Carl Orff's O Fortuna in popular culture

In 1935–36 O Fortuna
O Fortuna
"O Fortuna" is a medieval Latin Goliardic poem written early in the thirteenth century, part of the collection known as the Carmina Burana. It is a complaint about fate, and Fortuna, a goddess in Roman mythology and personification of luck....

was set to music by the German composer Carl Orff
Carl Orff
Carl Orff was a 20th-century German composer, best known for his cantata Carmina Burana . In addition to his career as a composer, Orff developed an influential method of music education for children.-Early life:...

for his twenty-four-movement cantata

Cantata

A cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir....

Carmina Burana
Carmina Burana (Orff)
Carmina Burana is a scenic cantata composed by Carl Orff in 1935 and 1936. It is based on 24 of the poems found in the medieval collection Carmina Burana...

. The composition appears in numerous films and television commercials and has become a staple in popular culture
Popular culture
Popular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the...

, 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
The Doors (film)
The Doors is a 1991 biopic about the 1960s-1970s rock band of the same name which emphasizes the life of its lead singer, Jim Morrison. It was directed by Oliver Stone, and stars Val Kilmer as Morrison, Meg Ryan as Pamela Courson , Kyle MacLachlan as Ray Manzarek, Frank Whaley as Robby Krieger,...

.

In popular culture

It is recurrent in the 1981 film entitled Excalibur
Excalibur (film)
Excalibur is a 1981 dramatic fantasy film directed, produced and co-written by John Boorman that retells the legend of King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table. Adapted from the 15th century Arthurian romance, Le Morte d'Arthur by Thomas Malory, Excalibur features the music of Richard Wagner...

- when Arthur and his Knights ride into battle.
James Burke
James Burke (science historian)
James Burke is a British broadcaster, science historian, author and television producer known amongst other things for his documentary television series Connections and its more philosophical oriented companion production, The Day the Universe Changed , focusing on the history of science and...

's 1978 BBC series Connections
Connections (TV series)
Connections is a ten-episode documentary television series created, written and presented by science historian James Burke. The series was produced and directed by Mick Jackson of the BBC Science & Features Department and first aired in 1978 and 1979...

used the piece as background music in several episodes.
It was used to underscore jet-car racing in the 1984 IMAX
IMAX
IMAX is a motion picture film format and a set of proprietary cinema projection standards created by the Canadian company IMAX Corporation. IMAX has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film systems...

film Speed
Speed (IMAX)
Written and directed by Greg MacGillivray of MacGillivray Freeman Films in 1984, Speed is a documentary which chronicles the development of human technology as part of our desire to go faster than before....

.
It was used numerous times in Season 1, Episode 7 of the Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...

TV show Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...

in scenes between Will Schuester and Sue Sylvester.
Sung every year at the matriculation
Matriculation
Matriculation, in the broadest sense, means to be registered or added to a list, from the Latin matricula – little list. In Scottish heraldry, for instance, a matriculation is a registration of armorial bearings...

ceremony at the University of Oslo
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...

.
Used in Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...

's teaser "Brace Yourself" at the beginning of the Dangerous World Tour [not shown on the DVD Live in Bucharest: The Dangerous Tour
Live in Bucharest: The Dangerous Tour
Live in Bucharest: The Dangerous Tour is a live concert DVD released by Michael Jackson in 2005. The DVD was previously included with the Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection box set. The concert took place during Jackson's first leg on his Dangerous World Tour on October 1, 1992 at the...

but shown on the TV version] and on Dangerous - The Short Films
Dangerous - The Short Films
Dangerous: The Short Films is a collection of music videos from the Dangerous album by Michael Jackson released initially on VHS, double Video CD in 1993 and reissued on DVD in 2001...

and Video Greatest Hits – HIStory.
Used in the summer of 2008 as the Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...

came up to bat at Miller Park.
Featured in commercials for Gatorade
Gatorade
Gatorade is a brand of sports-themed food and beverage products, built around its signature product: a line of sports drinks. Gatorade is currently manufactured by PepsiCo, distributed in over 80 countries...

and Old Spice
Old Spice
Old Spice is a prominent American brand of male grooming products. It is manufactured by Procter & Gamble, which acquired the brand in 1990 from the Shulton Company.-History:...

, the latter later parodied in a commercial for Carling Black Label.
Featured in a Carlton Draught
Carlton Draught
Carlton Draught is a 4.6% pale lager made in Australia by Carlton & United Beverages.-Description:Carlton Draught is a pale lager which is sold on tap in its home state of Victoria as well as in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia, and is one of Australia's most...

beer ad called Carlton Draught: Big Ad
Carlton Draught: Big Ad
The "Big Ad" is a television advertisement for Carlton Draught pale lager. It was created by George Patterson and Partners of Melbourne, Australia. The agency used viral marketing techniques to promote the advertisement before it was broadcast on television...

.
Played at New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...

home games prior to the team exiting the tunnel. It is accompanied by team highlights and more recently a scene from the film 300
300 (film)
300 is a 2007 American fantasy action film based on the 1998 comic series of the same name by Frank Miller. It is a fictionalized retelling of the Battle of Thermopylae. The film was directed by Zack Snyder, while Miller served as executive producer and consultant...

.
Played at University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...

home football games as team exits the tunnel through smoke.
It was used as part of the ring
Wrestling ring
A wrestling ring is the ring stage on which professional wrestlers wrestle.-Configuration and construction:The configuration and construction of the "traditional" ring is very similar to that of a boxing ring, though the wrestling version has three ring ropes...

entrance for The Undertaker (more precisely during the entrance of the druids) at Wrestlemania 14 in his match against his kayfabe
Kayfabe
In professional wrestling, kayfabe is the portrayal of events within the industry as "real" or "true". Specifically, the portrayal of professional wrestling, in particular the competition and rivalries between participants, as being genuine or not of a worked nature...

half brother Kane. It was also used in many video packages for the WWE during their pay-per-views.
It is used as bumper music
Bumper music
Bumper music, or a bump, is a term used in the radio broadcasting industry to refer to short clips of signature or theme music used to buffer transitions between programming elements. Bumper music is commonly employed when a syndicated program takes a break for local station identification or...

on The Sean Hannity Show
The Sean Hannity Show
The Sean Hannity Show is a talk radio show hosted by Sean Hannity on Citadel Media and Premiere Radio Networks. The program is broadcast live every weekday, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m...

on talk radio.
Often used on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. Late Night aired weeknights at 12:37 am...

when a video or picture of former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney
Dick Cheney
Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the 46th Vice President of the United States , under George W. Bush....

is shown.
Played as background music when the Evil Puppy is introduced on Late Night with Conan O'Brien.
Used in the soundtracks of the films The Hunt for Red October
The Hunt for Red October (film)
The Hunt for Red October is a 1990 thriller film based on the novel of the same name by Tom Clancy. It was directed by John McTiernan and stars Sean Connery as Captain Marko Ramius and Alec Baldwin as Jack Ryan...

, The General's Daughter
The General's Daughter
The General's Daughter is a 1999 murder mystery film starring John Travolta. The plot concerns the mysterious death of the daughter of a prominent general. The movie is based on the novel by the same name written in 1992 by Nelson DeMille, and was directed by Simon West...

, and Capitalism: A Love Story
Capitalism: A Love Story
Capitalism: A Love Story is a 2009 American documentary film directed, written by and starring Michael Moore. The film centers on the late-2000s financial crisis and the recovery stimulus, while putting forward an indictment of the current economic order in the United States and capitalism in general...

.
Played at The University of Notre Dame during football games when the president of the college
John I. Jenkins
Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., was elected president of the University of Notre Dame by the Notre Dame Board of Trustees on April 30, 2004, and became the University’s 17th president on July 1, 2005...

walks on the field to declare the opposing team's players in need of exorcism
Exorcism
Exorcism is the religious practice of evicting demons or other spiritual entities from a person or place which they are believed to have possessed...

.
It is used in a trailer for the film Paul Blart: Mall Cop.
It is used in a trailer for the film The Nutty Professor
The Nutty Professor
The Nutty Professor is a 1963 Paramount Pictures science fiction comedy feature film produced, directed, co-written and starring Jerry Lewis...

with Eddie Murphy
Eddie Murphy
Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician....

.
It is used in a trailer for the film Waterworld
Waterworld
Waterworld is a 1995 post-apocalyptic science fiction film. The film was directed by Kevin Reynolds and co-written by Peter Rader and David Twohy. It is based on Rader's original 1986 screenplay and stars Kevin Costner, who also produced it. It was distributed by Universal Pictures...

with Kevin Costner
Kevin Costner
Kevin Michael Costner is an American actor, singer, musician, producer, director, and businessman. He has been nominated for three BAFTA Awards, won two Academy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. Costner's roles include Lt. John J...

.
It is used in a trailer for the film South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut is a 1999 animated musical comedy film based on the animated television series South Park, created by Matt Stone and Trey Parker. The film was directed by Parker, who also stars along with the rest of the regular voice cast from the series, including Stone, Mary...

.
A rendition performed by the Boston Pops Orchestra
Boston Pops Orchestra
The Boston Pops Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts, that specializes in playing light classical and popular music....

and conducted by John Williams
John Williams
John Towner Williams is an American composer, conductor, and pianist. In a career spanning almost six decades, he has composed some of the most recognizable film scores in the history of motion pictures, including the Star Wars saga, Jaws, Superman, the Indiana Jones films, E.T...

appeared on the Summon the Heroes album.
A version of "O Fortuna" was used in a trailer for the anime film The End of Evangelion
The End of Evangelion
is a 1997 Japanese animated science fiction film written and directed by Hideaki Anno along with Kazuya Tsurumaki; it ended the anime releases in the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise until the Rebuild of Evangelion tetralogy remakes were announced in 2006....

.
It is performed by a convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...

of nuns in the episode "Gone Maggie Gone
Gone Maggie Gone
"Gone Maggie Gone" is the thirteenth episode of The Simpsons twentieth season. It originally aired on FOX in the United States on March 15, 2009. The episode was written by both Billy Kimball and longtime Simpsons writer Ian Maxtone-Graham, and directed by Chris Clements...

" and in a commercial in the episode "Bart Gets a 'Z'
Bart Gets a 'Z'
"Bart Gets a 'Z" is the second episode of The Simpsons twenty-first season. It originally aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company in the United States on October 4, 2009....

" of The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...

.
It is played in the beginning and end of Jackass: The Movie
Jackass: The Movie
Jackass: The Movie is a 2002 American reality film directed by Jeff Tremaine with the tagline "Do not attempt this at home." It is a riskier and uncensored continuation of the stunts and pranks by the various characters of the MTV television series Jackass, which had completed its unique series...

.
It is played in the film Cheaper by the Dozen
Cheaper by the Dozen (2003 film)
Cheaper by the Dozen is a 2003 American comedy film about a family with 12 children . The film takes its title from the 1948 biography of the same name of Frank Bunker Gilbreth and Lillian Moller Gilbreth and their 12 children, but other than the title and the concept of a family with 12 children,...

at the end of Dylan's party scene.
A version is played at the beginning of a Pakistani documentary End of Times, The Hidden Truth.
Irish boxer and WBA World Super Bantamweight Champion Bernard Dunne
Bernard Dunne
Bernard Dunne is a retired Irish professional boxer and a former WBA, and European super bantamweight champion.On Saturday 21 March 2009, Dunne waged the war that he would be best remembered for and defeated Ricardo Cordoba in the 11th round to become the WBA super bantamweight champion in a fight...

enters the ring to a mix of O Fortuna and the Irish song The Irish Rover.
It is the entrance music of UFC Fighter Nate "The Great" Marquart when he enters the Octagon.
The song was played vocally as an entrance music for wrestler Alex Wright
Alex Wright
Alex Wright is a German-British former professional wrestler. He wrestled professionally in Germany and Japan before signing with World Championship Wrestling in 1994...

when he was in WCW.
It is played in the British sitcom Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses is a British sitcom, created and written by John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom between 1981 and 1991, with sporadic Christmas specials until 2003...

, whenever Rodney sees his young nephew Damien.
It is played during a video on the Jumbotron
Jumbotron
A JumboTron is a large-screen television using technology developed by Sony, typically used in sports stadiums and concert venues to show close-up shots of the event. Although JumboTron is a registered trademark owned by the Sony Corporation, the word jumbotron is often used by the public as a...

before every home Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...

home game. It is uncertain when this practice began, but it was not done in the year of 2008, resuming in 2009.
It is used as the entrace theme for the judges onThe X Factor
The X Factor (TV series)
The X Factor is a television talent show franchise originating in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for Pop Idol. It is a singing competition, now held in various countries, which pits contestants against each other. These contestants are aspiring pop singers drawn from...

.
Performed by a chorus
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...

during the Qlimax
Qlimax
Qlimax is an annual event held by the Dutch entertainment enterprise, Q-Dance. It is considered one of the leading hardstyle events on the calendar and a major attraction of Q-Dance and contains some of the most sophisticated production and setup for any event....

2008.
It is used in the "mugging" scene in Detroit Rock City
Detroit Rock City (film)
Detroit Rock City is a 1999 film about four teenagers in a Kiss cover band who try to see their idols in Detroit in 1978. Comparable to Rock 'n' Roll High School, Dazed and Confused, The Stöned Age, and I Wanna Hold Your Hand, Detroit Rock City tells a coming of age story through a filter of 1970s...

.
A similar sounding piece of music, written by James Horner
James Horner
James Roy Horner is an American composer, orchestrator and conductor of orchestral and film music. He is noted for the integration of choral and electronic elements in many of his film scores, and for frequent use of Celtic musical elements...

and sung by the Boys Choir of Harlem
Boys Choir of Harlem
The Boys Choir of Harlem was a choir located in Harlem, New York City, United States. Its last performance was in 2007 and the group folded shortly thereafter due to several controversies, a large budget deficit, and the death of its founder.Founded in 1968 by Dr...

, was used in the Assault on Fort Wagner Scene in the film Glory. However, the song was played for the trailer to Glory.
Rachel Maddow on MSNBC showing "O Fortuna" in a parody of commercials from the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

attacking the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

.
The Howard Stern Show has used a parody of the song in its endless series of fan-submitted Baba Booey songs whenever show producer, Gary Dell'Abate
Gary Dell'Abate
Gary Patrick Angelo Dell'Abate , also known as "Baba Booey", is an American radio producer, known for being the executive producer of The Howard Stern Show. His autobiography, They Call Me Baba Booey, was released on November 2, 2010.-Early life and career:Dell'Abate was born in Uniondale, New...

, enters the studio.
Used as the intro to Vital Remains
Vital Remains
Vital Remains is an American death metal band from Providence, Rhode Island formed in 1988.- History :Created in 1988 by guitarist Paul Flynn, Vital Remains' first line-up consisted of guitarist Butch Machado, vocalist Mike Flynn, bassist Tom Supkow, and drummer Chris Dupont. Searching for better...

's album Dechristianize.
The Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy VII
is a role-playing video game developed by Square and published by Sony Computer Entertainment as the seventh installment in the Final Fantasy series. It was originally released in 1997 for the Sony PlayStation and was re-released in 1998 for Microsoft Windows-based personal computers and in 2009...

song and theme for Safer Sephiroth (later became Sephiroth's main theme) One Winged Angel was derived from and inspired by O Fortuna.
The song appears as a ringtone of Ian Maxtone-Jones' (Dave Matthews) cell phone in the movie Just Go With It (2011).
Shortened and used as the background music for Code Lyoko
Code Lyoko
Code Lyoko is a French animated television series created by Thomas Romain and Tania Palumbo. The series centers on boarding school students Jeremie, Ulrich, Yumi, and Odd who travel to the virtual world of Lyoko to fight against multi-agent computer program XANA with Aelita, a being originally...

's fourth season's trailer.
Was used as background music during an episode of Survivor
Survivor (TV series)
Survivor is a reality television game show format produced in many countries throughout the world. In the show, contestants are isolated in the wilderness and compete for cash and other prizes. The show uses a system of progressive elimination, allowing the contestants to vote off other tribe...

while Benjamin "Coach" Wade was stretching in the water, marking the first time Survivor used a nonoriginal piece of music for the show.
It was played at Purdue Engineering
Purdue University College of Engineering
The Purdue University College of Engineering is one of eight major academic divisions, or colleges, of Purdue University. Established in 1874 with programs in Civil and Mechanical Engineering, the college now offers B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in more than a dozen disciplines...

graduation for class of 2007.
Was used in an advertisement of Ufone, a Pakistani GSM cellular service provider.
Is played when the players of Southampton Football Club walk out onto the pitch.
It is played before West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...

matches at The Hawthorns
The Hawthorns
The Hawthorns is an all-seater football stadium in West Bromwich, Sandwell, England, with a capacity of 26,484. It has been the home of West Bromwich Albion F.C. since 1900, when it became the sixth ground to be used by the club. The ground was the last Football League ground to be built in the...

.
It is played over the Public Address speakers in the Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...

' Joe Louis Arena
Joe Louis Arena
Joe Louis Arena, nicknamed The Joe and JLA is a hockey arena located at 600 Civic Center Drive in Detroit, Michigan. It is the home of the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League. Completed in 1979 at a cost of $57 million, Joe Louis Arena is named after boxer and former heavyweight...

just before crucial faceoffs or shootout attempts
It is played at every Charlotte Bobcats
Charlotte Bobcats
The Charlotte Bobcats is a professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association. The Bobcats were established in 2004 as an expansion team, two seasons after Charlotte's previous NBA...

home game prior to Bobcat starting line-up introductions.
The episode "All I Wanted Was a Slushie" of the animated series Megas XLR
Megas XLR
Megas XLR is an American animated television series that aired on the Toonami block on Cartoon Network and is produced by Cartoon Network Studios. It was created by Jody Schaeffer and George Krstic...

featured a parody played whenever the R.E.G.I.S. Mark V robot was onscreen.
It was used in the trailer for Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island
Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island
Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island is a 1998 American animated comedy film based on the animated television series Scooby-Doo Saturday morning cartoon franchise...

.
It was performed by Rhydian and Only Men Aloud!
Only Men Aloud!
Only Men Aloud! is a male voice choir from Wales. The choir came to national prominence in the UK when they won the Last Choir Standing competition run by BBC television during 2008.-Overview:...

at the Classical Brit Awards#2010.
Spelbound, the winners of Britain's Got Talent
Britain's Got Talent
Britain's Got Talent is a British television talent show competition which started in June 2007 and originated from the Got Talent series. The show is produced by FremantleMedia's TalkbackThames and Simon Cowell's production company SYCOtv. The show is broadcast on ITV in Britain and TV3 in Ireland...

2010, used the music as their audition piece and in the final.
It was used in The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...

's The E.N.D. World Tour
The E.N.D. World Tour
The E.N.D. World Tour was the third concert tour by American hip hop group The Black Eyed Peas, in support of their fifth studio album, The E.N.D. . The tour began in Japan on September 15, 2009, with shows also performed in Australia and New Zealand in 2009...

when Will.I.Am
Will.i.am
William James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...

came out to do his DJ set.
It was used in TV spots and other things, including the opening ceremony for the Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror.
It was played in the American Dad episode "A Smith in the Hand" when Francine
Francine Smith
Francine Smith is a fictional character on the animated television series American Dad!. She is the wife of Stan Smith and the mother of Steve and Hayley. Francine is voiced by Wendy Schaal.-Fictional character biography:...

drives home after forgetting her underwear, only to almost catch Stan
Stan Smith (American Dad!)
Stan Smith is a character from the animated television series American Dad!. Stan is a Central Intelligence Agency officer. Although once a case officer, he is now a weapons expert. Stan is voiced by the series' creator and executive producer, Seth MacFarlane.-Summary:Stan Smith born 12 February,...

masturbating
Masturbation
Masturbation refers to sexual stimulation of a person's own genitals, usually to the point of orgasm. The stimulation can be performed manually, by use of objects or tools, or by some combination of these methods. Masturbation is a common form of autoeroticism...

.
The Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....

played it before games during the 2004-2005 season.
It is used in the final scene of Slava's Snowshow, the Snow Storm.
It was remixed from DJ Outblast and DJ Korsakoff for Masters of Hardcore
Masters of Hardcore
Masters of Hardcore is currently the biggest and best-known independent gabber music record label.Founded in 1995 in Zaandam, Netherlands, MOH was set out to revive the then stagnating gabber scene, which was considered watered down and blending into other "non-purist" genres like happy hardcore...

in the anthem "Masters' Symphony" in 2001.
The piece 'Massacre/Canoes' by Trevor Jones in the film Last of the Mohicans
The Last of the Mohicans (1992 film)
The Last of the Mohicans is a 1992 historical epic film set in 1757 during the French and Indian War and produced by Morgan Creek Pictures. It was directed by Michael Mann and based on James Fenimore Cooper's novel of the same name, although it owes more to George B. Seitz's 1936 film adaptation...

draws from it directly.
The song was played in a scene where a man fell in a pen of gorillas at a zoo in The Far Side
The Far Side
The Far Side is a popular single-panel comic created by Gary Larson and syndicated by Universal Press Syndicate, which ran from January 1, 1980, to January 1, 1995. Its surrealistic humor is often based on uncomfortable social situations, improbable events, an anthropomorphic view of the world,...

animated special.
Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...

used it in his introduction at Glastonbury 2010.
Enigma
Enigma (musical project)
Enigma is an electronic musical project founded in Germany by Michael Cretu, David Fairstein and Frank Peterson in 1990. The Romanian-born Cretu conceived the Enigma project while working in Germany, but has based his recording studio A.R.T. Studios in Ibiza, Spain, since the early 1990s until May...

used it for their songs "Gravity of Love" and "Modern Crusaders" in the album The Screen Behind the Mirror
The Screen Behind the Mirror
-Singles:*1999 – "Gravity of Love" *2000 – "Push the Limits" -Personnel:*Ruth-Ann Boyle - lead vocals*Michael Cretu - record producer, lead vocals*Sandra Cretu - voices*Andru Donalds - lead vocals*Jens Gad - guitar...

.
A version of "O Fortuna" was used as "walk on" music in the North American shows by Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...

's "Blizzard of Ozz
Blizzard of Ozz
Blizzard of Ozz is the first solo studio album by British singer/songwriter Ozzy Osbourne, recorded in Surrey, UK and released on September 20, 1980 in the UK and on March 27, 1981 in the U.S.. It is the comeback album of Osbourne following his firing from Black Sabbath the previous year...

" circa 1981-82. A verifiable exhibit exists on the 1987 Randy Rhoads
Randy Rhoads
Randall William "Randy" Rhoads was an American heavy metal guitarist who played with Ozzy Osbourne and Quiet Riot. A devoted student of classical guitar, Rhoads often combined his classical music influences with his own heavy metal style. While on tour with Ozzy Osbourne, he would seek out...

"Tribute
Tribute
A tribute is wealth, often in kind, that one party gives to another as a sign of respect or, as was often the case in historical contexts, of submission or allegiance. Various ancient states, which could be called suzerains, exacted tribute from areas they had conquered or threatened to conquer...

" recording. The piece was used a segue into the band's set opener, "I Don't Know
Blizzard of Ozz
Blizzard of Ozz is the first solo studio album by British singer/songwriter Ozzy Osbourne, recorded in Surrey, UK and released on September 20, 1980 in the UK and on March 27, 1981 in the U.S.. It is the comeback album of Osbourne following his firing from Black Sabbath the previous year...

".
Used by Miami sports-talk radio host Dan LeBatard as the background music of his opening monologue after The Decision (LeBron James) and the 2010 opening week loss by the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

.
It was played on I'm on Setanta Sports
I'm on Setanta Sports
Special 1 TV is a satirical football television programme, produced by Blue Elf Productions and Caboom Entertainment....

by Sven-Goran Eriksson
Sven-Göran Eriksson
Sven-Göran Eriksson , in Sweden commonly referred to just by his nickname Svennis, is a Swedish ex-football manager. From October 2010 to October 2011 he managed Football League Championship side Leicester City....

to announce the arrival of "The Boy Rooney" (Wayne Rooney
Wayne Rooney
Wayne Mark Rooney is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Manchester United and the England national team...

).

It was used in the beginning of BBC's [BBC] Top 50 Most Shocking World Cup Moments.

It is used and parodies numerous times in The Sims Medieval
The Sims Medieval
The Sims Medieval is a video game in The Sims series based upon The Sims 3 Engine, developed and published by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X and iOS, was released on March 22, 2011. The game was also released through PC downloads on the same date. Set in medieval times, it...

, including a quest of the name and a book entitled, "O, For Tuna!"
On the opening ceremony of the 50th Anniversary of the Struga Poetry Evenings
Struga Poetry Evenings
Struga Poetry Evenings is an international poetry festival held annually in Struga, Republic of Macedonia. During the several decades of its existence, the Festival has awarded its most prestigious award, the Golden Wreath, to some of the most notable international poets, including: Mahmoud...

2011, on August the 25th 2011, it was performed by a chamber orchestra.

Bands and artists that have covered/sampled the work

Alex Kidd (Electro House Producer)- Sampled work without permission in his track "Unholy Grail" and consequently had several accounts on YouTube, who uploaded the work and used it in musical mixes, cited for copyright infringement.
Aion
Apoptygma Berzerk
Apoptygma Berzerk
Apoptygma Berzerk is a Norwegian musical group. They have achieved success with a brand of synthpop, and ballads backed with electronic rhythms, commonly known within the scene and referring to themselves as "futurepop". Apop has won awards and top-10 spots in Germany and Scandinavia...
Apotheosis
Bornholm
Botch
Botch (band)
Botch was a four-piece mathcore band from Tacoma, Washington, United States, that formed in 1993 and disbanded in 2002.-History:The band released two full-length albums and a handful of smaller releases including several singles and an EP. Its members went on an indefinite hiatus to form Roy,...
Bullet For My Valentine
Bullet for My Valentine
Bullet for My Valentine are a Welsh heavy metal band from Bridgend, formed in 1998. The band is composed of Matt Tuck , Michael Paget , Jason James , and Michael Thomas . They were formed under the name Jeff Killed John and started their music career by covering songs by Metallica and Nirvana...
Turetsky Choir
Choir of Michael Turetsky
-The Milestones of the History of the Turetsky Choir:* 1989 — Mikhail Turetsky creates and conducts the Moscow Choral Synagogue's* 1990 — Thanks to the American Joint Distribution Committee , the Choir made its official debut at the Moscow Choral Synagogue in 1990 and ever since, has been a vehicle...
Clan of Xymox
Clan of Xymox
The band Clan of Xymox, also known as Xymox, formed in the Netherlands in 1981. Clan Of Xymox featured a trio of songwriters - Pieter Nooten, Ronny Moorings and Anke [also Anka] Wolbert - and gained success in the 1980s, releasing their first two albums on a prestigious independent UK label, a...
DJ Irene
DJ Irene
DJ Irene is an American electronic music DJ and producer.-Discography:*LA 5 Underground House Mix *Hard House Live At The Legendary Arena *Club Series *UC 98 *Hard House Diva...
DJ Korsakoff
DJ Paul
DJ Paul
Paul Beauregard, better known by his stage name DJ Paul, is an American rapper and record producer from Memphis, Tennessee. He is one half of the current Memphis-based rap group Three 6 Mafia. He is also the half brother of former Three 6 Mafia member Lord Infamous. He won an Academy Award for Best...

(Used in his 2009 single featuring Lord Infamous
Lord Infamous
Lord Infamous is an American rapper. He is a co-founder of the Memphis rap group Three 6 Mafia. He is also considered by fans and critics alike as being the more psychotic member of the group, with his lyrics touching on occult subject matters such as christianity, satanism, mass murder, suicide,...

"You Don't Want It")
The Diplomats (Used in the Single "Get em Daddy" by Camron & The Diplomats)
Enigma
Enigma (musical project)
Enigma is an electronic musical project founded in Germany by Michael Cretu, David Fairstein and Frank Peterson in 1990. The Romanian-born Cretu conceived the Enigma project while working in Germany, but has based his recording studio A.R.T. Studios in Ibiza, Spain, since the early 1990s until May...
Epica
Epica (band)
Epica is a Dutch symphonic metal band founded by guitarist and vocalist Mark Jansen subsequent to his departure from After Forever. They are known for their symphonic sound and the use of female vocals and male growls performed by Simone Simons and Mark Jansen, respectively. All six members write...
Era
Era (musical project)
Era is a New Age music project by French composer Eric Lévi. The band has sold more than 12 million albums...
Estampie
Estampie (band)
Estampie is a German music group, founded in 1985 by Sigrid Hausen , Michael Popp and Ernst Schwindl. The band plays primarily medieval music, with some modern influences from world and minimalist music.-Members:...
Face
Face (a cappella group)
Face are a Boulder, Colorado-based "all-vocal rock band," or a cappella group performing mostly rock music. National appearances and awards include one of the eight original groups on NBC's premiere season of "The Sing-Off" , two-time Runner-Up and two-time National Audience Favorite at the...
:nl:Fortuna & Satenig
Gregorian
Gregorian (band)
Gregorian is a German band headed by Frank Peterson that performs Gregorian chant-inspired versions of modern pop and rock songs. The band features both vocal harmony and instrumental accompaniment.- Band history :...
Highland
Highland (band)
- History :Their music is recognizable for using Italian and sometimes Latin lyrics together with hip hop beats and rapping performed in English. The members of the act were the singer Nicole Heiland and the rappers Dean Burke and Patrice "Lady Scar" Gansau...
Insurgent
Insurgent
Insurgent, insurgents or insurgency can refer to:* The act of insurgency-Specific insurgencies:* Iraqi insurgency, uprising in Iraq* Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir, uprising in India* Insurgency in North-East India...
KMFDM
KMFDM
KMFDM is an industrial band led by German multi-instrumentalist Sascha Konietzko, who founded the group in 1984 as a performance art project...

(sample)
Lord Infamous
Lord Infamous
Lord Infamous is an American rapper. He is a co-founder of the Memphis rap group Three 6 Mafia. He is also considered by fans and critics alike as being the more psychotic member of the group, with his lyrics touching on occult subject matters such as christianity, satanism, mass murder, suicide,...

(Used in the song "Ball Off" in his 2009 Album "After Sics" and is featured in DJ Paul
DJ Paul
Paul Beauregard, better known by his stage name DJ Paul, is an American rapper and record producer from Memphis, Tennessee. He is one half of the current Memphis-based rap group Three 6 Mafia. He is also the half brother of former Three 6 Mafia member Lord Infamous. He won an Academy Award for Best...

's single "You Don't Want It")
Massacra
Massacra
Massacra was one of France's leading death/thrash metal bands in the early nineties.After recording three demos in the 1980s, they finally landed a deal with Shark Records from Germany, and released their famous debut, 'Final Holocaust' in 1990...
Milwaukee Children's Choir
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Its primary performing venue is the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts...
Ministry
Ministry (band)
Ministry is an American industrial metal band founded by lead singer Al Jourgensen in 1981. Originally a synthpop outfit, Ministry changed its style to industrial metal in the late 1980s. Ministry found mainstream success in the early 1990s with its most successful album Psalm 69: The Way to...
On Mystery Science Theatre 3000, it was used as the basis for Tom Servo
Tom Servo
Tom Servo is a fictional character from the American science fiction comedy television show Mystery Science Theater 3000 . Tom is one of two wise-cracking, robotic main characters of the show, built by Joel Robinson to act as a companion and help stave off space madness as Joel was forced to watch...

's personal theme song.
Rapper Nas
Nas
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...

uses it as the background music to his song "Hate Me Now"
Nightwish
Nightwish
Nightwish is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Kitee, Finland. Formed in 1996 by songwriter and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, and former vocalist Tarja Turunen, Nightwish's current line-up has five members, although Tarja has been replaced by Anette Olzon and the...
Ragnarok
DJ Nick Skitz
Nick Skitz
Nick Skitz is an Australian DJ and dance music producer. He was born as Nicholas Agamalis and his career in dance music started in the early 1990s...
Onslaught
Onslaught (band)
Onslaught are an English thrash metal band from Bristol, England. Initially active from 1983 to 1991, they reformed in 2004. The band initially drew influence from the second wave punk rock bands such as Discharge and The Exploited, and then adopted a straight forward thrash metal...
DJ Outblast
Overkill
Overkill (band)
Overkill is an American thrash metal band, formed in 1980 in New Jersey. They have gone through many line-up changes, with singer Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth and bassist D.D. Verni remaining from the original lineup. Along with Anthrax , the band is one of the most successful East Coast thrash metal...
Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
Peabody Conservatory Wind Ensemble
Rhydian Roberts
Rhydian Roberts
Rhydian James Roberts , popularly known as Rhydian, is a classically trained Welsh baritone and crossover artist. He rose to fame on The X Factor in 2007...
Sepultura
Sepultura
Sepultura is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte, formed in 1984. The band was a major force in the death metal, thrash metal and ultimately groove metal realms during the late 1980s and early 1990s, with their later experiments melding nu metal, hardcore punk and industrial.Sepultura...
Spiritual Project
St. Mark's Philharmonic Orchestra
The Disco Biscuits
Tristania
Tristania (band)
Tristania is a band from Norway, formed in 1996 by Morten Veland, Einar Moen and Kenneth Olsson. Tristania's music is usually classified as symphonic gothic metal with doom/death metal influences , due to its strong ties with the goth metal's history...
Therion
Therion (band)
Therion is a Swedish symphonic metal band founded by Christofer Johnsson in 1987. The word "therion" comes from the Greek therion , meaning "Beast," i.e., that of the Christian Book of Revelation...
The Rush (used at the beginning of the Sensation White Anthem 2004)
Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Trans-Siberian Orchestra is an American progressive metal band founded in 1993 by producer, composer, and lyricist Paul O'Neill, who brought together Jon Oliva and Al Pitrelli and keyboardist and co-producer Robert Kinkel to form the core of the creative team. Since then, TSO sold nearly 8...
Traumatic Stress featuring Miss Fortuna (Recorded as "No Fortuna" as their "answer" to the Apotheosis' version)
Van Helsing's Curse (used at the end of the song "Let Me Prey")
Vital Remains
Vital Remains
Vital Remains is an American death metal band from Providence, Rhode Island formed in 1988.- History :Created in 1988 by guitarist Paul Flynn, Vital Remains' first line-up consisted of guitarist Butch Machado, vocalist Mike Flynn, bassist Tom Supkow, and drummer Chris Dupont. Searching for better...
John Williams
John Williams
John Towner Williams is an American composer, conductor, and pianist. In a career spanning almost six decades, he has composed some of the most recognizable film scores in the history of motion pictures, including the Star Wars saga, Jaws, Superman, the Indiana Jones films, E.T...

, on the album, Summon the Heroes
Ysgol Glanaethwy
Ysgol Glanaethwy
Ysgol Glanaethwy is a drama school in Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales.-History:Opened in 1990, Ysol Glanaethwy is a performing arts school that operates outside of normal school hours...

( Used for Last Choir Standing
Last Choir Standing
Last Choir Standing was a 2008 talent show-themed television series produced by the BBC in the United Kingdom. Broadcast on BBC One in July and August 2008, the series saw amateur choirs competing each week to be the 'last choir standing'....

.)

Lawsuit

In 1991, when the Belgian group named Apotheosis produced a heavily re-sampled version of "O Fortuna", the estate of Carl Orff (who died in 1982) successfully sued to stop the distribution of the record on the grounds of copyright infringement. The verdict also reflected to Fortuna's version which in the week of the verdict just reached the #1-position in the Dutch charts "Mega Top 100", while Apotheosis was at #4. The week after, the two songs slipped down that chart in an unprecedented way.

In popular culture

Bands and artists that have covered/sampled the work

Lawsuit

See also