A video has resurfaced featuring major characters from Game of Thrones singing ‘90s rap song "Ice Ice Baby." Swiftly flowing to all corners of the internet, the mashup gained a legion of new fans in the process while reminding others of how much they loved it first time around.
As Game of Thrones grew from a mere (if big-budget) adaptation of a series of fantasy novels to one of the most (if not the most) successful TV series in history, the creativity of its audience in expressing their passion regularly reached new heights. Fan videos have long been a part of this online culture, skillfully editing together snippets from disparate episodes to craft a multitude of viewing experiences.
Titled 'A Song of Vanilla Ice and Fire,' this video mashup from channel swedemason is created by spoken lines from various episodes edited together to form the song’s lyrics, swift transitions leaping between where one moment ends and another begins. Clips successively featuring Jon Snow, Varys, Littlefinger, the Hound, Cersei Lannister, Olenna Tyrell, Daenerys Targaryen, Jorah Mormont and Tyrion Lannister variously form the song’s opening sections, while Bronn tackles the chorus, as much as it is, and Jaime Lannister delivers a final hook. Also, the title is cleverly suggested to refer to the White Walkers and their wights.
The video was originally commissioned by Sky Atlantic (a premium UK TV channel that screens Game of Thrones’ initial airings in the country) in July 2017 to promote the seventh season of the show, and quickly went viral after being uploaded by a number of fans eager to allow others to share in their enjoyment. It is now doing the rounds on social media again as excitement continues to mount for A Song of Ice and Fire, and in particular the ominous looming of the Battle of Winterfell. The mashup was originally a creation of British video editor Swedemason, a reclusive artist who shot to brief fame in 2011 for “Masterchef Synesthesia," a mashup that saw moments featuring the hosts of UK cookery contest show MasterChef edited to perform the vocals of a techno track. "Ice Ice Baby" itself was a phenomenally successful song recorded by rapper Vanilla Ice in 1989.
Despite being almost two years old, fan reaction to the video is just as positive as it was first time around, some reveling in the creativity and skill of the video’s creation, while others stating it to satiate a need for something a little more upbeat than Podrick’s mournful rendition of "Jenny’s Song" to get them pumped up for the upcoming decisive battle. It also becomes a little poignant upon considering the imminent and inevitable devastation, as there’s a not unreasonable chance that a number of the Game of Thrones characters featured in the video will be dead come Monday morning.
Source: swedemason