Editing Die Hard (section)

===Music===
{{Main|Die Hard (soundtrack)}}

{{Listen|filename=Die Hard 1988 - Assault on the Tower.ogg|title=''Michael Kamen&nbsp;– Assault on the Tower''|description=Kamen used samples from various classic songs and sleigh bells to create a score that highlighted the violence|format=[[Ogg]]}}
Before hiring composer [[Michael Kamen]], McTiernan knew he wanted to include [[Beethoven]]'s [[Symphony No. 9 (Beethoven)|9th Symphony]] (commonly known as "Ode to Joy"), having heard it in [[Stanley Kubrick]]'s ''[[A Clockwork Orange (film)|A Clockwork Orange]]'' (1971).{{sfn|Stilwell|1997|pp=568–569}} Kamen objected to "tarnishing" the piece in an action film and offered to misuse German composer [[Richard Wagner]]'s music instead.{{sfn|Stilwell|1997|pp=568–569}}{{sfn|Shivers|1995|p=13}} Once McTiernan explained how the 9th Symphony had been used in ''A Clockwork Orange'' to highlight the ultra-violence, Kamen had a better understanding of McTiernan's intentions.{{sfn|Stilwell|1997|pp=568–569}} In exchange, Kamen insisted that they also license the use of "[[Singin' in the Rain (song)|Singin' in the Rain]]" (1952) (also used in ''A Clockwork Orange'') and "[[Winter Wonderland]]" (1934).{{sfn|Shivers|1995|p=13}} He mixed the melodies of "Ode to Joy", "Winter Wonderland", and "Singin' in the Rain" into his score, mainly to underscore the villains.{{sfn|Lichtenfield|2017}}{{sfn|Stilwell|1997|p=561}}{{sfn|Shivers|1995|p=13}} The samples of "Ode to Joy" are played in slightly lower keys to sound more menacing; the references build to a performance of the symphony when Gruber finally accesses the Nakatomi vault.{{sfn|Shivers|1995|p=13}}{{sfn|Durnford|1995|p=16}} The score also references "[[Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!]]".<ref name="FilmTracks"/><ref name="AllMusicreview"/>{{sfn|Stilwell|1997|p=561}}

Kamen initially saw a mostly incomplete version of ''Die Hard'' and was unimpressed.{{sfn|Shivers|1995|p=13}} He saw the film as primarily about a "phenomenal bad guy" who made McClane seem less important.{{sfn|Shivers|1995|p=13}} Kamen was dismissive of film scores, believing they could not stand alone from the film.<ref name="IndependentKamen"/> His original score incorporates pizzicato and [[Violin technique|arco strings]], brass, woodwinds and sleigh bells added during moments of menace to counter their festive meaning.<ref name="AllMusicreview"/>{{sfn|Durnford|1995|p=16}} There are other uses of classical [[diegetic music]] in the film; the musicians at the party play [[Brandenburg Concertos#Concerto No. 3 in G major, BWV 1048|Brandenburg Concerto No.{{nbsp}}3]] by [[Johann Sebastian Bach]].{{sfn|Durnford|1995|p=16}}

McTiernan did not like a piece created for the final scene in which Karl attempts to kill McClane, and decided to use a [[Temp track|temporary track]] that was already in place: a piece of [[James Horner]]'s unused score for ''[[Aliens (film)|Aliens]]'' (1986). Cues are also used from the 1987 action film ''[[Man on Fire (1987 film)|Man on Fire]]''.<ref name="DevMisc"/><ref name="FilmTracks"/> ''Die Hard'' also features "[[Christmas in Hollis]]" by [[Run-DMC]], which would go on to be considered a Christmas classic, in part because of its use in the film.<ref name="BillboardHollis"/>