Music to Fly Helicopters to

December 1, 2009 4:56 PM

Can you suggest suitable soundtrack music to accompany a Google Earth flyover created from helicopter GPS data? The terrain is dramatically mountainous for the most part. (Or conversely, what would be amusingly inappropriate?)
posted by Miss Otis' Egrets to Media & Arts (30 answers total)

My Humps? (Black Eyed Peas)
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 5:00 PM on December 1, 2009

Neutral Milk Hotel - "Communist Daughter"
posted by turgid dahlia at 5:02 PM on December 1, 2009

I've always thought the best music for this was the track "Journey to the Island" from the Jurassic Park soundtrack.

For wildly inappropriate, there's always yakety sax.
posted by strixus at 5:06 PM on December 1, 2009

The Return of the King had that sequence where they were lighting the beacons across Middle Earth, which is quite inspiring. On the soundtrack CD it's called "The White Tree". The really exciting part of the track starts around 1:30. Then again that might be too on the nose for the footage you've created.

The soundtrack from Kundun is pretty awesome, particularly the scoring of the escape from Tibet at the end
posted by wabbittwax at 5:07 PM on December 1, 2009

Ride of the Valkyries or The End, by The Doors.
posted by bondcliff at 5:17 PM on December 1, 2009

Flight of the Bumblebee?
posted by runningwithscissors at 5:20 PM on December 1, 2009

Anything by the band Explosions in the Sky. Instrumental, anthemic, but rocking.
posted by Scientifik at 5:23 PM on December 1, 2009

We'd have to know how you want to spin it emotionally. Indiana Jones theme for adventure? Some solo piano or something quiet for breathtaking beauty or peacefulness? I like John Cage's In a Landscape or Joanna Newsom's En Gallop, but that makes it totally different.

Wave would be different still. I think I like that idea best.
posted by ctmf at 5:39 PM on December 1, 2009

I've always thought that Maurice Ravel's Introduction and Allegro for Harp, String Quartet, Flute and Clarinet would make a good soundtrack for something like this. As a stand-alone piece of music I've always found it to be too pretty, but I think most people would get an awe/mystery/Platonic beauty vibe out of it that would go well with a mountain fly-over.

Utterly inappropriate? Nine Inch Nails, "Closer."
posted by invitapriore at 5:49 PM on December 1, 2009

Sorry, here's a link to Introduction and Allegro.
posted by invitapriore at 5:50 PM on December 1, 2009

We'd have to know how you want to spin it emotionally.

This.
posted by ixohoxi at 5:57 PM on December 1, 2009

Yackety-sax is always appropriate and wildly inappropriate at the same time.
posted by davejay at 6:05 PM on December 1, 2009

it is also misspelled. by me. above. urgh.
posted by davejay at 6:06 PM on December 1, 2009

Yackety Sax is inappropriate. Spanish Flea, though...
posted by ctmf at 6:07 PM on December 1, 2009

Kraftwerk - Prologue
Orbital - Halcyon + On + On
Boards of Canada - Dayvan Cowboy
M83 - Lower Your Eyelids to Die With The Sun
Lukid - Chord
posted by phrontist at 6:07 PM on December 1, 2009 [1 favorite]

Check out the music from the Koyaanisqatsi flying scenes.

Tarental - For Carl Sagan
posted by phrontist at 6:09 PM on December 1, 2009

don't believe me? try it yourself
posted by davejay at 6:11 PM on December 1, 2009 [1 favorite]

If you use Spanish Flea, use this one.
posted by ctmf at 6:18 PM on December 1, 2009

I had a pretty long commute in Northern New Mexico for over a year, and I found Sonic Youth's Sister to go remarkably well with driving through the (mountainous) landscape. Still, I'd need a little more information to make an intelligent choice--stuff like the nature of the terrain besides "mountainous," any emotional effect you're seeking, and ideally a clip, although I understand that may not be possible.
posted by tellumo at 6:23 PM on December 1, 2009 [1 favorite]

Yet another mood: Deftones, Lifter. (helicopters, fuck yeah)
posted by ctmf at 6:50 PM on December 1, 2009

Not sure of the mood you want, but this has both mountains and aerials with an interesting tune starting at 1:28. Every now and then, I like to watch it just for the mood it puts me in.
posted by webhund at 6:59 PM on December 1, 2009

um, inappropriate.
posted by Chef Flamboyardee at 7:11 PM on December 1, 2009

Herb Alpert
posted by bzbb at 7:19 PM on December 1, 2009

there's always the Superman theme song
posted by citron at 8:38 PM on December 1, 2009

Every time I think helicopter I think "Fortunate Son"
posted by jmsta at 8:59 PM on December 1, 2009

Response by poster: Thank you for all the great suggestions so far. This would be for an internal presentation so I guess the mood to evoke would be something along the lines of "Holy crap, that's awesome!" although Yakety Sax would be great too.
An indication of the general area here.
posted by Miss Otis' Egrets at 1:11 AM on December 2, 2009

Ride of the Valkyries, of course!
posted by wrok at 5:12 AM on December 2, 2009

Everywhere with Helicopter by Guided by Voices
posted by battleshipkropotkin at 1:10 PM on December 2, 2009

If you're going for upbeat and dynamic:

My Bloody Valentine—Soon

Some of the more pop-friendly, less explicitly druggy psytrance (the stuff they call "progressive psytrance") could work, too:

Deedrah—Purple Unicorn (fast-forward to ≈2:15)
Deedrah—Land of Freedom (2001 Mix)

Or, on a more relaxed note, maybe even some psydub:

Highpersonic Whomen—Easy Does It
Saafi Brothers—The Witness
posted by ixohoxi at 2:02 PM on December 2, 2009

(I've heard that some people have MP3s of the above tracks, and even distribute copies to people who ask nicely. Can you believe such a thing? Sheesh!)
posted by ixohoxi at 2:03 PM on December 2, 2009