Here’s Us Trying to Find the ‘Game of Thrones’ Ending in That Spotify Playlist
If you have three and a half hours to kill, you can listen to the entirety of Spotify’s new “Game of Thrones: The End Is Coming” playlist — which, according to GOT showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss, contains a massive spoiler about the end to the cultural phenomenon.
“The answer to the ending is 100 percent hidden in the playlist choices,” Benioff and Weiss told Spotify’s For the Record blog. “No one will believe us, but it’s true.”
A lot of fans (exhibits A, B, and C) think the duo is sending us fans on a fool’s errand. But while we await the beginning of the end — the HBO drama’s final season premiere on April 14 — we figured we’d scour some of the 50 songs for possible clues. Remember, the night is dark and full of rock anthems…
“Sleep Now in the Fire” by Rage Against the Machine
This 1999 track is all about colonialism, oppression, and greed. But perhaps we can take it more literally and presume that some character, maybe the increasingly antagonistic Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey), will die and be burned in a funeral pyre — or, even more brutally, will be burned alive.
“Her Black Wings” by Danzig
Pay attention to these lyrics from this 1990 heavy metal song: “Ceasing never / On and on and on / Her stride is such / Mortals freeze / When she walks past.” One Reddit theory suggests a dead Cersei might be resurrected as the Night Queen to the White Walkers’ Night King.
“Dead Skin Mask” by Slayer
And speaking of reanimated characters, the inclusion of this 1990 thrash metal song on the playlist is almost certainly a reference to Arya (Maisie Williams) and her ability to impersonate her victims by using their faces as masks. The song starts, “How I’ve waited for you to come / I’ve been here all alone / Now that you’ve arrived / Please stay awhile.” Maybe Arya has been plotting a victory this whole time?
“Howlin’ for You” by The Black Keys
If by howlin’, Benioff and Weiss mean Howland — as in, Howland Reed! Don’t forget, Meera’s dad was the only other survivor of the Tower of Joy battle besides Ned Stark, meaning he might know the truth that Jon Snow’s (Kit Harington) parents are Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen. And if Howland does return to the plotline in present-day Westeros, perhaps he’ll validate Jon’s birthright to the Iron Throne.
“The End” by The Doors
“There’s danger on the edge of town / Ride the King’s Highway, baby,” Jim Morrison croons in this 1967 track. Westeros doesn’t have a King’s Highway, per se, but it does have a Kingsroad which stretches from Castle Black all the way south to King’s Landing, passing Westeros along the way. Seems like a convenient path for the undead incursion…
“Immigrant Song” by Led Zeppelin
In this classic rock song from 1970, Robert Plant sings of “coming from the land of the ice and snow” and heading for the “western shore.” The wights and White Walkers seem water-averse, but does that rule out a double-pronged attack by land and by sea?
“Here’s Your Future” by The Thermals
Then again, if the undead are susceptible to water, maybe a flood will wipe them out. Check out the lyrics from this 2006 indie rock song: “He flooded the land and he set it afire / He said ‘Fear me again, know I’m your father/ Remember that no-one can breathe underwater’” (And as this Redditor pointed out, U2’s “Love Is Blindness,” another track on the playlist, also mentions drowning.)
Game of Thrones, Final Season Premiere, Sunday, April 14, 9/8c, HBO
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