May the fourth quarter be with you—and the music.
Star Wars fanatics are getting ready to celebrate Star Wars Day this coming Saturday, and no doubt they’re gearing up for their soundtrack albums. But there are many other songs, spanning multiple genres, that have either intentional or indirect connections to the hit film series. Here is a playlist for the May 4 commemoration events:
21 Savage, Offset and Metro Boomin, “Darth Vader”
The all-star hip-hop lineup closes out their 2017 joint album with otherworldly keyboards and a fugue-laden tune that ends with “All Black Like Darth Vader.” Like the best depictions of debauchery and self-destruction, the collective makes Darth Vader’s life sound both glorious and hopeless.
Blink-182, “New Hope”
This love song from the iconic punk band’s 1997 record Dude Ranch is a love song to Leia, a muse whom Blink’s Mark Hoppus would “do anything” for, whether it’s finding the moons of Endor or Running naked through the deserts of Tatooine (to be fair, members of Blink took off their clothes early in their careers).
The band’s “Leia…lying there” pun and a few other “Star Wars” references are sprinkled throughout and are worth mentioning.
Miguel and Travis Scott “Skywalker”
The 2017 hit “War & Leisure” (which has over 581 million streams on Spotify alone) had Miguel and Scott comparing themselves to everyone from Michael Jordan to Tom Cruise. But the song’s title and interstellar connection came when the modern R&B superstar uttered the line “I’m the Luke Skywalker to these haters.”
Queens of the Stone Age, “These are not the robots you’re looking for”
The desert rock band added this late ’90s instrumental (whose title is taken from a famous/infamous “Star Wars” line) to their 2011 reissue of their self-titled debut album. Josh Homme and company deliver three minutes and seven seconds of dirty, note-bending blues based on a growling, staccato intro.
RJD2, “Seven Light Years”
You see, the artist born Ramble Jon Krohn didn’t really delve into a true George Lucas-esque song. But his stage name alone warrants his inclusion, and this organ-laden funk – which appeared on 2004’s “In Rare Form” – has an interstellar quality.
Tenacious D, “Des Starr”
Jack Black and Kyle Gasth are perhaps the only band as epic as the Star Wars saga itself, capable of rocking any planet known or yet to be discovered. This 2012 jam is equally influenced by Led Zeppelin and early ’80s arena metal, while also being a completely profane anthem and blueprint for life at the end of the galaxy. “Deth Starr” lyrically references evil alien squids, Uranus (yeah) and apocalyptic sex.
John Williams “Duel of the Fates”
Of course, here we must pay tribute to Master Williams, who won an Oscar and seven Grammy Awards for his “Star Wars” score. This dramatic anthem, from the soundtrack to 1999’s The Phantom Menace, features some of Williams’ great choral works from his illustrious career.
Aarik Danielsen is the Tribune’s features and culture editor. Contact him at [email protected] or 573-815-1731. He is on Twitter/X @aarikdanielsen.
