Why It Works: Gollum's Song

Maestronomy instructor Keaton Anderson finally gets his wish of nerding out about his favorite film song!

Thanks to Gregan for the suggestion!

Video and music credit:
Warner Music Group, Emiliana Torrini, New Line Cinema

[shadergod]

I can actually tell you exactly how Emilíana Torrini got attached to sing this song. It's actually a really crazy sequence of events. Back in 2001, I was working at a video game development company called Presto Studios in San Diego. That Summer, I and a co-worker friend of mine went to go see Dido on tour, when she came to San Diego. It was a co-headlining tour with Travis. I was REALLY into Dido's music and my co-worker was a HUGE Travis fan. The thing was, Emiliana Torrini was the opening act on that tour. Even though neither of us had heard of her, we were both blown away by her performance and her music.

We both bought copies of her current album at that time, Love in the Time of Science. The thing is, at least back then, I would very much describe her music as a much more accessible version of Bjork. (Their voices are extremely similar.) Now at the office, we had a habit of ripping CDs that we thought folks would like and hosting them on a hard drive specifically for sharing the MP3s with the rest of the office. We had A LOT of Bjork fans at the office and LitTOS quickly became the most popular album at the office.

At the same time, though, one of our concept artists had become REALLY good friends with Dan Falconer, one of the main concept artists at WETA after they met at Comic-Con a year earlier. One day, in one of their email exchanges, Dan asks my friend Jeff (the concept artist at Presto) if anybody in the office could recommend and potential singers that would be a good replacement for Bjork for the main theme for The Two Towers. (They had originally contacted Bjork about singing it and she had expressed interest, but she eventually backed out.) I was talking to Jeff when he was reading the email and I was like, "Dude, tell him about Emiliana Torrini and tell him to talk to whoever about listening to Love in the Time of Science.) Jeff wasn't really a Bjork fan and hadn't listened to the album, yet.

So, anyway, he did and like me and my co-workers, her voice and her music blew away the production team. Jeff and I got an email from Dan a few days later thanking us for the suggestion.

So that's how she got connected with the project. That was kind of the weird thing about it. Emiliana has an amazing talent and an amazing voice, but she obviously was not and is not as successful, or as well known, as artists like Enya or Annie Lennox. Particularly back then, she was REALLY obscure. WETA had never heard of her. But thanks to opening up for Dido, it eventually led to her getting the gig.

[Xerrand]

There is a quote about Gollum from the Two Towers book, that always made me very sad. And I believe it compliments this song, and the themes behind the song rather well. It takes place in the mountains near Mordor, while Gollum is away and Frodo and Sam are huddled waiting for his return.

" No, but we'd better keep our eyes skinned till we do. If we're caught napping, Stinker will come out on top pretty quick. Not but what it would be safe for you to have a wink now, master. Safe, if you lay close to me.... I'd keep watch over you; and anyway, if you lay near, with my arm round you, no one could come pawing you without your Sam knowing it.'....

And so Gollum found them hours later, when he returned.... Sam sat propped against the stone, ... his breathing heavy. In his lap lay Frodo's head, drowned deep in sleep.... Peace was in both their faces.

Gollum looked at them. A strange expression passed over his lean hungry face. The gleam faded from his eyes, and they went dim and grey, old and tired. A spasm of pain seemed to twist him, and he turned away, peering back up towards the pass, shaking his head, as if engaged in some interior debate. Then he came back, and slowly putting out a trembling hand, very cautiously he touched Frodo's knee — but almost the touch was a caress. For a fleeting moment, could one of the sleepers have seen him, they would have thought that they beheld an old weary hobbit, shrunken by the years that had carried him far beyond his time, beyond friends and kin, and the fields and streams of youth, an old starved pitiable thing."

[seanconway]

People don’t realise Gollum is the anti-hero of the story. He basically kept the ring safe from Sauron for hundreds of years until the true king returned. He was even tortured & still didn’t reveal where it was. He was able to have the ring & not use it for his own gain because it was essentially his only friend in the world. The song expresses the desperate loneliness of his situation.

[viniciusvyller]

This song physically hurts. Not because its bad, obviously It isnt, but because it make us feel so much empathy for the character since self-sabotage is a very common thing and i believe there isnt much instrumentations about this specific condition of human psyche. We hated and loved ourselves at some point in our lives, and to stop and listen how heart wrenching truly is this feeling makes this song very unique.

[SarmisPug]

I cannot understand why this songwas not nominated for more awards. Perhaps it is too subtle for the mass market. I think its a masterpiece reflecting the melancholy and conflict within Gollum.

[vincencures]

Gollum's song was the strongest moment of the whole movie. It clicked perfectly with everything.

[ameliaroseillustrations]

I love this song! I find it amazing how, even though the song is sung by a woman, you can still hear Gollum. The way she sings it, you almost forget that she sounds nothing like Sméagol, because the feeling is the same.

[nickmedley]

Jackson captured Gollum so dang well. He really played into the schizophrenic-addict personality. As you said the song perfectly captured this aspect too.

[mynt]

Gollum is a decent analogy for how you can see someone who has been wrecked by addiction. Approach with empathy. We shouldn't cast down people who's lives have been stricken by runaway coping mechanisms for which they cannot control, we should seek to empathize that they too deep down are only human and mortal just like any of us.

[FRYSMASH]

I wasn't aware of this song at all so I legit came into this video expecting some piece on Gollum singing about fish.

[ilariaperini]

I was a 12 years old Italian girl when I watched the movie for the first time. At the time I did not quite grasp the English lyrics, but just the melody and the emotions conveyed by Torini's voice were enough to bring me to tears.
This song is such a masterpiece, and you have done such a good job with this video!

[constanceaverman]

I didn't want to feel pity for or to show mercy to Smeagul/Gollum until I listened to this song and it moved me to reconsider his situation. This was also helped along when I listened to Gandolf tell us of Bilbo's reconsidering his judgement and then showing him mercy out of a sense of pity. Wonderful story telling! Thanks for the musical analysis which helps to explain why it affected me the way it did.

[Shooting-Journey-Guy-Mike]

I can't listen to this song without recalling the monologue given by Gollum at the beginning of the following movie. Part of the song lyrics are "and we will weep / to be so alone" and every time I hear it, my mind jumps to Gollum in Return of the King saying "They cursed us. Murderer, they called us. And we wept, Precious, didn't we? We wept to be so alone..." So here we have a song playing during credits which directly foreshadows dialogue at the beginning of the next chapter in the movie series. Can you name another instance of this? I can't. I think it's absolutely brilliant.

Aside: Samwise Gamgee, bless him, never understands that Gollum is what Frodo would become if Frodo did not have Sam with him. What if Smeagol had been able to allow just one person to be a friend to him? How would his life have changed? This question encourages me to be a friend even to those who appear grotesque or unhappy. Being a good friend matters.

[pauloc.]

And the lyrics are so clever playing with the character's double personality:

First Sméagol:

And WE will weep
To be so alone
We are lost!
We can never go home

Then Gollum (and I think Emilíana sing these lines in a cynical tone):

And YOU will weep
When you face the end alone
You are lost!
You can never go home
You - are - lost!
You - can - ne-ver - go - ho-me

[jennychasteen]

I'm so glad to see this underappreciated song get some attention! The other thing I find absolutely brilliant about it is that there are two verses--the first one essentially expressing Smeagol/Slinker (his more sympathetic, regretful side, which seems redeemable) and the second one expressing Gollum/Stinker (his cruel, twisted, unredeemable side). The ways this song captures this character's dichotomy are incredible.

[fifthofascalante]

Gollum is one of the most tragic characters ever because he did it to himself. He is easily the most interesting of all in LotR. Unfortunately, for me, he is the most relatable, too. Though the scene where he chokes Deagol remains one of the most terrifying to me with the soundtrack featuring a frantic then dying heart heartbeat. The contrast between how adorable Torini’s voice is and the sinister content of her words make it heart wrenching. Beautiful and powerful.

[SuperKatiki]

"Gollum's Song" isn't my favorite offering from the soundtracks. It's not one I would typically pull up to listen to, but when it comes on I can't turn it off. It's haunting and beautiful and disturbing all at the same time. Great video!

[ronricherson]

As a composer, I am fascinated by this song and enthralled with the entire score. I could probably talk for an hour about this song myself. But you captured some of the most important points and I agree.

[christianwestling]

Great video!

To add to the sadness; I just recently realized that there were three eagles when Sam & Frodo were rescued after destroying the ring. The third one was for Gollum. :(

[scottmcmaster]

Poor Smeagol. May Eru Iluvatar have shown him great kindness in the next life and helped him heal from those deep wounds perpetrated against him by Sauron.