We tend not to think of John Williams’ “Imperial March” as anything other than an aural cue to signify intergalactic fascism and incompetent officers getting force-choked. We definitely don’t think of classical romance. Well, we don’t, but clearly, YouTuber Algal the Bard sure does. In his latest video, he gets out his medieval lute-guitar and harp, and gives us Star Wars‘ iconic Imperial March, only the “romantic serenade” version. And you know what? It works. Who knew Darth Vader’s theme could put us in the mood for Arthurian fantasy and kingly courts? You can watch Algal the Bard’s version of “Darth Vader in Love” below:
One nice touch from Algal the Bard is that the “Imperial March” eventually segues into “Across the Stars” from Attack of the Clones. Most Star Wars fans will recall that this is the romantic love theme of Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala. Now that track absolutely evokes classical romance in every single way. All of those romantic vistas shot in Italy, where they shot the planet Naboo, were directly inspired by Renaissance paintings. Sure, Anakin’s dialogue in those scenes wasn’t exactly Shakespeare, but bless their hearts for trying. But both those pieces of music are Anakin’s theme music in very different eras of his life.
Most of Algal the Bard’s other videos are Medieval-style covers of classic rock songs. There’s Iron Maiden, Blue Oyster Cult, you name it. But there are other nerdy selections among his works. There’s The Legend of Zelda, Conan the Barbarian, and even the music from Fallout. Hopefully, we get some other Star Wars offerings in the future. After all, who deserves a romantic classical tribute more than Princess Leia? John Williams’ Leia theme would be perfect for this style of music. To check out more videos, be sure to head on over to Algal the Bard’s YouTube channel.