"Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" Soundtrack Lyrics

"Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)" – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Overview

How do you write a goodbye without letting the music say “the end”? John Williams answers with a tapestry — new motifs stitched to four decades of leitmotifs — so the 2019 score to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker feels like memory in motion. The album crowns the saga with Rey’s Theme in full bloom, a sinister Anthem of Evil for the resurgent Sith, and a benediction of farewells that refuse to be maudlin.

The palette swings from intimate woodwind soliloquies (Rey alone among ruins) to brass-and-choir surges (Resistance musters; Exegol’s cathedrals). Old friends return — the Force, Leia, the Falcon, even Emperor-adjacent colors — but the emotional center is present-tense: a heroine’s resolve, a family chosen. The arc starts in myth-hunt mode and lands on reunion — the score taking a bow only after everyone else does.

Style phases → meaning: searching waltz and celesta — identity and hope (Rey); ironclad march — collective courage (Resistance); choral dread — corruption and cult (Sith/Exegol); luminous valediction — grief, gratitude, continuity (finale cues). From scavenger curiosity to sky-filling chorales, it closes a circle without closing the door.

How It Was Made

Williams composed, produced, and conducted across summer–autumn 2019 at the Sony Pictures Scoring Stage in Los Angeles, recording over three hours of music with a 100-voice choir. William Ross assisted with orchestrations and conducting; Shawn Murphy engineered and mixed. Walt Disney Records released the album digitally on December 18, 2019 (CD followed that week). A 50-minute For Your Consideration sampler briefly appeared on Disney’s awards site ahead of release.

Tracks & Scenes

“Fanfare and Prologue”

Where it plays:

The crawl, then hard-cut urgency as Kylo hunts a wayfinder and the First Order consolidates power. The fanfare glints, then the harmony darkens into myth-in-a-hurry.

Why it matters:

Signals a finale’s pace: familiar banner, accelerated stakes.

“Journey to Exegol”

Where it plays:

Through hyperspace storms toward the hidden world. Low strings churn while choir shades the frame — not adventure, ritual.

Why it matters:

Introduces the chant-laced color that will stain the third act.

“The Rise of Skywalker” (End Credits suite)

Where it plays:

Finale suite at credits: a mosaic of new-and-old, with Rey’s Theme crowned and Resistance brass standing shoulder to shoulder with legacy motifs.

Why it matters:

Williams’ curtain call — architecture of themes as the saga’s scrapbook.

“The Speeder Chase”

Where it plays:

Pasaana getaway — rockets, plumes of sand, “they fly now!” Kinetic ostinati and whooping brass keep the joke breathless, not weightless.

Why it matters:

Classic Williams chase craft — rhythm as steering wheel.

“Anthem of Evil”

Where it plays:

Threaded through Sith/Exegol scenes — hooded chorales, modal gravity, the sense of a very old choirbook reopened.

Why it matters:

A new choral identity for the dark — stately, not merely snarling.

“Destiny of a Jedi”

Where it plays:

Ahch-To return — quiet strings and Force colors; choices made with the sea for percussion.

Why it matters:

Lets legacy themes speak softly, then steps out of their shadow.

“The Old Death Star”

Where it plays:

Approaching Death Star II wreckage; surf and steel. Rey’s motif narrows to a line, then opens as she climbs.

Why it matters:

Memory made physical — music navigates ruins without nostalgia fog.

“The Final Saber Duel” / “Battle of the Resistance”

Where it plays:

Rain-slick clash on Kef Bir; later, sky-armada chaos over Exegol. Strings cut like blades; chorus swells as the cavalry arrives.

Why it matters:

Private reckoning, public war — cues braid the two fronts.

“Reunion” & “Farewell”

Where it plays:

Post-victory embraces and a goodbye worthy of a general; then closing grace notes for a nine-film run.

Why it matters:

Earns the tears without drowning in them — gratitude as melody.

Notes & Trivia

• Williams recorded July–November 2019, completing his ninth and final Star Wars feature score with a Los Angeles orchestra and 100-voice choir.
• Digital album dropped December 18, 2019; CDs followed two days later.
• Awards season: Oscar nomination (Original Score); GRAMMY nomination (Best Score Soundtrack) — Joker won the category.
• A 50-minute FYC sampler (alternate sequencing) appeared briefly online before the commercial release.
• Suite highlights: end credits tile together new cues with saga themes; concert arrangements surfaced soon after in live programs.

Music–Story Links

Every time Rey chooses the harder path, the celesta-and-strings germ of her theme grows into something orchestral — not bigger for show, bigger for responsibility. The Resistance march waits its turn, then plants a flag when community finally coalesces. Over Exegol, choir and brass argue: Anthem of Evil vs. a people’s answer. The last pages are about the cost of survival — “Farewell” and “Reunion” let grief and gratitude share the same harmony.

Reception & Quotes

Reviews praised the sweep and the sense of summation, calling it a generous, detail-dense goodbye with fresh choral writing and top-shelf action geometry.

“Intelligent and wondrous… a rousing conclusion to Williams’ journey with the saga.” Filmtracks

“Choirs that feel ancient, action cues that dance — and Rey’s theme given the last word.” Contemporary soundtrack coverage

Interesting Facts

• Final bow: Williams confirmed this as his last Star Wars feature score before sessions began.
• Choral heft: ~100 voices add cathedral weight to Exegol cues like “Anthem of Evil.”
• FYC oddities: the awards sampler includes alternates/edits not on the retail album.
• Fast turn: digital release landed two days before the U.S. theatrical opening weekend peak.
• Suite craft: the end-credits “The Rise of Skywalker” functions as a mini-recap of nine films’ worth of themes.

Technical Info

• Title: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker — Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
• Year: 2019 (digital: Dec 18; CD: Dec 20)
• Type: Feature film score
• Composer/Producer/Conductor: John Williams
• Orchestrations/Conducting support: William Ross
• Recording & Mixing: Sony Pictures Scoring Stage (Los Angeles), July–Nov 18, 2019; Shawn Murphy (scoring mixer)
• Choir: ~100-voice Los Angeles ensemble
• Label: Walt Disney Records
• Key cues: “Fanfare and Prologue,” “Journey to Exegol,” “Anthem of Evil,” “The Speeder Chase,” “Destiny of a Jedi,” “The Old Death Star,” “The Final Saber Duel,” “Battle of the Resistance,” “Reunion,” “Farewell,” “The Rise of Skywalker (End Credits).”
• Awards: Academy Award nominee (Original Score); GRAMMY nominee (Best Score Soundtrack)

Questions & Answers

Is this really John Williams’ last Star Wars score?

Yes — he announced his exit from the saga and conducted this ninth feature as a farewell.

When did the album come out?

Digitally on December 18, 2019; on CD December 20, 2019.

Where was it recorded and with whom?

At Sony Pictures Studios in Los Angeles with a large studio orchestra and ~100-voice choir.

What new material should I listen for?

“Anthem of Evil” (choral dark-side identity) and the expansive end-credits suite “The Rise of Skywalker.”

Did it win major awards?

It earned Oscar and GRAMMY nominations; the GRAMMY went to Joker.

Key Contributors

Sources: official soundtrack listings and liner credits; reputable soundtrack databases and reviews; Grammy nominations coverage; studio/trailer channels.

November, 27th 2025