Music has always played a large role in George R. R. Martin's World of Ice and Fire. His books feature plenty of important songs, sometimes with written out lyrics, some of which act as the focal point of key scenes throughout the story. These songs help immerse Martin's readers, breathing even more life into Westeros.
Similarly, the HBO adaptations of Martin's works, Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, also place a large emphasis on music. In addition to the iconic scores composed by Ramin Djawadi and Dan Romer, all three shows also feature fantastic uses of diegetic music, music that is heard by both the audience and the characters.
Honorable Mention: Ed Sheeran's Song
"Dragonstone," the season 7 premiere of Game of Thrones, features an infamous scene in which Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) bumps into a Lannister solider with a beautiful singing voice, played by pop star Ed Sheeran. He sings a lovely rendition of "Hands of Gold," a song first featured in Martin's third A Song of Ice and Fire novel, A Storm of Swords.
While this moment breaks immersion for many audience members by placing a celebrity in the middle of Westeros, Sheeran's singing in this quick scene is undeniably great. Additionally, there is a deeper meaning behind his song choice, particularly in regards to Tyrion's (Peter Dinklage) storyline.
5. "The Bear and the Maiden Fair"
Early on into Game of Thrones season 3, Locke (Noah Taylor) and his Bolton men sing a Westerosi classic, "The Bear and the Maiden Fair," as they take the captive Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie) to Harrenhal. This song is featured several times throughout the original source material, so having it performed properly on-screen is a nice way to pay homage to one of Martin's greatest hits.
Additionally, the song serves as dark foreshadowing for what's to come. In the season 3 episode also titled "The Bear and the Maiden Fair," Brienne is forced to actually fight against a bear in a pit for the soldiers' amusement. Luckily, Jaime jumps in after her to save her life, but throughout the ordeal, the Bolton men once again sing "The Bear and the Maiden Fair."
4. Tyland Lannister's Sea Shanty
In House of the Dragon's season 2 finale, "The Queen Who Ever Was," Tyland Lannister (Jefferson Hall) makes his way to Tyrosh in order to forge an alliance with the Triarchy for naval support against the Velaryon Blockade. Before agreeing to sail with him, admiral Sharako Lohar (Abigail Thorne) tests his mettle with a mud-wrestling match.
Later, Tyland sings a song for Lohar and her men which somewhat resembles a sea shanty. While this song doesn't appear anywhere in Martin's books, its nautical sound and themes further prove that Tyland can hold his own with the Tyroshi sailors.
3. Egg sings about his family history
The third episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 1, "The Squire," features a cute scene where young Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell) sits in a tree, singing a nursery rhyme about the Blackfyre Rebellion. Egg's song seems to set up swear words with his rhymes, but he always subverts expectations at the last moment with a PG lyric instead.
Later in the episode, audiences learn that Egg is actually Aegon Targaryen, the runaway son of Prince Maekar (Sam Spruell). As such, this reveal recontextualizes the entire song, since Egg has actually been singing sweet almost-rhymes about his father and uncle this entire time.
2. Podrick's rendition of "Jenny of Oldstones"
In Game of Thrones season 8's "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms," not to be confused with the spinoff of the same name, the entire cast that audiences have grown to love is convinced they are about to die in the coming fight against the army of the dead. As such, they request to hear one last song, and Podrick Payne (Daniel Portman), of all unlikely people, pipes up with a stunning take on "Jenny of Oldstones."
As Pod sings, the episode cuts to the various cast members waiting for the battle throughout Winterfell. Both the characters themselves and the audience know that some of them will not make it out of this battle alive, so Pod's gorgeous, melancholy song serves as a beautiful backdrop to this ode to Game of Thrones' iconic cast.
1. The Rains of Castamere
Throughout Game of Thrones seasons 2 and 3, characters have sung, referred to, and whistled "The Rains of Castamere," the song of House Lannister. It represents Tywin Lannister's (Charles Dance) decisive victory over House Reyne, leading to their complete destruction. The mere tune of the song signifies the undeniable strength of House Lannister.
"The Rains of Castamere" comes back in a dark way in season 3, Episode 9, also titled "The Rains of Castamere," when the tune that the show worked so hard for audiences to recognize plays during the wedding of Edmure Tully (Tobias Menzies) and Roslin Frey (Alexandra Dowling). In that moment, the event turns from a celebration to a slaughter, resulting in the deaths of beloved protagonists Robb (Richard Madden), Catelyn (Michelle Fairley), and Talisa Stark (Oona Chaplin). Because of the work Game of Thrones put into setting up this singular moment, the simple tune of "The Rains of Castamere" fills every single audience member with sheer dread.
For more from the world of Westeros, make sure to catch House of the Dragon season 3 when it airs on June 21 on HBO Max.
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