History ExpositoryThemeTune / Film

* Creator/{{HBO}}'s first movie made for cinemas, ''Film/Flashpoint1984'' has one over the ''end credits'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0urYzX9oLc basically recaps the movie you've just watched!]] Music/TangerineDream (who wrote the score for the movie) were not involved with the song.

** ''Film/TheGunsOfNavarone'' and ''Gun Fight at OK Corral'', both composed by Dimitri Tiomkin.

* The song at the beginning of ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanAtWorldsEnd'' gives the back story in a symbolic form. This provides replay value: you already have to know things revealed later in the movie to have a chance of getting it.

* "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yQohEH6ewo The Bells of Notre Dame]]" from the Disney adaptation of ''WesternAnimation/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'', which is sung in the context of Clopin telling the story as a puppet show for the kids of Paris. It is not only reprised in the ending, but also introduces several {{leitmotif}}s for the film's soundtrack, most notably the wordless choral Notre Dame motif that becomes the basis for "Heaven's Light/Hellfire" (the latter giving it the WithLyrics treatment).

* "[[Film/{{Arthur}} Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)]]"'s first verse and chorus are about someone suddenly, quickly falling in love and coming to the realization that it's the best thing that's ever happened to them, which is the title character's situation. The ''second'' verse, which in the film proper doesn't turn up until the end credits, is specifically about that character, a LonelyRichKid ManChild:

* ''Literature/NightWatch'': The original Russian movie adaptation had an expository theme tune during the credits, summarizing the entire movie in a humorous pseudo-rap. The international version omits it.

* ''Film/{{Ghostbusters|1984}}''
-->''When there's something strange\\

* "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yQohEH6ewo The Bells of Notre Dame]]" from the Disney adaptation of ''Disney/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'', which is sung in the context of Clopin telling the story as a puppet show for the kids of Paris. It is not only reprised in the ending, but also introduces several {{leitmotif}}s for the film's soundtrack, most notably the wordless choral Notre Dame motif that becomes the basis for "Heaven's Light/Hellfire" (the latter giving it the WithLyrics treatment).

* "[[Film/{{Arthur}} Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)]]"'s first verse and chorus are about someone suddenly, quickly falling in love and coming to the realization that it's the best thing that's ever happened to them, which is the title character's situation. The ''second'' verse is specifically about that character, a LonelyRichKid ManChild:

* Music/TomLehrer felt this was what ''[[Theatre/OedipusTheKing Oedipus Rex]]'' was missing, so he [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mScdJURKGWM wrote one]].

** The theme from ''Film/HighNoon'' by Dimitri Tiomkin and Ned Washington lays out the hero's motivation and objectives while appealing to his wife to stay with him in spite of what he's about to face. Despite the line "look at that big hand move along nearin' high noon," it's more expository than a TitleThemeTune. Both the ''High Noon'' theme and ''Film/ThreeTenToYuma'' (the 1957 version) were sung by Frankie Laine (who also sang the title-song for "Gun Fight at OK Corral").

* ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yQohEH6ewo The Bells of Notre Dame]]'' from the Disney adaptation of ''Disney/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'', which is sung in the context of Clopin telling the story as a puppet show for the kids of Paris. It is not only reprised in the ending, but also introduces several {{leitmotif}}s for the film's soundtrack, most notably the wordless choral Notre Dame motif that becomes the basis for ''Heaven's Light/Hellfire'' (the latter giving it the WithLyrics treatment).

* ''Film/FlashGordon'':

* The song at the beginning of the third ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'' movie gives the back story in a symbolic form. This provides replay value: you already have to know things revealed later in the movie to have a chance of getting it.

* "''Here come the Film/MenInBlack''": Music/WillSmith made rap songs for both ''MIB'' and ''MIIB''. They're identical in concept to [[ExpositoryThemeTune ETTs]], except played over the ''closing'' credits.
* The theme song of ''Maniac Cop 2'' is an Expository Theme ''Rap Song'', [[http://www.dreadcentral.com/story/maniac-cop-remain-silent-no-longer explaining the premise of the series]].

* ''Film/{{Ghostbusters}}''

* ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yQohEH6ewo The Bells of Notre Dame]]'' from the Disney adaptation of ''Disney/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'', which is sung in the context of Clopin telling the story as a puppet show for the kids of Paris. It is not only reprised in the ending, but also introduces several [[RecurringRiff leitmotifs]] for the film's soundtrack, most notably the wordless choral Notre Dame motif that becomes the basis for ''Heaven's Light/Hellfire'' (the latter giving it the WithLyrics treatment).

* Parodied by Music/{{Weird Al|Yankovic}}, in ''SpyHard'' both the opening and ending songs. "[[TitleThemeTune The name of this movie's Spy Hard" ... "You've just watched Spy Hard.]]"

** The theme from ''Film/HighNoon'' by Dimitri Tiomkin and Ned Washington lays out the hero's motivation and objectives while appealing to his wife to stay with him in spite of what he's about to face. Despite the line "look at that big hand move along nearin' high noon," it's more expository than a TitleThemeTune. Both the ''High Noon'' theme and ''ThreeTenToYuma'' (the 1957 version) were sung by Frankie Laine (who also sang the title-song for "Gun Fight at OK Corral").

* [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q39f4YzK6sU Yor's]] from ''YorTheHunterFromTheFuture''.

-->If you're living in a bubble and you don't have a care\\

Cause what you got is what we need\\

Hey, don't mess around with the Spaceballs

* ''If you're living in a bubble and you don't have a care/Well, you gonna be in trouble, cause we're gonna steal your air!/Cause what you got is what we need/And all we do is dirty deeds/We're the Film/{{Spaceballs}}!/Watch out, we're the Spaceballs!''

** The theme from ''HighNoon'' by Dimitri Tiomkin and Ned Washington lays out the hero's motivation and objectives while appealing to his wife to stay with him in spite of what he's about to face. Despite the line "look at that big hand move along nearin' high noon," it's more expository than a TitleThemeTune. Both the ''High Noon'' theme and ''ThreeTenToYuma'' (the 1957 version) were sung by Frankie Laine (who also sang the title-song for "Gun Fight at OK Corral").

* The movie ''High Society'' features an opening song explaining the premise sung by LouisArmstrong.

* The song at the beginning of the third ''PiratesOfTheCaribbean'' movie gives the back story in a symbolic form. This provides replay value: you already have to know things revealed later in the movie to have a chance of getting it.

** And since ''High Noon'' was a major source of pardoy for ''Film/BlazingSaddles'', Mel Brooks got Frankie Laine to sing his theme song too!

* ''Film/BlazingSaddles'' not only has one at the opening credits, but the first scene with the townsfolk of Rock Ridge begins with a song describing how peaceful the town was until the bandits invaded. It ends with this verse (revealing that the song was sung in a church by the congregation):
-->Now is a time of great decision,\\
Are we to stay or up and quit?\\
There's no avoiding this conclusion,\\
our town is turning into [[PrecisionFStrike shit]].

* Music/TomLehrer felt this was what ''[[OedipusTheKing Oedipus Rex]]'' was missing, so he [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mScdJURKGWM wrote one]].

** ''TheGunsOfNavarone'' and ''Gun Fight at OK Corral'', both composed by Dimitri Tiomkin.