Return of the Jedi (soundtrack)


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. The score was recorded at the Abbey Road Studios in January and February 1983. Again, John Williams served as producer. Orchestrator Herbert W. Spencer, 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 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.

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 .

    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. For Return of the Jedi only, two newly recorded music tracks were added at George Lucas's request. John Williams wrote and composed 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. The 2-disc set was falsely 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:
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. 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.
  3. English Version of Lapti Nek - 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.
  4. Max Rebo Band Song --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 and also on Jabba's sail barge. This cue can also be heard almost totally complete in From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga, but remains unreleased.
  5. Unknown Source Cue - this cue is not used in the film but is credited to Joseph Williams. Nothing more is known.
  6. Alternate Film Takes - Several cues such as "Superstructure Chase" are presented on the SE using incorrect and often flubbed takes.
  7. 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.
  8. Ewok Celebration - Two versions of this cue have been released, however, neither preserves the actual original recording used in the film.

    Recording Information

Cue list