On Sunday night, television fans around the world tuned their undivided focus to HBO to watch the second episode in the final season of Game of Thrones. While Sunday’s episode provided plenty of suspense and drama, one of the big surprises came after the final scenes when a recording of what sounded like Florence Welch began to play during the ending credits. On Monday, it was confirmed that the song which played at the end was indeed Ms. Welch from Florence + The Machine, as the band has recorded the haunting new ballad for the show which was adapted directly from the books.
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The song, titled, “Jenny of Oldstones”, acts as a stand-alone single recorded by the British rock band after Welch was reportedly approached by the show’s creators (and fans) David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. The song was also sung by one of the characters during Sunday night’s episode as an ominous artistic prelude to the major battle set to take place this season.
“We’ve always been huge fans of Florence’s music,” Benioff and Weiss said in a statement about the decision to bring Welch into the Game of Thrones universe. “The opportunity to hear her otherworldly voice on our show was always at the forefront of our minds. We’re still pleasantly shocked that she agreed to sing ‘Jenny of Oldstones,’ and we’re in love with the result.”
Welch also added in saying, “When I first heard the song it sounded like a Celtic lullaby to me. Celtic music has always been in my blood, so I felt like I could do something with it … I am honored to be a part of the final season.”
A shortened version of the recording may have played during the episode’s ending credits, but fans can check out the video below to hear Welch’s performance of “Jenny of Oldstones” in full.
Florence + The Machine – “Jenny of Oldstones”
[Video: GameOfThrones]
Florence + The Machine continues to tour in promotion of their latest studio album, 2018’s High As Hope. The band returns to the U.S. next month for a run of spring tour dates beginning on May 12th at the Santa Barbara Bowl. Fans can head to the band’s website for tour and ticket info.