How John Williams Elevated "Home Alone"

This December, the Boston Pops will perform John Williams’ beloved "Home Alone" score live to picture. In the 34 years since its release, "Home Alone" has proved to have endless appeal for families. Though some of that is doubtlessly due to the memorable hijinks of 8-year-old Kevin McCallister as he defends his home against bungling thieves, the key to the film's place in the holiday pantheon is its music.

By the fall of 1990, Williams had not yet gotten the chance to write holiday music. So, when he was tapped as a last-minute replacement to score "Home Alone," he eagerly jumped at the challenge. Williams’ first impression of the film was, “a comedy with a lot of leeway for music.” In a 1991 interview with Entertainment Tonight, he described the scenes of Kevin setting up his pranks as, “an opportunity for the orchestra to score all of that the way you would some kind of theatrical burlesque or a ballet piece.” Had Williams merely settled for emphasizing the mischief of the story, "Home Alone" would likely be remembered as a charming early-90s comedy. Luckily, he knew that laughter was only half of the recipe.

At its core, "Home Alone" is a story about a child who misses his family. That universal love is what Williams embraces in his bittersweet song, “Somewhere in My Memory.” The lyrics by Leslie Bricusse perfectly encapsulate this theme: “Somewhere in my memory, All of the music, All of the magic, All of the family home here with me.” By combining musical influences ranging from traditional carols to Tchaikovsky, John Williams helped create something greater than the sum of its parts: a cinematic celebration of family reuniting for the holidays. 

Your support does just the same – it enables the actual production of the Holiday Pops shows (no small feat!), but on a bigger scale, it creates a warm, annual holiday experience for the community. Thank you so much for keeping spirits high, and we hope you’ll bring your family to Symphony Hall to enjoy it together.