"Game of Thrones" creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss enlisted The Hold Steady, one of their favorite indie rock bands, to bring one of the most popular songs in Westeros to life for an upcoming Season 3 episode.
Much like "The Rains of Castamere," a sulky tune performed by the National that was aired over the ending credits to last season's climactic episode, “Battle of the Blackwater,” The Hold Steady recorded a song taken directly from George R.R. Martin's novels.
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“The Bear and The Maiden Fair,” however, is described by show runners Benioff and Weiss as "bawdy and a little sloppy," so it should be significantly more upbeat.
“This is one of the most popular songs in Westeros, beloved by nobles and commoners alike, sung at taverns and feasts and etc. We wanted our rendition to be bawdy and a little sloppy — drunken musicians getting up on the table and jamming while the rowdy party continues around them," Benioff and Weiss said in a statement. "There was no one better for the job than the Hold Steady, and the song they delivered has been stuck in our heads for the last four weeks.”
It's not known what episode will include the song or how it will be used, but the band announced on Tuesday that the track will be released on a limited-edition (only 1,500 copies) 7" on April 20 in celebration of Record Store Day.
“An episode of 'Game of Thrones' is not unlike many of the early Hold Steady tours: almost everyone was drunk and there was always a strong possibility for bloodshed at any moment," the band's guitarist guitarist Tad Kubler joked. "We were ecstatic to get the call from Dan and David and we hope we get to work with them again."
Check out the National's rendition of "The Rains of Castamere":