The Witcher 3 Songs

[Mario Roby]

Im just reading through Sword of Destiny and in the first short story it's noted that Dandelion sings The Stars above the Path round the campfire. I've not read much further than the first short story here though so don't know if any other named songs appear later on in the books.

To start with we have 4 named songs in the books Elaine Ettariel, Elusive, The Stars above the Path and Winter (or The Eternal Fire). The only one that could potentially be similar is Her Sweet Kiss being based off of The Stars above the Path. Both songs are romantic ballads and both are sung by Jaskier during the hunt for the dragon. However, the lyrics to Her Sweet Kiss don't really seem to match the title of The Stars above the Path.

We also know that at least Toss a Coin to Your Witcher was written by Jenny Klein. She took inspiration from the books for the song but not from Jaskier's songs and it doesn't really match any known ones as well.

Belousova and Ostinelli have been quite open about their work writing the music for the series and they note that they took inspiration from the scripts. I can't find any information on them having taken inspiration from the books.

Ostinelli: Once the picture editors started assembling the cuts, we started scoring to picture. That was around April 2019. Hours of new material had to be written, dances had to be shortened in order to follow the pace of the editing, all the songs that were approved at the demo stage now had to be recorded and finalized. Overall, this was a very elaborate process, which required our involvement for most of the year.

Belousova: We wrote and produced over eight hours of original music for the series that included songs, score, folk tunes, and dances. We recorded unique one-of-a-kind historical instruments, many of which were crafted specifically for The Witcher, and personally performed and recorded over sixty instruments on the soundtrack.

The song was created specifically for the TV series, and does not appear in the novels the series is based on. The idea for the song was initiated by screenwriter Jenny Klein, who was assigned to write the screenplay for the second episode of the show. It had been established that the episode would be the introduction of the bard Jaskier (played by Joey Batey) to Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill).

If you saw the headline of this article and decided to open it up, then kudos to you. Chances are, you're reading because you enjoyed The Witcher on Netflix and thought to yourself, "I already know the number one song and I'm going to click this so I can prove myself right." If that is the case, then your heroic efforts have earned a pat on the back. In the event that you haven't seen the show, then be warned of the minor spoilers that lay ahead.

Perhaps the number one song from the hit TV series is already playing in your head, but rest assured, there are at least 9 other tunes that shouldn't be skipped over. Here are the 10 most played songs on Spotify from The Witcher, composed by Sonya Belousova and Giona Ostinelli.

Undoubtedly the top song from the adventures of Geralt on Netflix, Toss A Coin To Your Witcher plays out at the end of episode 2, "Four Marks." Having been hired by a bar patron to slay a grain-stealing demon, Geralt and his newfound bard Jaskier (AKA Dandelion) set out to save the village's precious crop, only to be ambushed along the way by a creature that can only be described as half-man, half-goat.

After being captured by this unsavory beast and his accompanying band of elves, Jaskier's lute is snapped in half, and in walks Filavandrel, the King of Elves. Geralt convinces the perpetrators that he and his bard are not to blame for the slaughter of Filavandrel's people (humans did it, and after all, Geralt is a mutant) and the two protagonists are released. Jaskier walks away with a new lute from Filavandrel, and the first piece he composes is the coin-tossing ditty loved by all 9 million people who have hit play on Spotify.

Alright, let's get into the real meat of this melodic breakdown. With over 1.5 million plays, Her Sweet Kiss is the first tune on this list that might not pop into your head immediately. Featured at the very start of episode 6, "Rare Species," Jaskier struggles with the lyrics to a new ballad, a song that tells the tale of Geralt and Yennefer being bound by fate when they share their first kiss. By the time the credits roll, the song is revealed in its entirety, one of the few times it's actually worth hitting "Watch Credits" on Netflix as opposed to punching your trigger finger on "Next Episode."

Aptly named after the melancholic hero and his place of birth, Geralt of Rivia comes in at a close third place with 1.4 million plays. It also happens to be the first piece on this list that doesn't involve the beloved Jaskier, as it's an instrumental track. Geralt of Rivia sets the scene for the very first episode, "The End's Beginning," as Geralt rides into a new town where he will inevitably earn another nickname, the Butcher of Blaviken. If you're wondering exactly how he earned this moniker, then you really need to set aside some time to watch episode 1, because it's too gruesome to detail here.

We've reached the point where total plays fall under the 1 million mark, so all that initial confidence you had in knowing where this article was going is likely fading. Happy Childhoods Make For Dull Company is a depressing yet likely accurate title, especially when you consider Witchers like Geralt suffer through torturous trials in order to gain their superhuman powers. Another strictly instrumental track, the lack of Jaskier is taking this list even further into undeniably moody territory. Happy Childhoods Make For Dull Company first plays in episode 5, "Bottled Appetites," as Yen looks over the scars that cover Geralt's body.

At last, we return to songs with vocals, however, the vocalist in The Time Of Axe And Sword Is Now is clearly not Jaskier. The lovely voice behind this composition is that of Declan de Barra, who does not play a character in the show, but rather lends his talents to this piece that can first be heard in episode 7, "Before a Fall." As the Nilfgaardians invade Cintra, Queen Calanthe uses her dying breaths to tell Ciri to find Geralt at all costs. It is at this very moment you can hear The Time Of Axe And Sword Is Now playing behind one of the most dramatic moments in the series.

When Geralt enters the Blaviken tavern in episode 1, he is not met with welcome words or open arms. Instead, the simpleton townsfolk guzzling gallons of wobbly pops threaten the mutant with an ultimatum, "Go. On your own, or at the end of a rope, your choice." While Geralt could cut them down with ease, a woman beside him at the bar puts an end to the violence before it can even begin. This woman is Renfri, and in exchange for stopping the bloodshed, she asks Geralt to slay a wizard in town by the name of Stregobor.

After meeting with the brooding illusionist, Geralt convinces Renfri that taking revenge on Stregobor or the rest of Blaviken is not the right move, and as Tomorrow I'll Leave Blaviken For Good starts playing, Renfri agrees to skip town (for now).

Jaskier finally makes his return on this list, and his reemergence comes with the most ridiculous song in the entire series, The Fishmonger's Daughter. During the banquet where multiple suitors make their case to wed Princess Pavetta, Jaskier is delegated with the task of providing musical entertainment for the royal evening. He breaks out this song about a woman of much lower stature than the Princess, but hey, everyone needs somebody to love. Somehow, this hilarious crowd-pleaser only ranks 7th on the list of total plays, and we'll leave it up to you to go add to that number.

Another entry on this list that should probably be ranked higher, The Song Of The White Wolf is an absolute masterpiece. Telling the tale of the white-haired Witcher and his cold-hearted nature, this brilliant entry can be heard at the very end of the series as the credits roll on episode 8, "Much More." This is another case where you won't want to skip the credits, and rather dust off your popcorn-covered fingers and just enjoy the music. While we might have to wait until 2021 for season 2, at least the first season goes out with a bang.

Everytime should be two words, but that's how it's listed on Spotify, so we're going to roll with it. Anyways, Everytime You Leave is a beautiful piece that is very reminiscent of something we've already heard on this list. That's because it's an instrumental version of Her Sweet Kiss, and it can actually be heard at the very moment Geralt and Yen share their first kiss. Sure, we already enjoyed it earlier on in this list, but let's be frank, this one is so nice we needed to hear it twice.

And with that, it's time to round out our list of the top 10 The Witcher songs by Spotify plays. During the climax of episode 1, you can barely hear It's An Ultimatum over the sounds of clashing blades, but that didn't stop the track from racking up nearly 400,000 plays. While it might be hard to fully appreciate everything going on in the emotionally-charged scene, it's more than worth it to go and give this song a full listen. Actually, just give the whole soundtrack a listen, because there's a total of over 55 tracks to enjoy.

Since Netflix's Witcher series was released last month, there's one particular part of the show that has followed me around the internet like a certain very persistent bard. Jaskier (who you know as Dandelion in CD Projekt RED's Witcher games) sings a silly song at the end of episode two about Geralt's exploits. The lyrics are, frankly, corny. It is not a masterpiece. But boy howdy it is catchy. There are memes and animations and, naturally, someone had to create a mod to add the song to The Witcher.

In the third chapter of the game, Dandelion asks Geralt to retrieve his lute that he accidentally left behind at the home of a woman he was sleeping with after being chased off by her father. Classic Dandelion. After Geralt finds and returns it, the bard can perform a concert at The New Narakort inn. The original version is a much shorter, sadder tune that Dandelion plays for a small group of listeners at the inn.

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