Daily Tunes: Toss a Coin to Your Witcher

For today's Daily Tunes I'm playing a segment of "Toss a Coin to your Witcher". I had never tried playing this one before. Was pretty fun :)
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"Toss a Coin to Your Witcher" is a song from the Netflix series "The Witcher," which itself is based on the book series by Andrzej Sapkowski. The song, performed by Joey Batey who plays Jaskier in the series, was released as part of the official soundtrack for the first season of "The Witcher" on December 20, 2019. It falls into the genre of folk and fantasy music with elements of medieval tunes, reflecting the show's setting.

In the series, the song first appears in the fourth episode of Season 1, titled "Of Banquets, Bastards and Burials." The scene where it debuts involves Geralt of Rivia saving Princess Ciri and Jaskier from thugs, leading Jaskier to compose this song to laud Geralt's heroics. It becomes an instant hit within the show's universe, spreading Geralt's fame.

The lyrics are written from Jaskier's perspective, humorously and melodically recounting the events where Geralt saves people, thus earning the phrase "Toss a coin to your Witcher." Notable lines include, “Oh Valley of Plenty, oh Valley of Plenty, oh! / Toss a coin to your Witcher, a friend of humanity.” The music uses an upbeat, catchy melody with lute accompaniment, fitting Jaskier's bardic style.

The song's popularity transcended the show's fandom, going viral on social media platforms. Users created covers, parodies, and dances to the tune. It was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics in 2020, underscoring its impact. Merchandise featuring the song also proliferated, including streaming releases, T-shirts with lyrics, and vinyl soundtracks.

An animated music video was released on Netflix's YouTube channel, providing a visual narrative to the song, further embedding it into pop culture. The song has become one of the defining elements of "The Witcher" series, loved for its catchy tune and witty lyrics, often cited in discussions about the series and contributing significantly to the show's marketing and cultural footprint. In later seasons, variations or references to the song appear, showing its lasting impact within the narrative, with Jaskier remaining a beloved character partly due to this song.

Relating to "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt," the song, although not directly from the game, echoes the spirit of the game through its connection to the broader Witcher universe. "The Witcher 3" is a critically acclaimed video game that came out in 2015 by CD Projekt RED, which serves as a sort of prequel to the events in the Netflix series, focusing on Geralt's adventures before those seen in the show. While Jaskier (known as Dandelion in the English version of the games) is a character in the games, the song "Toss a Coin to Your Witcher" is a creation of the TV series. However, the game's success and popularity helped boost interest in the Witcher franchise, setting the stage for the TV show's reception. Both the game and the series share themes and characters, but the song has become a unique cultural artifact of the TV adaptation, further deepening fans' engagement with the Witcher lore across different media.