Video game lovers and Paul McCartney fans alike can finally listen to the theme music for the video game Destiny, Halo’s successor, and yes, it does sound like McCartney Wingsed it (pun intended). The song, called “Hope for the Future” can be heard in the end credits of the game, so you’ll have to finish the game yourself or hunt around on YouTube to hear the song, as UMG keeps blocking leaked versions of the song.
The song has an electric orchestra style to it, and is completed by such corny lyrics as “We build bridges / Up to the sky / Heavenly light surrounding you and I,” and “Some hope for the future / Some wait for the call / To say that our destiny / Will be the best of all.” Go ahead and try to forget those words now. You can’t, can you? Maybe McCartney’s doing something right, despite all this talk of light kicking darkness’s butt (which properly matches the game’s theme). The theme for the game series, developed by Bungie and published by Activism, was recorded in London’s Abbey Road Studios (where else would McCartney go?) and features a 120-piece backing orchestra. McCartney worked on the project with Bungie, Marty O’Donnell and Mike Salvatori on and off over the course of four years.
Back in 2012, McCartney’s people tweeted “I’m really excited to be working on writing music with @bungie, the studio that made Halo.” He didn’t elaborate on how they would be collaborating at the time. The Tweet was accompanied by a picture of McCartney and former Bungie composer O’Donnell actively collaborating, with hands up in the air, eyes averted in concentration, busily creating together. O’Donnell has since left the company. The New York Times also reported that McCartney had been working with O’Donnell and Salvatori on the score for Destiny in addition to the closing theme song since 2010. And apparently, he did it for free. “There was no check involved, big or otherwise,” said Eric Osbourne, Bungie’s community manager, referring to McCartney’s involvement in an interview with Vulture. “He’s in it for the creativity.” Although the song is technically available now, McCartney also intends to release the song as a single in the future.