Listen to Florence + the Machine’s moving rendition of Game of Thrones song

Last Sunday’s episode of GAME OF THRONES prepared everyone for the tremendous amount of death waiting for us come this Sunday’s new epic episode, featuring the Battle of Winterfell. Filled with rich character moments, the episode featured Brienne being knighted, Arya and Gendry sharing a “special” moment, and Podrick Payne showing off his magic pipes to go along with his magic…other feature. The song he sang was “Jenny of Oldstones” a classic from George R.R. Martin’s stories and one that lends a soulful, dramatic air to the show’s final moments, being compared to Pippin's song in RETURN OF THE KING. At the close of the show, a new version of the song from Florence and the Machine played over the credits, and it really drove home the foreboding conclusion.

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Now, HBO has released the song in full and its accompanied by a video featuring a series of clips from the entire series that breathe new life into the song and prove it could play across any season and have a meaningful impact. There are moments of beauty and sorrow that it pairs perfectly with, and Florence Welch’s ethereal vocals and series composer Ramin Djawadi’s music bring it to life beautifully. Showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff talked about wanting to bring her in for the song ever since they used one of the band’s songs for a season two trailer, and “Jenny” was the perfect fit (via IndieWire).

“We’ve always been huge fans of Florence’s music, and the Season 2 trailer with her song ‘Seven Devils’ was possibly the most powerful we’ve ever had. So the opportunity to hear her otherworldly voice on our show was always at the forefront of our minds. We’re still pleasantly shocked that she agreed to sing ‘Jenny of Oldstones,’ and we’re in love with the result.”

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Florence herself also talked about singing the song, mentioning the Celtic vibes that have inspired her other music. “When I first heard the song it sounded like a Celtic lullaby to me,” she said. “Celtic music has always been in my blood, so I felt like I could do something with it. The magic and ritual in ‘Game of Thrones,’ not to mention the costumes, have always appealed to me. I am honoured to be a part of the final season.”

Have a listen to the song below, and if the tears come, let them flow. GAME OF THRONES airs the next episode this Sunday.