Hello all, and welcome again to another edition of What I'm Listening To! This month, I'm super excited with the theme. When I was super young, I saw the 1970s The Hobbit cartoon movie for the first time. Probably not the best to show a a young kid, but I loved it! Later when I was in middle and high school, The Lord of the Rings films came out and blew me away. It is still to this day some of my favorite movies, and I felt that Peter Jackson, the director, did an incredible job of brining Middle Earth to life. Besides the action and acting being so great, what really brought me into the movie was the music. So, with that being said, here are my top 5 favorite songs from The Lord of the Rings/Hobbit movie-verse.
*(SPOILERS BELOW) *
"The Prophecy" - Howard Shore (The Fellowship of the Ring)
This song is so great in leading into the opening scenes of the movie, and really drew me into the movie. The buildup from mysterious to treacherous is such a great climb that goes along with what's on screen. Galadriel explaining how Sauron deceived the rest of Middle Earth, the battle at the foot of Mt. Doom where Sauron was defeated, and ultimately how The One Ring was lost to memory was so well done. Towards the end of the song, it also teases the Shire theme music. I picked this just because it's the start of the journey the viewer goes on when watching the movie, and sets up the rest of the trilogy.
The Lord of the Rings: the Fellowship of the Ring - the Complete Recordings
"The Uruk-Hai" - Howard Shore (The Two Towers)
Oh man, this song is just so epic. It starts with the Fellowships' thematic music as Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas are chasing after the Uruk-Hai who have taken the Hobbits...to Isengard! The music transitions into the Uruk-Hai's song, which I just freaking love so much. Going from more traditional classical instruments like flutes and strings, into drums and horns, I'm getting goosebumps thinking about it right now.
The Lord of the Rings, the Two Towers
"Helm's Deep" - Howard Shore (The Two Towers)
I'm a big "battle scenes" guy, and The Two Towers does not disappoint. The music in this song is very warlike, as this comes on when the Riders of Rohan along with Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas are about to clash with some warg riders. Again, Howard Shore is so good at building tension in his scores, and he slays this once again.
The Lord of the Rings, the Two Towers
"Isengard Unleashed" - Howard Shore (The Two Towers)
I love this song. It's just perfect. For me, this is probably my favorite scene in the movie. Treebeard has just seen that his forest he lorded over has been completely decimated by Saruman's evil ways. He lets out a huge roar, and tells the Hobbits that the Ents are going to war. The Last March of the Ents. This song slowly builds up this moment so well, and by the end when the Ents are marching "to our doom" you are outright cheering these tree-dudes on. Love, love, love this one.
The Lord of the Rings, the Two Towers
"Fields of the Pelennor" - Howard Shore (The Return of the King)
This is my favorite song. When The Two Towers came out, I fell in love with Rohan. In The Return of the King, this song is playing when Rohan's army finally comes in sight of Minas Tirith, which is under siege by the Witch King's army. This song goes from Rohan's quieter music, to abject chaos as the war for the city is raging. The best part for me in the movie is when the camera pans back to reveal how many troops Rohan actually brought. I remember seeing it in the theater and I almost lost consciousness because my mouth was just agape for so long. It was SUCH an amazing scene, with the best part when they keep charging on their horses towards the orc troops. Writing this gives me goosebumps.
The Lord of the Rings - the Return of the King - the Complete Recordings (limited Edition)
There are so many other songs I enjoy from these movies, but I hope you at least enjoy the music! Until next month!
