You’ve heard Billy Boyd sing “The Last Goodbye,” the song which will close out The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. Now watch the music video, and try not to cry.
After 16 years and six films, Peter Jackson is finally closing the book and leaving Middle-Earth behind, possibly forever.
As the credits roll for The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, it’ll be original Lord of the Rings cast member Billy Boyd (Pippin) playing us out with “The Last Goodbye.”
Earlier this month, the song was released online, and fans have been non-stop weeping ever since (or is that just us?).
Entertainment Weekly has now released the music video version, which shows Boyd singing the song, mixed with emotional clips from both the upcoming movie and the first five. You can watch the video below:
Boyd collaborated with Peter Jackson and screenwriters Philippa Boyens and Fran Walsh on the music and lyrics for the song.
Speaking to EW, Boyd says of the process, “We had to get the song just right, to send the audience out of the movie theater in the most perfect way we could.”
Listening to the song and reading the lyrics, it’s obvious that this song is not just about the characters in The Hobbit, but about a group of artists preparing to leave the world they have inhabited for almost 20 years.
“This wasn’t just a song to end The Battle of the Five Armies,” Boyd reflects. “It was a song to say goodbye to Middle-Earth.”
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies is out in Europe on December 10, hitting U.K. cinemas on December 12, with U.S. audiences getting it on December 17.
The soundtrack to the film will be available to purchase from December 9. It features music by resident Lord of the Rings composer Howard Shore.