The 5 Best Game of Thrones Tracks

IT'S HERE. Season 4 premiers today. I have spent the past few weeks in a total immersion rewatch of seasons 1 - 3 and listening to the soundtracks composed by Ramin Djawadi, who also wrote the jams heard in the hugely successful Pacific Rim. We are all counting down the hours until the premier - so spend a few minutes of the next few long hours reading up on the music from season 3.

There are 20 tracks on this album, and even though I could write an essay about every track, I doubt anyone would read that. Instead, here are the (definitely 100% objective) best 5 tracks from the season 3 soundtrack. Obviously the introduction music is a particularly bright spot in television, and you can read my thoughts on that HERE. I will do my best to keep this spoiler-free, but let’s be real if you’re reading this, you already experienced the pain of the Red Wedding.

5. “A Lannister Always Pays his Debts” 

Oh my glob, this track is devil’s food chocolate cake for your ears. Who doesn’t love a cello? Nobody, that’s whom; hating cello is like hating a puppy. Listening to this track is like watching hot fudge pour over vanilla ice cream.

This is the first time we hear the now infamous tune for “Rains of Castamere,” and it is scrumptious. After that cello introduction, we head straight into it, lined by other cellos playing a counterpoint melody against the recognizable line. When the other strings join in with the drums, you can almost see the foreshadowing.

4. “Dracarys” 

This track doesn’t start off as interesting as number 5, but the creepy cello sound, which is achieved by less pressure on the strings with the bow and played closer to the bridge, definitely lends the feel that a Targaryen needs. The heavy drums are a nice touch, but it doesn’t reach critical mass until the chanting comes in.

The voices, first chanting and then vocalizing, definitely give this a Skyrim feel, which is obviously appropriate given the involvement of dragons. I might also be going through PS3 withdrawals.

3. “You Know Nothing”  

This track is the quintessential piece of television and film scoring. The rich texture is incredibly satisfying to listen to on its own, and yet during the scene it never sticks out or over steps its bounds. The ethereal soundscape quality would be perfect for meditation or yoga, and the moments of chromaticism dig deep into your soul. I love Ygritte and her wildling ways, and so does Jon Snow, who knows nothing.

This is just such a gratifying track to listen to. I can’t stop, won’t stop.

2. “The Lannisters Send Their Regards” 

Oh geeze. Why did I have to pick THIS track, right? As promised, I won’t spoil anyone, all I will say is that this is during the Red Wedding. (This scene is why you should always hire union musicians.) There is so much overt tension and pain in this track that it puts my heart in my chest just listening to it. The dissonance in the harmonies and the triplets in the rhythm really pack a punch full of angst that is unparalleled by any other fictional moment except maybe the last Harry Potter novel.

I can’t talk about this anymore, I’m too busy mourning.  I don’t care if it’s been almost a year, I’m still not over it.

1. “Mhysa” 

When you put aside the white-savior nonsense of this scene, the music is really fantastic. The choral singing is absolutely exquisite – the text is Danerys’ speech to the Unsullied in High Valerian. This type of choral scoring is evocative of Enya, and that’s not a dig at the composer, but a compliment. The stylistic qualities are definitely appropriate for the content of the scene. Djawadi hasn’t used much choral material in previous seasons, and I am hoping that the introduction of some vocal tracks in season 3 will lead to more in season 4.

This scene could have been so much better, but the music is spot-on.

It was incredibly difficult to only pick 5 tracks from season 3! A very close runner-up was “Heir to Winterfell,” mostly because I adore the Stark theme – I was disappointed that it wasn’t as prevalent in season 3, and I am hoping for a confident resurgence in season 4. By far and away, the best Stark music is from season 2, when Catelyn Stark is talking to Tulisa about Jon Snow. I could listen to that all day. I was also disappointed at the lack of Greyjoy theme material – though with Asha (Yara, whatever) heading to rescue Theon, maybe we will get a resurgence of that as well.

Now to count down the hours until the premier.