Love, Failure, Saudade: Music Enriched by Narrative

I don’t talk much about music but this time it pertains to narrative so here we go. Spoilers for events from A Song of Ice and Fire lore, Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order, and Cyberpunk 2077.

I’m not entirely sure if I have mentioned this on this site or not but music is an incredibly important part of my life. Not only for the musician’s technical skill and the narratives that are woven within various songs, but also for the special connections with various friends and family members to certain albums, bands, or specific songs. Music is one of those things where I will never stop looking for the next fix. Each new discovery sends me into a hole that winds round, revisits previous locations, and discovers new biomes in the landscape of music. But narratives developed by musicians aren’t the only way to enrich and enhance music. We can also look at various television shows, films, and video games that — like people — add to the emotional connection one might have with that piece of music. One narrative mixed with another to create a new experience and magical entity that brings forth emotions and creates moments in our lives that can push us forward or send us spiralling into a pit of despair. I wanted to talk about a few examples of my own connection to some of these songs and how they would likely never be that important to me if not for the narrative pieces of art they were placed into.

The first is a song from the adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novels: Game of Thrones. The song is Jenny of Oldstones performed by Florence and the Machine. This one starts off a bit weird as I have to explain a little of the ASoIaF lore in order to fully get across the impact of this song. Most of you reading this may only have watched the HBO show which, for all its great moments, did sadly leave us with a very disappointing last two seasons. But one of the bright spots within those seasons was the continuing greatness of Ramin Djawadi. I cannot keep emphasising how much this artist has done for television. Even if you don’t recognise the name, look him up. You’ll know his work. Although this song plays at a very poignant moment just before the start of one of the biggest battles of the show, its history is far more important and the reason why it is being mentioned here. Rhaegar Targaryen, the heir to the Iron Throne during Robert’s Rebellion who is revealed in the show to be Jon Snow’s father, wrote this song about the Tragedy at Summerhall. It was an event where Aegon V (Rhaegar’s great grandfather), his son Duncan Targaryen and Ser Duncan the Tall (Duncan Targaryen’s namesake) were killed in a great fire at the castle of Summerhall. It’s one of the biggest tragedies during the Targaryen control of the Iron Throne and was likely caused by the King attempting to bring back dragons to the world. Aegon V and his Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, Ser Duncan the Tall, were very close friends since the King (when he was an unlikely heir to the throne) was made the knight’s squire. Aegon’s firstborn and heir Duncan Targaryen renounced his claim to the throne in order to marry a commoner called Jenny. I could go on more about Aegon and Duncan but ultimately all these events in these characters’ lives, all of whom are some of the more likeable Targaryens, lead to a tragedy that took away a kind king and his son who simply was in love. As the fires raged on, one of the reasons the family had gathered at Summerhall took focus as Rhaegar himself was born. Not only is the song invoking of the tragedy of the events at Summerhall itself, but the fact that the child who was born on that day, who from the first day he breathed in air had a number of his family taken away instantaneously, composed a song to tell the tale of that day. A tale of love and tragedy. For me, the song always brings up the idea of Aegon spending quality time with the family he loved, Duncan the Tall seeing the young boy who was named after him follow his own desires rather than the state’s, and Duncan Targaryen following said desires to be with the one he loved the most. And on top of that. A young man who cannot ever spend time with those family members. Cannot join in on the shared love amongst one of the more peaceful times in the great world that Martin has created.

The second song I wanted to talk about is from a — be surprised — Star Wars product. Eno Cordova’s theme, which happens to be the menu music for the video game it’s from: Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. For those who haven’t played, the main character — a former Jedi Padawan called Cal Kestis in hiding after Order 66 — is picked up by another former Jedi who, with instructions from her former master Eno Cordova, is searching for a holocron that could help them restore the Jedi Order and train a new generation of Jedi. A bit of hope in a darkened galaxy. The game has you controlling Kestis as he follows the previous tracks of Eno Cordova, who is missing, to find the previously mentioned holocron. Apart from the menu, the song is rarely used in the game apart from some key emotional moments. Though the main reason the song hits me so much is because of the main menu. At first, the menu looks like any other main menu and I simply didn’t properly take it in until after completing the game. (A side note that although every time we know that when we get a story about a Jedi that survived Order 66, we will likely see that scene in all its glory, they always hit hard. Every single time. But they are always still fantastic.) After wondrous moments of Kestis relearning what it is and what it means to be a Jedi, he nearly is on the verge of quitting after a roadblock appears in his journey. It is not until a recording of Eno Cordova (one of many that helps you along the game) that Kestis still continues his path of learning and overcomes his hurdle via the help of another Jedi. He is reminded of the connections to everyone in the galaxy through the force. Whether he knows them personally or not. It ends like nearly all Star Wars products end with a fantastic, bombastic, yet impactful finale that mixes emotions with action. But then after the credits roll, you are sent back to the menu screen. And there it is. All this time the menu screen has been showing you a star destroyer being torn apart as an escape pod makes its way away from the chaos. It’s been Kestis’ escape from Order 66 (a scene which they force you to play of course to really get the tears going) the entire time. I was sent into a full emotional cycle the first time I realised it after beating the game. Kestis’ traumatic Order 66 moment of losing his master and not being able to do anything about it. His struggle throughout the game to trust anyone again both for the potential of being betrayed but also for not wanting to get others killed as he thinks he did his master. His overcoming of his trauma through retracing his steps through his Jedi training. And his full embrace of maturity as he both helps others and is helped by those he knows he can trust. All those emotions and moments of his journey sent straight through my mind with that image of that escape pod with the incredible track from Stephen Barton tugging on what emotions I still had left in me. A moment of failure, but one Kestis rises from.

And then finally is Kerry’s song from Cyberpunk 2077. Another video game song here, this one at the end of a number of missions with Kerry Eurodyne. In Cyberpunk 2077, the main arc of the plot revolves around the presence of an old musician/terrorist Johnny Silverhand in the protagonist’s mind. The player, called V, interacts with the various characters in and around Night City as they eventually choose one of the characters to help them in the final moments of the game to try and separate Johnny from V’s mind. Various endings can be reached but besides that, most of those characters have their own story missions that result in an emotional final mission with the possibility of a romance between the player and that character (also given certain criteria). Kerry’s missions throughout the game were ones that I enjoyed but a couple of the other characters I felt were better and some more interesting missions. That was, until Kerry’s final mission. Unlike a number of the missions in Cyberpunk 2077, Kerry’s last one is not one of violence or hacking or any of the other exciting action mechanics the game allows you to perform. Kerry, who knew Johnny Silverhand and was a former bandmate when he was alive, invites V onto his yacht and explains to the player how they have helped him through the time they have spent together. All the while, Kerry plays this song on his guitar. Nothing too fancy. A nice riff with a little bit of light vocals, no real words to it. Kerry explains it is something that’s been rattling around in his head. Something he needs to get out. Something new. No longer just playing the hits from his and Johnny’s old band that his management makes him play at concerts over and over again. In that moment, I am reminded of various flashbacks we get of Johnny and Kerry interacting all those years ago. Johnny doing his own thing whilst Kerry runs after him, trying to emulate what everyone likes about Johnny. But Johnny keeps pushing him back. Telling him to be his own person. To forget about him and focus on himself. And then I realised that is exactly what I, as the player, have been able to during our missions with Kerry. He is no longer chasing after Johnny, no longer trying to live in his shadow. Kerry is moving on and focusing on himself, just as Johnny wanted. The riff keeps playing for as long as you want in the game. But what really hits me the most, what really gets my emotions flying high, is the fact that Johnny, who is inside your head, can see and hear everything you do. Is laying down on the edge of the yacht. He doesn’t say anything whilst this song is playing. He simply lies there. Unable to speak to his old friend who has finally moved on. Unable to express how happy he is for Kerry to be finally focusing on himself rather than chasing others for approval. All Johnny can do is lay down and listen. Listen to Kerry’s new riff and be excited for the future Kerry is going to have. The song always makes me emotional and, in conjunction with the images of Johnny on the side of that yacht, it makes me cry. A sense of nostalgia, bittersweet in every way.

In these examples, I have hopefully explained the way that music not only amplifies the art it is attached to but also is raised by the accompanying narratives that are written around it. If I am ever able to write something so emotional, impactful, and beautiful that I can transform an already good song into something beyond this world I would be eternally grateful and feel I would have achieved something truly meaningful in this existence. Though we may fail at this great task, we must remember:

Failure is not the end. It is a necessary part of the path.

-Boad