The Star Wars music has to be one of the most iconic and memorable compilation of songs in the history of movies. Over the past 47 years we have been introduced to some amazing soundtracks from John Williams and a few others.
For the Capes and Tights Star Wars Week, we have compiled a list of the best Star Wars music of all-time.
10. REY’S THEME
Rey’s Theme is a musical leitmotif written by John Williams for the 2015 film Star Wars: The Force Awakens and its respective score to represent Rey, a focal character in the film.
9. ACROSS THE STARS
Across the Stars is the primary thematic music of Star Wars: Attack of the Clones. The piece was composed by John Williams to accompany the romance between Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala, and is used frequently throughout the film and its sequel, Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.
8. YODA’S THEME
Yoda’s Theme is a recurring musical theme in the Star Wars saga, composed by John Williams and associated with Jedi Master Yoda.
It was first used in the scenes on Dagobah in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, as well as during the hallway shootout scenes on Cloud City. In Star Wars: Return of the Jedi it is used when Luke Skywalker revisits a dying Yoda.
7. PRINCESS LEIA’S THEME
Princess Leia’s Theme is the musical leitmotif in the Star Wars saga that represents Princess Leia Organa. The theme’s first appearance is in Star Wars: A New Hope. It is first heard when Princess Leia is captured by Darth Vader. Later, it plays as R2-D2 plays her holographic message to Obi-Wan Kenobi.
6. THE MANDALORIAN THEME
The Mandalorian is the theme used for Din Djarin in The Mandalorian TV show. It was composed by Ludwig Göransson, who composed the whole soundtrack. The theme was played with bass recorder during season 1 and with electric guitar during season 2, to show his evolution from lonely bounty hunter to making a team with Grogu.
5. FORCE THEME / BINARY SUNSET
The Force Theme is a musical theme repeated and renditioned across the musical score of the Star Wars saga. The theme is a signature line of music and one of the most recognizable of John Williams‘s Star Wars motifs. It is also known as Binary Sunset, and serves as the leitmotif for the Force, being present in all films of the Star Wars saga, although it was originally intended by Williams to be the theme of Obi-Wan Kenobi.
4. CANTINA BAND / MAD ABOUT ME
Cantina Band, alternatively known as Mad About Me, was a single performed by Figrin D’an and the Modal Nodes. One of their favorites, they played it in Chalmun’s Spaceport Cantina when Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi entered to find passage from Tatooine to Alderaan. Kenobi and Skywalker got into a fight with patrons Ponda Baba and Dr. Cornelius Evazan shortly after arriving, interrupting the playing of the Modal Nodes, but when the fracas died down, they resumed the song. It was scored by John Williams for Star Wars: A New Hope.
3. DUEL OF THE FATES
Duel of the Fates is a musical theme composed by John Williams for the 1999 film Star Wars: The Phantom Menace and its respective score. It was written to represent the duel in Theed between the Sith Darth Maul and the Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn with his Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Duel of the Fates scene at the end of the movie.
2. THE IMPERIAL MARCH / DARTH VADER’S THEME
The Imperial March, also called Darth Vader’s Theme, is a recurring musical theme of the Star Wars movies. It was composed by John Williams and first appeared in the film Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. The theme is based on the well known funeral march from Chopin’s Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor and on Mars, the Bringer of War by Gustav Holst.
1. MAIN TITLE
The Star Wars Main Title is the theme played at the beginning of every theatrically released Star Wars film so far and almost every other piece of Star Wars media (video games, TV series, etc.). The film scripts refer to this opening theme as “war drums.” It was composed by John Williams and performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. It quickly became one of the most recognizable theatrical motifs in the history of film.
