Fiona Apple has resurfaced in an unlikely place: singing a track from the upcoming season finale of Amazon’s Lord of the Rings prequel The Rings of Power. “Where the Shadows Lie” was penned by Rings of Power composer Bear McCready and produced by himself, Apple and Apple’s manager Andrew Slater. It had already appeared in instrumental form in the series’ debut episode.
“As written, the poem was composed by the Free Peoples of Middle Earth about the origins of the Rings of Power and their relationship under the power of the One Ring,” Amazon says of the song.
“The musical legacy of The Lord of the Rings brings to mind ethereal vocals carrying lyrical melodies over evocative harmonies, so it was my natural inclination to compose such a song for The Rings of Power,” adds McCreary. “Based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s iconic ‘Ring Poem’ text, I wrote the song ‘Where the Shadows Lie’ as a theme for the titular Rings of Power, for the magic of mithril, for the sinister machinations of Sauron, and for his land of Mordor. To embody all these narrative elements into one voice is no small task, and so I am especially grateful to have collaborated with legendary singer Fiona Apple. Inarguably one of the definitive musical voices of her generation, Fiona brought new depths and narrative intention to the song’s unique combination of my haunting melody and Tolkien’s ominous text. I have been inspired by her musicality for two decades, and I could not imagine an artist better suited to bring to life the mystery, majesty, and power of this song. I am thrilled audiences can finally hear ‘Where the Shadows Lie,’a song we strategically withheld from the Season One album until now, so that it’s significance would not be spoiled in the early episode.”
Apple has been relatively quiet since the 2020 release of her album Fetch the Bolt Cutters, her first in eight years. She’s since appeared on Bob Dylan’s Rough and Rowdy Ways, the 10th anniversary edition of Sharon Van Etten’s Epic and a Phoebe Bridgers holiday EP.
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