In an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly, Ed Sheeran talks about his experience down in New Zealand working with Peter Jackson on “I See Fire” for the end credits of The Desolation of Smaug.
“He [Peter Jackson] was fantastic. At every point where I’d be adding something, I’d play him the song afterwards. I was there for three days, and at the end of every day he would come and listen to the song and give me notes.
He knows what he wants, but he doesn’t pretend to be musical in any way. He let me go on with it, but he also knows his movie, so he would tell me something needs to be less energetic, or more relaxed, or whatever. He knows the colors and templates of what the song should be rather than how the melody should go.”
Read the entire interview over at EW.com.
Peter Jackson has written a lengthy post on his Facebook concerning Ed Sheeran’s end credits song for The Desolation Of Smaug, “I See Fire”, and the music video for it. A few excerpts follow:
“We have a tradition in our Tolkien films of having a song over the closing credits. It’s very important that the song feels right for the world of the movie – and also carries the emotional resonance of the end of that particular film. The Desolation of Smaug is no different. The ending of this film requires a voice and sensibility that will allow an viewer to process what they have just experienced.
Ed watched the movie at Park Road Post, immediately went into a room, and started writing and singing. Much of what you will hear on this song was recorded that same day, with a few overdubs and tweaks the following day. It was a great experience, and what you will see in this video are moments captured by our behind the scenes team during the creation of the song.
But the images are only supporting Ed’s wonderful song. This is his direct emotional response to seeing The Desolation of Smaug, written and performed on the same day he saw the movie.”
You can read PJ’s entire post and watch the video over at his Facebook. Or you can catch just the video on good ol’ YouTube.
The song features on the OST for The Desolation of Smaug, to be released on December 10, and is available for purchase on iTunes as of today.
As you probably know by now, the closing credits song for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is a tune entitled I See Fire by English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran.
At yesterday’s Fan Event, Peter Jackson said Sheeran became involved in the production after his daughter Katie introduced the artist to her parents after attending one of his shows back in March/April.
“She said that I just had to listen to him, and that he could be the perfect fit for the end of the film… and she was right.”
They noted at the time that Sheeran had a “great voice” and “great sensitivity”, then put it on the back-burner for a few months.
As Peter told fans in Wellington, the musicians always see the film before they write and record their tune. Inevitably that means it occurs late in the production process. Continue reading “Listen to and buy The Desolation of Smaug closing credits song I See Fire on iTunes!”
As the live feed of the ‘Desolation of Smaug’ Fan Event ended, those of us who were lucky enough to be in a theater were treated to five extended scenes from the upcoming movie that totalled approximately 20 minutes of never-before-seen footage. And what we saw was truly spellbinding!
The theater-exclusive material began with a full music video for the new closing credits song, ‘I See Fire’. It was quite a good song, but it doesn’t quite capture the magic of, say, ‘May It Be’ or ‘Into the West’, but few songs can. It’s a folk/pop ballad about Thorin’s determination to win back Erebor at any cost. Continue reading “All the spoilery details from the 20 minutes of previously unseen footage screened at The Desolation of Smaug Fan Event”
Artwork for both the Standard and Special Edition of Howard Shore’s soundtrack for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug has been out for a few days now. If you haven’t already caught it, have a look below!
Doug Adams on his website/blog has labelled the two “Burgundy” and “Dragon”, or if he’s just being descriptive. Not sure whether that means anything in particular. I do rather like the Cyan colour of the Special Edition, though.
Amazon is currently slating the SE for a December 10 release, with the Standard Edition expected the same day. Thanks to all those who write in with the news! Continue reading “Artwork for the Standard and Special Edition of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug”
If you’re a bit of a vinyl fan (confession: I am), you’ll find this news about The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug soundtrack quite exciting. Apparently it’s going to be released on good old-fashioned vinyl on December 3. Continue reading “Soundtrack for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug to be released on vinyl!”
