At the age of six, Jones already had decided to become a film composer. In 1967 he attended the Royal Academy of Music in London with a scholarship and afterwards worked for five years for the BBC on reviews of radio and television music. In 1974 Jones attended the University of York from which he graduated with a master's degree in Film and Media Music. At the National Film and Television School Jones studied for three years on general film-making and film and sound techniques. During this time he wrote the music for twenty-two student projects. In 1981 Jones wrote the score for the Academy Award-winning short movie The Dollar Bottom and for the short Black Angel.
Jones was soon after brought to the attention of John Boorman, who was in the midst of making his Arthurian epic, Excalibur (1981). Although mostly tracked with classical music by Richard Wagner and Carl Orff, Boorman also needed original dramatic cues (as well as period music) for certain scenes. Given Excalibur's modest budget, a "name" composer was out of the question, so Boorman commissioned the up-and-coming young Jones.
Excalibur brought Jones to the attention of Jim Henson, who was making The Dark Crystal (1982), and looking for a composer who was young and eager to work in the experimental, free-wheeling way which Henson preferred. The resultant score is an expansive, multi-faceted work, featuring the London Symphony Orchestra, augmented by inventive use of Fairlight and Synclavier synthesizers, as well as period instruments like crumhorn, recorder, and the unusual double-flageolet, which Jones came across by chance in a music store.
Jones followed Excalibur with scores for the horror films The Appointment (1981) and The Sender (1982), and the pirate adventure Savage Islands (1983). In 1985 Jones composed one of his best scores, for the acclaimed television production The Last Place on Earth.
Jones reunited with Henson for the 1986 fantasy musical Labyrinth. David Bowie wrote and performed the vocal tracks for this movie, including the hit "Underground", while Jones provided the dramatic score.
Reflecting that his complex, symphonic score for The Dark Crystal garnered little notice, Jones began to re-think his entire approach to dramatic scoring. Around the mid-80s, Jones' work became more electronic-based (much like fellow film composer Maurice Jarre), eschewing identifiable themes in favor of mood-enhancing synth chords and minimalist patterns. While he wrote a somber, chamber orchestra score in 1988 for Dominick and Eugene (which featured classical guitarist John Williams), scores like Angel Heart (1987), Mississippi Burning (1988) and Sea of Love (1989) are more typical of Jones' output during this period.
Jones' return to large-orchestra scoring came with 1990s Arachnophobia, and he provided a light-hearted Georges Delerue-flavoured score for Blame it on the Bellboy in 1992.
Jones' most popular success came later in 1992 with his score for The Last of the Mohicans, and his soaring, passionate music belies the difficulties which afflicted its creation. Director Michael Mann initially asked Jones to provide an electronic score for the film, but late in the game, it was decided an orchestral score would be more appropriate for this historic epic. Jones hurried to re-fashion the score for orchestra in the limited time left, while the constant re-cutting of the film meant music cues sometimes had to be rewritten several times to keep up with the new timings. Finally, with the release date looming, composer Randy Edelman was called in to score some minor scenes which Jones did not have time to do. Jones and Edelman received co-credit on the film (thus making this very popular and acclaimed score ineligible for Oscar consideration). Although all were displeased with the circumstances, Jones was not fired from the film despite reports to the contrary.
Jones became active in television in the 1990s, with orchestral scores for several Hallmark productions, including Gulliver's Travels, Merlin and Cleopatra. He also provided a fun, jazzy, 1930s-style score for Richard III (1995), which features a swing-band setting of Christopher Marlowe's The Passionate Shepherd to His Love. In 1997 Jones worked for the first time with Ridley Scott, providing an electronic/orchestral/rock-flavoured soundtrack for G.I. Jane (1997).
He is married to Victoria Seale and has four children. His South-African born uncle, the actor Norman Florence, together with his aunt Rhoda Florence and his cousin Peter Florence, founded the Hay Festival in 1988, which Jones has attended almost every year since its inception.
Dark
Trevor Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Waiting for faith
And the word to fall.
Now the darkness comes
And I'll pray for
The end of us all.
Don't let the dark into me
Don't let the dark into me
We raised the tower of Babel for you
Don't let the dark into me
We let the children build temples for you
Don't let the dark into me
Don't let the vengeance of Heaven be you
So pray to me, I'm the Lord's new disease,
Look down into the face of God.
Bow down and cry, I'm the black Messiah,
The one true divinity.
Kneel before my altar and drink the wine of slaughter,
Who said I'd save anyone?
So bleed for me, I need hostility
To lead the faithful and the blind.
Don't let the light shine on me
I am the poison that feeds life to you
Don't let the light shine on me
I am the demon that waits inside you
Don't let the light shine on me
I am the ghost that reminds death of you
Don't let the light shine on me
I am the darkness that crawls into you
The lyrics in Trevor Jones's song "Dark" resonate with a feeling of waiting for something ominous, dark, and foreboding. The singer in the song appears to be in a state of anticipation, waiting for something destabilizing and catastrophic that may have the power to bridge the gap between them and faith. The lyrics are filled with vivid imagery, particularly in the phrases like "don't let the dark into me," "I am the poison that feeds life to you," and "kneel before my altar and drink the wine of slaughter," that give the sense of a looming danger that the singer is trying to ward off.
The lyrics seem to touch on themes of the price of power, or the addictive nature of control, as the dark forces are in charge of the singer's faith or destiny. There is a sense of duality, of the singer trying to resist the dark forces that tempt and corrupt while also recognizing and embracing them as a kind of savior. The overall tone of the lyrics is ominous, gripping, and filled with warnings of the consequences of falling to the temptation of power.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been waiting here
I've been waiting here in anticipation
Waiting for faith
Waiting for something to believe in
And the word to fall.
And for some revelation to reveal itself
Now the darkness comes
The darkness of ignorance or evil is now present
And I'll pray for
And I'll hope or plead for something
The end of us all.
The end of all things as we know them, including the evil or ignorance that is present
Don't let the dark into me
I don't want to be consumed by evil or ignorance
We killed the angels that warned us of you
We rejected the good influence that could have protected us from evil
Don't let the dark into me
I don't want to be consumed by evil or ignorance
We raised the tower of Babel for you
We built something that caused our misunderstanding or discord in the name of something we thought was divine or good
Don't let the dark into me
I don't want to be consumed by evil or ignorance
We let the children build temples for you
We gave into the innocent or naive beliefs of others and allowed them to worship something harmful
Don't let the dark into me
I don't want to be consumed by evil or ignorance
Don't let the vengeance of Heaven be you
I don't want the consequences of my actions to be unfavorable or harmful
So pray to me, I'm the Lord's new disease,
So pray to me, because I am a destructive force that pretends to be divine or good
Look down into the face of God.
Believe that I possess power or wisdom beyond that of normal beings
Bow down and cry, I'm the black Messiah,
Submit to me and recognize me as a dark or harmful savior
The one true divinity.
The one true force to be reckoned with and worshiped
Kneel before my altar and drink the wine of slaughter,
Pay homage to me and celebrate the death or sacrifice that is part of my reign
Who said I'd save anyone?
Question the idea that I am a redeemer or protector
So bleed for me, I need hostility
Do harm to yourself or others for my benefit, because that is my nature
To lead the faithful and the blind.
To mislead or manipulate those who are blindly devoted to me
Don't let the light shine on me
I don't want the truth to be revealed about me or my intentions
I am the poison that feeds life to you
I am a harmful force that appears to be a source of sustenance
Don't let the light shine on me
I don't want the truth to be revealed about me or my intentions
I am the demon that waits inside you
I am a force of evil or destruction that lies dormant within you
Don't let the light shine on me
I don't want the truth to be revealed about me or my intentions
I am the ghost that reminds death of you
I am a negative force that constantly threatens or reminds you of your mortality
Don't let the light shine on me
I don't want the truth to be revealed about me or my intentions
I am the darkness that crawls into you
I am a force of negative or harmful influence that penetrates your being
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Gary Anthony Webb, Gary Anthony James Webb
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Gavin Monahan
A Universal Pictures release
Lord Grade presents for ITC Entertainment
A Jim Henson film
"Another world, another time, in the age of wonder...
A thousand years ago, this land was green and good until the crystal cracked, for a single piece was lost, a shard of the crystal. Then strife began, and two new races appeared: the cruel Skeksis and the gentle Mystics. Here in the Castle of the Crystal, the Skeksis took control. Now the Skeksis gather in the sacred chamber, where the crystal hangs above a shaft of air and fire. The Skeksis with their hard, twisted bodies, their harsh, twisted wills. For a thousand years they have ruled, now there are only ten. A dying race, ruled by a dying emperor, imprisoned within themselves in a dying land. Once more they gather at the crystal as the first sun climbs to its peak, for this is the way of the Skeksis who ravage the land, so to they learn draw new life from the sun. Once more they will replenish themselves, cheat death again, through the power of their source, their treasure, their fate... The Dark Crystal."
Jim Henson's
T h e
D a r k
C r y s t a l
MantiaRyche
Dark Crystal is still one of my favorite movies ever. No CGI or over the top special effects just a lot of soul. Movies today miss that.
Beau
MantiaRyche and labyrinth
Johnlindsey289
A prequel tv show with both practical effects and CGI and puppetry/animatronics is coming to netflix this august
Anna@Bella
@Johnlindsey289 The GCI was perfect as it was used in the backgrounds, to support the visuals and as action effects like lighting, etc. The CGI in The Dark Crystal: The Age of Resistance was excellent as it supports the story and didn't overwhelm the action. Hollywood take note!
Tally P.
The Dark Crystal has been in my top 5 soundtracks list my whole life. I can't get over how sweeping and amazing it is, and it definitely feels like you're going to some fantastic ancient place. It's a shame Trevor Jones always seemed to be forgotten in the list of great film composers, though at least plenty of folks know the legacy of his music.
Cheese loving man
I first watched this movie when I was 16 and it resonated with me in ways I can’t describe. Everything about the mystics and skeksis seemed so hauntingly familiar, like something from a dream I had when I was little, and the overall theme of the whole world being spiritually connected was so relatable to my outlook on life. Never has a movie exemplified my love for fantasy like the dark crystal.
Aaibaar
This sounds really similar to some of the studio ghibli films. That's definitely not a bad thing.
Chris Andrews
I love it. Just a few seconds of it brings back my childhood entirely! Best score EVER!
Fire Ignitus
Agreed
SilentDreamer
Magnificent beautiful masterpiece