Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-7cvxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T06:43:08.273Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

‘The Rains of Castamere’: medievalism, popular culture, and the music of Game of Thrones

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 March 2021

Esther Liberman Cuenca Open the ORCID record for Esther Liberman Cuenca [Opens in a new window]
Esther Liberman Cuenca*
Affiliation:
University of Houston-Victoria, 3007 N. Ben Wilson Street, Victoria, TX77901
*
E-mail: CuencaE@uhv.edu
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This article closely examines the song ‘The Rains of Castamere’, from the television series Game of Thrones (2011–19), to draw broader conclusions about how ‘medieval’ music manifests in contemporary popular culture and how music for television has become increasingly important in the last few decades. This article argues for the relevance of ‘The Rains of Castamere’ in popular music from three perspectives: first, as a musical adaptation of the ‘medieval’ world of 'folk’ music popularised in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novels (1996–); second, as a song embedded in the rich tradition of modern ‘medieval’ music, which itself is a modern reconstruction influenced by cinematic and literary tropes; and lastly, as a track that exemplifies the influence of fan culture in both shaping and responding to popular medievalist music.

Type
Article
Information
Popular Music , Volume 39 , Issue 3-4 , December 2020 , pp. 554 - 567
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

References

Adi, I.R. 2012. ‘Popularizing epic narrative in George R.R. Martin's A Game of Thrones’, Humaniora, 24/3, pp. 303–14Google Scholar
Anderson, T. 2013. ‘From background music to above-the-line actor: the rise of the music supervisor in converging televisual environments’, Journal of Popular Music Studies, 25/3, pp. 371–88CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bagby, B. 2000. ‘Imagining the early medieval harp’, in A Performer's Guide to Medieval Music, ed. Duffin, R.W. (Bloomington, Indiana University Press), pp. 336–44Google Scholar
Bourdaa, M., and Delmar, J.L. 2016. ‘Contemporary participative TV audiences: identity, authorship and advertising practices between fandom’, Participations: Journal of Audience and Reception Studies, 13/2, pp. 2–13Google Scholar
Burgess, J., and Green, J. 2018. YouTube: Online Video and Participatory Culture, 2nd ed. (Cambridge, Polity Press)Google Scholar
Carroll, S. 2015. ‘Rewriting the fantasy archetype: George R.R. Martin, neomedievalist fantasy, and the quest for realism’, in Fantasy and Science Fiction Medievalisms: From Isaac Asimov to A Game of Thrones, ed. Young, H. (Amherst, NY, Cambria Press), pp. 59–76Google Scholar
Collins, S.T. 2013. ‘Game of Thrones’ recap: red, red, red’. https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-recaps/game-of-thrones-recap-red-red-red-128033 (accessed 22 May 2019)Google Scholar
Collins, S.T. 2019. ‘When Game of Thrones plays sad piano music, it's time to freak out’. https://www.vulture.com/2019/05/game-of-thrones-ramin-djawadi-long-night-piano.html (accessed 29 May 2019)Google Scholar
Cook, J. 2020. ‘Fantasy medievalism and screen media’, in The Oxford Handbook of Music and Medievalism, ed. Meyer, S.C., and Yri, K. (Oxford), pp. 729–49Google Scholar
Cook, J., Kolassa, A., and Whittaker, A. 2018. ‘Music in fantasy pasts: neomedievalism and Game of Thrones’, in Recomposing the Past: Representations of Early Music on Stage and Screen, ed. Cook, J., Kolassa, A., and Whittaker, A. (London, Routledge), pp. 229–50Google Scholar
Dell, H. 2016. ‘Music medievalism and the harmony of the spheres’, in The Cambridge Companion to Medievalism, ed. D'Arcens, L. (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press), pp. 60–74CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Donnelly, K.J. 2002. ‘Tracking British television: pop music as stock soundtrack to the small screen’, Popular Music, 21/3, pp. 331–43CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Emery, E. 2009. ‘Medievalism and the Middle Ages’, Studies in Medievalism, 17, pp. 77–85Google Scholar
Facchini, R. 2017. ‘“I watch it for historical reasons”: representation and reception of the Middle Ages in A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones’, Práticas da História, 5, pp. 43–73Google Scholar
Fairchild, C. 2011. ‘Flow amid flux: the evolving uses of music in evening television drama’, Television and New Media, 12/6, pp. 491–512CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ford, J.A., and Reid, R.A. 2011. ‘Into the west: far green country or shadow on the waters?’ in Picturing Tolkien: Essays on Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, ed. Bogstad, J.M., and Kevany, P.E. (Jefferson, McFarland), pp. 169–82Google Scholar
Frankel, V.E. 2014. Women in Game of Thrones: Power, Conformity and Resistance (Jefferson, McFarland)Google Scholar
Frith, S. 1981. ‘“The magic that can set you free”: the ideology of folk and the myth of the rock community’, Popular Music, 1, pp. 159–168CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Garrido, S., and Davidson, J. 2016. ‘Emotional regimes reflected in a popular ballad: perspectives on gender, love and protest in “Scarborough Fair”’, Musicology Australia, 38/1, pp. 65–78CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grenfell, N. 2013. ‘The 20 angriest reactions to last night's Game of Thrones’. https://mashable.com/2013/06/03/red-wedding-game-of-thrones (accessed 21 May 2019)Google Scholar
Haines, J. 2004. ‘Living troubadours and other recent uses for medieval music’, Popular Music, 23/2, pp. 133–53CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Haines, J. 2014. Music in Films on the Middle Ages: Authenticity vs. Fantasy (London, Routledge)Google Scholar
Haskell, H. 1988. The Early Music Revival: A History (Mineola, NY, Dover Publications)Google Scholar
Hibberd, J. 2012. ‘Game of Thrones’ new trailer: it's war!’ https://ew.com/article/2012/03/03/game-of-thrones-seven-devils (accessed 26 May 2019)Google Scholar
Hibberd, J. 2013. ‘Game of Thrones’ author George R.R. Martin: why he wrote the red wedding’. https://ew.com/article/2013/06/02/game-of-thrones-author-george-r-r-martin-why-he-wrote-the-red-wedding/2 (accessed 22 May 2019)Google Scholar
Hibberd, J. 2019. ‘Game of Thrones writer Bryan Cogman breaks down season 8, episode 2's big scenes’. https://ew.com/tv/2019/04/21/game-of-thrones-bryan-cogman-knight-seven-kingdoms-interview (accessed 26 May 2019)Google Scholar
Hintersdorf, S. 2016. ‘The songs of ice and fire: the significance of songs and singing in George R. R. Martin's epic A Song of Ice and Fire’. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/315475928_The_Songs_of_Ice_and_Fire_The_Significance_of_Songs_and_Singing_in_George_R_R_Martin's_Epic_A_Song_of_Ice_and_Fire (accessed 21 May 2019)Google Scholar
Horrorcirdan. 2013. ‘Game of Thrones: red wedding compilation’. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78juOpTM3tE (accessed 22 May 2019)Google Scholar
Hudson, L., and Henrikson, E. 2013. ‘Game of Thrones recap: it's a nice day for a red wedding’. https://www.wired.com/2013/06/game-of-thrones-recap-red-wedding (accessed 22 May 2019)Google Scholar
Jamison, C. 2017. ‘Reading Westeros: George R.R. Martin's multi-layered medievalisms’, Studies in Medievalism, 26, pp. 131–42Google Scholar
Kalus, R. 2018. ‘No flutes allowed: composer Ramin Djawadi on the music of Game of Thrones’. https://p.dw.com/p/1IZCd (accessed 21 May 2019)Google Scholar
Kaufman, G. 2019. ‘Florence + the Machine debut Celtic ballad “Jenny of Oldstones”’. https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/8508006/florence-the-machine-debut-jenny-of-oldstones-on-game-of-thrones-listen (accessed 24 May 2019)Google Scholar
Klein, B. 2008. ‘“The new radio”: music licensing as a response to industry woe’, Media, Culture and Society, 30/4, pp. 463–78CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kornhaber, S. 2019. ‘Game of Thrones turned its composer into a rock star’. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/04/game-of-thrones-music-ramin-djawadi/583213 (accessed 28 May 2019)Google Scholar
Kreutziger-Herr, A. 2005. ‘Imagining medieval music: a short history’, Studies in Medievalism, 14, pp. 81–109Google Scholar
Larrington, C. 2016. Winter is Coming: The Medieval World of Game of Thrones (London, I.B. Taurus)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Larrington, C. 2018. ‘Mediating medieval(ized) emotion in Game of Thrones’, Studies in Medievalism, 27, pp. 35–42CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lewandowski, N. 2010. ‘Understanding creative roles in entertainment: the music supervisor as case study’, Continuum: Journal of Media and Cultural Studies, 24/6, pp. 865–75CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mac, S.C. 2017. ‘Cannes film review: Jeannette: The Childhood of Joan of Arc’. https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/cannes-film-review-jeanette-the-childhood-of-joan-of-arc (accessed 26 May 2019)Google Scholar
Mandle, C. 2019. ‘Is Game of Thrones the last great blockbuster TV show?’ http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20190408-is-game-of-thrones-the-last-great-blockbuster-tv-show (accessed 22 May 2019)Google Scholar
Martin, G.R.R. 2000. A Storm of Swords (New York, Bantam Books)Google Scholar
Matthews, D. 2015. Medievalism: A Critical History (Cambridge, D.S. Brewer)Google Scholar
Motels on Mars. 2018. ‘Game of Thrones S3E9 PART 2 The Rains of Castamere REACTION’. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJH5edUXcL0 (accessed 22 May 2019)Google Scholar
Neilan, D. 2019. ‘Podrick's song on last night's Game of Thrones is riddled with Westerosi lore’. https://news.avclub.com/podrick-s-song-on-last-nights-game-of-thrones-is-riddle-1834215430 (accessed 24 May 2019)Google Scholar
Pearson, B. 2019. ‘George R.R. Martin on The Lord of the Rings, whether Tolkien would have liked his work, and one big regret [interview]’. https://www.slashfilm.com/george-rr-martin-interview (accessed 23 May 2019)Google Scholar
Renfro, K. 2016. ‘The origin story behind the most iconic song on “Game of Thrones”’. https://www.insider.com/game-of-thrones-ramin-djawadi-rains-of-castamere-2016-8 (accessed 21 May 2019)Google Scholar
Robinson, J. 2019. ‘Game of Thrones: the hidden meaning behind Podrick's song’. https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/04/game-of-thrones-song-podrick-jenny-song-meaning-books-jenny-oldstones (accessed 24 May 2019)Google Scholar
Robinson, T. 2013. ‘Why Game of Thrones’ red wedding packs such an emotional impact’. https://tv.avclub.com/why-game-of-thrones-red-wedding-packs-such-an-emotiona-1798238480 (accessed 22 May 2019)Google Scholar
Scharl, A. et al. 2016. ‘Analyzing the public discourse on works of fiction: detection and visualization of emotion in online coverage about HBO's Game of Thrones’, Information Processing and Management, 52, pp. 129–38CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Scott, Walter Sir. 2001. Ivanhoe: A Romance (New York, Signet Classics)Google Scholar
Shippey, T. 2009. ‘Medievalisms and why they matter’, Studies in Medievalism, 17, pp. 45–54Google Scholar
Spracklen, K. 2018. ‘Leisure, popular culture and memory: the invention of Dark Age Britain, Wales, England, and Middle-Earth in the songs of Led Zeppelin’, International Journal of the Sociology of Leisure, 1/2, pp. 139–152CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stanton, R. 2015. ‘Excessive and appropriate gifts: hospitality and violence in A Song and Ice and Fire’, Critical Quarterly, 57/1, pp. 49–60CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taylor, T. 2012. The Sounds of Capitalism: Advertising, Music, and the Conquest of Culture (Chicago, University of Chicago Press)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taylor, T. 2016. Music and Capitalism: A History of the Present (Chicago, University of Chicago Press)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Toswell, M.J. 2009. ‘The tropes of medievalism’, Studies in Medievalism, 17, pp. 68–76Google Scholar
VanDerWerff, E.T. 2013. ‘The Rains of Castamere (experts)’. https://tv.avclub.com/game-of-thrones-experts-the-rains-of-castamere-fo-1798176987 (accessed 21 May 2019)Google Scholar
Verma, N. 2015. ‘Wall of sound: listening to Game of Thrones’, Critical Quarterly, 57/1, pp. 71–85CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vineyard, J. 2013. ‘Behind the music of Game of Thrones’. https://www.vulture.com/2013/07/game-of-thrones-behind-the-music.html (accessed 21 May 2019)Google Scholar
Vineyard, J. 2019. ‘“Game of Thrones”: Florence and the Machine's frontwoman on that haunting closing song’. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/21/arts/television/game-of-thrones-florence-and-the-machine.html (accessed 24 May 2019)Google Scholar
Walker, A.T. 2009. ‘Towards a theory of medieval film music’, in Medieval Film, ed. Bernau, A., and Bildhauer, B. (Manchester, Manchester University Press), pp. 137–57Google Scholar
Weiner, J. 2017. ‘Classical epic and the poetics of modern fantasy’, in Classical Traditions in Modern Fantasy, ed. Rogers, B.M., and Stevens, B.E. (Oxford, Oxford University Press), pp. 25–46CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yri, K. 2008. ‘Medievalism and exoticism in the music of Dead Can Dance’, Current Musicology, 85, pp. 53–72Google Scholar
Yri, K. 2019. ‘Corvus Corax: medieval rock, the minstrel, and cosmopolitanism as anti-nationalism’, Popular Music, 38/3, pp. 361–78CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burwell, Carter et al. , A Knight's Tale: Music from the Original Motion Picture. Sony Music. 2001Google Scholar
Djawadi, Ramin, and Tankian, Serj, ‘The Rains of Castamere’, Game of Thrones: Season 8: Music from the HBO Series. Watertower Music. 2019Google Scholar
Finn, Neil, ‘Song of the Lonely Mountain’. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. Decca. 2012Google Scholar
Florence + and the Machine, ‘Seven Devils’. Ceremonials. Republic. 2011Google Scholar
Zeppelin, Led, ‘Battle of Evermore’. Led Zeppelin IV. Atlantic. 1971Google Scholar
Zeppelin, Led, ‘Stairway to Heaven’. Led Zeppelin IV. Atlantic. 1971Google Scholar
Lennox, Annie, ‘Into the West’. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. Reprise. 2003Google Scholar
Rós, Sigur, ‘The Rains of Castamere’. Game of Thrones: Season 4: Music from the HBO Series. Sony Music Classical. 2014Google Scholar
Simon, & Garfunkel, , ‘Scarborough Fair., Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme. C.B.S. 1966Google Scholar
The Hold Steady, ‘The Bear and the Maiden Fair’. Game of Thrones: Season 3: Music from the HBO Series. Silva Screen. 2013Google Scholar
The National, ‘The Rains of Castamere’. Game of Thrones: Season 2: Music from the HBO Series. Colosseum Music. 2012Google Scholar
Dryden, Liam, ‘Rains Of Castamere (Game Of Thrones) – New Verses!’, YouTube video. 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrfkr7PcjGo (accessed 12 December 2019)Google Scholar
Evancho, Jackie, ‘The Rains of Castamere (Official Music Video)’, YouTube video. 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWT9kKS8RBE (accessed 26 May 2019)Google Scholar
GameofThrones, ‘Florence + the Machine - Jenny of Oldstones (Lyric Video)’, YouTube video. 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTa1jHk1Lxc (accessed 24 May 2019)Google Scholar
Grissini Project, ‘Game of Thrones – The Rains of Castamere cover by Grissini Project’, YouTube video. 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zqby5cNlxs0 (accessed 12 December 2019)Google Scholar
Hubert, Mélissa, ‘The Rains of Castamere Cover par Mélissa Hubert’, YouTube video. 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIBoWCGDAp0 (accessed 12 December 2019)Google Scholar
Karliene, ‘Karliene – The Rains of Castamere’, YouTube video. 2012. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2l7wzOaODYQ (accessed 12 December 2019)Google Scholar
Guo, Tina, ‘The Rains of Castamere – Tina Guo’, YouTube video. 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J73cZQzhPW0 (accessed 12 December 2019)Google Scholar
van Selm, Aron, ‘Game of Thrones (EPIC VOCAL COVER): The Rains of Castamere’, YouTube video. 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9R66NmX1vG8 (accessed 12 December 2019)Google Scholar
Young, Jonathan, ‘The Rains of Castamere – METAL Game of Thrones (cover by Jonathan Young)’, YouTube video. 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wMV0DRTZfw (accessed 26 May 2019)Google Scholar
Young, Jonathan, ‘GAME OF THRONES – “Rains of Castamere” (METAL COVER) Jonathan Young & Peter Hollens’, YouTube video. 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ufp7LxxsUxg (accessed 12 December 2019)Google Scholar
Burwell, Carter et al. , A Knight's Tale: Music from the Original Motion Picture. Sony Music. 2001Google Scholar
Djawadi, Ramin, and Tankian, Serj, ‘The Rains of Castamere’, Game of Thrones: Season 8: Music from the HBO Series. Watertower Music. 2019Google Scholar
Finn, Neil, ‘Song of the Lonely Mountain’. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. Decca. 2012Google Scholar
Florence + and the Machine, ‘Seven Devils’. Ceremonials. Republic. 2011Google Scholar
Zeppelin, Led, ‘Battle of Evermore’. Led Zeppelin IV. Atlantic. 1971Google Scholar
Zeppelin, Led, ‘Stairway to Heaven’. Led Zeppelin IV. Atlantic. 1971Google Scholar
Lennox, Annie, ‘Into the West’. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. Reprise. 2003Google Scholar
Rós, Sigur, ‘The Rains of Castamere’. Game of Thrones: Season 4: Music from the HBO Series. Sony Music Classical. 2014Google Scholar
Simon, & Garfunkel, , ‘Scarborough Fair., Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme. C.B.S. 1966Google Scholar
The Hold Steady, ‘The Bear and the Maiden Fair’. Game of Thrones: Season 3: Music from the HBO Series. Silva Screen. 2013Google Scholar
The National, ‘The Rains of Castamere’. Game of Thrones: Season 2: Music from the HBO Series. Colosseum Music. 2012Google Scholar
Dryden, Liam, ‘Rains Of Castamere (Game Of Thrones) – New Verses!’, YouTube video. 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrfkr7PcjGo (accessed 12 December 2019)Google Scholar
Evancho, Jackie, ‘The Rains of Castamere (Official Music Video)’, YouTube video. 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWT9kKS8RBE (accessed 26 May 2019)Google Scholar
GameofThrones, ‘Florence + the Machine - Jenny of Oldstones (Lyric Video)’, YouTube video. 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTa1jHk1Lxc (accessed 24 May 2019)Google Scholar
Grissini Project, ‘Game of Thrones – The Rains of Castamere cover by Grissini Project’, YouTube video. 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zqby5cNlxs0 (accessed 12 December 2019)Google Scholar
Hubert, Mélissa, ‘The Rains of Castamere Cover par Mélissa Hubert’, YouTube video. 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIBoWCGDAp0 (accessed 12 December 2019)Google Scholar
Karliene, ‘Karliene – The Rains of Castamere’, YouTube video. 2012. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2l7wzOaODYQ (accessed 12 December 2019)Google Scholar
Guo, Tina, ‘The Rains of Castamere – Tina Guo’, YouTube video. 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J73cZQzhPW0 (accessed 12 December 2019)Google Scholar
van Selm, Aron, ‘Game of Thrones (EPIC VOCAL COVER): The Rains of Castamere’, YouTube video. 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9R66NmX1vG8 (accessed 12 December 2019)Google Scholar
Young, Jonathan, ‘The Rains of Castamere – METAL Game of Thrones (cover by Jonathan Young)’, YouTube video. 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wMV0DRTZfw (accessed 26 May 2019)Google Scholar
Young, Jonathan, ‘GAME OF THRONES – “Rains of Castamere” (METAL COVER) Jonathan Young & Peter Hollens’, YouTube video. 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ufp7LxxsUxg (accessed 12 December 2019)Google Scholar