The Top 15 Best Star
Wars Music Tracks
If there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that Star Wars is full of fantastic music courtesy of John Williams’
unparalleled composing talent. But which of these classic tunes are the best?
I’ve decided to rank some of my favourites here in this completely subjective
and very opinionated list! My one rule here is that I’m only allowed to include
songs from the movies, so no “Vode An” or “Thrawn’s Web” (maybe another time). Also,
since the Credits Theme is never really counted as it’s own piece, I’ll only be
giving it an Honourable Mention. Without further ado…
15. Guardians of the Whills Suite (Rogue One)
It
seems only fitting to start this John Williams tribute article with a piece by
Michael Giacchino. Oh well.
The
Guardians of the Whills suite represents the Guardians themselves, Chirrut and
Baze, excellently. While the opening is slow and somewhat whimsical, as it
builds it isn’t afraid to get a bit more intense. The final half of this piece
was used lots in the marketing for Rogue
One, and with good reason.
14. March of the Resistance (The Force Awakens)
Unlike
the Empire, the Rebellion never really got its own “main theme” in the Original
Trilogy. The Force Awakens fixed that
problem by giving us the March of the Resistance, an uplifting and heroic piece
that perfectly fits the scene of Poe and Leia arriving on Takodana.
13. Battle of the Heroes (Revenge of the Sith)
Poor
Battle of the Heroes will always be fated to be remembered as the second best
fight theme from the Prequel Trilogy. Despite this, it’s a fantastic orchestrated
piece that really adds to the weight of what was, at the time, the final battle
in the entire saga. Anakin’s pivotal showdown with Obi-Wan was one of the most
anticipated parts of the prequels, and whether you like or dislike how CGI’d
that lava brawl ended up being, there’s no denying that the operatic quality of
this song fit it perfectly.
12. Across the Stars (Attack of the Clones)
Speaking
of the Prequel Trilogy and things fitting perfectly, how about this one? While
Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman’s onscreen chemistry never quite felt
believable (an issue I chalk up to the writing ability of a certain Mr. Lucas),
this iconic piece from Attack of the
Clones helped make the seemingly endless scenes spent watching Anakin and
Padme canoodling on Naboo a little more watchable.
11. Rey’s Theme (The Force Awakens)
Star Wars is known for giving its
characters big, bombastic pieces to go along with their main characters. Who
could forget the first time they watched Empire
Strikes Back and watched Vader storming through Echo Base with the Imperial
March blaring behind him? (more on that later though).
Compared
to the heavy orchestral pieces attached to characters before it, Rey’s Theme
barely holds any presence. It’s quiet and airy, using violins as a major
instrument instead of the much more utilized brass section. Just like Rey
herself in Force Awakens, this theme
doesn’t look like much at first, but there’s some interesting stuff hidden
beneath.
10. Jedi Steps (The Force Awakens)
Fun
fact: While watching the Force Awakens red
carpet, I turned to my mom and said “You know, I’m willing to bet Luke won’t be
in the movie at all until the last third at most.” She told me there was no
way, and that he’d surely play a pivotal role that was being kept ultra-secret,
explaining his absence from the trailers.
Fast
forward a month or so later, and we were left speechless at how Luke was left
speechless. Despite that, this song paired with imagery of Rey’s arrival on
Ahch-To was an incredibly satisfying way to cap off the first part of the
sequel trilogy, and the leitmotif-filled credits theme afterwards is a lot of
fun.
9. Victory Celebration (Return of the Jedi)
Some
may prefer the original Ewok victory song from the non-Special Editions, but
while that one’s definitely a very fun song, I see this one as a much better
way to close the original trilogy. It adds a lot of levity and gives a feeling
of hope right after seeing Luke burning dear old dad, ending the most integral
part of the Star Wars saga with a
smile.
8. Jyn Erso and Hope Suite (Rogue One)
While
Rogue One doesn’t overall have the
most memorable Star Wars soundtrack,
composer Michael Giacchino did a fantastic job filling the enormous shoes John
Williams left behind while off working on The
Last Jedi. Considering this, I think he did a great job, and it’s no more
apparent than in this piece. Just like the movie it plays in, while it may seem
overly somber at times, there’s always a lingering sense of light throughout
the suite, making it one of my personal favourite Star Wars compositions.
7. Duel of the Fates (The Phantom Menace)
This
one’s the most famous composition from the Prequel Trilogy, and with good
reason. The climactic battle between Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Darth Maul is one of Phantom Menace’s saving graces, and this
epic piece playing behind it basically redefined what it meant to have a
climactic lightsaber battle at the end of a Star
Wars movie.
6. Throne Room (A New Hope)
Aside
from the top two winners of this list, the Throne Room theme is one of the most
iconic pieces from all of Star Wars.
If the destruction of the Death Star wasn’t thrilling enough, having Luke and
Han (and let’s be honest, Chewie as well) being presented by medals by Leia
ranks up as one of the most satisfying endings in cinema history. And if you
don’t think this theme isn’t a major part in why this scene works, take a look
at how it’d be without it!
5. Princess Leia’s Theme (A New Hope)
It’s
interesting at how a song can take on different uses over time. This initially
was just the theme used for Princess Leia. When Empire Strikes Back was released it was repurposed for use in
romantic scenes between the princess and Han. Versions of it were used in Return of the Jedi and Force Awakens. And, most recently, John
Williams used it at Star Wars Celebration
as a way to pay homage to the recently departed Carrie Fisher, leaving no one
in the room with a dry eye. No matter how it’s used, this theme is one of the
most beautiful compositions in the entire saga, and just like Carrie herself,
we’d be much worse off without it.
4. Yoda’s Theme (Empire Strikes Back)
I
heard once somewhere that this was John Williams’ favourite piece he ever
composed for Star Wars. While I couldn’t
find a backing source on that for this article, I can definitely see why that
would be the case. Just like the diminutive Jedi master himself, this theme is
both mystical and whimsical, with very light and bouncy tones overall, while
still having a bit of a quiet and slow quality to it. It’s just great.
3. Binary Sunset/The Force Theme (A New Hope)
It’s
a tie! Er, sort of. Truth be told, these themes are arguably one and the same
so I figured I’d count them both at this point in the list.
This
theme, to me, perfectly encapsulates the call to adventure Luke feels as he
stares out into the twin suns in A New Hope.
Easily the most symbolic image in the entire Saga (in my opinion, at least),
this scene does a great job at helping you understand Luke’s character better
with no words spoken at all.
An
interesting fact: George Lucas specifically asked for the Force Theme to be
played here after he was displeased with the original take. Wanna hear what
John Williams originally thought this scene should sound like? Well, there was a video here at one point that showed you, but the uploader went and took it down. It's well worth seeking out though.
2. The Imperial March (Empire Strikes Back)
And
now we’re getting into the really iconic. The Imperial March has basically transcended
pop culture and has become one of the most famous villain themes in the history
of entertainment. The Imperial March’s famous opening notes can be easily
recited even by people who’ve never seen a
Star Wars movie.
In
fact it’s so famous that a lot of people don’t remember that it isn’t
introduced until Empire Strikes Back,
where it doubles as a theme for both Vader and the Empire in general. Seeing
Vader swoop into a room with this theme blaring really gave him a weight he
never had in A New Hope, turning him
from an intimidating foil for Obi-Wan to a true nightmare.
1. Star Wars Main Theme (A New Hope)
I
mean…is there really any other choice?
This
theme is arguably the most famous piece in movie history. I know it, you know
it, your grandma knows it, I’d even be willing to bet that you could walk up to
any random guy on a busy street and they’d all know it. This is more than just
a piece that opens each episode; this song is
Star Wars.
Everything
you need to know about the adventure that’s about to unfold is told to you here
(as well as in the scrolling yellow letters you see while this plays). It’s
epic, it’s light, it’s exciting, and it’s full of hope. This song gets you
energized and ready for what’s about to unfold on the big screen, and that’s
why it’s the best Star Wars song
ever.
Are
there any I missed? Let me know what your favourite song from Star Wars is, and I’ll see you next
time!
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