What’s a pirate adventure without a little music to set the mood? But how do you find it?
Based on a small sample size (two sites), searching wherever you listen to music should prove helpful. Searching for “pirate music” gave relevant results – as opposed to instead showing pirated music, which we had thought it might. “Sea shanty” is also a useful search topic. Listening sites may also have mixes or playlists that include a selection of songs you would not have considered.
There are too many possible “pirate songs” to list even a good selection, but here we present a few options, both serious and less so. Links are to YouTube, which seems likely to be accessible to most people.
Classical
- The first piece is for one of the most famous pirate ships of all time, the Flying Dutchman. “Der fliegende Hollander” (“The Flying Dutchman” in German) is by classical composer Richard Wagner and is a full opera more than two hours long. This, happily, is just the overture, which itself has a run time of about ten minutes. The leading theme manages to sound creepy and yet flow like the sea, at the same time. This version is performed by the Frankfurt [Germany] Radio Symphony.
- For variety, here is another version of the same piece. It has two differences from the classical version above: it is shorter, and it is performed by the Finnish symphonic metal band, Apocalyptica, which is headlined by three cellists. With some parts having a very different sound, this piece could be great to give a feel for mecha or space pirates.
The Flying Dutchman by Apocalyptica
Soundtracks
- The most well-known pirate movie around these days is Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl. Its theme (specifically titled “He’s a Pirate“) again has that suggestion in the music of waves flowing and cresting. For someone looking for background music, the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series, with its several movies and hours of music, could be a good fit.
Pirates of the Caribbean Theme
- Not long ago we found out that the music used for theme for the videogame Skull and Bones (Ubisoft, 2024) was done by the a capella group Home Free. Since that’s the favorite group of certain minions, this was exciting news! Of course the song is amazing, and this version has an interesting video that pulls from in-game visuals. Furthermore, it turns out that Home Free has a new album of sea shanties coming out – on Talk Like a Pirate Day! You can get more information on the Home Free website.
Skull & Bones by Home Free
Light-hearted
- Now on, to music that is a little less to set a mood and a little more light-hearted. Up next is what can be argued as the best song in Muppet Treasure Island. As the video opens, the ship has arrived at the island where the treasure should be and the pirates of the crew have gone ashore “for supplies” – taking young Jim Hawkins with them. Long John Silver, up to this point only a humble cook, presents himself quite differently now, and the pirates sing a song to urge Jim to join their band.
Professional Pirate from Muppet Treasure Island
- Next, mostly for amusement – but also as a different way to think of pirates in a roleplaying game – we present music video by the Canadian group Captain Tractor.
The Last Saskatchewan Pirate by Captain Tractor
- For convenience, here is a version of the same song with just the lyrics. It is sung by the song’s original performers, Canadian trio The Arrogant Worms.
The Last Saskatchewan Pirate (lyrics) by The Arrogant Worms
Conclusion
We hope you’ve enjoyed our little set of music and that it inspires you as you take your roleplaying to the high seas!
