Composed by Lalo Schifrin for the original Mission: Impossible television series in 1966, the theme became famous for its driving rhythm in five-four time and its association with secret agents and impossible tasks. It gained a new generation of fans when the film series began in 1996, and its instantly recognisable melody has since become a universal shorthand for stealth and suspense in parodies, trailers and online videos. Creators still reach for it because a few seconds are enough to frame any ordinary task as a high-stakes mission.