Favorite Music Pieces for Rocket Launches

[Flying Beaver]

Over the past year-ish, I have come the habit of setting music to the rocket launches that i've been watching live online.

I tend to chose music that has like a big fanfare or something after about 30s seconds to 2 minutes (to add a bit of lead-up to launch). I then note when this point is and start playing the music when the count reaches that T-.

My commen tune was "Yeager's Triumph" from the movie The Right Stuff. 2:04 into it is when Gordo Cooper launches on Faith 7 in the movie.
I had it playing while i was watching CRS-7 (and Progress 59P) launch, which brings back some bad memories so i don't use it as often now

AC DC works pretty well too. Like for tonight's launch of the H-2A I had Shoot to Thrill playing.

I also had been playing some Electronic tunes, this being one of them:

But yeah, have any of you chaps ever set music to rocket launches. And if so what do you have playing?

[NovaSilisko]

I've been meaning to decide on launch music on a per-rocket basis. My tradition for SpaceX at least has been Don't Fear The Reaper and Free Bird (generally timed so the second half of it starts with launch). I once deviated from this, and picked Superstition by Stevie Wonder. That was CRS-7...

[DJPledger]

The sound of the rocket launch is by far the best music so there is no need to add any music to live rocket launches. Just listening to the location sound and hearing the countdown to launch and then hearing the sound of the launch is all the excitement you need in a good live launch online. Adding music to a live launch online just spoils it IMHO.

[D_Dom]

Couldn't agree more, the count is somewhat redundant when we collect all the various camera views but considering the target audience is technical not entertainment silence is golden. That said I have enjoyed very talented mixologists over the years, a combination of Pink Floyd and/or Ritchie Blackmore is very powerful. The ethereal electronic synthesizers, almost church music, which transitions to thundering heavy metal just seems to strike a chord.

Showing my age much? Please keep the techno-pop, I will just crank the volume down to silence and watch the show.

[DAZ]

Earth, Wind & Fire - Fantasy

[Stan-1967]

Crystal Method - High Roller

[Zed_Noir]

In no particular order:

Magic Carpet Ride by Steppenwolf

Bat Out of Hell by Meatloaf

Aces High by Iron Maiden

[Archibald]

Smoke on the water, and fire in the sky - perfect for a Saturn V launch. 
I'd wish someone could mix the song with the original sountrack

[DJPledger]

Smoke on the water, and fire in the sky - perfect for a Saturn V launch. 
I'd wish someone could mix the song with the original sountrack

Saturn V launch videos must only have the original location soundtracks. Adding music to them would ruin them. The Saturn V likely had the best sound of any rocket ever made.

[1]

Pff,



obviously. 

_{(And none of that Peter Schilling nonsense)}

[Ronpur50]

Countdown by Rush always worked for me and shuttle launches.

[youtube]XW-8yCKwhBE[/youtube]

[Prettz]

Maybe only somewhat relevant to the topic, but someone made a cool video for a track by Dynatron combining footage from Corvette commercials and space shuttle launches (the song title refers to the space shuttle).

[youtube]lGdiOJhGLtI[/youtube]

Most of Dynatron's music is space-themed.

[Moe Grills]

                     The Doors: Light My Fire.

             

[Slarty1080]

The first minute or so of Widor's Toccata from the 5th Symphony in F

Slow motion with the moment of lift off set at 39 seconds in (for this version)



failing that a really good trance/electronica version heavy on the base (have not found it yet)

[libra]

Dire Straits "On the night" 1993 live album. Pretty useful for space launches as the ten songs on the album are all 8 to 9 minute long. 

Hard rock / heavy metal for flaming launches and failures (and Hazegrayart stupendous CGI videos, including Orion NPP: I put AC/DC "thunderstruck" on that one)

Also 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's and 2000's mainstream pop music, because there were truly some awesome bands back them and some masterpieces (Smashing pumpkins "Tonight, tonight" will never get old - any rocket launch sounds awesome, epic and glorious with that song as background).

Movie soundtracks: cult movies and space movies, from Jurassic Park "Welcome" to The Right Stuff, Interstellar (mandatory beautiful Hans Zimmer masterpiece)
Also: Enio Morricone, Bill Conti, Michael Kamen and Brian Eno (Eno has one foot in movie sountracks, and the other in mainstream pop music, including Coldplay and a ton of other bands before them).

I knew (and liked) Conti for The right stuff soundtrack, but his work on the absolutely non-space Rocky movies is pretty cool
(Mickey from Rocky III: aaaargh try not to shed a tear listening that one, a total heart break getting the listener as depressed as Rocky Balboa at rock bottom, throwing his helmet in rage and despair at his past glory statue of himself)

Also well-known classic music pieces (because 2001, Blue Danube and Zarathustra)





("Man conquers space, Teaser IV" for those who remember it)

And... the Beach Boys (Pet Sounds late era) because they have heavenly chorus in their songs, so nice for contemplative spaceflight.

Pink Floyd "Shine on you crazy diamond" 3 minute intro, in fact it has become engrained with "2001" in my mind for so long, it is as if it was part of the movie soundtrack.

And plenty others. I have 1300 MP3 on my HD so tons of choice.

[sghill]

Holst's "Mars:Bringer of War" is always my go to piece for countdowns.

[ZachS09]

I like “All Systems Go/The Launch” from Apollo 13.

[rmayerci]

I like “All Systems Go/The Launch” from Apollo 13.

Each time I've watched that movie, hearing that music against the launch visuals gives chills (heck, I got them just listening to the track while I wrote this post).  They really knocked it out of the park with that one, with both the music itself and with how beautifully they wove it against visuals of the launch and ascent.

I can't imagine a more appropriate piece of music for a Saturn V launch, or a more powerful one.

[Cherokee43v6]

I like “All Systems Go/The Launch” from Apollo 13.

Someone set the first Falcon Heavy launch to that and posted it to youtube. 

[darkenfast]

The opening credits are fun, but the ending song will always be my favorite for manned launches. I used to entertain the neighbors, singing this at the top of my voice. Don't tell anybody, but I had a bit of a crush on Venus. I think I was seven. Fireball XL5 came out in 1962, but arrived in the US a year or so later.

I'll grow up. Someday.