Whether you’ve been following along since day one, binged through the series to catch up like me, or are in the seemingly minuscule minority that has never watched an episode, everyone knows tonight marks the premiere of the final season of HBO’s Game of Thrones. Despite which of these groups you fall into, we can all come to appreciate the show’s music, composed by Ramin Djawadi.
Djawadi first foray’s into big budget soundtracks came via Prison Break and working on Iron Man with the legendary Hans Zimmer, but he has clearly found his stride working on the Westworld and Game of Thrones soundtracks each season. Starting with the shows theme, you know a piece is quintessentially “Thrones” when you hear the swelling strings section and the pounding drums of war. Throughout the series, you hear iterations of this theme and others, with new instruments incorporated for new characters, such as a dulcimer for Arya Stark and a didgeridoo for the Wildlings.
While there are plenty of songs that stand out across the show’s 7 seasons up to this point (“The Rains of Castamere,” “Goodbye Brother,” “The Winds of Winter,” etc.). Djawadi’s magnum opus has to be “Light of the Seven” from the Season 6 soundtrack. This was the first Game of Thrones composition to include piano, and the way the piece grows and builds over the course of nearly 10 minutes is unmatched. As you listen, the inclusion of strings, two young boys singing, and an organ that intertwines the ‘Thrones’ theme into the piece flesh out the layers of beauty in the song. It’s only appropriate these musical layers are reflective of the show’ own plot lines and drama.
It will still be 6 weeks before we find out who finally takes the Iron Throne, but you can be certain I’ll be loving each episode along the way and keeping myself preoccupied with Djawadi’s music during the work week.
P.S. My money is on Tyrion Lannister ruling over Westeros.
