Christmas in Middle-Earth: A Fantastically Geeky Fan-Made ‘Lord of The Rings’ Christmas Album

Christmas In Middle-Earth

A year filled with quarantine has given life to some pretty incredible and creative projects, and this one is no exception.

Meet Brendan Dalton. He’s a huge fan of J.R.R. Tolkien. And for the last 8 years, he’s been writing and recording a Lord of the Rings Christmas album called Christmas in Middle-Earth. The album, which just released on November 27th, includes songs like “Arwen (Are You Leaving Me On Christmas?), “Eye See You (It’s Christmas)” and “Gollum’s Christmas.”

In fact, there’s a rather incredible Claymation Stop Motion music video for “Gollum’s Christmas.” Take a look below

 

While it’s important to note that the album is pure parody, it’s also a pure tribute to not only Tolkien and everyone who worked on the LOTR films, but also Howard Shore – who is responsible for the films’ magnificently beautiful score.

Check out “Christmas with Denethor (Faramir’s Song)” below!

You can stream the full album here – or since you’re already reading this – you can stream it below too!

Brendan’s ultimate goal with this Middle-Earth holiday cheer? To grab the attention of another self-proclaimed LOTR geek, Steven Colbert. And in doing what little I can to help, I’ve included his letter to Colbert below.

Dear Mr. Colbert,

I hope this email finds you well (big ask in 2020, I know). I’m a huge fan of yours, but more importantly, I believe we have something in common: we’re both huge fans of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. I’m writing to let you know that for the last 8 years, I’ve been writing and recording a Lord of the Rings Christmas album, and I finally just released it. It’s called Christmas in Middle-Earth.

I’ve been wanting to get this to you since I started working on it, as you are the biggest Tolkien fan (expert) there is. And since you hosted your own Christmas special back in ’08 (I’ve still got “A Colbert Christmas” on DVD), you might be the only person in the world who would actually enjoy this on all intended levels. It’s entirely parody, and my personal love letter to the books, the films, and the breathtaking score by Howard Shore.

Please forgive any inaccuracies – I’ve taken occasional liberties here with the canon. For example, one song’s written from the perspective of a friendly orc I imagined finding Frodo after he’s been attacked by Shelob, thinking maybe he’s finally found a friend for Christmas, and then is killed by the other orcs, fighting over the Mithril shirt. While not always entirely canonically sound, its aim is true. I wrote this album hoping to spend a little more time in the most magical place ever created, during the most magical season of all: Christmas.

It’s available on Spotify and most other streaming sites:

Also, here are 2 music videos – one clearly an extremely low budget effort, and the other a cute little claymation stop motion Christmas wonderland:

“Gollum’s Christmas”: https://youtu.be/ryiyp3z0Ezc
“Christmas with Denethor (Faramir’s Song)”: https://youtu.be/cuGYERuIkDk

I truly hope this music brings a smile to your face, and maybe even a chuckle or two.

All my best and Happy Holidays,
Brendan Dalton

As someone that has a cardboard cut-out of Aragorn in her office, I immediately fell in love with Brendan’s creation and celebration of fandom. My fingers couldn’t be more crossed that his letter and these videos end up in the right hands.

Christmas in Middle-Earth is exactly what my geek heart needed this holiday season, and I hope it makes you smile as much as did me.

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