Many fans know Billy Boyd as the dashingly comedic, if not slightly misguided, hobbit, Pippin, in “The Lord of the Rings” movies, but few know that the Scotland native has recently embarked on yet another journey within the realms of Middle Earth: creating the perfect song to close out the “LOTR” legacy, to be played over the credits of “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies“.
In an interview with NPR’s Rachel Martin on December 14th, Boyd sat down to speak about what an incredible honor it was to be asked by the film’s producers to write and record a “final farewell” of sorts to a series that has been such a huge part of his life for so long. After an on-air performance of the track, titled appropriately “The Last Goodbye”, with Beecake guitarist Billy Johnston, Martin and Boyd joked that his only memories of New Zealand, where he returned to gain inspiration for the song, were to “travel to the top of a mountain with a wizard” to “destroy a ring”.
The interview then went on to highlight Boyd’s involvement with “The Return of the King” soundtrack, the character traits in “The Hobbit”‘s lead character, Bilbo Baggins, that influenced “The Last Goodbye”, and his initial reaction to hearing his voice carry out the end of an era in theaters. You can listen to the whole interview and performance below, and can visit NPR’s website to read a transcript of the interview. You can also watch the music video, which includes footage from thirteen years of Middle Earth magic, below.
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