Music in World of Warcraft: What does it mean to you?
by Kelly Aarons 
Feb 16th 2011 at 2:00PM
After such a monumental occasion, one should consider the role that music plays in our gaming experience -- and in this case, for World of Warcraft. Blizzard has brought on some of the most talented composers, singers and musicians in order to make the music more than just background noise -- it's become part of the entire culture of WoW.
The themes for World of Warcraft are the most recognizable, as they usually encompass an entire expansion. The subsequent music for the zones complement the main theme and the feel for the game (and expansion) as a whole. From the quiet, natural melodies of the original game, to the melancholy, gothic hymns of Wrath of the Lich King, everything has always matched. I remember the first time that I watched the Wrath cinematic and could feel tears welling up when I heard the falsetto. It was so haunting and sad, and it spoke volumes of the hurt, betrayal and agony of Arthas, the Lich King.
With composers like Christopher Tin paving the way for the "video games as art" argument, could it be possible for some of the musical scores of Cataclysm and beyond to be on the red carpet? I certainly hope so, as these creations are no less valid than anything Lady Gaga makes.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
GerardthePriest Feb 15th 2011 4:12PM
You know it's Christopher TiN, right, not TiM? Says its right there in the music video...
Cadychan Feb 15th 2011 4:22PM
Really sorry about that! It's been fixed. :)
Syrchus Feb 16th 2011 3:45PM
Some call him TiM.
Nazuel Feb 15th 2011 4:14PM
everytime i hear this song i contemplate installing civ 4..
Andostre Feb 15th 2011 4:41PM
Civ4 is great, and the Fall From Heaven mod makes it even better. Turns everything in Civ4 fantasy-themed, and it introduces some of the concepts that Firaxix put into Civ5.
If you live Civiliaztion, and you like WoW, you should give Fall From Heaven a try!
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=171398
garpu Feb 15th 2011 4:25PM
Nitpick, but the voice used in the Wrath trailer is actually a boy soprano. Falsetto is a kind of vocal production (think bee Gees.)
Redbeard Feb 16th 2011 3:50PM
Oh great. Now I've got Jive Talkin' as an earworm.
Curse you Red Baron!
aaron.bish Feb 15th 2011 5:43PM
How can it be an "Instrumental with Vocalist". Isn't that contradictory?
Phort Feb 15th 2011 5:59PM
If you listen to the Civ 4 thing then its kind of like an opera, climaxing at parts and fading at others while there isnt neccisarily voices singing
Nagaina Feb 16th 2011 2:42PM
See: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/OneWomanWail for more details. Despite the trope name, it doesn't matter if the singer is female or male soprano, the effect being striven for is *poignance.*
David Feb 16th 2011 6:53PM
Interesting fact that I doubt many people know, the lyrics of this song is actually the Christian "Lord's Prayer" in Swahili, an African language.
Phort Feb 15th 2011 5:58PM
I absolutly LOVE the music in WoW! Sometimes I just sit at the login screen listening to the music for a while, especially after all the scary, world destroying music Cata brought, the smoother, gentler stuff is amazingly beautiful and tranquil.
This being said, (and this part of my comment might better fit under the "What should WoW impliment from other games?" article), but I think WoW should let us listen to some music from other zones or the login screen, such as Runescape lets you do. I dont play it anymore, but I liked that feature of Runescape :)
Nawaf Feb 16th 2011 2:17PM
True. Although Runescape is a really bad MMO, this feature is a really good feature that most games don't have.
Chokaa Feb 16th 2011 2:11PM
Collector's edition was worth it just for the soundtrack. The rest is icing on the cake. If you have the soundtrack, and a car/home theatre wiith a badass system, put the soundtrack in and rock out with your #%^* out. It is amazmeriztastic.
Mike Feb 16th 2011 2:15PM
Wow. Out of all the music from video games, I LOVE the intro to Civ 4... I use to just let that playthrough a few times, with the earth spinning... awesome piece of music, and a well-deserved win.
Drakkenfyre Feb 16th 2011 6:48PM
Here and there it seems to have some tones of the Avatar theme in the background vocals. I don't mean the actual vocals, but a similiar theme.
Hih Feb 17th 2011 6:39PM
I know exactly what you mean Mike. I swear, I spent nearly as much time just sitting there listening to the intro music as I did playing the game.
ladygamertn Feb 16th 2011 2:23PM
The whole video was great! My hubby plays Civ but I don't. This video really showed what the game is about. Really nicely done.
Mikelish Feb 16th 2011 2:27PM
Tbh I have it on mute, it's all abit too relaxed for me and I get bored on WoW if I just have the ingame music on, I have to be watching a film or listening to iTunes.
Jejin Feb 16th 2011 2:25PM
What does Music in WoW mean to me? A lot, to say the least. Got an addon on curse.com with original music for vanilla dungeons. It's called Jejin Soundtrack Project if you're interested.
Also, regarding the first video, it's great to see video game music finally starting to get the recognition it deserves! So many amazing composers are starting their careers in video games, and I'm sick of them being pushed aside for 'real' music. I could go on about how high culture vs. popular culture is a construction and fabrication of society, but I'm far too lazy right now. :)