Why Is The Music In "Avatar: The Last Airbender" So Good?

humongous spoiler warning i will be  talking about major plot points in the show   and the series finale if you haven't done  it already do yourself the favor and watch   the cinematic masterpiece of a show (like  seriously watch it) okay with that out of the way i love avatar the last airbender i grew  up watching the reruns on nickelodeon and   eventually picked up all three seasons on dvd  from the thoughtful writing the creative world   building the simple magic system the beautiful  animation or the gorgeous score there is so much   to love about this show and judging by the hours  of content that there is on youtube of people   talking about these things i think it's safe to  say that i'm not the only one who feels this way   with the show being released on netflix i did what  any avatar fan with a netflix account would do   i rewatched the entire thing from start to  finish again but as i was watching it now   that i have a bigger brain and an ungodly  obsession with music i started to notice   hey the music in the show is pretty freaking good  the music in the show had always been something   that stuck out to me as a child but i never  stopped to wonder why but now that i'm older   and as i said have a bigger brain and an unhealthy  obsession with music i decided to figure it out by seeing if anybody else had figured it  out and posted a video about it on youtube   i had already watched so many videos of people  talking about the lore of the world of avatar   and explaining the history and theorizing  about anything and everything that i thought   oh for sure there's bound to be videos of  people talking about the music of the show   since it's such a big part of what people remember  about avatar when i tell you i was shocked   there was one video about two  minutes long talking about the   eastern instrumentation implemented  into the music of the show that was it   in that moment i took it upon myself to  finally add something of value to the internet   and decided to make a video trying to explain why  is the music in avatar the last airbender good before we begin dissecting what makes the music  of avatar good i think it's a good idea to get   a base understanding of what makes good music  in any piece of narrative media just like with   characters or themes you want the music to  grow and evolve as the story is progressing   now this is a bit of an oversimplification  but the easiest way to do that is to play a   piece of music whenever the person  or idea you want it to represent   is on screen now boom you've established what's  called a light motif now that you've established   what this piece of music represents you can play  it in scenes and you'll have an added layer of   context to what's happening because you won't  only be seeing what's happening but you'll be   hearing what's happening musically let's use  an example take for instance this light motif this piece of music is used to represent  the fire nation throughout the entire show   in the beginning of the show this  song only plays when zuko shows up   because he's the only idea that  we have of what the fire nation is but as the show goes on zuko becomes  more and more detached from this piece   and this piece begins to not represent  specific people from the fire nation   but the fire nation as a whole in fact this light  motif is so deeply rooted as being representative   of the fire nation that we get one of the  coolest moments of the show when this happens did you catch that that's characters in the show   playing the fire nation theme song so  whenever this piece of music shows up   our ears register that the fire nation  is present even if our eyes don't another   small example of this is bossing say and the  daily this is the light motif for bossing sei that melody also appears in  the theme song for the daily   kind of showing the connection that the daily  has with everything that happens embossing say so those are easy examples of music in a story but  why does any of that matter well as i said before   it adds an enormous amount of  context to what's happening on screen   and it lets the viewer know  how they're supposed to feel   let me show you this song is called peace and it  plays at the very end of the show this song like   the name suggests invokes a satisfying sense of  peace but why as technical and objective as i   want to stay i can't help but notice that these  strengths wells feel like deep relaxing breaths   but getting back to the world of technical this is  the first melody that you hear in the entire song now if you didn't catch that  that is the same melody as this   this piece is called avatar's love and you hear it  throughout the entire show since the beginning the   song usually plays after team avatar has escaped  danger and is now safely riding away on the back   of appa this sets up the idea that this song  represents safety for our protagonists a place   out of harm's reach so it makes sense that this  is the first thing we hear in this song since   this song plays after all the conflict of the show  has been resolved it's letting us the viewer know   that we're safe and we don't need to worry about  anything now this light motif is dotted throughout   the beginning of this song but we actually hear  the song avatar's love play when we actually see   our protagonists team avatar relaxing in ira's  tea shop then as aang and katara walk outside   we hear another piece of music that represents  the romantic relationship between aang and katara this light motif is played here and there  throughout the show most notably in the cave   of two lovers scene okay that's great but you  might be thinking is that it is that all that   makes the music of avatar good oh no there is  an important middle section of this song that i   intentionally left out because it starts getting  connected and more specific to the character of it's here where we start taking a deep dive  and putting on our tinfoil hats to look at   how the music is connected to the story of avatar  avatar the last airbender was scored by jeremy   zuckerman and benjamin nguyen together known as  the track team in an old interview that they did   they confirmed my suspicions  that i had re-watching the show   and that is that aang actually has two theme songs  he has this theme song and he has this theme song that's pretty weird right it begs the question  why does aang have two theme songs instead of just   one while thinking about this i  remembered an old video that i saw   talking about the difference between story  and plot using lord of the rings as an example   did you see it frodo smiles that is the climax  of his character arc and the climax of the story   itself remember frodo failed to let go of the  ring back on mount doom sauron was defeated but   the ring was not the world was saved but frodo was  not only when frodo steps aboard the ship to the   grey havens is the influence of the ring finally  defeated within himself and if we define the main   story of the lord of the rings as frodo's quest  to destroy the ring then this is when that goal is   ultimately achieved so i thought okay does that  apply here is one of these songs representing   aang's story and one of these songs representing  aang's plot well to answer that i had to figure   out what these songs represent in the show  and figure out when and why they're played   now here's where things start to  get into the realm of my opinion   based off of the context of the  scenes where these songs are played   and how the track team described these  songs in interviews this light motif which plays whenever aang or team  avatar does anything particularly heroic   seems to represent aang's mission  or team avatar's mission to help   aang defeat the fire lord it represents  their ability to work towards a common goal   and the common goal throughout the entire show  is to defeat the fire lord now i'm not saying   that this is hard and fast what it is but i am  saying that this light motif or theme is leaning   towards representing aang's destiny through  plot but that still leaves the other song well   by way of deduction if the other song represents  ink's plot then this song would represent aang's   story but that's just by way of deduction let's  try to actually figure it out what does this song represent this song is very specific to aang  and only plays when he's either in the avatar   state or dealing with avatar matters whereas the  other theme represents aang's objective to defeat   the fire lord this theme represents aang's duties  specifically as the avatar to bring balance to the   world now why am i saying any of this you might  be asking yourself if you haven't fallen asleep   already well if you have two conflicts then you're  going to have two resolutions keep in mind these   are all very subtle observations and differences  and it's still very debatable where the actual   climaxes of the show are but based solely off  of the musical content i think at least one of   aang's climaxes is in this song yeah we're still  talking about the same song in case you forgot i   say only one resolution because i think ing's plot  resolution actually happens the moment he defeats   the fire lord yes you technically hear both light  motifs in the scene where he defeats the fire lord   but i think it's only the plot resolution that  happens for reasons i'll explain in a second in   the scene where aang defeats the fire lord after  he puts out the fire that the firebenders have   caused the camera pans upwards at him elevating  his stature and we hear aang's plot light motif   based on the music and the context of the scene  and the cinematography i think that this shot   is the climax of aang's plot or the moment  of its resolution so what about aang's story   well if you'll remember this whole thing started  because of this song peace as all the avatars   love light motifs that we heard earlier stop  the song begins to build with this melody this is the avatar's theme song and aang's story  light motif remember it represents aang's duties   as the avatar to bring balance to the world and  yes this song played the moment that aang defeated   the fire lord but in the song peace it builds  and builds until we get the biggest crescendo of   this song that we've ever had and i think it's not  until this moment where aang is standing in front   of the four nations and then some does he see his  duties as the avatar to bring balance to the world   fulfilled making this the climax and resolution  of aang's story and we hear this happen musically   because super fast music theory lesson here  we go there are seven notes in the major   scale each one of these notes has a chord that  corresponds with it and each chord gives off a   different feeling in the context of that scale  some sound happy some sound sad some sound scary   and some sound relaxing everything in music  comes down to either tension or release home   or away from home and the chord that gives us  the strongest sense of home is the one chord   you can hear aang's story resolution happen  musically because whenever this light motif   the avatar theme played throughout the show it  was always a bit tense and it never gave off the   satisfying feeling of just being home but in this  moment where aang is standing in front of everyone   we land on the strongest one chord that  this song has ever landed on and it's just so that's it that's generally everything i wanted  to explain when i had the idea to make this video   but while i was researching this  video and watching and listening   i discovered something amazing something  about everybody's favorite character   something about the character that people  just can't seem to get enough of momo   i'm just kidding it's zuko is a character i was not expecting to  talk about but should have been expecting to   i'm not even going to try to express how much of  a well-written character zuku is because there are   hundreds of videos of articulate people doing that  already on youtube i'm gonna try to let you know   just how much of the show you're missing  out on because oh boy it's a lot with zuko   as i was researching for this video and after i  thought i had discovered all that there was worth   talking about i found this video called the sound  of prince zuko and this video blew my mind the   video is a compilation of all the songs that are  connected to zuko in some way but cleverly edited   so that for the most part one song flows into  another seamlessly and while listening to this   video i discovered two major connections between  some of the songs and that's when i learned that   zuko just like aang has two themes so immediately  i try to connect them to zuko's story and plot   this time let's start by talking about zuko's  story theme oh boy strap your emotional self   in because we're going for a ride before we  begin and look at any actual pieces of music   let's try to figure out and define what zuko's  story and plot are okay so this should be easy   right zuko throughout the entire show is  trying to regain his honor and eventually   does by the end of the show but does it his own  way and that's basically it right not exactly   if we're defining what someone's story  and plot are by what their internal and   external conflicts are then i would say  that zuko's external conflict or his plot   is his destiny what he's meant to do and i would  say that his internal conflict is his identity   who he's meant to be so let's move back to that  zuko's story one of zuko's themes is this song take particular note of this moment here where the  song crescendos but it's still sad and unresolved that's going to be important later this song  plays in a couple places throughout the show but   most notably in the beach episode so if this is  zuko's story theme why what is this song actually   representing some context clues come from where  it's played in the show as i said this song is   most noticeable in the episode the beach but it  is also featured predominantly in book 3 episode 6   the avatar and the fire lord when zuko is  learning of his great grandfather's past   so while making this video i got to thinking what  does this song represent is it zuko regretting   where his life has ended up now is it having  to do something with zuko's actual past since   it plays in the beach house where he was as a kid  and when he's learning of his great grandfathers   is it zuko battling between the difference of  what he's been taught and what he's learned in   the world what is it then it kind of clicked  for me this song is zuko fighting between lost   and found and looking for a place of  belonging it's his struggle within himself   to find himself and this is beautifully visually  shown by zuko going back to his childhood house   the place where he felt in the past the most found  except now he's older and more lost than ever   realizing that it was all a lie this gives us  the viewer a glimpse into the state of zuko's   confusion because he's where he should feel most  found but he's more lost than he's ever been   so that's kind of sad it's a song  about zuko's confusion to find himself   how does that get resolved i'll just let  it play i couldn't try to describe this uncle i know you must have  mixed feelings about seeing me   i don't know how i can ever make it up to you but i thought you would be furious with me  i was never angry with you i was sad   because i was afraid you lost your way  i did lose my way but you found it again   okay now that we're all crying let's look at  the music and see what that added to the scene   so obviously the beginning of the song is pretty  much the same we have this lonely violin note   and these chimes that sound like they're  coming from a children's music box but remember how i told you to take  note of the crescendo here's why   both versions of the song have a crescendo but  with the other song the crescendo was still   sad and tense and unresolved but with this song  entitled reconciliation we get a satisfying climax   where all the instruments are playing in unison  and everything feels resolved that's because even   though zuko had already found himself this  is the moment where he receives validation   even iro uses terminology like lost and found  saying how happy he is that zuko found his way   a good illustration of this point that i  read somewhere is that when zuko was on   his knees begging for forgiveness to his  father he received a scar but when zuko   was on his knees begging for forgiveness from  his uncle he receives a hug we hear all this   musically we hear the confusion and anger zuko  had and we hear zuko admitting this to his uncle   and best of all we hear his uncle forgiving  him and zuko coming to peace with himself so good but that still leaves one song left   oh my gosh did i save the best for last this  honestly feels like it could be an entire video   by itself whenever people are discussing their  favorite musical moments in avatar there's always   one that seems to be elevated above the rest  as a musical moment in avatar unlike any other the last agnikai is the most  curious case out of all of these   it's a completely dialogue free scene and  we're left to just focus on what we hear   and what we see and i think that's a big reason  why it stands out in people's memory so much   this show is built off of its characters and  the interactions that they have with each other   yet we get one of the most powerful examples  of both of those in a scene with no dialogue   and while making this video i was shocked to  see that nobody had really tried to explain   what makes this scene so powerful it was  mostly just left at yeah in the other fight   scenes there's always bombastic music and fast  drums and in this fight scene it comes down   and slows down to just string swells but that was  about it but as i got older i could not convince   myself that this piece of music was brand new and  didn't show up in any other scenes before this   it was such a pivotal scene that i just knew in  my bones that jeremy zuckerman and benjamin nguyen   wouldn't introduce a brand new  piece of music in the series finale   of the show and the awesome thing about this  finale is that throughout the entire show   jeremy zuckerman and benjamin nguyen were using  a sample library for all their orchestral music   but in the finale they actually got a live  string ensemble they told nickelodeon that   they were actually willing to pay with their  own money to record with the string ensemble we decided that we wanted to get live streams to  step it up to where i needed to go we needed the   last chance we were going to do it if we even if  we had to pay for it so we sent an email to that   effect the president of nickelodeon got the email  was like this is what i'm talking about we need   to give these guys give them he was just so so  sort of moved by the fact that we were willing   to pay for ourselves we you know we were seriously  like we want to you know this is our swan song and   we want it to be you know really awesome so  i knew that there was no way that they would   introduce a new piece of music that meant  nothing to the narrative or us the viewer   and guess what i was right back in that video the  sound of prince zuko there was a song that caught   my attention as being connected to the last acne  kai and i'm not saying this to blow my own horn   but i think i'm the only person who's noticed  this connection because i cannot find anybody   mentioning this connection anywhere else online  the song i'm referring to is called who's destiny   and it plays in book 2 episode 16 when iro is  yelling at zuko underneath lake laogai what do   you plan to do now that you found the avatar's  bison keep it locked in our new apartment this   is exactly what happened when you captured the  avatar at the north pole you had him and then you   had nowhere to go is it your own destiny or is it  a destiny someone else has tried to force on you   remember we're talking about story and plot and  we already talked about zuko's story theme which   means this song represents zuko's plot struggle  his destiny so what's happening in this scene zuko   broke into the daily headquarters to steal oppa  but iro catches him in the act and confronts him   about what his destiny is to be because throughout  the show iro has tried to be a rock to his nephew   and guide him in the right direction but he has  seen time and time again his nephew ignore his   gentle wisdom so he confronts him and puts zuko on  the knife's edge of what choice he's going to make   this song represents zuko's destiny but more  specifically it represents the difficulty that   zuko has choosing his destiny the song is  tense and chaotic but actually let's look   at it like i said the song is tense and chaotic  but not in an aggressive way but in a sad way   what's really cool is that you can hear zuko  struggle to choose a side and you can hear him   teetering between his two options musically  because the song's chords are alternating between   the minor one chord and the minor iv chord don't  worry if you don't remember what that means just   know that it's happening but more than that each  individual instrument is actually cycling between   playing two notes you can hear this cycling back  and forth and back and forth throughout the entire   song and in this scene zuko chooses the destiny  that his uncle always wanted for him one of   freedom and independence from everything the fire  nation now stands for that is until azula shows up   in book 2 episode 19 something really really cool  happens i think in this scene iro is telling zuko   how proud he is of the man he's become and we hear  this melody you're not the man you used to be zuko   you are stronger and wiser and freer than you have  ever been and now you have come to the crossroads   of your destiny i know you can barely hear it  and it's a blank and you miss it moment but just   follow me while i put on my musical tinfoil hat  if you take what direction those notes move in   that melody you get this pattern and if you turn  that pattern upside down you get this pattern now i don't know if this is just me reading  way too much into things which it probably is   but if it's not then oh my gosh this is  amazing when iro is telling zuko how proud   he is of the man he's become we hear the  fire nation theme song upside down because   zuko here is the farthest away he's ever  been from the ideologies of the fire nation   but after azulla shows up and offers zuko an  option that would lead him back to the fire nation   we get a premonition of what choice  zuko makes because we hear this and we hear this premonition confirmed when zuko's   choice to fall back into the fire  nation is solidified in this moment and that choice leads the narrative perfectly  into this moment and zuko reconciles and finds   peace with himself yadda yadda yadda and that  brings us to the last agnikai this scene is the   highlight of the show for me and the culmination  of everything that zuko has been through   let's look at why now if you still don't hear how  these two are the same song remember how i said   the song whose destiny cycles between the minor  one and minor iv chord so does the last agni kai   except now the arrangement is no longer chaotic  and tense the strings swell to the middle of each   measure and then are met by a large percussion  hit and the live strings lend themselves to   good use because you can hear all of the emotion  put into each chord everything feels intentional   and grounded this song just screams finality and  this is because zuko is no longer struggling to   make a choice he has made his choice and in the  same song where we heard how uncertain he was   as to the choice that he should make now we hear  how resolute he is in the choice that he has made   zuko has chosen to go against his family and  everything that they stand for and fulfill his   destiny to become the fire lord and he is firm in  his choice and this is all visually represented   beautifully zuko's bright orange fire creates  a stark contrast with azula's bright blue fire   and this displays just how opposite he is from  what he's fighting his family which is literally   in between him and the throne the other visual  representation is zuko's stance zuko hardly moves   at all during this fight which visually shows  how firm and resolute he is in his choice   this is zuko's climax as a character everything  that zuko has been through culminates in this   one scene and it's perfect we see all this and we  hear all this without a single word being spoken   and i think that's a testament to  the brilliant score of this show   avatar the last airbender is a show that i  think took all of us by surprise we were not   expecting that this kid's show would make us feel  laughter sorrow love and loss like the way it did   and i think the same can be said for its score on  its surface it's nothing special but the amount of   substance that you'll find if you open yourself  up to it is more than pleasantly surprising   and i think that's what makes the  music of avatar the last airbender good hi if you made it here all the way to the end of  the video thank you for watching this video took a   lot of time and effort to make so if you enjoyed  it give it a like and let me know and if you   didn't enjoy it give it a dislike and let me know  and if you have any opinions on any of the stuff i   mentioned please feel more than free to put it  in the comments i'm really interested to know   what people have to say about this stuff since  it seems like a really under-saturated subject   i've never done one of these video essay  things before and choosing avatar was a   really daunting task if you want to see  me do more of these let me know i guess   i don't know anyway i'm done now if you'll  excuse me i'm gonna go drink some tea

Channel: Overdooo Productions

Views: 27,708

Keywords:

Id: dkJFL3Q5BGQ

Length: 33min 25sec (2005 seconds)

Published: Wed Sep 09 2020