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The Daleksfor other, similarly-named pages.
"The Daleks" is the main musical motif for the creatures of the same name, composed by Murray Gold. The song is available on the Series 1 & 2 soundtrack. The piece is split into four sections making up the whole track. Typically a fan favourite, the track is known for its frequent use in Series 1 to 4 Dalek episodes and for its defining choral chants.
Track sections[]
The track begins with the particularly identifiable electronic synthesised sting that represents the impending Dalek threat, used when a Dalek first appears on screen.
The track then blends into a rising choral section, most notably used in Bad Wolf when the hidden Dalek ships are discovered above Earth.
This part contains vocalists singing "Oh, mah koreh?" (?הו, מה קורה), which is Hebrew slang for "Oh, what is happening?" or "Oh, what's up?".
The third section is a break from the chorus and orchestra, and features heavy percussion, timpani and synthesisers to represent the robotic and ominous side to the Daleks. This section is mainly used, but in a digitally composed form, in The Parting of the Ways and Journey's End.
The fourth and final section, probably the most used and recognisable Dalek leitmotif in the series, are rising powerful vocals and an intense orchestral build-up to a climax. This is used in every Series 1-4 Dalek episode except Bad Wolf, Daleks in Manhattan and The Stolen Earth.
This section of the track features the choir chanting Hebrew slang phrases "Ole sum d'var" which roughly translates to "Nothing much/Not a lot" and "Koreh gever" meaning "What's up man?".
Recording the choir and the Hebrew lyrical choice[]
All choral elements of the track were recorded with the Crouch End Festival Chorus at AIR Studios, London in December 2004. The vocals in the fourth section of the track were lowered in pitch to give a deeper and darker male sound; a "monkish" sound as quoted by Murray Gold in the Series 1 Doctor Who Confidential episode The Daleks (CON episode) . A full segment with behind the scenes footage of the choir recordings featuring Murray Gold and choir conductor David Temple at AIR Studios is featured in this Confidential episode.
The exact reasoning behind the choice of Hebrew slang phrases is unknown, but one can assume that this may have been done in a ironic way, as the Daleks are frequently compared to Nazis while Hebrew is synonymous with Judaism, a reference to the Holocaust. It is also worth noting that Murray Gold himself is of a Jewish background and may have felt familiar with some Hebrew words and phrases. It's possible he took inspiration from Carl Orff’s ‘O Fortuna’ and ‘Duel of the Fates’ from Star Wars, with the latter using similar sounding choral chants, but in ancient Sanskrit language.
The phrase "Nothing much/Not a lot" is a general reply to the everyday questions "What's happening?" or "What's up man?", emphasising the lyrical phrase choices to be a very simple call and response interaction, but with no actual relevant meaning to the Daleks. The idea for composing soundtrack chants in general usually lies behind the sound they have and effect they produce, rather than contextual meaningful words, which is likely what Gold was focusing on here.
In an interview for Doctor Who Confidential: Music and Monsters (CON episode), Murray Gold said:
"The Daleks' defining sound has become that choir. And I gave them some kind of quasi-Aramaic-type lyrics to sing, and they do have this kind of mystical vibe. I'm not sure why that is. I think it's because they are the archetypal villain and they are The Doctor's great nemesis."
According to Murray Gold in an online interview with Radio Free Skaro, the recorded choir vocals were supposed to be used consistently throughout the Dalek motif pieces in Dalek, but they were only used twice. The other motifs in the episode have the vocal chants performed by Murray himself and were apparently accidentally left in as temp tracks. Gold said he recorded and layered physical copies of tracks of himself chanting the Hebrew phrases:
"The temp score of it was me singing 20 times onto a hard drive and stacking my voices, and that was what was actually used in the episode. I think we actually forgot to put the choir in."
Gold would go on to compose two more primary leitmotifs for the Daleks in Series 3 and Series 4, continuing the theme of Hebrew slang chanting, with the tracks Evolution of the Daleks and The Dark and Endless Dalek Night.
Episodes featured in[]
Series 1[]
Series 2[]
Series 3[]
Series 4[]
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