| "Theme fromMission: Impossible" | |
|---|---|
 One of the side-A labels of the US single | |
| Single byLalo Schifrin | |
| from the albumMusic from Mission: Impossible | |
| Released | 1967 |
| Recorded | 1967 |
| Genre | Theme music |
| Length | 2:31 |
| Label | Dot |
| Songwriter | Lalo Schifrin |
| Producer | Tom Mack |
| Official audio | |
| "Mission: Impossible" onYouTube | |
"Theme fromMission: Impossible" is the theme tune of the American espionage TV seriesMission: Impossible (1966–1973). The theme was written and composed by Argentine composerLalo Schifrin and has since gone on to appear in several other works of theMission: Impossible franchise, including the1988 TV series, thefilm series, and the video game series.
The theme is written inquintuple meter (with a5
4 time signature), which composerLalo Schifrin jokingly explained as being for mutant people with five legs.[1]
TheMorse code forM.I. is two dashes followed by two dots ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄ ; if a dot is one beat and a dash is one-and-a-half beats, then this gives a bar of five beats, exactly matching the theme's underlying rhythm.[2] It has been suggested that Schifrin consciously used the Morse code as a starting point for his composition, but this cannot be verified. He did write that he used Morse code as a method for obtaining an unusual rhythmic pattern for his theme to the filmThe Concorde... Airport '79.[3]
Schifrin's working title for the song was "Burning Fuse".[4] He compared his writing process to writing a letter: "When you write a letter, you don't have to think what grammar or what syntaxes you're going to use, you just write a letter. And that's the way it came." He estimated that he wrote the main theme in 90 seconds and completed the full arrangement in three minutes.[4]
The actorMartin Landau, who played the character Rollin Hand in the show, attended the recording session for the theme song. "Lalo raised his wand to the musicians and I heard 'dun dun, da da, dun dun, da da' for the first time, and it was deafening", Landau recalled. "Lalo interrupted the band and said, 'no, no, it should be like this.' They resumed and before we could say anything, they had recorded it. I was stunned. It was so perfect. I came out humming that tune."[4]
The original single release, onDot Records, peaked at number 41 on the USBillboard Hot 100 and 19 on the magazine'sAdult Contemporary chart in 1967. Also in that year, two years beforeLeonard Nimoy began playing the role of Paris inMission Impossible, the theme appeared on the albumLeonard Nimoy Presents Mr. Spock's Music from Outer Space. (Nimoy did not perform on the song.)[5]
The theme won as theBest Instrumental Theme at the10th Grammy Awards held on February 29, 1968.[6][7] Schifrin also won the Grammy for Best Original Score Written For A Motion Picture Or A Television Show.[8] In 2017, Schifrin's 1967 recording of the Theme from Mission: Impossible was inducted into theGrammy Hall of Fame.[9]
Schifrin's version, as performed with theLondon Philharmonic Orchestra, received a nomination for theGrammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance for the39th Grammy Awards held in 1997. The Clayton and Mullen version (see below) was also nominated for the same award in the same edition.[10]
| Chart (1967) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[11] | 39 |
| USBillboardHot 100 | 41 |
| US Easy Listening (Billboard) | 7 |
| "Theme fromMission: Impossible" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Single byAdam Clayton andLarry Mullen Jr. | |
| from the albumMission: Impossible: Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture | |
| Released | June 3, 1996 (1996-06-03)[12] |
| Genre | |
| Length | 3:27 |
| Label | Mother |
| Songwriter | Lalo Schifrin |
| Producers |
|
In 1996, the theme was remade byU2 membersAdam Clayton andLarry Mullen Jr. for thesoundtrack to the film. The duo recorded two versions of the song, the main theme and another subtitled "Mission Accomplished". The main theme was used during the end credits. Unlike the original, the majority of this version is incommon time, with the exception of the intro. The single was released on 3 June 1996 byMother Records. The accompanying music video was directed by English singer, songwriter, musician and music video directorKevin Godley.[14]
Larry Flick fromBillboard wrote that Clayton and Mullen "cover the film's instantly recognizable theme, effectively funking it up for the '90s with a shuffling jeep beat". He complimentedLalo Schifrin's melody as "suspenseful and compelling as ever" and added, "It'll give fans of the TV show a fun jolt while entertaining a whole new generation."[15] Dave Sholin from theGavin Report commented, "Those not familiar with this piece of music A) are under five years of age, B) have been living withTheodore Kaczynski for the past 25 years, or C) are not aware of television. This interpretation by half of U2 will be heard by millions of moviegoers expected to see what's been anticipated as the film of the summer. Try cranking this up and driving around the hills ofSan Francisco! Very cool."[16]
Richard Smith fromMelody Maker noted that theMission Impossible theme "has been weirded and danced up with lots of (not desperately imaginative)This tape will self destruct-type samples laid over the top."[17] A reviewer fromMusic Week gave it four out of five, adding that the song "should be massive".[18]Music Week editor Alan Jones stated, "They have successfully updated it while retaining its more memorable motifs and drafted in mixers includingJunior Vasquez, Guru andGoldie to give it a variety of dancefloor flavourings."[19] Jordan Paramor fromSmash Hits gave the single three out of five.[20]
The instrumental became a worldwide hit. In the United States, it peaked at number seven on theBillboard Hot 100 and received agold certification, selling 500,000 copies there.[21][22] It additionally peaked at number one in Finland, Hungary and Iceland, number two in Australia and Ireland, and number seven in the United Kingdom.
CD single
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Theme from Mission: Impossible" | 3:27 |
| 2. | "Mission: Impossible Theme (Mission Accomplished)" | 3:05 |
| Total length: | 6:32 | |
12-inch single
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Theme from Mission: Impossible" | 3:27 |
| 2. | "Theme from Mission: Impossible" (Junior's Hard Mix) | 8:50 |
| 3. | "Mission: Impossible Theme (Mission Accomplished)" (Dave Clarke Remix) | 4:30 |
| 4. | "Mission: Impossible Theme (Mission Accomplished)" | 3:05 |
| 5. | "Mission: Impossible Theme (Mission Accomplished)" (Cut The Red Not The Blue) | 4:35 |
| 6. | "Theme From Mission: Impossible" (Junior's Hard Dub 1) | 7:44 |
| Total length: | 32:11 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Theme from Mission: Impossible" | 3:27 |
| 2. | "Theme from Mission: Impossible" (Junior's Hard Mix-Edit) | 4:10 |
| 3. | "Mission: Impossible Theme (Mission Accomplished)" | 3:05 |
| 4. | "Mission: Impossible Theme (Mission Accomplished)" (Cut the Red Not the Blue) | 4:35 |
| 5. | "Mission: Impossible Theme (Mission Accomplished)" (Dave Clarke Remix) | 4:30 |
| Total length: | 19:47 | |
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[52] | Gold | 35,000^ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[69] | Gold | 5,000* |
| United States (RIAA)[70] | Gold | 500,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
Jazz organistJimmy Smith recorded a cover version for his 1968 albumLivin' It Up.
One cover version was recorded by FrenchNo Wave artistLizzy Mercier Descloux on her 1979 album,Press Color.[71]
A version of the theme was used during thepanty raid sequence of the 1984 movieRevenge of the Nerds.
A version of the theme was also used during the electric zap belt donning sequence in the 1992 movieWayne's World.
An arrangement of the theme was composed byBruce Broughton for the pound escape sequence in 1993’sHomeward Bound: The Incredible Journey. The song transitions from the theme to original music and was included in the expandedIntrada Records soundtrack release, the track simply being titled “Mission: Impossible”.
Rhythm section and production duoSly and Robbie recorded a cover version for their 1997 albumMambo Taxi, a reggae and dub reworking of classic film themes.
The theme's melodies form the basis ofLimp Bizkit's 2000 single "Take a Look Around", which was recorded for the soundtrack ofthe second film.
Russian ethnic band Bugotak recorded a Russian-language rap song with ethnic Siberian instruments based on "Take a Look Around", the theme and "Empty Spaces" byPink Floyd, entitled "Missiya Maadai-kara nevypolnima".
American rapperKanye West and producerJon Brion created a remix version at the end credits ofthe third film.
Brave Combo covered the theme as a "deep groovecumbia" on their 2008 album,The Exotic Rocking Life.
Houston rapperChamillionaire, remixed the theme song for his cancelled third albumVenom in 2010.[72][73]
In 2010, a fictionalized account of Lalo Schifrin's creation of theMission: Impossible tune was featured in aLipton TV commercial aired in a number of countries around the world.[74]
Tiësto created a dance remix version of the theme to promote the fourth film in the seriesMission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011).[75]
In January 2013, violinist and dancerLindsey Stirling andThe Piano Guys,Steven Sharp Nelson (cello) andJon Schmidt (piano), released their interpretation of the "Theme fromMission: Impossible".[76][77] The arrangement is true to the Schifrin original, but also employs a passage with a liberal use of thePiano Sonata in C by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart K. 545 first movement and a self-composed passage to end the piece.[78] The arrangement was introduced with a music video having a comedic cloak and dagger theme. Two official copies of the video have garnered nearly 10.7 million views (as of April 2021) on Lindsey Stirling'sYouTube channel[79] and over 20 million views on The Piano Guys YouTube channel (as of April 2021).[78]
For the promotion of the fifth filmMission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015), Japanese guitaristMiyavi covered the theme.[80]
The theme was used in a series of commercials forEtsy during the 2023Christmas season.[81]
An arrangement was played during the closing ceremony of the2024 Summer Olympics during the segment whereTom Cruise retrieves the Olympic Flag from Paris en route to Los Angeles.
The 2024IndianTamil filmThe Greatest of All Time by filmmakerVenkat Prabhu had an Indianized cover version of the theme created by music composerYuvan Shankar Raja when the main character jumps off askyscraper inBangkok after accomplishing a crucial mission. Earlier, a short clip from the same scene was played in theTelugu andHindi versions of the film'strailer.[82][83]
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