Into the West (song)
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"Into the West" is a song written by Fran Walsh, Howard Shore and Eurythmics member Annie Lennox, and performed by Lennox herself during the closing credits of the movie The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. It has also been recorded by New Zealand singers Hayley Westenra and Yulia Townsend.
The song was conceived as a bittersweet Elvish lament for those who have sailed across the Sundering Sea. Several phrases from the song are taken from the last chapter of Return of the King.
In the commentaries and documentaries accompanying the extended DVD edition of the movie, director Peter Jackson explains that the song was partially inspired by the premature death from cancer of a young New Zealand filmmaker named Cameron Duncan, whose work had impressed Jackson and his team. The first public performance of the song was at Duncan's funeral.
The song won the Oscar for Best Original Song at the 76th Academy Awards, one of the movie's 11 Academy Awards.
| Preceded by 2002 "Lose Yourself" from 8 Mile |
Academy Award for Best Original Song 2003 |
Succeeded by 2004 "Al otro lado del río" from The Motorcycle Diaries |
