Desolation  of Smaug soundtrack special edition As you probably know by now, the closing credits song for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is a tune entitled I See Fire by English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran.

At yesterday’s Fan Event, Peter Jackson said Sheeran became involved in the production after his daughter Katie introduced the artist to her parents after attending one of his shows back in March/April.

“She said that I just had to listen to him, and that he could be the perfect fit for the end of the film… and she was right.”

They noted at the time that Sheeran had a “great voice” and “great sensitivity”, then put it on the back-burner for a few months.

As Peter told fans in Wellington, the musicians always see the film before they write and record their tune. Inevitably that means it occurs late in the production process.

Peter went on to add that I See Fire was recorded only a couple of weeks ago. Sheeran flew out to Wellington and viewed a rough cut of the film, and then wrote and recorded the tune on the very same day at Park Road Post in Wellington. He told fans that, in a way, it the song represented Sheeran’s immediate response to watching The Desolation of Smaug. Considering that the tune seems to channel the inner-thoughts of Richard Armitage’s character, Thorin, this may (or may not) be significant.

As well as debuting Sheeran’s song on iTunes, Apple has also listed in full all the names of all 30 tracks that will appear on the Special Edition double CD release for the soundtrack of The Desolation of Smaug. They may be considered by some to be movie spoilers, so highlight below to have a read! Or skip straight to the bottom to listen to Ed Sheeran’s tune.


DISC 1
01. The Quest for Erebor
02. Wilderland
03. A Necromancer (Bonus Track)
04. The House of Beorn (Extended Version)
05. Mirkwood (Extended Version)
06. Flies and Spiders (Extended Version)
07. The Woodland Realm (Extended Version)
08. Feast of Starlight
09. Barrels Out of Bond
10. The Forest River (Extended Version)
11. Bard, a Man of Lake-Town (Extended Version)
12. The High Fells (Extended Version)
13. The Nature of Evil (Extended Version)
14. Protector of the Common Folk

DISC 2
01. Thrice Welcome
02. Girion, Lord of Dale (Extended Version)
03. Durin’s Folk (Extended Version)
04. In the Shadow of the Mountain
05. A Spell of Concealment (Extended Version)
06. On the Doorstep (Extended Version)
07. The Courage of Hobbits
08. Inside Information
09. Kingsfoil
10. A Liar and a Thief
11. The Hunters (Extended Version)
12. Smaug (Extended Version)
13. My Armour Is Iron
14. I See Fire (by Ed Sheeran)
15. Beyond the Forest

You can stream-listen to I See Fire yourself right now, or buy it directly from iTunes, using the links below.

[Listen to I See Fire] | [Buy I See Fire on iTunes]