“Gollum’s Song” was recorded by Icelandic singer Emilíana Torrini, who stepped in when her compatriot Björk was unavailable because she was pregnant. The song - composed by Howard Shore with lyrics by Fran Walsh - closes The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers with a sense of haunting sorrow and psychological unease that lingers long after the screen fades to black. Unlike the more soaring, triumphant anthems that often accompany epic fantasy films, this track dares to end on a whisper - one that captures the broken soul at the heart of the story.
The song gives voice to Gollum’s fractured psyche, a creature torn between the remnants of his former self, Sméagol, and the consuming darkness of the One Ring. Torrini’s voice is an inspired choice - wispy, melancholic, and childlike with an undercurrent of menace. She doesn’t perform the song as a theatrical villain might; instead, she inhabits the vulnerability and pain of a character who has lost almost everything but still clings to shadows of identity and hope.
Musically, “Gollum’s Song” is subdued and eerie. Shore’s arrangement is minimalist, using low strings, subtle electronics, and dissonant harmonies to build a sense of quiet menace. The melody is hauntingly simple, almost lullaby-like, yet tinged with dissonance that mirrors Gollum’s internal torment. It feels more like a lament than a traditional film song - a dirge for a life ruined by obsession.
Lyrically, the song is poetic and piercing: “Where once was light / Now darkness falls / Where once was love / Love is no more.” It speaks to Gollum’s inner exile, but its themes are universal - betrayal, loss, the lingering echo of choices made long ago. The line “And you will weep when you face the end alone” is both a threat and a plea, and that duality lies at the core of Gollum's tragedy.
Torrini’s delicate performance is crucial. Her interpretation is neither grand nor melodramatic - it is intimate and eerily resigned, perfectly suited to a character who lives in the margins, watching the world from the shadows. The song’s bleak tone is a bold move for a blockbuster film, but it adds emotional depth to the narrative arc and underscores the moral complexities that Tolkien’s world contains.
“Gollum’s Song” is a rare kind of film track - emotionally raw, narratively precise, and musically daring. Emilíana Torrini’s ghostlike vocals, paired with Howard Shore’s restrained yet evocative composition, elevate the song beyond a mere end credits piece. Instead, it becomes a quiet character study, a sorrowful epilogue to a chapter of corruption, loneliness, and longing. It is one of the most memorable and unconventional choices in the Lord of the Rings trilogy's musical canon - and all the more powerful for it.
The song gives voice to Gollum’s fractured psyche, a creature torn between the remnants of his former self, Sméagol, and the consuming darkness of the One Ring. Torrini’s voice is an inspired choice - wispy, melancholic, and childlike with an undercurrent of menace. She doesn’t perform the song as a theatrical villain might; instead, she inhabits the vulnerability and pain of a character who has lost almost everything but still clings to shadows of identity and hope.
Musically, “Gollum’s Song” is subdued and eerie. Shore’s arrangement is minimalist, using low strings, subtle electronics, and dissonant harmonies to build a sense of quiet menace. The melody is hauntingly simple, almost lullaby-like, yet tinged with dissonance that mirrors Gollum’s internal torment. It feels more like a lament than a traditional film song - a dirge for a life ruined by obsession.
Lyrically, the song is poetic and piercing: “Where once was light / Now darkness falls / Where once was love / Love is no more.” It speaks to Gollum’s inner exile, but its themes are universal - betrayal, loss, the lingering echo of choices made long ago. The line “And you will weep when you face the end alone” is both a threat and a plea, and that duality lies at the core of Gollum's tragedy.
Torrini’s delicate performance is crucial. Her interpretation is neither grand nor melodramatic - it is intimate and eerily resigned, perfectly suited to a character who lives in the margins, watching the world from the shadows. The song’s bleak tone is a bold move for a blockbuster film, but it adds emotional depth to the narrative arc and underscores the moral complexities that Tolkien’s world contains.
“Gollum’s Song” is a rare kind of film track - emotionally raw, narratively precise, and musically daring. Emilíana Torrini’s ghostlike vocals, paired with Howard Shore’s restrained yet evocative composition, elevate the song beyond a mere end credits piece. Instead, it becomes a quiet character study, a sorrowful epilogue to a chapter of corruption, loneliness, and longing. It is one of the most memorable and unconventional choices in the Lord of the Rings trilogy's musical canon - and all the more powerful for it.