Why The Witcher's "Toss a Coin to Your Witcher" song became an earworm

Vox

"Even though it’s mostly a piece of lyrical nonsense based on the events of the show’s second episode, 'Toss a Coin to Your Witcher' has amassed legions of fans," says Aja Romano. "In the month since it premiered, in fact, no fewer than four versions of it — three different 'metal' covers of the song, as well as the original soundtrack version — have all charted in the UK. On YouTube, where all current uploads of the soundtrack are unofficial, the four most-watched versions of the song have a combined view count of more than 40 million. If you’ve heard 'Toss a Coin to Your Witcher,' you’ll know that it’s something of a many-headed hydra. The song has aspects of medieval instrumentation and classical song structure, as you might expect for a song appearing in a medieval fantasy show. But it’s also replete with pop movement and rhythm, and even has a dollop of musical theater stylization. One reason for this jumble of influences is that the song’s composers, Sonya Belousova and Giona Ostinelli, wanted to reflect the fusion of genres and aesthetic influences that comprise The Witcher itself. The show is based on a popular book series that later inspired a hit fantasy video game series, so it’s got a distinctive, game-influenced aesthetic — but it’s also channeling everything from the epic feel of Game of Thrones to the tongue-in-cheek musical parody Galavant." ALSO: The Witcher anime will focus on Geralt's mentor Vesemir.