Top Gun premiered in 1986 and became a defining 80s action film about Navy fighter pilots training at Miramar. Its instrumental anthem, composed by Harold Faltermeyer with guitar by Steve Stevens, won a Grammy and became inseparable from images of jets and aviator sunglasses. Clips of the music resurfaced with the sequel Top Gun: Maverick in 2022, and short excerpts now circulate online as a shorthand for speed, skill and nostalgic Hollywood heroism in edits and memes.