Return of the Jedi (soundtrack)


Star Wars: Return of the Jedi is the film score to the 1983 film Return of the Jedi, composed and conducted by John Williams and performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. Most of the score was recorded in London between January and February 1983 at Abbey Road Studios, with one cue recorded at Olympic Studios. Again, John Williams served as producer. Herbert W. Spencer, Thomas Newman and Gordon Langford served as orchestrators. Engineer Eric Tomlinson, music editor Kenneth Wannberg, and record supervisor Lionel Newman again reprised their respective duties. The score earned another Academy Award nomination for Williams. Return of the Jedi, which is the original trilogy's shortest score, was only released on a single-LP instead of a double-set like the Star Wars and The [Empire Strikes Back (soundtrack)|The Empire Strikes Back] soundtracks before it.
The 1983 original version was remastered by Sony Classical and released on LP in 2015. A remastered version of the soundtrack was released by Walt Disney Records on May 4, 2018. This remaster was newly assembled from the highest-quality tapes available, rather than sourced from the existing 1983 album masters.

Original 1983 release

Track listing

LP vinyl released by RSO; compact disc released by Polydor
Total Time: 44:59
''This track listing is also shared with the 2015 vinyl release by Sony Classical and the 2018 release by Walt Disney Records.''

Weekly charts

Chart Peak
position
Billboard 20051

Subsequent releases

Release history

''Star Wars Trilogy: The Original Soundtrack Anthology''

In 1993, 20th Century Fox Film Scores released a four-CD box set containing music from the original Star Wars trilogy. This release marked the first time that the complete contents of the original double-LP releases of the scores from the first two films became available on CD. Disc three in the set was devoted to Return of the Jedi, with further tracks on disc four.
  1. "20th Century Fox Fanfare with CinemaScope Extension" – 0:23
  2. "Main Title/Approaching the Death Star" – 5:22
  3. "Han Solo Returns " – 4:08
  4. "Fight in the Dungeon" – 3:41
  5. "The Return of the Jedi" – 5:02
  6. "The Emperor Arrives" – 2:07
  7. "The Death of Yoda" – 6:05
  8. "Parade of the Ewoks" – 3:27
  9. "Luke and Leia" – 4:47
  10. "The Emperor Confronts Luke" – 3:29
  11. "Into the Trap" – 2:39
  12. "First Ewok Battle/Fight With the Fighters" – 7:24
  13. "The Forest Battle" – 4:04
  14. "The Final Duel/Into the Death Star" – 3:40
  15. "The Emperor's Death" – 2:44
  16. "Darth Vader's Death" – 2:33
  17. "Through the Flames" – 1:39
  18. "Leia Breaks the News/Funeral Pyre for a Jedi" – 2:22
  19. "Ewok Celebration/Finale" – 7:58
;Bonus Tracks
  2. "Heroic Ewok/The Fleet Goes Into Hyperspace"
  4. "The Ewok Battle"
  6. "Lapti Nek"
  8. "Faking the Code"
  10. "Brother and Sister"
  12. "Leia is Wounded/Luke and Vader Duel"
  14. "The Return of the Jedi "
  16. "Leia Breaks the News /Funeral Pyre for a Jedi "
  18. "Ewok Celebration /End Credits "
  19. * The second part of track twenty-one, "End Credits," is from Star Wars [Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (soundtrack)|The Empire Strikes Back].

    1997 Special Edition

In commemoration for the franchise's 20th anniversary in 1997, RCA Victor released 2-disc limited edition soundtracks for each film in the original trilogy. The release got a title The Star Wars Trilogy: Special Edition. For Return of the Jedi only, two newly recorded music tracks were added at George Lucas's request. John Williams wrote and recorded a new ending melody with the London Symphony Orchestra titled "Victory Celebration", replacing "Ewok Celebration" from the original release. Jerry Hey composed and arranged "Jedi Rocks" as a replacement for "Lapti Nek".
Sony Classical Records re-issued the soundtrack on September 21, 2004 under the title Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi . The 2-disc set was advertised as the complete score despite missing several musical cues and original tracks.
Although released as the complete score, there are several cues not on the Special Edition that have been released on previous releases. These include:
  • "Lapti Nek" – This is released on the anthology set and is replaced on the SE with "Jedi Rocks".
  • "Leia's News" – This is released on the anthology set. The film version however is heard on the SE.
  • "Ewok Celebration" – This is released on the anthology set but is replaced on the SE with the new celebration music written for the SE.
  • "Ewok Celebration" – This is released on the anthology set and is an alternate vocal mix.

    Unreleased cues

Currently, several source cues and other material are unavailable. Many of these master tapes could not be located in time for the score's Special Edition release and are presumed lost. These tracks include:
  1. "Jabba the Hutt's Concert Suite" – All but the final portion of this original recording, incorrectly edited onto the end of the cue "Han Solo Returns" on the Anthology, remains unreleased..
  2. Unused Source Cue – A 90-second-long piece of unused source music described as sounding like "elevator synth music". It was originally meant to play either at some point after "Jabba's Baroque Recital" or possibly instead of it.
  3. Film Version of "Lapti Nek" – Several versions of this source cue written by John Williams' son Joseph are available. Currently available are the album version on the Anthology and an extended album version and an instrumental track released on an LP single. However, the film version has yet to be released.
  4. "Fancy Man" – This cue can be heard partially in From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga, but remains either lost or simply unreleased. Williams later released a version of the song as "Urth", with him singing both Huttese and English lyrics – as well as parts of the "Ewok Celebration", which he also wrote.
  5. "Max Rebo Source" – Source Cue – This piece, performed by the resident musicians in Jabba's court has never been released. It is heard after Chewbacca is taken away. This cue can also be heard almost totally complete in From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga, but remains unreleased.
  6. "Jabba Sail Barge Source" – Source Cue – A continuation of "Max Rebo Source" with slight alterations and different instrumentation that is heard on Jabba's sail barge.
  7. Alternate Film Takes – Several cues such as "Superstructure Chase" are presented on the SE using incorrect and often flubbed takes.
  8. "Battle for Endor Insert" – This insert can be heard in the film when Chewbacca and the Ewoks use the AT-ST to blow up another AT-ST and is similar to a section from "The Forest Battle Concert Suite" but has never been released.
  9. "Ewok Celebration" – Two versions of this cue have been released, however, neither preserves the actual original recording used in the film.
  10. "Freedom" – Original English demo version of "Ewok Celebration".