Game of Thrones has a long history of somewhat embarrassing musical collaborations, from relatively innocuous incognito appearances by real-life members of bands like Coldplay and Snow Patrol as Westerosi musicians, to the release of two mixtapes, to Ed Sheeran’s painful cameo as a tuneful Lannister soldier whose a capella stylings we all were forced to just sit around and listen to, for some reason.
Now HBO and Columbia Records have teamed up to give us all what no one asked for: An entire album of Thrones-inspired tunes, featuring appearances by A$AP Rocky, Ellie Goulding, Joey Bada$$, Lil Peep, Muse’s Matthew Bellamy, Mumford & Sons, SZA, The Weeknd, Travis Scott, The National, and Ty Dollars $ign.
Two songs from For the Throne are already available to stream. Maren Morris’s “Kingdom of One” doesn’t have a ton of obvious lyrical references to the show, but The Lumineers vacant piano ditty “Nightshade” is loaded with Thrones call-outs. It takes its name from the Weterosi sleep aide essence of nightshade, which can be fatal in large doses—way back in Season Two, Cersei came close to killing Tommen and herself with the substance during the Battle of the Blackwater. The song appears to be told from the perspective of Jon Snow, a former member of the Night’s Watch who was rescued by his ranger uncle Benjen Stark in Season Seven:
I saw the footprints in the white of the snow
I counted thousands of hours just to ride all along
18 degrees and 80 miles from home, oh no
We built a wall to keep the devils at bay
A distant army was marching through the night and the day
I swore an oath and with my life I would pay, oh no
We were surrounded the ending was nearA
ll of the sudden a ranger arrived, a savior appeared
Made it to safety but the devil was here, oh no.
Game of Thrones' final season debuts Sunday, but you'll have to wait a bit longer for the album—For the Throne drops 26 April.
