It’s no secret that I’m a huge soundtrack enthusiast, as I’ve mentioned before on this blog. Heck, I’ve made a playlist on Spotify of all my favourite soundtracks which is currently up to 913 songs! That’s a lot of songs. So, I made a smaller playlist of my absolute favourites, max one song per album, and I intend to discuss each song here today – well, across three posts, anyway.
These playlists are always growing, so I may make another post on the matter someday. For now, though:
Runner Up: Madame de Pompadour
I was 11, and this episode of Doctor Who was DEVASTATING. You’ll find that some tracks in this playlist are included due to the memories it prompts whereas others are included purely for the amazing sounds they’re composed of. This is a mixture of both; heartbreak tangified, and still effective at transporting me back to a sombre evening in 2006. (Don’t worry, I got better…)
Sidenote: This playlist, along with the much more extensive Multiversal Melodies playlist, does have a rough logical order to it. I started with Doctor Who as it’s one of the first shows to make me sit up and take notice of the soundtrack. It was probably this very song, to be honest!
OH. And only now when listening to it do I realise that the humming symbolises Rose, whilst the low strings symbolises the Doctor. Chills.
Runner up: The Doctor Forever
Regal, whimsical, and sad. Oh, and the ticking clock. Permeated by the Master’s foreboding klaxons! Murray Gold knows how to paint a picture with music.
Runner up: A Dazzling End
EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!
There’s nothing I can do…
EXTERMINATE! EXTERIMINATE!
I’m sorry… we’re dead.
Ah, man. Daleks are done best when alone (Dalek, New Year’s episode) but Murray Gold makes a compelling argument for them to also be impressive when portrayed as an invading force.
Sidenote – season 4 had so many good themes it was excruciating to even pick the runner up!
Runner up: The Time Lord’s Last Stand
Russel T Davies and Murray Gold owe me therapy.
Bonus points for The Waters of Mars being one of my favourite Ten episodes!
Runner up: The Sad Man With A Box
Well, duh. This is the theme that defined Eleven’s entire run. Grandiose, a bit all over the place, and ever so slightly fairytale, much like the Doctor himself. Eleven is my favourite – yes, even more than Ten, yes, even during the Clara bits – and there’s really not a lot more that needs to be said, is there?
Runner up: Melody Pond
More of the same? Maybe. If I Am The Doctor is Eleven’s swagger, The Majestic Tale are the actions the back up his confidence. Does that make sense? Probably not. Regardless, this is an epic theme and it always played during epic moments, so sue me for loving the tits off it.
Runner up: Together Or Not At All – The Song of Amy and Rory
(I also love Up The Shard, but that’s just I Am The Doctor again, isn’t it)
This episode had a lot of problems, but I fucking loved this scene. I think it was the first time we saw Eleven really have the wind taken out of him, besides the obvious- ah, but I’m talking about the show, not the theme. This, then, is one of those that I love for the context. There are better sad themes (the runner up for one), but this always takes me back to that scene in The Name of the Doctor.
“Sorry… and it was Trenzalore, it was definitely Trenzalore?”
Runner up: This Time There’s Three Of Us (The Majestic Tale)
Fuuuuck it still hurts. Eleven’s last moments. Capaldi was great and I bloody love Jodie Whittaker so far, but Eleven truly resonated with me. And this theme is really melancholic at the start. But then it transitions to something more important – something sad, but also celebratory. Eleven’s exit taught me that change is good!! And this theme takes me back there with the full weight of his entire run, without me having to actually, you know, watch his entire run again. That’s one of the reasons I love music so much. It moves you.
Look, I’m going to level with you. I’ve not rewatched Capaldi’s run, and I was very critical of the show during his stint. For these reasons, there’s really not a lot of music past season 7 here.
And yet… The Shepherd’s Boy. A familiar melody, but retouched in such an effective way. It was the perfect backdrop for Capaldi’s final monologue. It just sings determination. And honestly, who wouldn’t call Heaven Sent a masterpiece? When isolated, anyway.
Runner up: Time Lords
But season 12 provided many surprises, one of which being that Murray Gold isn’t the only one who can make a cracking good Doctor Who soundtrack. Sacha Dhawan’s Master is as capitvatingly raving as John Simm’s, but this one has an even better theme. The reveal was astounding, and it wouldn’t have been nearly as impactful without that severe change in tone brought to the soundtrack by Segun Akinola here.
Thus concludes our Doctor Who coverage. Next up: Game of Thrones!
Runner up: Small Pack of Wolves
Ramin Djawadi very quickly establishes the desolate overtones of the North with fantastic success. The tale of the Starks is largely tragic, and this soundtrack really conveys the feeling of being apart from family and those you love.
Runner up: Pay the Iron Price
When putting the Masterpieces playlist together, I wanted to make sure I represented as many of the motifs as possible across the seasons. And yet, when I heard Winterfell I knew I’d have to put two Stark themes side by side. If Goodbye Brother is the distance between family, Winterfell is the hearth from which they depart. It feels like you’re sitting by the fireplace while the winds of winter rage outside, and I’m not certain that’s a picture entirely painted by my knowing the context of the theme.
Runner up: Chaos is a Ladder
Also known as The Rains of Castamere, instrumental version, the backing theme of the Red Wedding. Oh god. When they break out the violins and Catlyn becomes suspicious. The fantastic thing about it is the song exists within the world of the show, so there’s a good chance she recognises it, understands the story of the song and the significance of its use there. Actual use of foreboding soundtrack WITHIN THE STORY OF THE SHOW! FUCK I love Game of Thrones.
Runner up: Three Eyed Raven
They got Sigur Ros to cover The Rains of Castamere and they played it in the credits after The Big Death in Early Season 4 and it was very cathartic and yes it counts as soundtrack. Oh god, those screams at the end.
Runner up: Forgive Me
What, you didn’t think I was just going to ignore the Targaryen themes, did you? Danaerys has some of the most badass and uplifting music in the show, and in my opinion it’s best represented with this track right here. It’s equal parts royal, wrathful, and idealistic. This theme never fails to give me goosebumps.
Runner up: Lord of Light (Bonus Track)
Ramin Djawadi is a master of masterpieces, but this is truly the pinnacle of his work, in my opinion. He saved his use of piano until this exact moment to make the viewer stand to attention when it began playing, feeling that something “didn’t feel right”. He uses the piano in tandem with violins to make something that sounds holy, yet foreboding. And as the scene itself has very little dialogue, the theme becomes the leading voice.
This is one of those moments where my lack of musical knowledge hinders me being able to explain just exactly what makes this so great. If you’ve seen it, you already know.
Runner up: The Army of the Dead
A theme of love and also of revelation. I won’t get into the specifics because, spoilers, but what I will say is that I paid attention to whenever this motif would pop up, and the first time it really swells is hugely appropriate and really rewards the viewer for taking note of it. For those who have seen it and need more context: I’m on about when she arrives to save him.
Runner up: The Bells / The Last War
There’s a lot of controversy about the plot of the last season of Game of Thrones, but in my opinion the execution of said plot still makes it a bloody enjoyable watch. Part of that execution includes the soundtrack, and Djawadi did not disappoint in making this pivotal point feel momentous; even if the writers did. He did away with motifs and composed purely for the moment, which I think was a beautiful decision. After all, what do houses and titles matter when something like this is occuring?
Runner up: Forest Ambush
So by now you probably get it, I like Ramin Djawadi. So when it was announced that he was scoring the upcoming Warcraft movie, holy balls I was ecstatic! Overall I really love the soundtrack for that movie, though I was secretly hoping to recognise a motif or two from WoW’s own soundtrack. Perhaps that’d come off weird, though.
Runner up: Legends of Azeroth (Main Title)
Ah, our first videogame soundtrack. You’ll notice that videogame soundtracks are often able to act as soundscapes to an environment more than show or movie soundtracks, which are often punctuated by the requirements of dialogue, or action. I chose Dun Morogh for the first WoW soundtrack here (we’re going expansion by expansion) because… well, it’s nostalgia juice. I’m reminded of the first alt character I ever created, a dwarf, and the peaceful isolation of running around the snowy zone late at night while this music played. It made me introspective then, and it makes me introspective now.
Runner up: The Sin’dorei
The Blood Elf themes in the Burning Crusade are unlike anything in the game’s soundtrack, past or since. Lament of the Highborne specifically is sung in-game by Sylvanas Windrunner when you bring her a pendant that reminds her of her past life and home.
I love levelling through the Blood Elf starting zone, largely due to their theme. So regal, so tragic, oh crap I have a type don’t I…
Arthas, My Son (Cinematic Intro)
This, as far as I can tell, isn’t the popular choice of favourite soundtrack in this expansion. And yet, it tells the story of Arthas beautifully. The way the entire track turns when he’s made his decision to purge Stratholme into a dark, almost imperial march is fantastic. I chose a lot of soundtracks based on the atmosphere they bring to a zone in the game, but this was composed specifically for a dungeon based on a character’s actions, and it reinforces how good games are as a medium of telling a story.
People bloody love Grizzly Hills, but bagpipes have always grated on me I’m SORRY
Runner up: Tempest’s Wake
Finally, a fantastic Night Elf theme! I main a Night Elf and this is music to my ears. I used it as my Garrison music for most of Warlords of Draenor, as there was a Garrison jukebox which allowed you to change what played in your very own instanced prison. But I’m getting ahead of myself; Nightsong is a battle theme for the Night Elves, the drums of war backing wonderful elven vocals. In short – we’re pretty, but don’t mess with us.
(Yes I know they messed with us and won, hush)
Runner up: Clan Warsong
Warlords of Draenor was lacking in a lot of ways, but three ways in which it was not lacking was the zone design, the levelling story, and oh yes, the soundtrack. It has the best soundtrack in the entire game, though that may be the rock enthusiast in me talking. It’s just so… badass. Weighty and dramatic. And it slaps. The Iron Horde may not know how to mount an invasion, but they sure as shit know how to make a tune.
Runner up: Demon Hunter
Ooooft. I don’t know why they decided to put Anduin’s theme and the Valarjar theme in the same song, but boy am I lucky, because those are my two favourite themes in the entire expansion. I’m typically quite a big fan of Anduin as a character, so his entire story with his father and succeeding to kingship landed very well with me, and was punctuated poignantly with this theme. As for the Valarjar theme, it’s what Blizzard used for a lot of their Q&A livestream intros leading up to the expansion’s launch, and I remember desperately wanting its final release. It’s such a good build up for hype! And something about it paints a picture of a warrior standing steadfast against incredible odds. It just sounds heroic!
Runner up: Return to Arms
Confession time: I’m not a huge lover of Kul Tiras as a continent. It is exceedingly pretty, but maritime themes just kinda bore me, likely due to its being the norm in my hometown. That being said, the theme for Boralus fucking slaps. It’s almost absurd how hype it is. It feels like I’ve ended up rocking out every time I’ve hearthed in the last year or so; indeed, it’s not uncommon to see other characters jumping around on the spot to the same groove as you.
By the way, the runner up for this one was really hard to choose. WoD may have had the best soundtrack, but they haven’t let up on the quality since.
Okay, this one is a slight cheat because it’s still tied to Battle for Azeroth. But it’s a separate release, so it counts! Basically, as Battle for Azeroth approached, Blizzard released three cinematics – named “Warbringers” – detailing the past of three major characters in the expansion. Jaina’s is based on music specifically, as the citizens of Kul Tiras have a sea shanty about how she betrayed her father back in the events of Warcraft II. And it is an absolute masterpiece.
I can’t wait to see what music Shadowlands has in store for us!
Runner up: Harmony
I couldn’t exclude Runescape just because it’s MIDI! Home Sweet Home never failed to make your Player Owned Home feel like a cosy place to relax with friends, and I associate many happy memories with it. It’s like a sunny afternoon. It just puts a smile on my face, you know?
Runner up: Death Knell
Now, there have been some pretty damn disturbing allegations against Jeremy Soule which we’ve not a verdict on, and I hope they aren’t true for everyone involved. But in case they are – I find it easy to separate the artist from the art in this instance, as I associate these sounds with a particular world and its events, and it’s orchestrated by many talented musicians.
Oblivion, then, always had this peaceful village vibe to it which I bloody loved. Talking about your latest harvest? Idyllic tunes. Discussing the untimely death of Emperor Uriel Septim VII? Idyllic tunes. Asking for help because a portal to Oblivion has opened up and demons are sacking the city just down the road? Idyllic. Tunes. Until you get closer, anyways.
I started the Elder Scrolls series with Skyrim so Oblivion was much harder for me to get into, but it has a certain atmosphere to it which Skyrim lacks, and it’s what keeps me intrigued in Skyrim’s predecessor. That, and the fantastic meme potential.
Runner up: From Past to Present
Do you get to the Cloud District very often? Oh, what am I saying, of course you don’t.
Skyrim’s soundtrack is one of those where it’s hard to distinguish one song from another, because they all have such a strong prevailing theme throughout. Nevertheless, I’ve spent hundreds of hours in Skyrim and this soundtrack is a perfect way to transport myself back to the many happy afternoons I spent in this Nordic country.
Right, we’re at 2700 words so I’m cutting it off there and calling it part one. Stay tuned for parts two and three! Expect the latter half of part two and the entirety of part three to have a lot more variety 😉
Perpetually Perturbed 