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That Calls for a Wilhelm Scream

The legend starts in 1951
When we listened to the sound of the Distant Drums
Met his maker in the jaws of an alligator
There were six screams taken but one proved to be greater than the rest
So let’s fast forward a bit to the Feather River
And meet a young private with the lungs that could deliver
The kind of cry that only girls vocalize
He unleashed a mighty scream as his thigh was incised
Ben Burtt, perhaps you may have heard of him
He noticed a certain sound emanating from a bunch of films
Decided it was perfect for a film that he made
So he lifted it and placed it in The Scarlet Blade
From that point a sonic signature formed
One that Ben used fairly often in his sound design chores
To this very day if you happen by his edit bay
And you listen very closely you can hear him say

That calls for a Wilhelm Scream
That calls for a Wilhelm Scream
That calls for a Wilhelm Scream
Scream a little louder, gotta make a big scene

That calls for a Wilhelm Scream
That calls for a Wilhelm Scream
That calls for a Wilhelm Scream
Scream it to the heavens so they know what you mean

Over the years the scream has made many appearances
It sounded out in Warner Brothers films for 20 years and then
The aforementioned Ben created sounds for Star Wars
Take four began to show up in movies galore
A stormtrooper stumbled into a shaft because Luke shot him
Another was chucked into the freezing chamber by Chewbacca
Crocodiles enjoyed the Thuggees Indy knocked from the bridge
Jabba lost a bunch of henchmen in the Sarlac Pit
Mr. Pink smacked some people in the street
Buzz Lightyear met a lamp and tumbled head over feet
The Caped Crusader punched a clown a tossed him clear out the frame
Grenades exploded in The Last Crusade
There’s numerous other scenes featuring violence and tension
Young Indiana Jones has too many Wilhelms to mention
I bet the sound designers meet near to here
To figure out which films will get the scream this year

That calls for a Wilhelm Scream
That calls for a Wilhelm Scream
That calls for a Wilhelm Scream
Scream a little louder, gotta make a big scene

That calls for a Wilhelm Scream
That calls for a Wilhelm Scream
That calls for a Wilhelm Scream
Scream it like your lacking proper oral hygiene

Now don’t believe that the scream can only used on the screen
You can use it wherever you see a need
Got a problem that should probably have the proper punctuation?
Try a Wilhelm, it can emphasize any bad situation
That big jerk from accounting just stole your promotion
Your dinghy’s leaking in the middle of the ocean
That eBay idiot gave you negative feedback
And the money you gave that bum was converted to crack
The lid can’t be extracted from your Jell-o pudding cup
It’s hard to surf for porn efficiently stuck on dial-up
All you need is a knife but there’s 10,000 spoons
They’re making a Michael Bay film of your favorite cartoon
The Spanish Inquisition tries to burn you at the stake
Cavity Creeps gave you a toothache
The enemy force is just outside your archer’s range
That cell phone soccer mom didn’t signal her lane change
Gotta pee but the urinal’s unflushed
You find yourself in outer space lacking the right stuff
Frequent visits to the store net you nary a chase figure
You didn’t remember to TiVo the Heroes finale now, did you?
Invaders from space leveled all the major cities
There’s no more freakin’ milk for your bowl of Cocoa Krispies
Whenever it seems you’ve been given raw deal
It’s time to scream it like you mean it, let ‘em know how you feel

That calls for a Wilhelm Scream
That calls for a Wilhelm Scream
That calls for a Wilhelm Scream
Scream a little louder, gotta make a big scene

That calls for a Wilhelm Scream
That calls for a Wilhelm Scream
That calls for a Wilhelm Scream
Scream it like the doctors finally found a vaccine

That calls for a Wilhelm Scream
That calls for a Wilhelm Scream
That calls for a Wilhelm Scream
Scream a little louder, gotta make a big scene

That calls for a Wilhelm Scream
That calls for a Wilhelm Scream
That calls for a Wilhelm Scream
Scream it like you found out she was only sixteen