Hello everyone and If you have been reading my blog posts over the last number of years, you'll know that I am a HUGE Star Wars fan. Well, it just so happened that three years ago, a new Star Wars TV show was coming out called "Andor". Based on one of the main characters from "Star Wars: Rogue One", "Andor" was a fantastic addition to the Star Wars universe. Consequently, the new season of the show just came out a week or so ago as of this writing. If you get a chance to see it, please do! With that said, I am revisiting another edition of Star Wars songs that I thoroughly enjoy.
"The Mandalorian" - Ludwig Goransson (The Mandalorian: Chapter 1)
When Disney announced they were going to have a show about a Mandalorian bounty hunter NOT named Boba Fett, a lot of people were skeptical on how good it would be. They were untested in live action Star Wars shows, and I was concerned the budget would not make the world feel like the Star Wars I knew. Boy, was I wrong! This show took the world by storm, and set the standard for Star Wars tv shows moving forward. I love the composer here. He plays with all kinds of different instruments when it comes to this titular track, and it is a straight up banger!
"Nurse and Protect" - Ludwig Goransson (The Mandalorian: Chapter 8)
Did I mention how much I love this show?! Without spoiling anything, I will say this scene starts off as innocent as the initial music, and quickly becomes of my favorite scenes in the show. As the music picks up, so does the action. It's so well shot, and the music is so complimentary for what you see on screen. I am grinning ear to ear as I write this, remembering what I watched while relistening to this track.
"The Asteroid Field" - John Williams (The Empire Strikes Back)
The song itself starts off with an iteration of "The Imperial March", which is in my top 5 Star Wars songs of all time. This is a part in the movie where there is a chase scene in an asteroid field. Just like the music, there are ebbs and flows to the chase. High speed, dangerous are words that describe this scene and the music. I love this song as well because of its use in many Star Wars games I played as a kid and adult. It just brings me back to simpler times. This song rocks mainly because of how good of a composer John Williams is.
"Cantina Band" - John Williams (A New Hope)
This is such an iconic track. The Cantina scene in Star Wars: A New Hope is so great, and opened us a lot more to how diverse the Star Wars universe was. Every kind of alien is in this establishment, in the city that Obi-Wan called a "hive of scum and villainy". This scene has transcended multiple times in popular culture, whether directly referenced or a more discrete easter egg. This is a bubbly fun track which is so stark to the dangerous bar that our characters find themselves in. Love this song!
"Yoda's Theme" - John Williams (The Empire Strikes Back)
Master Yoda is one of THE most iconic characters ever in the Star Wars universe. When we first meet him however is on Dagobah in the second movie of the original trilogy. The most famous part of Luke's meeting and training with Yoda is when Luke seemingly gives up on ever raising his X-Wing fighter that sunk in a bog by Yoda's house. Saying "it's impossible", Luke goes off and sulks. Yoda, meanwhile, raises his hand and uses the force to raise the X-Wing out of the water. Luke is in disbelief, saying "I..I don't believe it." Yoda looks at him with contempt, saying only "That is why you fail." LOVE this theme.
I am a huge unabashed Star Wars nerd, and I hope you enjoy the selections I did this time. Check out my first list for even more great music.
As always, keep listening, and keep enjoying, music!
