What If the Game of Thrones Theme Was Surf Rock? This TikToker Has the Answer

What If the Game of Thrones Theme Was Surf Rock? This TikToker Has the Answer Guitarist and TikTok user Cloudchord puts his spin on the epic theme music, originally composed by Ramin Djawadi 98.

By

Tara Bellucci

November 1, 2024

Image courtesy of HBO

What if Game of Thrones was surf rock? Replace Westeros with a California beach. Instead of the Iron Throne, a bunch of sunscreen-slicked Kens with different crest-covered swim trunks are fighting over the lifeguard chair. Whitewalkers are now great white sharks . . . you get the idea.

Curious About Surf Rock?

Get a brief history of this distinctive and highly influential guitar style in this playlist curated by guitar faculty member Bobby Stanton.

Thats the world TikToker Cloudchord conjures in one of his latest videos. On his channel, the musician often takes discordant genres, bands, and songs and turns them into surf rock jams. Some of the highest-viewed posts involve giving the surf treatment to metal bands such as Megadeth, Judas Priest, and Metallica, with the latter reposting his video to their page.

This week, he set his sights on prestige TV.

@cloudchord @Game of Thrones #surfguitar #shredguitar #telecaster #whitewalkercosplay

original sound - Cloudchord --

Origins of an Iconic Theme

Djawadi talking with Berklee students in 2017.

Image by Kelly Davidson

The original theme was composed by Ramin Djawadi 98. He has talked about the process of working with the shows creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss to create the score.

A lot of the music was based on conversations with Benioff and Weiss. They had a great vision for what they wanted in the show. They said, We've got to find our own sound and our own tone. It's such a fantasy world and they never wanted to go too traditional. There's room for modern electronic sounds without overdoing it. I tried to find the sweet spots for the modern sounds.

Watch the full conversation below:

While at Berklee, Djawadi studied film scoring and guitar performance, and has since gone on to work on projects including Westworld, Iron Man, The Eternals, Pacific Rim, and the Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon.

Read more about Ramin Djawadi:

Film Composer Ramin Djawadi Returns to Berklee During Game of Thrones Tour

Berklee Alumnus Ramin Djawadi 98 Stuns with Game of Thrones Finale Music

Scoring Westworld: Ramin Djawadi 98 Blends the Futuristic and the Historical

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