Five for the Funk: Star Wars

Image: Star Wars Episode VII Credit: hdwallpapers.in

Star Wars has been arguably the biggest pop culture phenomenon of all time, exploding via cinema in the seventies and since becoming a movement across the planet. The travails of intergalactic heroes Princess Leia, Han Solo, R2D2 and more against the evil of Darth Vader and the entire Dark Side of the Force has spawned, to date, seven films and countless books, comics, toys and much, much more.

Every year May 4th has become an unofficial Star Wars celebration day, may the fourth an approximation of the Jedi's hope laden blessing "may the force be with you". It's an excuse to watch the films over and over again (as well as the exciting new trailer for Episode 8), and for us a chance to get our geek on and look at the ways it's overlapped into music.

2 Live Crew rapper Luke had to drop the name Skywallker after Star Wars mastermind George Lucas threatened him with legal action, a fate that allegedly befell Liverpool clubnight Alderaan in the late nineties as well (who had taken the name of Leia's planet, savagely destroyed by the Death Star in the first film).

There's plenty more too, so we rounded up five of our favourite musical references to Star Wars for a special space age Five for the Funk this May the Fourth...

Notorious BIG 'Hypnotize'

You could write an entire article just on the references to Star Wars in hip hop, with everyone from Wu Tang, Eminem and Jadakiss repping George Lucas in their rhymes, and of course the aforementioned Luke.

That said Biggie Smalls claiming his bedroom prowess involves "hitting them with the force like Obi" is hands down our favourite; genius.

Wookie 'Battle'

The UK garage producer's name is taken from the hairy race of beings that are one of the universe's greatest warriors, one of which of course is Chewbacca, Han Solo's growling right hand man.

If we were indeed ever in a battle with stormtroopers there's little doubt Chewie would be top of the companions we needed - a nice twist then that 'Battle' is the name of Wookie's biggest and greatest hit.

The Divine Comedy 'The Happy Goth'

The tongue in cheek britpop survivors were famed for their mirth drenched lyrics, and the chorus of this record epitomises that with the marriage of a song about a goth with a geeked out Star Wars reference.

Planet Hoth is the snow covered scene for the beginning of The Empire Strikes Back, and rather cannily rhymes with goth, making perfect sense to describe the whiteness of her face in the refrain "Well her clothes are blacker than the blackest cloth, And her face is whiter than the snows of Hoth".

Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly 'Chronicles Of A Bohemian Teenager'

The title track of GCWCF's breakout debut album asks "Would there be a second chapter if they didn't leave the Death Star alive?" which we assume is somehow related to his own inner pysche as opposed to a question with a pretty obvious answer.

Gnarls Barkley 'Crazy' (2006 MTV Video Awards performance)

This is some serious Star Wars love in business. The eccentric Cee-Lo, half of Gnarls Barkley alongside producer Danger Mouse, fronted a performance of their chart topping global mega-hit 'Crazy' in a Vader aping costume, as Chewie plays drums, rebel pilots sing background vocals and a storm trooper is on bass. Amazing.

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