Star Wars Soundtracks: The Worship Music of John Williams
Abstract
Music and religion have a long and constitutive history. When considering the potential religious dimensions of the Star Wars universe, musical elements should not be ignored. This article explores the iconic musical scores of John Williams for the Star Wars franchise as a form of worship music. Worship music, especially in Western contemporary Christian contexts, is employed for embodied expression, emotional experience, and spiritual encounter. In a similar fashion, the musical themes and sound world of Star Wars can engage fans in a visceral experience of, and encounter with, something beyond the natural. This article establishes the criteria and effects of contemporary worship music and applies that framework to Williams’s key themes for the Star Wars universe.
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She closed with thoughts about the media's ability to 'challenge us to dream again,' positioning the magazine's Hollywood issue to inspire.
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From The memeification of "woke culture": a multimodal critical discourse analysis of its articulation in Essence; O, The Oprah Magazine; and Teen Vogue (2023) · cites this paper as Daniel Thornton, 2019
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References 48 · Cited by 2
- Authors
- Thornton, D.
- Affiliations
- Alphacrucis University College (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Thornton, Daniel
- ORCID
- Thornton, Daniel
- Venue
- The Journal of Religion and Popular Culture
- Publisher
- University of California Press
- Published
- 2019-03
- Volume
- 31
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 87-100
- ISSN
- 1703-289X (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2922749114
- Cited by
- 2
- References
- 48
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2023: 1
- FWCI
- 0.00
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Religion and Popular Culture (publishedVersion)
- Project Muse (Johns Hopkins University) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Music › Musicology and Musical Analysis
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Religious, Philosophical, and Educational Studies
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Philosophy › Media, Religion, Digital Communication
- Keywords
- Star Wars, John Williams, film music, worship music, music and religion, sound world, embodied experience, spiritual experience
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