"Ewok Celebration", known commonly as "Yub Nub", is a 1983 song that appears in the end of the ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has been expanded into various film ...

'' film ''

Return of the Jedi ''Return of the Jedi'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi'' is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand. The screenplay is by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas from a story by Lucas, who w ...

'', during the celebration of the

Ewoks The Ewoks (singular: Ewok) are a fictional species of small, furry, mammaloid, bipeds in the ''Star Wars'' universe. They inhabit the forest moon of Endor and live in arboreal huts and other simple dwellings, being seen as primitive in com ...

Endor Endor or Ein Dor may refer to: Places * Endor (village), from the Hebrew Bible, a Canaanite village where the Witch of Endor lived * Indur, a Palestinian village depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war * Ein Dor, a Kibbutz in modern Israel ...

with members of the

Rebel Alliance The Alliance to Restore the Republic ( colloquial: Rebel Alliance; the Rebellion; the Alliance; or the Rebels) is a fictional stateless interstellar coalition of republican dissidents, imperial defectors, revolutionary factions and anti-imper ...

after the destruction of the

second Death Star The Death Star is a fictional space station and Weapon of mass destruction, superweapon featured in the ''Star Wars'' Space opera, space-opera franchise. Constructed by the autocratic Galactic Empire (Star Wars), Galactic Empire, the Death Star ...

. The song was replaced with a different orchestral piece in the 1997 special edition re-release.

Credits

"Ewok Celebration" was composed by

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (15 November 2022)Classic Connection review '' WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...

, the lyrics in the Ewok language were written by ILM sound designer

Ben Burtt Benjamin Burtt Jr. (born July 12, 1948) is an American sound designer, film director and editor, screenwriter, and voice actor. As a sound designer, his credits include the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' film series, '' Invasion of the Bod ...

. The English lyrics were written by Joseph Williams, who also wrote "

Lapti Nek The Max Rebo Band is a fictional alien pop music band in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, first appearing in the 1983 film ''Return of the Jedi'' as in-house performers for crime lord Jabba the Hutt. The lineup originally seen in the film consists o ...

" from the same film. It was published by Bantha Music and is administered by Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corporation.

Other uses

In the 1997 Special Edition of the film, a different song ("Victory Celebration") composed by Williams with no lyrics replaces the original version. The song has been used in various other ''Star Wars'' media, including the video games '' Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy'' and '' Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike''.

Other versions

In 1983,

Meco Domenico Monardo (born November 29, 1939), known as Meco, is an American record producer and musician, as well as the name of his band or production team. Meco is best known for his 1977 space disco version of the ''Star Wars'' theme from his ...

recorded a version of the song "Ewok Celebration" which reached No. 60 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In the Return of the Jedi arcade game released in 1984, the song plays when the player makes the high score list. The song appears in an episode of the sitcom ''

Spaced ''Spaced'' is a British television show, television sitcom created, written by and starring Simon Pegg and Jessica Hynes, Jessica Stevenson, and directed by Edgar Wright, about the (comedic and sometimes Farce, farcical and action-packed) mis ...

''; the producers could not acquire the rights to use the original recording, so

Edgar Wright Edgar Howard Wright (born 18 April 1974) is an English filmmaker. He is known for his fast-paced and kinetic, satirical genre films, which feature extensive utilisation of expressive popular music, Steadicam tracking shots, dolly zooms and ...

and

Simon Pegg Simon John Pegg (né Beckingham; born 14 February 1970) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. He came to prominence in the UK as the co-creator of the Channel 4 sitcom '' Spaced'' (1999–2001), directed by Edgar Wright. ...

performed and recorded their own version. In the movie

Vision Quest A vision quest is a rite of passage in some Native American cultures. It is usually only undertaken by young males entering adulthood. Individual Indigenous cultures have their own names for their rites of passage. "Vision quest" is an English- ...

the song makes an uncredited appearance during one of Louden's matches, being played by a school band.

References

Star Wars film music Return of the Jedi Compositions by John Williams 1983 songs {{1980s-song-stub