Clara (song): Difference between revisions

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{{retitle|"Clara" (song)}}
{{real world}}
{{Infobox Object
'''''The Impossible Girl''''', written by [[Murray Gold]], was the theme that occasionally accompanied [[Clara Oswald]]'s appearances in episodes of ''[[Doctor Who]]''. The theme was characterised by a flute melody and a harp-like accompaniment.
|name          = Clara
|type          = [[Song]]
|made by      =The [[Twelfth Doctor]]
|only          = Hell Bent (TV story)
|clip          =
}}
"'''Clara'''" was an instrumental song composed by the [[Twelfth Doctor]]. He performed the song several times for [[Clara Oswald]] in [[Clara's TARDIS|her TARDIS]], disguised as an American diner, during a visit to [[Nevada]]. This occurred after he erased most memories of his former [[companion]], so he was unaware that he was playing it for Clara herself.


The Doctor didn't know the origin of the tune. However, after discussing the fact that the Doctor no longer had specific memories of Clara, and in particular had forgotten a private message she gave him while in the [[cloisters]] on [[Gallifrey]], Clara suggested that songs, such as this one, might represent those lost memories. The Doctor considered this and continued to play the song as Clara's TARDIS dematerialised around him. ([[TV]]: ''[[Hell Bent (TV story)|Hell Bent]]'')
This theme was also heard on several soundtrack CDs.


== Behind the scenes ==
{{Real world stub}}
In reality, "Clara" was composed by series music composer [[Murray Gold]]. It is a very rare case of a soundtrack composition - as opposed to a vocal song - becoming [[diegetic]], or part of the narrative.
[[Category:Leitmotifs]]
 
Originally titled "Clara?" and also known as "The Impossible Girl" (the title it was performed under during the [[Doctor Who at the Proms (2013)]] concert and the [[Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular (Melbourne)|Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular]]), the composition was first heard briefly in [[TV]]: ''[[Asylum of the Daleks (TV story)|Asylum of the Daleks]]'' in 2012 during the sequence in which Oswin utters the phrase "Run you clever boy, and remember" for the first time.
 
A full arrangement of the song was first heard on [[Doctor Who - The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe and The Snowmen (soundtrack)|the soundtrack]] to [[TV]]: ''[[The Snowmen (TV story)|The Snowmen]]'' in 2012, most notably during the sequence in which Clara Oswin Oswald ascends to where the Doctor's TARDIS is hidden; the soundtrack album for the special titles the track "Clara and the TARDIS". The "Snowmen" version incorporates a wordless choral vocal singing the melody, which is unique to this version of the leitmotif.
 
Prior to this, Gold had also composed "Oswin Oswald", a musical theme for the earlier character. This tune had a similar melody, but a number of noticable differences to the later track.
 
"Clara?", although introduced for Oswin and Clara Oswin Oswald, became the recurring leitmotif for Clara Oswald proper, beginning with [[TV]]: ''[[The Bells of Saint John (TV story)|The Bells of Saint John]]'' and was featured prominently in the opening minutes of the 50th anniversary special, [[TV]]: ''[[The Day of the Doctor (TV story)|The Day of the Doctor]]''. It was also borrowed for the Red Button spoof ''[[The Fiveish Doctors Reboot (TV story)|The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot]]'' for a sequence in which [[Jenna Coleman]], [[Matt Smith]] and [[Steven Moffat]] appear.
 
It continued to be a recurring theme for Clara during [[Series 8 (Doctor Who)|Series 8]] and [[Series 9 (Doctor Who)|9]], before becoming part of the narrative in ''Hell Bent''; a sombre variant was featured during her death scene in [[TV]]: ''[[Face the Raven (TV story)|Face the Raven]]''. Besides being played on camera during ''Hell Bent'' in an electric guitar version by [[Peter Capaldi]], the tune also was prominently featured in the Cloisters sequence where the camera pans away from the Doctor and Clara during their private moment. A narrative link is made between the use of the melody in that sequence and Clara later suggesting the song might represent what she said in the cloisters.
 
This is not the first piece of music attributed (in the fictional universe) to the Doctor; he previously conducted a fourth wall-breaking orchestral performance of another piece of music he created ([[TV]]: ''[[Music of the Spheres (TV story)|Music of the Spheres]]''). It is also, after "[[Love Don't Roam]]", the second diegetic song to refer (albeit in this case instrumentally) to a lost companion, although "Love Don't Roam", in-universe, just happened to be a song the [[Tenth Doctor|Doctor]] heard being played in a night club with lyrics that invoked memories of [[Rose Tyler]].
 
{{OrigSongs}}
[[Category:Songs]]
[[Category:Doctor Who music]]

Revision as of 23:47, 3 July 2016

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The Impossible Girl, written by Murray Gold, was the theme that occasionally accompanied Clara Oswald's appearances in episodes of Doctor Who. The theme was characterised by a flute melody and a harp-like accompaniment.

This theme was also heard on several soundtrack CDs.

Real worldStub.png