A big theme in 1984: American movies
Given that Los Angeles is the heart of American cinema, it makes sense. There were songs from movies like Night Shift, Indiana Jones, Rocky, and James Bond.
Another theme: Americana.
In addition to the emphasis on American TV and films, there were plenty of other American moments — from Szabo’s routine to “Hooked on America” to Wu’s “Stars and Stripes Forever” to Bileck’s “Rodeo” montage. (Rodeo is a ballet composed by American composer Aaron Copland.)
Below, you can find a partial list of floor music used at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. If you have any corrections or additions, feel free to use the comments at the bottom of this page.
Note: The Spotify playlist does not include all the songs mentioned below, and sometimes, it includes a different version of a song.
Brazil
Figueiredo, Tatiana
“Going the Distance,” Bill Conti (Rocky)
Canada
Wittmeier, Bonnie
“That’s What Friends Are For,” Rod Stewart (Night Shift)
Tudos, Jessica
“Help,” Charles Fox (Foul Play)
“Foul Play Disco,” Charles Fox (Foul Play)
China
Ma Yanhong
“1980,” Herb Alpert
“Logan’s Run,” Geoff Love & His Orchestra (Logan’s Run)
Wu Jiani
“Entry of the Gladiators (Thunder and Blazes),” Louis-Philippe Laurendeau
“Stars and Stripes Forever,” John Philip Sousa
Note: “Entry of the Gladiators” is the song that Americans frequently associate with clowns and the circus.
Huang Qun
Indiana Jones Theme Song, John Williams
Great Britain
Harrison, Amanda
“Malagueña”
Young, Lisa
“Piano Sonata No. 15 in C Major, K. 545: 1. Allegro,” Mozart
Larner, Sally
“For Your Eyes Only,” Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (James Bond: For Your Eyes Only)
Romania
Szabo, Ecaterina
“Hooked on America,” Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Note: Lavinia Miloșovici used the same music at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
Cutina, Laura
“La Torre del Oro,” Luis Cobos
“Zarzuela,” Luis Cobos
Grigoraș, Cristina
“Preludium Cmi,” ORM
Agache, Lavinia
“Bolero,” Maurice Ravel
Spain
Muñoz, Laura
“Sol y sombra,” Luis Cobos
“Españoleras,” Luis Cobos
Manso, Ana
“Jalousie,” Jacob Gade, Werner Müller und sein Orchester
Artigas, Marta
“Fanfare Intro/Reach Out I’ll Be There,” London Symphony Orchestra
Switzerland
Kessler, Romi
“Somewhere (Ballet),” Leonard Bernstein (West Side Story)
“Prologue & Jet Song,” Leonard Bernstein (West Side Story)
United States
Retton, Mary Lou
“Sanie cu zurgălăi,” Richard Stein
McNamara, Julianne
“Hungarian Rhapsodies, S. 244: No. 2 in C-Sharp Minor,” Liszt (Orchestral)
Johnson, Kathy
“Coppilia (Ballet Suite),” Léo Delibes
Dusserre, Michelle
“You Stepped out of a Dream,” Kurt Edelhagen
“Down by the Riverside,” Kurt Edelhagen
Talavera, Tracee
The HBO Introduction Music, Ferdinand J. Smith
Bileck, Pam
“Rodeo: Buckaroo Holiday,” Aaron Copland
“4 Dance Episodes from Rodeo: IV. Hoe-Down,” Aaron Copland
Compulsory Music
Music by: Carol Stabisevski
Note: Stabisevski was the Romanian team’s pianist in the mid-1970s until he defected to the United States. You can read a bit more about him in this article.