Carl Orff's O Fortuna in popular culture

In 1935–36, the 13th-century poem "O Fortuna" was set to music by the German composer Carl Orff for his twenty-four-movement cantata Carmina Burana. The composition appears in numerous films and television commercials and has become a staple in popular culture, setting the mood for dramatic or cataclysmic situations. For instance, it is used to portray the torment of Jim Morrison's drug addiction in the film The Doors. In 1983, Doors' keyboardist Ray Manzarek released his third solo album, Carmina Burana, which is an interpretation of the piece in a contemporary framework.

"O Fortuna" has been called "the most overused piece of music in film history", and Harper's Magazine columnist Scott Horton has commented that "Orff’s setting may have been spoiled by its popularization" and its use "in movies and commercials often as a jingle, detached in any meaningful way from its powerful message."

In popular culture

• Early 1970s: Ending used throughout 30-second British TV adverts for Old Spice aftershave lotion
• 1978: In James Burke's BBC series Connections (1978 TV) in several episodes.
• 1981: In Excalibur (1981 film), when King Arthur and his Knights ride into battle.
• 1984: In the 1984 film Speed.
• 1989: In the trailer for the 1989 film Glory, during the final attack by the 54th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry on Fort Wagner.
• 1990: In The Far Side (1990) animated special, it was played in a scene where a man fell into a pen of gorillas at a zoo.
• 1990: Plays throughout the entire trailer for the low budget Canadian horror film, Cursed (1990), advertised as Gargoyle.
• 1991: In The Doors, Oliver Stone's biographical film of the American rock band.
• 1992: The opening bars were used as a theme for the first three seasons of Rox beginning in 1992.
• 1992: In the film Last of the Mohicans (1992), the piece 'Massacre/Canoes' by Trevor Jones draws from it directly.
• 1994: Used in the cinematic trailer for the film The Professional.
• 1998: During The Undertaker's entrance at Wrestlemania XIV
• 1999: In The General's Daughter (1999 film)
• 2002: In Jackass: The Movie, a 2002 reality film.
• 2003: In Cheaper by the Dozen, at the end of Dylan's party scene.
• 2003: In The Matrix Revolutions, a little after the 6 minute mark of Juno Reactor vs Don Davis' song "Navras".
• 2003: The selection appears in a 2003 episode of the television series The King of Queens, entitled "Clothes Encounter" (Season 5, Episode 21). The music plays in anticipation as an infant is about to spit up his meal (consisting of blueberries) on Carrie Heffernan's brand-new expensive designer dress.
• 2007: In the 2007 Christmas television special Shrek the Halls, plays as Shrek makes his way to the bookstore.
• 2007 In "Beowulf: Prince of the Geats" as Beowulf discovers the sword to slay the Helldam.
• 2008: In the 2008 Qlimax, performed by a chorus.
• 2009: In Capitalism: A Love Story (2009 documentary film).
• 2009: At every Pittsburgh Pirates home game, in a video on the Jumbotron. It is uncertain when this practice began; but it was not done in 2008, resuming in 2009.
• 2009: In the 2009 film G-Force, when the hamsters in the balls race against the car through the fireworks.
• 2010: At the 2010 Classic Brit Awards, performed by Rhydian and Only Men Aloud!.
• 2010: On Britain's Got Talent, the 2010 winner Spelbound, used it as its audition piece and in the final.
• 2011: On the opening ceremony of the 50th Anniversary of the Struga Poetry Evenings (2011), on August 25, 2011, performed by a chamber orchestra.
• 2013: Used in the Drivers' Introduction at the Daytona 500.
• On Glee (TV series), Season 1, Episode 7, in scenes between Will Schuester and Sue Sylvester.
• At the matriculation ceremony of the University of Oslo every year.
• In a Carlton Draught beer ad called Carlton Draught: Big Ad.
• On The Sean Hannity Show on talk radio, as bumper music.
• On The Simpsons (TV series) in Season 20, Episode 13, "Gone Maggie Gone", and in a commercial in Season 21, Episode 2, "Bart Gets a 'Z'", performed by a convent of nuns.
• In Only Fools and Horses (BBC sitcom), whenever Rodney sees his nephew Damien, who was named after the child in The Omen.
• Before the start of The X Factor, and also as the entrance theme for the judges.
• On The Rachel Maddow Show (TV series), in a parody of ads from the Republican Party attacking the Democratic Party.
• On The Howard Stern Show, whenever show producer Gary Dell'Abate enters the studio.
• In a Survivor episode, while Benjamin "Coach" Wade was stretching in the water, marking the first time the show used a nonoriginal piece of music.
• In the American Dad episode "A Smith in the Hand" when Francine drives home after forgetting her underwear, almost catching her husband Stan masturbating.
• On I'm on Setanta Sports, played by Sven-Goran Eriksson to announce the arrival of "The Boy Rooney" (Wayne Rooney).
• In The Sims Medieval video game, used several times including a quest of the name and a book entitled, "O, For Tuna!"
• The Arizona State Sun Devil Marching Band plays the opening every time the team gets a 3rd down
• The Washington Redskins run onto the field at the start of the game as it is played.
• On The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late Night with Conan O'Brien when a video or picture of former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney is shown.
• On Fei Cheng Wu Rao (a Chinese dating game show hosted by Meng Fei), the music plays when the man is rejected by all of the 24 ladies on stage.
• In a commercial for Hershey's Spread.

Bands and artists that have covered or sampled the work

• Aion
• Apoptygma Berzerk
• Apotheosis
• Botch
• Bullet for My Valentine
• Busta Rhymes in "The End of The World (Outro)" from his 1996 debut album "The Coming."
• Charlotte Church, In Trutina (Voice of an Angel, 1998)
• Clan of Xymox
• The Dawn (band) (Used as an intro track in their live album, "The Dawn: Live")
• The Diplomats (Used in the Single "Get em Daddy" by Camron & The Diplomats)
• The Disco Biscuits
• DJ Irene
• DJ Paul (Used in his 2009 single featuring Lord Infamous "You Don't Want It")
• Enigma, on the album The Screen Behind the Mirror, used for the songs "The Gate", "Gravity of Love", "Modern Crusaders", the end of the album's title track and "Camera Obscura"
• Epica
• Era
• Estampie
• Evanescence
• Face
• Gregorian
• Highland
• Hrefnesholt (sampled in the song "Hrefnesvinter")
• KMFDM (sample)
• Lord Infamous (Used in the song "Ball Off" in his 2009 Album "After Sics" and is featured in DJ Paul's single "You Don't Want It")
• Lil' Kim (Used in the song "Black Friday")
• Massacra
• Masters of Hardcore in the anthem "Masters' Symphony" in 2001
• Michael Jackson (Used in the "Brace Yourself" intro for the Dangerous World Tour, sometimes replaced with a similar operatic piece)
• Ministry (Used as a sample in their single No W)
• Motionless in White (Used as an intro song for their first headlining tour.)
• On Mystery Science Theatre 3000, it was used as the basis for Tom Servo's personal theme song.
• Rapper Nas uses it as the background music to his song "Hate Me Now"
• Onslaught
• Overkill
• Ozzy Osbourne
• Pretty Maids used it as intro music at their early concerts in the mid 80's
• Ray Manzarek (his third solo album, entitled Carmina Burana)
• Rhydian Roberts
• Sepultura
• DJ Nick Skitz
• The Piano Guys
• Tristania
• Therion
• Trans-Siberian Orchestra
• Turetsky Choir Art Group
• Van Helsing's Curse (used at the end of the song "Let Me Prey")
• Vital Remains
• John Williams, on the album, Summon the Heroes

• Momoiro Clover Z (Used as an intro music for the song "Neo Stargate")

Lawsuit

In 1991, when the Belgian group named Apotheosis produced a heavily re-sampled version of "O Fortuna", the estate of Carl Orff successfully sued to stop the distribution of the record on the grounds of copyright infringement. The verdict also affected the version by Fortuna ft. Satenig, which in the week of the verdict just reached the #1 position in the Dutch charts Nationale Top 100, while Apotheosis was at #3. The week after, the two songs began quickly slipping off the chart.