When a local video game company put out a call for theme songs for their upcoming game, recording artist Shaun Barrowes took that as inspiration. He read the book the game was based on, then came up with a theme song for the book.

[At the time] I was looking for the opportunity to sing about different situations, looking for more serious topics, and this provided me with a solid lead. As I read the book, I had an epiphany. I decided to write about a hero debating on whether or not he should continue to be the hero, or if he should let somebody else take over the fight.

I had this idea to write about someone who has lived a life of heroism and now can’t distinguish good from bad, light from dark anymore. The lines have blurred and he isn’t sure if it is all worth the sacrifice. He is struggling with the decision: Should he walk the path “where all the heroes die before long”? Or give up and let someone else fight the good fight?

At the end of the song, he chooses to continue fighting so long as he has life to give. The instrumental resolution of the song (there’s a minute long piano solo at the end) is a musical depiction of him surveying the battle in front of him, mentally preparing himself to rejoin the fight, and taking those first determined and resolved steps towards the battlefield.

The song, entitled “Light of the Day/Dark of the Night,” was selected by the game developers to appear in the game’s closing credits—the only place for a song in the game—as the game’s theme. The song will also be included on Shaun’s newest album, “Emotion Constellation,” which he plans to release in March. It is currently his best selling song.

This week only: Shaun has allowed us to offer “Light of the Day/Dark of the Night” to our readers as a free download.

UPDATE: This free download has expired (as of January 19, 2010). To download Shaun’s music, please visit his music store on his website or search for him on iTunes.)

Song and album art appear courtesy of Shaun Barrowes. Shaun was previously featured in Issue 5 of Mormon Artist.
Find out more about Shaun and his music on his website or Facebook profile.