIN HAS DIED AT 93
COMPOSED THE MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE THEME - "I WROTE SOMETHING THAT CAME FROM INSIDE ME"
Lalo Schifrin, who in 1968 composed the theme for the
Mission: Impossible TV series, died Thursday at the age of 93. The theme Schifrin composed lives on in the
Tom Cruise franchise, which began with the 1996 film directed by
Brian De Palma.
The Associated Press obituary of Schifrin states that John Williams was originally in talks to compose the score for De Palma's film, but that Williams wanted to compose a new theme for Mission: Impossible. De Palma wanted to keep Schifrin's theme, and so, the AP states, "Out went Williams and in came Danny Elfman, who agreed to retain Schifrin's music." There is some truth there, but it leaves out part of the story. After Williams was out of the picture, De Palma and Cruise enlisted Alan Silvestri, who indeed composed an unused score for the film after De Palma realized it was all wrong in tone. De Palma then worked very closely with Elfman, who composed an extraordinary score for the film, which beautifully incorporated Schifrin's theme.
Here's a portion of the Associated Press obituary:
Lalo Schifrin, the composer who wrote the endlessly catchy theme for "Mission: Impossible" and more than 100 other arrangements for film and television, died Thursday. He was 93. Schifrin's son Ryan confirmed that Schifrin died due to complications from pneumonia. He died peacefully in his home in Los Angeles, surrounded by family.
The Argentine won four Grammys and was nominated for six Oscars, including five for original score for "Cool Hand Luke," "The Fox," "Voyage of the Damned," "The Amityville Horror" and "The Sting II."
"Every movie has its own personality. There are no rules to write music for movies," Schifrin told The Associated Press in 2018. "The movie dictates what the music will be."
He also wrote the grand finale musical performance for the World Cup championship in Italy in 1990, in which the Three Tenors — Plácido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti and José Carreras — sang together for the first time. The work became one of the biggest sellers in the history of classical music.
Schifrin, also a jazz pianist and classical conductor, had a remarkable career in music that included working with Dizzy Gillespie and recording with Count Basie and Sarah Vaughan. But perhaps his biggest contribution was the instantly recognizable score to television's "Mission: Impossible," which fueled the just-wrapped, decades-spanning feature film franchise led by Tom Cruise.
Written in the unusual 5/4 time signature, the theme — Dum-dum DUM DUM dum-dum DUM DUM — was married to an on-screen self-destruct clock that kicked off the TV show, which ran from 1966 to 1973. It was described as "only the most contagious tune ever heard by mortal ears" by New Yorker film critic Anthony Lane and even hit No. 41 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1968.
Schifrin originally wrote a different piece of music for the theme song but series creator Bruce Geller liked another arrangement Schifrin had composed for an action sequence.
"The producer called me and told me, 'You're going to have to write something exciting, almost like a logo, something that will be a signature, and it's going to start with a fuse,'" Schifrin told the AP in 2006. "So I did it and there was nothing on the screen. And maybe the fact that I was so free and I had no images to catch, maybe that's why this thing has become so successful — because I wrote something that came from inside me."
When director Brian De Palma was asked to take the series to the silver screen, he wanted to bring the theme along with him, leading to a creative conflict with composer John Williams, who wanted to work with a new theme of his own. Out went Williams and in came Danny Elfman, who agreed to retain Schifrin's music.
Hans Zimmer took over scoring for the second film, and Michael Giacchino scored the next two. Giacchino told NPR he was a hesitant to take it on, because Schifrin's music was one of his favorite themes of all time.
"I remember calling Lalo and asking if we could meet for lunch," Giacchino told NPR. "And I was very nervous — I felt like someone asking a father if I could marry their daughter or something. And he said, 'Just have fun with it.' And I did."
"Mission: Impossible" won Grammys for best instrumental theme and best original score from a motion picture or a TV show. In 2017, the theme was entered into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
U2 members Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. covered the theme while making the soundtrack to 1996's first installment; that version peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard 200 with a Grammy nomination.
A 2010 commercial for Lipton tea depicted a young Schifrin composing the theme at his piano while gaining inspiration through sips of the brand's Lipton Yellow Label. Musicians dropped from the sky as he added elements.
