Why John Williams is groundbreaking

If you haven’t heard any soundtrack composed by John Williams, are you even living life?

Williams has composed music for each Star Wars episode and he also has worked on another favorite franchise of mine, Harry Potter. But besides those films he worked on Jaws, Superman, E.T., Indiana Jones, Home Alone, Jurassic Park, among others.

Williams and Lucas (Google Images)

With that being said, the music that John Williams composes truly is magical and he can transport the viewer to another world.

Williams was born on Feb. 8, 1932 and is a composer, musician and pianist. During his decade spanning career, Williams has won 24 Grammys, seven British Academy Film Awards, five Academy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards.

In 2005, the American Film Institute named the Star Wars soundtrack the greatest American film score of all time. The soundtrack to Star Wars was also preserved by the Library of Congress.

But since this is a Star Wars blog, let’s discuss my favorite John Williams soundtracks for each episode in the franchise.

The Phantom Menace- Duel of Fates

Duel of Fates is one of the most iconic soundtracks in the Star Wars franchise. Let me explain why.

Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn return to the planet of Naboo as they embark on a plan to take back the planet from the Trade Federation’s control. However, little do the two jedi know that they will be fighting a sith apprentice.

Darth Maul is shown after he appears from the doorway and right when the lightsabers ignite, the song begins.

The song captures what it is like for two jedi knights to fight a sith apprentice after a thousand years of jedi dominance.

From beginning to end the song has me hooked and just knowing the history of the jedi and the sith order it captures the emotion after all these years.

Attack of The Clones- Confrontation with Count Dooku

Confrontation with Count Dooku is another soundtrack that captures the essence of what Attack of the Clones is.

The soundtrack guides its way through the battle of Geonosis and at the end of the lightsaber duel between Yoda and Count Dooku.

To see Yoda fight one of his former padawans and to see Yoda know that Dooku left the jedi order is truly astonishing. The emotion is there. Especially when the soundtrack transitions into Dooku’s meeting with Lord Sidious and how they’re planning to overthrow the republic and the seeds of executive order 66 are underway. So if you’re looking to see deception in action, this song is for you.

Revenge of the Sith- Padme’s Ruminations

Any person that knows me knows that Revenge of the Sith is my favorite Star Wars film. One of the biggest plot points that I enjoy about this film is the arc of Anakin and Padme’s forbidden love.

This soundtrack captures not only how forbidden their love is but also what it is like for them to be seperated. Especially when Anakin is having pulls from the darkside and Padme is trying to keep herself together in a time of crisis.

A New Hope- Ben’s Death and TIE Fighter Attack

This soundtrack is my favorite in A New Hope for multiple reasons. I love how this soundtrack captures what was going through Luke’s mind at a time when he not only lost someone that was like a mentor to him, but he also was in a dogfight with other TIE Fighters in the Millenium Falcon.

The traditional sequence of the dogfight captured the action between the TIE Fighters and the Millenium falcon and this soundtrack transports me to that moment right after the crew escapes the Death Star.

The Empire Strikes Back- The Imperial March

This soundtrack is what every fan and ordinary person should think about Star Wars when they hear this.

This soundtrack captures the terror of the Empire and what they are looking to accomplish after the Death Star was destroyed and how Darth Vader is working diligently to figure out who Luke is and you can tell that he is developing a plan to persuade him to join the darkside.

Plus with Darth Vader looking out to the other command ships as he leads the main ship as this song plays is a cool experience to witness.

Return of the Jedi- Ewok Celebration and Finale

Does everyone remember those cute Ewoks? The cutest creatures in the galaxy? Well let me just say that this soundtrack is my favorite because when the second Death Star gets destroyed, The Empire would fight until the end in the Battle of Jakku. However, this song captures the raw emotion of the galaxy in a time that they would never see.

We see people on Naboo, Coruscant, Bespin among other planets celebrating the defeat of the Empire and the rise of the new republic in the works. Especially to see Luke Skywalker see Yoda, young Anakin and Obi-Wan Kenobi as force ghosts always makes me cry. I hope you do as well.

The Force Awakens- The Starkiller

The Force Awakens is the seventh episode in the Star Wars franchise and when I heard that Lucasfilm was producing another episode in the Star Wars franchise in 2013, I was overjoyed.

The reason why I enjoy this soundtrack is because of the depth of emotion in the song. The galaxy was at peace at the end of the last film and to see The First Order wipeout the Hosnian system rips my heart out. To see what our new band of heros have to go through is heartbreaking but makes me really appreciate the journey as a whole.

The Last Jedi- The Sacred Jedi Texts

Something that I always wondered in the sequel trilogy was if we would see master yoda again.

When Luke is at his worst in The Last Jedi, I love how we see Yoda talk some sense into him and bring him back to himself. Luke is given some much needed advice from his master and Luke learns from Yoda to move forward. Who wouldn't like this scene?

Those were my top soundtracks from the Star Wars franchise that were composed by John Williams. I love these films and John Williams always adds another dimension to these films.  Star Wars  would not be the same without him.