There were some moments in my playthrough where I just loved the music, and even more going through the soundtrack afterwards. I've even just been trying to replicate the melody from The Power and Last Light on the keyboard... although I'm a wind player, so these 'chord' things are a bit tricky to get my head around. A few of my favourites:
The Power - I almost consider this the theme to the game, given how many times the melody comes up in different places. Love the piano intro in the credits version, and the tune
Alfira's song -
Firstly, because it's the first song you hear in the game. But it's also special to me because it helped me understand my bard's personality. Yes, I will sit down and work through your song with you. It would have been brilliant if she writes a song about you by the end of the game!
Last Light -
I listened after finishing the game, and I love how lonely yet hopeful that clarinet solo sounds. It always makes me think of a single lamp flickering in the dark, which is perfect for the Last Light. And I always hear the tired quartermaster saying "We don't know when 'next blow will come"
End of act 2 -
When I camped for the last time before reaching Rivington, and the same camp music as before started up, but then someone started singing... that one gave me chills. I can't remember if it was the Song of Balduran, which admittedly I'd heard enough of after several nights at the Elfsong, but getting it that first time was just amazing.
I'd also like to say how much I like the fact that you can join in with every bard in the game. It would have been so easy not to implement that, but basically every time I found a performing bard I'd choose the instrument most unlike theirs (I had violin, flute & lute) and join in; and it always sounded excellent (although the audiences get a bit annoying with the sudden whooping and shouting). Does the game actually have melody and accompaniment parts for all instruments? I mean, if I start playing on my own I must be playing the melody, but I remember the bard in the guildhall plays the flute, so I joined in on the lute and I think I was playing an accompaniment part.
That song you hear before Rivington is "I want to live" if I remember correctly. The instrumental version is often played when you're in camp, but you can hear the lyrics when you go to Astarion's tent. The lyrics do seem to have a link with Astarion, but the composer has stated in a tweet that this song is the player's theme, so it about your trials and tribulations.
In the context of camp/resting I especially like the line .
I can't go yet Don't let me die I'll never stop Until I'm done But just tonight Maybe I'll rest in peace
Here is the sung version with lyrics.
Also, what you can do just for fun, is recast your entire party as bards (ask withers to do this), all with a different instrument proficiency and then play together as a band.
Ah, that would make sense. I know I Want To Live from the soundtrack but I didn't remember where I'd heard it in game. Thanks! I kicked Astarion out pretty early with a wooden stake to the gut so I wouldn't have noticed it near his tent. That probably made the moment it plays at the end of act 2 more impactful for me. I see what you mean about some of the lyrics sounding related to him, although it would be odd for one companion to have a song and not any of the others. Though a song for each companion would be neat.
Recasting the party as a band would be another great way to end in the epilogue if I still had control then. Maybe we should make our case to Gortash as a dance troupe.
I kicked Astarion out pretty early with a wooden stake to the gut so I wouldn't have noticed it near his tent.
Very unrelated to the topic, but if you do another run you should definitely bring him along, he's widely recognised as one of if not the best written companion and his quest is also one of the best or most impactful if he's present.
I remember the demos-and-trailers that were released just before EA. The player character in these clips was Astarion. So perhaps this mixed some of his character into the player's theme.
That song you hear before Rivington is "I want to live" if I remember correctly. The instrumental version is often played when you're in camp, but you can hear the lyrics when you go to Astarion's tent. The lyrics do seem to have a link with Astarion, but the composer has stated in a tweet that this song is the player's theme, so it about your trials and tribulations.
Really sorry to hear that, Astarion is much more suited to that song, and so it's just a +1 to marysue for the player. The level of marysue in BG3 is still relatively tolerable, it can be worse (for example, in Dragon Age: Inquisition this level was so off the charts that it made the game so stupid at one point that it was impossible to continue), but still... About DU we can still talk about some trials and tribulations, but Tav has the same problem with larvae as other companions, Tav no one will put a wooden stake in their guts for fun, no one will surrender Gur to death, it is not written about Tav in all "paladin codes" that it is a monster that can be killed. Even if Tav is evil, the world is still nowhere near as dangerous to them as it is to Astarion, and what Astarion has been through doesn't compare to Tav's "tribulations". And Astarion really really wants to live, his lust for life, no matter what, is amazing. This used to be my favorite song, the composer's statement definitely cheapened it for me. Unless I try to expunge this new information from my memory and leave the previous perception of the tune in my headcanon...
Aeterna Amantes. Lovers forever, until the world falls down.
That song you hear before Rivington is "I want to live" if I remember correctly. The instrumental version is often played when you're in camp, but you can hear the lyrics when you go to Astarion's tent. The lyrics do seem to have a link with Astarion, but the composer has stated in a tweet that this song is the player's theme, so it about your trials and tribulations.
Really sorry to hear that, Astarion is much more suited to that song, and so it's just a +1 to marysue for the player. The level of marysue in BG3 is still relatively tolerable, it can be worse (for example, in Dragon Age: Inquisition this level was so off the charts that it made the game so stupid at one point that it was impossible to continue), but still... About DU we can still talk about some trials and tribulations, but Tav has the same problem with larvae as other companions, Tav no one will put a wooden stake in their guts for fun, no one will surrender Gur to death, it is not written about Tav in all "paladin codes" that it is a monster that can be killed. Even if Tav is evil, the world is still nowhere near as dangerous to them as it is to Astarion, and what Astarion has been through doesn't compare to Tav's "tribulations". And Astarion really really wants to live, his lust for life, no matter what, is amazing. This used to be my favorite song, the composer's statement definitely cheapened it for me. Unless I try to expunge this new information from my memory and leave the previous perception of the tune in my headcanon...
Personally, I don't think the composer would mind if you prefer to associate the theme with Astarion. Authors and readers/spectators of art may have different interpretations. I assume this is quite common and normal. The tweet was published in response to fans asking if it was connected to Astarion or Karlach. So he just replied what his purpose was. "Stay faithful to your hearts" could simply mean , see it in the way that brings you most comfort.
After all, the lyrics don't just seem to be about Astarion, they are lyrics about Astarion for those who have a romance with Astarion:
«Your blood like wine, I wanted in Oh darling, get me drunk and make me feel» - how else would I understand it?
«I broke my chains» - who else but Astarion could have broken the chains?
«Your blood like wine, I wanted in Oh darling get me drunk, invite me in» - «invite me in» it could also only apply to a vampire.
But it seems that the composer just wanted to give the song a broader interpretation, so that it wouldn't offend those players who have an romance with another companion. That's pretty much right - the possibility of different interpretations. Thanks for the link, Borislav Slavov said good words, it all made sense to me.
Aeterna Amantes. Lovers forever, until the world falls down.
Lae'zel. In fact, isn't there literally a quote about Lae'zel breaking her chains? From Vlaakith.
Shadowheart. Breaking her chains from Shar.
Wyll. Breaking his chains from Mizora.
Dark Urge. Breaking his chains from Bhaal.
Karlach. Breaking her chains from Zariel.
Gale. Breaking his chains from the orb.
It's a theme throughout the entire cast of characters.
Entirely this! I always interpreted I Want To Live as a song for all the party members, who share the theme of breaking chains either literal or mental and wanting to live in spite of the obstacles before them. Astarion wants to be free and have a chance to finally live, but Wyll wants to be free from Mizora and not be damned to the Hells as the reward for his sense of duty, Shadowheart wants to live and experience more than grief and loss and stifling servitude, Karlach wants to live despite the engine as a ticking clock, Gale wants to live despite Mystra's mandate of suicide, Lae'zel wants to be more than a sacrificial lamb for Vlaakith and can finally experience life beyond that of a child soldier, Durge wants a chance to be themselves more than the Urges... etc.
'Your blood like wine' is pretty Astarion (or Durge), and reading our own interpretations into the songs is a free country - heavens know I've done it with several already. But claiming the song belongs to him and that every other interpretation must be cope/Mary-Sueing is myopic towards all the other characters. BG3 is very thematically tight and the origin characters share a lot with each other. I also don't think 'invite me in' has to strictly be about vampires when the metaphor is just as plain for two people getting to know each other and letting each other past each others' walls - which is, again, something that happens with all the characters.
It seems way likelier to me that a song was created with elements of all the characters in mind (or if it leans more heavily on one specific character vs the open-endedness of Tav, it'd be Durge) than that one origin got special treatment the others didn't.
Though on the topic itself - agreed that The Power and Last Light are both gorgeous, the ending credit version made me cry that first time, but I've gotta push a couple of other favorites from the soundtrack.
The battle music in the Shadow-Cursed Lands. Absolutely legendary buildup.
The music box version of Down By The River
Cazador's battle music. Again, terrifyingly good buildup with that aura of dread and the off-key violins.
Lae'zel. In fact, isn't there literally a quote about Lae'zel breaking her chains? From Vlaakith.
Shadowheart. Breaking her chains from Shar.
Wyll. Breaking his chains from Mizora.
Dark Urge. Breaking his chains from Bhaal.
Karlach. Breaking her chains from Zariel.
Gale. Breaking his chains from the orb.
It's a theme throughout the entire cast of characters.
Entirely this! I always interpreted I Want To Live as a song for all the party members, who share the theme of breaking chains either literal or mental and wanting to live in spite of the obstacles before them. Astarion wants to be free and have a chance to finally live, but Wyll wants to be free from Mizora and not be damned to the Hells as the reward for his sense of duty, Shadowheart wants to live and experience more than grief and loss and stifling servitude, Karlach wants to live despite the engine as a ticking clock, Gale wants to live despite Mystra's mandate of suicide, Lae'zel wants to be more than a sacrificial lamb for Vlaakith and can finally experience life beyond that of a child soldier, Durge wants a chance to be themselves more than the Urges... etc.
Okay, I agree, somehow the theme of "breaking chains" is evident in all the main party members, except Astarion had heavier chains than the others. Well the subjective perception of a favorite character is when his story comes to the forefront, and that's how you can look at any companion. About the will to live - not everyone expresses it so explicitly. Karlach regularly expresses her willingness to die just to avoid going to Averno; only in the dialog after Gortash's death does it become clear how much she wants to live, but not to survive at all costs, but to live the way she would like to live. Gale scares with his "suicidal attitude" quite significantly, in the first playthrough without spoilers, it seems that it is Tav who tries to talk him out of it with all possible lines and, to the great relief, they succeed. To see his will to live, you have to look at his reaction to Tav, who agrees with this universal self-sacrifice.
Originally Posted by Laluzi
'Your blood like wine' is pretty Astarion (or Durge), and reading our own interpretations into the songs is a free country - heavens know I've done it with several already. But claiming the song belongs to him and that every other interpretation must be cope/Mary-Sueing is myopic towards all the other characters. BG3 is very thematically tight and the origin characters share a lot with each other. I also don't think 'invite me in' has to strictly be about vampires when the metaphor is just as plain for two people getting to know each other and letting each other past each others' walls - which is, again, something that happens with all the characters.
"Oh darling, get me drunk and make me feel" after "Your blood like wine" - Astarion drinks Tav's blood and it makes him feel better ("make me feel"), and we come to Rivington just after the Dark Lands, where Astarion practically did it all the time, since edible enemies are encountered there only once or twice . I'd like to add that I changed my original opinion after ldo58's explanation, and after reading the tweet at the link.
Originally Posted by Laluzi
Though on the topic itself - agreed that The Power and Last Light are both gorgeous, the ending credit version made me cry that first time, but I've gotta push a couple of other favorites from the soundtrack.
I would also like to add Raphael's awesome song. The fight with him thanks to this song becomes incredibly epic and exciting (I replayed it several times for fun). On the downside - the constant playing of the same song in the tavern. The song is not bad in itself, but because of the constant playing starts to get very boring, it would be great if in elfsong tavern on vacation played different tunes, including we could hear "I Want To Live" again.
Aeterna Amantes. Lovers forever, until the world falls down.
I kicked Astarion out pretty early with a wooden stake to the gut so I wouldn't have noticed it near his tent.
Very unrelated to the topic, but if you do another run you should definitely bring him along, he's widely recognised as one of if not the best written companion and his quest is also one of the best or most impactful if he's present.
I'm actually planning to play as Astarion next time because he's so different to my last character, unless that is his writing is less interesting when you play as him
Originally Posted by Marielle
would also like to add Raphael's awesome song. The fight with him thanks to this song becomes incredibly epic and exciting (I replayed it several times for fun). On the downside - the constant playing of the same song in the tavern. The song is not bad in itself, but because of the constant playing starts to get very boring, it would be great if in elfsong tavern on vacation played different tunes, including we could hear "I Want To Live" again.
I've heard good things about Raphael's song, and it's got way more listens than any of the others on Spotify, but I've been trying to avoid it so far until I actually play that bit of the game. I want to hear it in place for the first time
I kicked Astarion out pretty early with a wooden stake to the gut so I wouldn't have noticed it near his tent.
Very unrelated to the topic, but if you do another run you should definitely bring him along, he's widely recognised as one of if not the best written companion and his quest is also one of the best or most impactful if he's present.
I'm actually planning to play as Astarion next time because he's so different to my last character, unless that is his writing is less interesting when you play as him
Originally Posted by Marielle
would also like to add Raphael's awesome song. The fight with him thanks to this song becomes incredibly epic and exciting (I replayed it several times for fun). On the downside - the constant playing of the same song in the tavern. The song is not bad in itself, but because of the constant playing starts to get very boring, it would be great if in elfsong tavern on vacation played different tunes, including we could hear "I Want To Live" again.
I've heard good things about Raphael's song, and it's got way more listens than any of the others on Spotify, but I've been trying to avoid it so far until I actually play that bit of the game. I want to hear it in place for the first time
Yeah, I don't recommend playing as him to experience his writing, BG3's origins aren't that fleshed out. Maybe try playing Durge? That should also be different to your character from what I can gather.
Completely recommend experiencing Raphael's song going in blind. Incredible experience.
Yeah, I don't recommend playing as him to experience his writing, BG3's origins aren't that fleshed out. Maybe try playing Durge? That should also be different to your character from what I can gather.
Completely recommend experiencing Raphael's song going in blind. Incredible experience.
Thanks for the suggestion. I thought that people generally raved about the origin characters; and playing as one was going to be another difference from playing as Tav; though I had seen someone before say that they become duller when you play as them. I'd been a bit wary of playing Durge because the first few descriptions I'd heard sounded a bit murder-hobo-y or like playing as Trevor from GTA 5, but I'll give it a go and see what it's like. Got a few other games I want to play first though.
I'd been a bit wary of playing Durge because the first few descriptions I'd heard sounded a bit murder-hobo-y or like playing as Trevor from GTA 5, but I'll give it a go and see what it's like. Got a few other games I want to play first though.
I hope you do try it, it's not so bad as you may think! And it adds a whole new experience on the game, almost like a baked in DLC.
Raphael is my favorite fight because of the song. When I hear the small snippet in Act 1 I just smile like a dummy.
