The Pop Culture Playlist: Jaime Lannister

The Pop Culture Playlist creates a musical story for a hero or villain, but there are many people who fall in between. The Comic Vault covers more than just comics, so I’m focusing on my favourite Game of Thrones character, Jaime Lannister. Jaime’s complexity makes him one of the most human characters in literature. Here are ten tracks that tell the story of the Kingslayer and everything he stands for.

So Long Sentiment by Celldweller

So long sentiment
It doesn’t matter now
What the hell is wrong with me?
Why am I torturing myself?
Fixated on these memories
Like a prisoner inside a cell
With nothing useful to say and no one to listen to it
Filling the deep with the pain, I slowly sink into it
Consider questionable things to try to get me through it
I’ve tried to push it away but I always give into it
Long for the taste of the rain that finally helps subdue it
And washes this all away

When we’re first introduced to Jaime, he’s arrogant, selfish and dismissive. He’s portrayed as a classic villain who’s pitted against the more honourable Starks and the audience is meant to hate him. So Long Sentiment describes Jaime at the start of his journey, where he doesn’t care for anything beyond Cersei and being the greatest swordsman in the world.

Lion by Andy Brown

I’ve been living in a world
Of shattered hopes and dreams
I fell into a ghost, could it be my own?
Poor broken hearted me
How can I pretend
That you were still awake?
’cause if I were alive I would be myself
And I wouldn’t hesitate
If I were in love then I could pretend
That there’s nothing in this world
That you can’t have
And if I were alive, I would be myself
And I would rule the world

Lion has a melancholic note that describes Jaime as the one who was meant to inherit the Lannister legacy. Tywin had high hopes for him, even though Jaime was reluctant to accept. All he wanted to do was prove to be the best fighter and make the most of his time in the Kingsguard.

Black, Black Heart by David Usher

Something ugly this way comes
Through my fingers sliding inside
All these blessings all these burns
I’m godless underneath your cover
Search for pleasure search for pain
In this world now I am undying
I unfurl my flag my nation helpless
Black black heart why would you offer more
Why would you make it easier on me to satisfy
I’m on fire I’m rotting to the core
I’m eating all your kings and queens
All your sex and your diamonds

Black, Black Heart describes the toxic relationship Jaime has with Cersei. Although he truly loves her, Cersei has been shown to manipulate him for her own ends. Everything that’s noble about Jaime is drowned out when he’s in the presence of his twin.

Hey Brother by Avicii

Hey brother! There’s an endless road to rediscover
Hey sister! Know the water’s sweet but blood is thicker
Oh, if the sky comes falling down, for you
There’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t do
Hey brother! Do you still believe in one another?
Hey sister! Do you still believe in love? I wonder
Oh, if the sky comes falling down, for you
There’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t do

Hey Brother reminds me of Jaime’s loyalty to his family, especially Tyrion. Jaime genuinely loved his brother and protected him when they were growing up. When Tyrion killed their father, Jaime still chose to let him go, proving his love for his sibling.

Stop And Stare by OneRepublic

This town is colder now, I think it’s sick of us
It’s time to make our move, I’m shakin’ off the rust
I’ve got my heart set on anywhere but here
I’m staring down myself, counting up the years
Steady hands just take the wheel
Every glance is killing me
Time to make one last appeal
For the life I live
Stop and stare
I think I’m moving but I go nowhere
Yeah, I know that everyone gets scared
But I’ve become what I can’t be, oh

Stop And Stare is a great song for describing Jaime’s identity as the Kingslayer. He killed Aerys Targaryen to save thousands of people from being burned by wildfire, yet he’s considered a man without honour to everyone around him. The song offers an insight into Jaime’s journey to rediscover his honour after he meets Brienne.

Lost It All by Black Veil Brides

I ruled the world
With these hands I shook the heavens to the ground
I laid the gods to rest
I held the key to the kingdom
Lions guarding castle walls
Hail the king of death
Then I lost it all
Dead and broken my
Back’s against the wall
Cut me open
I’m just trying to breathe
Just trying to figure it out
Because I built these walls
To watch ’em crumble down
I said
Then I lost it all
Who can save me now?

When Jaime’s sword hand was cut off, he lost everything: his hope, his identity and his reason to live. Lost It All is perfect for describing the beginning of Jaime’s transformation into a more noble person. Losing his hand humbled him and forced him to revaluate where his life was going.

I Found by Amber Run

And I’ll use you as a warning sign
That if you talk enough sense, then you’ll lose your mind
And I’ll use you as focal point
So I don’t lose sight of what I want
And I’ve moved further than I thought I could
But I miss you more than I thought I would
Oh I’ll use you as a warning sign
That if you talk enough sense, then you’ll lose your mind
And I found love where it wasn’t supposed to be
Right in front of me, talk some sense to me

I Found reminds me of the relationship between Jaime and Brienne. She represents his noble side, the part of him that wants to be a good man. Brienne reawakened his desire to be honourable and much of what goes on between them is unspoken.

Roots by Imagine Dragons

Don’t throw stones at me
Don’t tell anybody
Trouble finds me
All the noise of this
Has made me lose my belief
I’m going back to my roots
Another day, another door
Another high, another low
Rock bottom, rock bottom, rock bottom
I’m going back to my roots

Roots can be used to represent Jaime’s bitterness. Westeros is a world that considers ‘honour’ to mean keeping a vow, even when you’re serving a tyrant. Jaime saw the hypocrisy of others and decided to embrace the ‘Kingslayer’ name as a defence mechanism.

King And Lionheart by Of Monsters And Men

Howling ghosts they reappear
In mountains that are stacked with fear
But you’re a king and I’m a lionheart
A lionheart
His crown lit up the way as we moved slowly
Past the wondering eyes of the ones that were left behind
Though far away, though far away, though far away
We’re still the same, we’re still the same, we’re still the same

King And Lionheart reflects the relationship between Jaime and his son, Tommen. When Tommen became king, Jaime was assigned to protect him as the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard. It’s clear Jaime loved him far more than he did Joffrey. Even though he couldn’t tell Tommen he was his father, Jaime could still guide and try to protect the boy.

Fly On The Wall by A Thousand Foot Krutch

We had a plan to build a wall
A great divide that would never fall
To separate us
From all the pain
And keep our skeletons locked away
And brick by brick
We built it so thick
That it blacked out the sky and all the sunlight
And one by one
We all became numb
We were making the bullets to a broken gun
If I could just see it all
Just like a fly on the wall
Would I be able to accept what I can’t control?
And would I share what I saw?
Or just sit back and ignore
Like nothing never happened
And I haven’t seen you before?

Fly On The Wall can be used for the Lannister family. Tywin, Jaime, Tyrion and Cersei all had a caustic relationship with each other that pulled them apart. In Jaime’s case, he woke up and saw the decay within his own family. He turned his back on his father’s wishes for him to leave the Kingsguard and gave Oathkeeper to Brienne. Jaime’s redemptive arc is more layered in the books than on the TV show, but it’s clear he isn’t the same man.

Ultimately, Jaime can be summed up by this quote.

“Most have been forgotten. Most deserve to be forgotten. The heroes will always be remembered. The best. The best and the worst. And a few who were a bit of both.”

What songs do you think describe Jaime best? Leave a comment below if you’d like to see your favourite hero or villain appear on The Pop Culture Playlist!

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