Soundtrack Review: Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)

Posted by Jon Blough

August 9, 2009

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This is a review of the motion picture score Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope by John Williams.

“One of the few scores that lives up to its critical AND mainstream hype”

The music of Star Wars has become so engrained in pop culture that it has become nearly impossible to say anything new about it. US pop culture has been drenched with familiarity with its main titles, probably having heard more performances than Shaq has missed free throws. It has featured stronger development in one (some would argue two) sequel score, not to mention expansions through the prequel trilogy scores. And yet it still impacts, thrills, and excites you. I cannot imagine a better main title track and outside of The Fellowship of the Ring, I do not believe there is a better saga opening. It is definitive, it is mesmerizing, and while it may be a bit overrated (it pops atop numerous all time best score lists despite the aforementioned sequel improvements), it is still as superb a construction as I’ve ever heard.

More Than Just The Main Theme

And it also leaves a review with a big problem. If nothing fresh remains to be said how does one review the album? Digging into technicalities is unnecessary because you know the themes, and any attempt to write anything definitive (something I would never attempt anyways given how unnecessarily arrogant that kind of claim is coming from an internet reviewer) would be in vain. Thus this reviewer will avoid those lofty goals and simply conjure up some important general aspects of the score. Come to think of it, that’s always what I should be doing! Silly me…

The first fantastic element for the first Star Wars score is that it works by having a thematic tapestry rather than using one theme as its main pivot. Sure, the main titles receive the big entrance, but it is more a theme for Luke (featuring even light introductions in “The Moisture Farm” and “The Hologram”) and gets no more airtime than the other themes. The force theme probably gets more performances and variation whether sweeping and grand in “Binary Sunset” or lending noble nostalgia to “Tales of A Jedi Knight/Learn About the Force”. Also assisting is the rebel fanfare, which this score features the most substantial development of (the classic brass unleashing in “The Death Star”). And there’s the absolutely lovely theme for Leia, always light and magical in its performances, even when it gets larger in the sensational concert arrangement.

Stand Out

The second fantastic element is that even with so many sequel scores and spin-offs, the album still manages to stand at the peak of its saga’s cache of music. Part of that is due to the crisp recording quality. Part is owed to Williams making it a fully orchestral affair rather than caving to the disco hype of the decade, giving the score a timeless quality that would still excel today. Part is due to the themes that remain unique to this score. The Death Star motif features its only substantial performances here, and the imperial motif (while rightfully pushed over by the Imperial March) still has a dark air of suspense that proves entertaining both in its lighter performances and its fine additions to the action. Even the comedic stuff is endearing; the Jawas get a nice sprightly march (and enough performances to not annoy most listeners), while the Cantina Band continue to be a jazzy gold standard for source cue inclusions. Last but not least, part is due to the enrapturing moments that aren’t even thematic, like the soaring escape pod music 4:30 into the third cue that exceptionally captures the grand expanse of space. I probably missed a few reasons, but you get the idea.
Conclusion

And the third fantastic element is how well the album closes. All the original trilogy scores gained a bigger sense of purpose as they moved towards their climaxes. That’s not to say the openings are necessarily weaker, just that everything means more by the end. The closing action cues get more powerful and driving, and the force theme fanfare that kicks off the exceptional end credits is crisp, regal, and emotionally engaging. It’s the kind of momentum one can only sense when you play through the whole score; the score proves to be the rare breed that can tell a story all by itself. I could say less about the score, I could also say a boatload more (and break my 800-word limit, for shame!), but at the end of the day Star Wars is one of the few scores that lives up to its critical AND mainstream hype. Any score lover would be crazy not to have it.

Album Situation: The 1997 and 2004 releases are exactly the same save for different packaging. Either will do. Avoid the rest, not that you could find them anyways

Album (105:45)
Disc One
1. 20th Century Fox Fanfare (0:23)
2. Main Title/Rebel Blockade Runner (2:14)
3. Imperial Attack (6:43)
4. The Dune Sea of Tatooine/Jawa Sandcrawler (5:01)
5. The Moisture Farm (2:25)
6. The Hologram/Binary Sunset (4:10)
7. Landspeeder Search/Attack of the Sand People (3:20)
8. Tales of a Jedi Knight/Learn About the Force (4:29)
9. Burning Homestead (2:50)
10. Mos Eisley Spaceport (2:16)
11. Cantina Band (2:47)
12. Cantina Band #2 (3:56)
13. Binary Sunset (Alternate) (2:19)/Main Title Archive (14:40)

Disc Two
1. Princess Leia’s Theme (4:27)
2. The Millennium Falcon/Imperial Cruiser Pursuit (3:51)
3. Destruction of Alderaan (1:32)
4. The Death Star/The Stormtroopers (3:35)
5. Wookie Prisoner/Detention Block Ambush (4:01)
6. Shootout in the Cell Bay/Dianoga (3:48)
7. The Trash Compactor (3:07)
8. The Tractor Beam/Chasm Crossfire (5:18)
9. Ben Kenobi’s Death/Tie Fighter Attack (3:51)
10. The Battle of Yavin (9:07)
11. The Throne Room/End Title (5:38)

Listen to Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope by John Williams below:

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