Note Block Beat Box: Listening to Warriors from League of Legends

When a very big band makes a song for a very big game, you get something that's a little weird, a little over-earnest, and thoroughly enjoyable.

Column by Nadia Oxford, Staff Writer

2 March 2016

If you need concrete proof that League of Legends is the titan-king of the eSports scene, consider this: Imagine Dragons recorded a song, Warriors, for the League of Legends 2014 World Championship.

It's not uncommon for a band or a singer to make music for a video game. In a recent example, the vaudeville-inspired folk band Steam Powered Giraffe composed some tunes for Image & Form's SteamWorld Heist (and you can bet Note Block Beat Box will shine a spotlight on that game's sublime soundtrack sooner than later).

But Steam Powered Giraffe, though talented, proudly occupies a niche. Imagine Dragons is -- well, Imagine Dragons is Radioactive. You know, that song that topped the charts in 2012 and hasn't left the radio since. Its official music video is currently sitting at over 485 million views.

Note Block Beat Box mainly exists to highlight in-game music, but the significance of League of Legends' Warriors is too impressive to ignore. Plus, it's just a fun song -- and it's coupled with a League of Legends-themed music video that's as cheesy as it is epic.

Chepic.

Even if you're not into League of Legends or eSports in general, Warriors and its music video worm its way into your heart and warm up your fighting spirit. Its hazy blue spotlights, dark glances between Summoners, and shadowy silhouettes of warring monsters are intense. There's a fall, a fight, a climb back to fellowship, and remembrance for the sacrifice and frustration that's necessary to become the best. The battlefield isn't just in the game; it's in the tangible world as well. It's no wonder Red Hoodie Guy at 1:05 appears ready to commit murder right there in the Internet Café after losing his pants in a match.

"That's it. Going back to Hello Kitty's Adventure Island."

Other mediums have since borrowed Warriors for promotional purposes. It's on the soundtrack for Insurgent, the second movie in the Divergent trilogy. It was also the theme song for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, as well as WWE's 2015 Survivor Series.

Warriors' versatility as a battle-anthem is obvious. It's no wonder the song has been recycled a few times. However, Imagine Dragons recorded it for League of Legends first and foremost. If you're interested in video games' rising relevance in mainstream entertainment, that's a pretty big deal.

Also: Even though Warriors has been passed around, its accompanying music video is the sole property of Riot Games. Not even FIFA or the WWE can handle such raw emotion, such pent-up fury, and such inexplicable keyboard-shattering.

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Nadia Oxford

Staff Writer

Nadia has been writing about games for so long, only the wind and the rain (or the digital facsimiles thereof) remember her true name. She's written for Nerve, About.com, Gamepro, IGN, 1UP, PlayStation Official Magazine, and other sites and magazines that sling words about video games. She co-hosts the Axe of the Blood God podcast, where she mostly screams about Dragon Quest.