Songs of our times that remind you of LOTR...

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

If I had to say which reminds me about the LotR, it would be also few ones from Led Zeppelin, but not Battle of Evermore (although it fits in there and it surprised me when I first heard it some time later). Btw I really don't think BoE refers just to Middle-Earth: apart from mentioning the Ringwraith, there is no distinct mention of anything else of Tolkien, and I think it's more or less "general" - about fantasy, or fairytales, and so on. There is also one song from a band I actually don't know, they are not my kind of music, but I noticed that in one of their songs - otherwise they don't have anything in common with Tolkien or even fantasy at large - they sing about a man who returns home drunk or something like that, don't know the text, just there is a word about his wife, that she "cried like hurt Nazgul".
I'm actually surprised no one has mentioned the Blind Guardian (or maybe I overlooked it?). Their album "Nightfall in Middle-Earth", which is all about Silmarillion, and sole songs like "Lord of the Rings" I don't find actually drawing me to the world of Tolkien, but they talk about it nonetheless, so I'm surprised they were not even mentioned (especially, if there were Nightwish mentioned, who are very similar kind of music, but do not sing about LotR explicitely, and the BG do - at least in these few songs).

But back to the original question, songs which remind ME of ME (ahem... you know what I mean ) are some from Clannad, but as well Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven (as someone has already mentioned) and Black Dog (don't ask me why; I just used to have them on tape - ah, the ancient times - together, and it reminds me somehow of the other Wizards than Gandalf. Yeah, when I listen to it, I imagine Radagast, Saruman, and the Blue Wizards. But don't ask me why, really don't know). There are also songs where the feeling is more common, like Pink Floyd's "Breathe". And yeah, I could add some songs from the Beatles remind me of Frodo and Sam's journey to Mordor: namely "With A Little Help From My Friends", "A Day in the Life", "Magical Mystery Tour" and "Strawberry Fields Forever"

[Lalwendë]

Legate, you might be amused by this: mad Led Zep & Tolkien page. In addition to Ringwraiths, Plant wrote about The Dark Lord, so that might be another, but the guy on this page says there is 'no Avalon' in Tolkien but there is Avallone (how much Tolkien has he read, eh?). You're correct, Plant and Page deny they wrote any of their songs 'about' Tolkien, and if you look at them they're actually a big jumbled mess of all kinds of things. Plant was indeed a big Tolkien fan, but those were erm....'heady' times for Led Zep and I strongly suspect they were not always fully 'sober' when writing lyrics. But the atmosphere of the song is most conducive to thoughts of Tolkien's work at least...

[Holbytlass]

Dave Mathew's Band-Tripping Billies

eat, drink and be merry
for tomorrow we die
'cause we're tripping Billies

because of *Wilwarin's old signature "eat drink and be Merry....or Pippin".


*I think it was Wilwarin's

[shieldmaiden4xsword]

For some reason the song "Let us Love and sing and wonder".

1. Let us love and sing and wonder
Let us praise the Savior’s name
He has hushed the law’s loud thunder
He has quenched Mount Sinai’s flame
He has washed us with His blood
He has washed us with His blood
He has washed us with His blood
He has brought us nigh to God

2. Let us love the Lord Who bought us
Pitied us when enemies
Called us by His grace and taught us
Gave us ears and gave us eyes
He has washed us with His blood
He has washed us with His blood
He has washed us with His blood
He presents our souls to God

3. Let us sing through fierce temptation
Threaten hard to bear us down
For the Lord, our strong salvation,
Holds in view the conqu’ror’s crown
He, Who washed us with His blood,
He, Who washed us with His blood,
He, Who washed us with His blood,
Soon will bring us home to God

4. Let us wonder grace and justice
Join and point to mercy’s store
When through grace in Christ our trust is
Justice smiles and asks no more
He Who washed us with His blood
He Who washed us with His blood
He Who washed us with His blood
Has secured our way to God

5. Let us praise and join the chorus
Of the saints enthroned on high
Here they trusted Him before us
Now their praises fill the sky
Thou hast washed us with Thy blood
Thou hast washed us with Thy blood
Thou hast washed us with Thy blood
Thou art worthy Lamb of God.

i LOVE this song, for some reason it makes me think of LOTR. ok, ok, OK!!! i'm really weird.

[Volo]

Such Russian bands as Aria and Kipelov (not many of you have heard of them as they are Russian) remind me of Middle-earth in many songs, but they do remind me of many different fantasy books... Especially Robin Hobb and Maria Semjonova.

[Thinlómien]

Dido's My Lover's Gone is an Amarië & Finrod Felagund song for me...

My lover's gone,
his boots no longer by my door,
he left at dawn,
and as I slept I felt him go
Returns no more,
I will not watch the ocean,
my lover's gone,
no earthly ships will ever
Bring him home again,
bring him home again
My lover's gone,
I know that kiss will be my last,
no more his song,
the tune upon his lips has passed
I sing alone,
while I watch the ocean,
my lover's gone,
no earthly ships will ever Bring him home again,
bring him home again
bring him home again
my lover's gone
his boots no longer by my door
he left at dawn
and as I slept I felt him go
returns no more
I will not watch the ocean
my lovers gone
no earthly ships will ever
bring him home again
bring him home again

It just fits so beautifully for the story, every single word (almost ) ....

[Thinlómien]

I was listening to Blackmore's Night's Windmills today and I was freaked out by how much it reminds me of Túrin and Nienor.

Here's the song on YouTube and here are the lyrics:

Far from the worn path of reason
Further away from the sane
He battles his shadows and demons
Fighting to light the way

And the dust and the dirt cloud his vision
Onward he rides unafraid
He fights the good fight for good reason
A star that refuses to fade

Still he braves his path…
Windmills only laugh

She was wounded and wild when he found her
He saw her through child’s eyes
She fell for the spell he was under
Each day a brand new surprise

And she watches with strange curiosity
She wants so much to believe
Hoping to break the chains of reality
Dying to set herself free

Though he may appear tattered and broken
His clothes are shabby and bare
Still he glows like the flame of a candle
With passion of one who still cares

There was always a rhyme to the reason
Peering out from tired eyes
The truth finally came in treason
So wrong, but so justified…
So wrong but so justified…
Windmills close their eyes…

Some lines are just... just so fitting it scares me. Some are less fitting and of course the windmills have nothing to do with Narn-i-Hín-Húrin, they're Don Quijote stuff.

Anyway, I like this thread a lot, so people please, post stuff here! And especially if you can post a link so that we can hear the songs...

[Snowdog]

Originally Posted by Thinlómien

Dido's My Lover's Gone is an Amarië & Finrod Felagund song for me...

My lover's gone,
his boots no longer by my door,
he left at dawn,
and as I slept I felt him go
Returns no more,
I will not watch the ocean,
my lover's gone,
no earthly ships will ever
Bring him home again,
bring him home again
My lover's gone,
I know that kiss will be my last,
no more his song,
the tune upon his lips has passed
I sing alone,
while I watch the ocean,
my lover's gone,
no earthly ships will ever Bring him home again,
bring him home again
bring him home again
my lover's gone
his boots no longer by my door
he left at dawn
and as I slept I felt him go
returns no more
I will not watch the ocean
my lovers gone
no earthly ships will ever
bring him home again
bring him home again

It just fits so beautifully for the story, every single word (almost ) ....

I considered Dido's My Lover's Gone a very Middle Earthy song in a sad Numenorean sort of way.

Originally Posted by Lachwen

Well, let's see...how 'bout Led Zepplin's Stairway to Heaven? That's the most gorram Elvish song I've ever heard. I mean, consider these lines: There's a feeling I get when I look to the West / And my spirit is crying for leaving...

Continuing with this Led Zepplin line of thought, how many of you have ever really listened to The Battle of Evermore? If that song isn't about the Battle of the Pelennor, then I'm Mother Theresa. Consider the lyrics:

The Queen of Light took her bow (Queen of Light? Gee, who could that be...)
And then she turned to go
The Prince of Peace embraced the gloom
And walked the night alone (That sounds like a reference to Frodo if there ever was one)

Oh, dance in the dark of night
Sing to the morning light
The dark Lord rides in force tonight (Dark Lord? Sounds like Sauron to me)
And time will tell us all

Oh, throw down your plow and hoe
Rest not to lock your homes
Side by side we wait the night
Of the darkest of them all (This sounds like the Dawnless Day to me)

I hear the horses' thunder
Down in the valley below (Reference to the Rohirrim?)
I'm waiting for the angels of Avalon
Waiting for the eastern glow

The apples of the valley hold
The seas of happiness
The ground is rich from tender care
Repay, do not forget, no, no

Oh, dance in the dark of night
sing to the morning light
The apples turn to brown and black
The tyrant's face is red

Oh, war is the common cry
Pick up you swords and fly
The sky is filled with good and bad
That mortals never know

Oh, well, the night is long
The beads of time pass slow
Tired eyes on the sunrise
Waiting for the eastern glow

The pain of war cannot exceed
The woe of aftermath
The drums will shake the castle wall
The Ringwraiths ride in black, ride on (This one should be obvious!)

Sing as you raise your bow
Shoot straighter than before
No comfort has the fire at night
That lights the face so cold

Oh, dance in the dark of night
Sing to the mornin' light

The magic runes are writ in gold
To bring the balance back (Magic runes...like on Merry's sword?)
Bring it back

At last the sun is shining
The clouds of blue roll by
With flames from the dragon of darkness
The sunlight blinds his eyes...

When I heard Heart do Battle of Evermore live, I was transported to the fields of Pelennor. Of course, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss do it quite well too.