What Is The Song At The End Of Willow Episode 1?
Contains spoilers for "Willow"
"Willow" has arrived on Disney+ — and it has brought a killer soundtrack along with it. A sequel to the 1988 film of the same name, the new series sees Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis, who didn't hesitate to return) aiding a new generation of heroes to rescue Prince Airk Tanthalos (Dempsey Byrk), the son of his friend, Madmartigan (Val Kilmer). Among the fellowship are Princess Kit Tanthalos (Ruby Cruz), her betrothed, Prince Graydon Hastur (Tony Revolori), her protector and secret love, Jade Claymore (Erin Kellyman), and Airk's own true love, whom he simply calls Dove (Ellie Bamber). At the end of the series premiere, it's revealed that Dove is actually Elora Danan, the child of prophecy whom Willow fiercely protected throughout the original film.
As Dove — or Elora — wrestles with this realization, all she can muster is a stunned "What?" The episode ends on this cliffhanger, with a sharp, sturdy guitar chord shoving the audience into the end credits. Even in its opening moments, the song heard at the end of "Willow" Episode 1 captures a sense of excitement, momentum, youth, and danger that is surely meant to embellish the shocking reveal and overall tone of the series. With an adrenaline-pumping guitar line and biting vocalizations, the track makes a compelling argument for pressing play on Episode 2.
Guess Who's Back by BEGINNERS and Night Panda rounds out Willow Episode 1
The song at the end of "Willow" Episode 1 is "Guess Who's Back," a collaborative single by Los Angeles-based alternative indie band BEGINNERS and music producer Dustin Atlas, professionally known as Night Panda. Both Atlas and BEGINNERS' lead vocalist and guitarist Samantha Barbera are credited as writers of the song in the end credits of "Willow."
"Guess Who's Back" is not the first BEGINNERS and Night Panda project to be featured in a piece of Disney media. In 2021, their song "Start a Riot" was a part of the soundtrack of the animated feature film "Raya and the Last Dragon." Both BEGINNERS and Night Panda's music is also commonly used in popular trailers. Recently, BEGINNERS' single "Gimme Some" (on which they worked with songwriter and DJ Freedo) was used in a trailer for the Amazon Prime original reality series "Tampa Baes." Atlas' work as Night Panda has been used in trailers for the Netflix show "Elite," and the HBO Max streaming platform. Another BEGINNERS and Night Panda collaboration, "Get Ready," was used in a trailer for the video game "Forza Horizon 5."