Released November 2003 Genre Pop, New age Label Reprise | Recorded New Zealand Length 4:35 | |
Writer(s) Annie Lennox, Fran Walsh, Howard Shore | ||
"Into the West" is a song performed by Annie Lennox, and the end-credit song of the 2003 film The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. It is written and composed by Lennox, Return of the King producer and co-writer, Fran Walsh, and the film's composer Howard Shore. The song plays in full during the closing credits of the 2003 film The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, although instrumental music from the song plays at other points during the film itself. The song was later covered by New Zealand singers Yulia Townsend and Will Martin and American singer Peter Hollens. In 2014, German a cappella Metal band van Canto performed a cover on their fifth studio album, Dawn of the Brave.
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The song was conceived as a bittersweet Elvish lament sung by Galadriel for those who have sailed across the Sundering Sea. Several phrases from the song are taken from the last chapter of The Return of the King.
In the commentaries and documentaries accompanying the extended DVD edition of the film, director Peter Jackson explains that the song wasn't inspired by Frodo, but by the premature death from cancer of young New Zealand filmmaker Cameron Duncan, whose work had impressed Jackson and his team. The first public performance of the song was at Duncan's funeral.
Versions
The song has five different versions, in addition to the version used in the film (with the orchestral ending). Promos were made available in late November 2003.
Awards
The song won the Oscar for Best Original Song at the 76th Academy Awards, one of the film's eleven wins. Lennox also performed the song live at the ceremony; coincidentally, Lennox's performance was one of several introduced by Liv Tyler, who appeared as Arwen in the film.
It also won a Grammy Award at the 47th Grammy Awards for Best Song Written for Visual Media.