Academy Award-winning soundtrack composer John Williams probably didn’t envision one of his most famous pieces of music being played on a warship sailing down the River Thames in the heart of London. And it wasn’t from a Royal Navy vessel – the theme blared from the speakers of a German warship.
Even those who aren’t fans of the Star Wars films may be familiar with its iconic music composed by Williams. After the Star Wars theme that accompanies the opening crawl throughout all three trilogies, no other single piece of music from the film series has become as iconic as the Imperial March – also known as Darth Vader’s theme. First composed for The Empire Strikes Back, the theme is present in all but the original Star Wars from 1977.
Though memorable and catchy, it isn’t meant to signal the arrival of heroes. Its use outside of Star Wars has been linked to villains.
Inspired by Frederic Chopin’s Piano Sonata No. 2, the Imperial March was infamously used by protesters in Portland, who played the theme while facing off against the police during the 2020 protests that followed the death of George Floyd.
Yet, when Deutsche Marine corvette Braunschweig (F260), the lead vessel of her class, passed under London Bridge following a supply stop in the UK capital, bystanders could hear the Imperial March being played from its speakers, while German sailors were spotted standing on the deck at the time.
It may seem a controversial choice of music to say the least, but Berlin has suggested that it wasn’t meant to send any message.
“The commander can choose the music freely,” the Deutsche Marine said in a statement to the Associated Press on Thursday. “The choice of music has no deeper message.”
The German Embassy also said in a statement to the news agency that the warship’s commanding officer is simply a “big Star Wars fan and admirer of the legendary musical scores of John Williams, and added, “He chooses a different Williams tune whenever his ship is visiting a foreign harbor.”
Perhaps the “Harry Potter Theme” would have been more appropriate for a visit to the UK, while the “Indiana Jones Theme” would also be a good choice.
The Imperial March wasn’t the only noteworthy music heard from the Braunschweig during its UK visit. The commander of the corvette blared London Calling, the 1979 hit single from the British rock band The Clash, when the vessel arrived in the city. As reported by the AP, “The song’s title is drawn from the BBC World Service station identification in World War II and its lyrics include the lines, ‘London calling to the zombies of death/Quit holding out and draw another breath.’“
It could have been worse; the vessel could have played Anarchy in the UK by the Sex Pistols.
Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.
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