Somewhere in Time: The Most Romantic Movie Soundtrack Ever - In My Opinion (Spoilers)

The ominous cello notes that preface a shark attack in Jaws.

The rousing trumpets accompanying Rocky’s run up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

The somber strains of a tin whistle and an aria as Jack meets his fate in Titanic.

For some of us, it was the music that gave these scenes their impact.

Back in the day, if you and your honey were feeling a bit amorous, there were certain songs, along with some wine and candlelight, that were a precursor to a night of good loving. “Turn Out the Lights” by Teddy Pendergrass; “For The Good Times” by Al Green; “Always and Forever” by Heatwave; “If This World Were Mine’’ by Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn, to name a few.

Music can affect one’s emotions.

Let someone die on screen and I may be a tad melancholy. But let someone die on screen while sad violin music is playing in the background, and I am a blubbering mess.

One soundtrack that has messed with my emotions from the first time I heard it back in the 80s, is the one from the movie Somewhere In Time.

First of all, let me start by saying that I love, love, love, this movie. Christopher Reeve (the OG Superman - at least for my generation) as Richard Collier and Jane Seymour as Elise Mckenna, have beautiful chemistry. Though their love-across-time storyline is engaging, aided by sumptuous costumes, and superb acting (including a villainous turn by Christopher Plummer) - the biggest star in this movie is John Barry’s gorgeous musical score. There is not one wasted song in this film.

Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini begins to play when Richard first sees Elise’s picture and one has no doubt that he has fallen in love with the woman in the photo by the time the song fades.

When Richard finally meets Elise in person, the eponymous Somewhere in Time theme song is playing and it is as beautiful a backdrop to Richard and Elise’s budding romance as the glistening lake near where Elise is walking.

The music of Somewhere in Time makes the film. I don’t know if the emotional highs and lows one feels when watching the movie would exist without the poignant musical accompaniment which stays with you long after the film ends...

...which is probably why I will never look at a 1979 penny again without hearing that sudden, sinister, outburst from the cello section.