By Leanne Butkovic Updated on 562020 at 7:07 PM HBO Every episode of Westworld has loads of timeline jumping and metaphors to unpack to add as fuel to the shows theories fire, but some of the best nuggets come from its heavy use of incongruous song covers.Composed for orchestra, string quartet, and a very real player piano by Ramin Djawadi, who also scores Game of Thrones (if you couldnt tell by comparing the theme songs), most every song has deliberate purpose hiding in the original lyrics that are applicable to a characters development and motivations.But besides all the Radiohead (Hey They got a real one in the finale: Codex from 2011s King of Limbs ), its kind of hard to keep track of every modern song that ever had its day in Sweetwater and beyond.
That was The Rolling Stones Play With Fire and Roxy Musics Do the Strand in Episode 4 of Season 2, by the way.) Thus, behold: this compendium of all the pop cover songs Westworld has used, where it appeared, and (likely) why. Sweet Child O Mine by Guns N Roses Episode: Season 3 promo To build hype for Westworld Season 3, HBO released a trailer featuring an orchestral version of Guns N Roses most well-known song. In hindsight, the song probably nods to Doloress journey over the course of the season trying to take down Delos, the new big bad Incite, and practically all of humanity that culminates in a tender final moment between her and Maeve in her final memory, still choosing to see beauty in the world. Wicked Games by The Weeknd Episode: 4, Mother of Exiles (Season 3) One of the most recent songs Westworld has used on the show, 2011s Wicked Games, like most of The Weeknds club-ready jams, is about being horny, getting fucked up, and feeling bad, but there are a couple subtextual reasons producers might have chosen it. Brain Damage by Pink Floyd Episode: 8, Crisis Theory, (Season 3) In the season finales big final setpiece, Maeve chops up a bunch of Seracs guys with her katana in the dark, dramatically lit only by stray gunshots, after seeing Doloress final memory of beauty, all while a piano cover of Pink Floyds opus with lyrics about lunatics being on the grass and in my head plays overhead. The songs inclusion actually speaks to many of themes Westworld has dabbled in since the very beginning, with lyrics like And if your head explodes with dark forebodings too Ill see you on the dark side of the moon and You raise the blade, you make the change You re-arrange me til Im sane You lock the door and throw away the key Theres someone in my head but its not me. Ramin Djawadi also managed to cleverly sneak in some of Westworld s own theme into the arrangement -- listen closely to the second verse. Paint It, Black by The Rolling Stones Episode: 1, The Original (Season 1) 5, Akane No Mai (Season 2) The orchestral, flamenco-esque version of Paint It, Black, one of The Rolling Stones most popular songs, comes in Season 1, Episode 1 during one of our first tastes of the looped arcs of the Wild West(world): Hector rolls through Sweetwater on horseback with his gang, starts a shootout with the locals, and steals the safe in Maeves room in the Mariposa Saloon. And yes, it shows up again during our first brush at Shogun World. In her choreography, Akane strategically makes her way to the Shogun and stabs him with her hairpin, which triggers the sequence that leads to Maeves subliminal mandate for the other hosts to massacre each other. Notably relevant to the song choice, Wu-Tang member RZA has history working on kung-fu films, both scoring and directing. Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes Episode: 3, Virt e Fortuna (Season 2) Rewritten for sitar, Jack Whites first big single with his not-sister, definitely-wife Meg White, in The White Stripes opens the third episode of Season 2 as were dropped into Raj World, another of Delos themed parks set in Colonial India. Is it foreshadowing that all of the parks hosts are about to join rebellion forces Or is it hinting at the determination of our newly introduced character. What year is it Where are we Runaway by Kanye West Episode: 2, Reunion (Season 2) We first had this Kanye song teased in a Season 2 trailer that ran during the Super Bowl. While Dolores monologued about this world, the familiar main riff of Kanyes Runaway plunks in the background. Get it. because. theyre. The songs real-episode debut after Dolores and her crew dramatically bust into the Westworld cleanup facilities to take a few more casualties and hostages. Then, we flash back to Logan Delos receiving an ultra-persuasive pitch via private demonstration about the Argos Initiative, developing the technology that makes the hosts run. Heart-Shaped Box by Nirvana Episode: 8, Kiksuya (Season 2) This single off of 1993s In Utero first came during a Westworld Season 2 trailer, logging the shows unwavering commitment to soundtracking the death and destruction of the robot revolt with instrumental pop songs. We finally saw exactly how it would be put to task in-season during a seminal back-half episode where the real protagonist was revealed: Akecheta, aka The First of Us, aka the Ghost Nation host that awoke way before Maeve ever did. Exit Music (For a Film) by Radiohead Episode: 10, The Bicameral Mind (Season 1) Radiohead popped up several times throughout Season 1, and an orchestral version of Exit Music (For a Film), off of 1997s OK Computer, closed out the finale during Fords new storylineretirementsuicide speech, triggering the violent ends cliffhanger. The bands version of the song ends with the line I hope you choke repeated -- not particularly subtle) Its also the moment that Dolores is confirmed to be the villain Wyatt, and Maeve makes the autonomous decision to stay in Westworld and find her daughter. Black Hole Sun by Soundgarden Episode: 1, The Original (Season 1) Black Hole Sun introduces viewers to Sweetwaters Mariposa Saloon, the tavern haunt where hosts and visitors come to slam booze and pick up brothel madams to take to the private rooms upstairs. Its the first time we see the player piano in anachronistic action, turning this 1994 grunge hit into appropriate old-timey drinkin music.
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