4. The Simpsons Theme Tune (1989- )
Ok, so this is a single piece of music from a television programme on a list of Best Film Scores but just let me run with it - there's method in the madness, I promise. While Elfman is primarily famous for his film scores he has also worked on many TV shows, producing several theme tunes to such series as Desperate Housewives and Tales from the Crypt, by far the most iconic of these is the Simpsons theme tune. Though you wouldn't immediately tie the jaunty Simpsons theme to the composer who brought you the scores of several superhero and gothic-tinged films, it shows Elfman naturally has a knack for coming up with any kind of catchy tune. A testament to the success of the piece is that it has never been revamped like the animation for the title sequence has in over twenty years of the Simpsons being on air. And when Springfield jumped over to the big screen in The Simpsons Movie, although the rest of the score was composed by Hans Zimmer, the original theme tune did feature albeit in a rocked-up version by Green Day - which is just about enough to sneak it into this list of film scores...