Netflix’s new fantasy epic may have met with a mixed response from critics, but the song ‘Toss a Coin to Your Witcher’ proved to be a real earworm, and the Russian-language version has inspired an unusual cover.
In case you’ve missed the meme, the TV series ‘The Witcher’ stars Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, a mutant monster hunter with weird looks, a bad attitude and all the publicity problems they bring. Coming to his rescue is Joey Batey’s Jaskier, a bard ever ready to spin Geralt’s misadventures with a song or two. Deviating from the reality of Geralt’s deeds, Jaskier’s tunes convince the common folk that the Witcher is their champion - one who must be generously paid.
‘Toss a Coin to Your Witcher’ instantly sticks in your head, as many Netflix watchers can attest. And the song is probably a secret Russian plot, considering that it was co-composed by Sonya Belousova, a St. Petersburg-born musician who cut her teeth at the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music before moving to the US.
If the tune is a secret weapon, the Russians seem to be as vulnerable as their Western counterparts. The song became a sleeper hit in the country, with covers a-plenty produced since the TV series was released on December 20.
The latest is this version, performed by a professional folk music chorus in Omsk.
Elsewhere on YouTube, Russian vloggers have been singing the song to plead for donations. There are also the inevitable heavy metal and a cappella covers.
The series is based on books by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski and a number of bestselling videogame adaptations. Unlike the generic fantasy of the Netflix version, the original is heavily rooted in Slavic folklore and culture, so it’s probably no wonder that there are so many Russian fans.
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