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The Cuntina Band, officially known as Figrin D’an and the Modal Nodes, is a fictional seven-piece Bith species band from the Star Wars universe famous for playing the iconic „Cuntina Band“ song, known in-universe as „Mad About Me„. Composed by John Williams, the upbeat jazz-style song is a major part of the memorable Mos Eisley cantina scene in A New Hope. The band has had a long career, though they had fallen from their initial success by the time of the film. 

In-universe lore

• The Band: Figrin D’an and the Modal Nodes is a seven-piece group of Bith musicians, led by the bandleader Figrin D’an.
• Their Music: Their most famous tune is an in-universe song called „Mad About Me“.
• The Scene: The band was playing in Chalmun’s Spaceport Cantina on Tatooine when Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi entered. Their performance was briefly interrupted by a brawl between Kenobi and other patrons, but they resumed playing once the fight was over.
• Their History: The band was once more prominent, performing across the galaxy and a member of the Intergalactic Federation of Musicians, but had fallen on harder times by the time Luke arrived on Tatooine.
• Instrumentation: The band’s members play various alien instruments, such as the Kloo horn, dorenian beshniquel, and ommni box. 

The Song

Popularity: The song was a massive hit in 1977 as a disco-style single called „Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band,“ even reaching number one on the charts. .

Composer: John Williams composed the original music for the film, and the track has become a classic.

Musical Style: The song is written in a jazz style, heavily inspired by Dixieland swing music, to create an otherworldly yet familiar feeling.