THE WITCHER: Netflix Breaks Down The Creative Process For The Hit Song "Toss A Coin To Your Witcher"

THE WITCHER: Netflix Breaks Down The Creative Process For The Hit Song "Toss A Coin To Your Witcher"

Netflix reveals how The Witcher composers Sonya Belousova and Giona Ostinellii came up with 2019's hottest song, "Toss A Coin To Your Witcher," which is featured at the end of the second episode.

By MattIsForReal - Dec 31, 2019 08:12 PM EST
Filed Under: The Witcher
The Witcher has become this holiday season's must-stream show and while critics and viewers are split on Netflix's adaptation of the fantasy series, there's one thing everyone seems to be agreeing on: "Toss A Coin To Your Witcher" is 2019's catchiest earworm.

Sung by the beloved bard Jaskier at the end of the second episode, the song recounts the epic adventure of Geralt of Rivia in the former elven kingdom of Dol Blathanna (with a few exaggerations, of course).

As for how the show's composers Sonya Belousova and Giona Ostinellii came up with the addictive tune, Netflix offered a bit of insight into the creation process. The track was scored by both Belousova and Ostinellii, who "deliberately avoided the source books and video game adaptations." The lyrics were written by co-executive producer Jenny Klein.

"Belousova and Ostinelli created half a dozen different versions of ‘Toss A Coin’, ranging in style from medieval to more modern renditions - including a rap," Netflix revealed. "In the end, they decided to go with something a little more in keeping with [Lauren Hissrich]'s incredible vision for the series."

Netflix also revealed that Joey Batey, who plays Jaskier, was actually "sick as a dog" while recording the vocals for the song. Filming for the scene didn't happen until six months later, "requiring a flawless lip sync on set."

"To drive home what a banger ‘Toss A Coin’ is, the composers made Jaskier’s older songs extremely, well, not good," Netflix continued. "Keep an ear out for different versions of it throughout the series, especially when Geralt and Jaskier hit up a pub for an ale."

The Witcher 
is currently streaming on Netflix. Unfortunately, "Toss A Coin To Your Witcher" is unavailable on popular music services such as iTunes and Spotify. There is one way to listen to it, however. It's currently available to listen to over on the SoundCloud account of show composers Sonya Belousova and Giona Ostinelli. You can probably also find various versions uploaded to YouTube by now.
THE WITCHER Set Photos Reveal New Look At Liam Hemsworth As Geralt & First Glimpse Of A New Character
Related:

THE WITCHER Set Photos Reveal New Look At Liam Hemsworth As Geralt & First Glimpse Of A New Character

THE WITCHER Star Liam Hemsworth Reveals Why He Was Excited To Take Over As Geralt Of Rivia
Recommended For You:

THE WITCHER Star Liam Hemsworth Reveals Why He Was Excited To Take Over As Geralt Of Rivia

DISCLAIMER: As a user generated site and platform, ComicBookMovie.com is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and "Safe Harbor" provisions.

This post was submitted by a user who has agreed to our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines. ComicBookMovie.com will disable users who knowingly commit plagiarism, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement. Please CONTACT US for expeditious removal of copyrighted/trademarked content. CLICK HERE to learn more about our copyright and trademark policies.

Note that ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.

NotoriousWolf23
NotoriousWolf23 - 12/31/2019, 9:05 PM
Loved season 1, can't wait for 2!!
This song was awesome aswell. Happy New Year CBM!
Spidey91
Spidey91 - 12/31/2019, 9:11 PM
I still have to see this.
Ps: happy new year you a**holes. Despite the disagreements this is still one of my favorite communities.
BlackIceJoe
BlackIceJoe - 12/31/2019, 9:28 PM
Happy New Year, to each every one of you.

Spock0Clock
Spock0Clock - 12/31/2019, 10:01 PM
Dandeli... I mean "Jaskier" was definitely the best adapted character from the books for me. The actor brought a lively and modern feel to the role that could easily be just a caricature.

I do wish that the show as a whole had been a bit more novel in their approach to the material, though. Doing that three-track asynchronous character arcs did work (and presented the story in a way that made destiny feel more active in the show). But it does come across as disjointed. I did ask for a series that faithfully translated the short stories, and I pretty much got that. I won't complain too much... but it felt very much structured for TV.

It struck me around halfway through that the overall tone and feel of the show reminded me most of those 90's Renaissance syndication shows. (And not always in the worst ways, but not always in the best.) The standalone Geralt stories did play like someone had picked their favorite Xena: Warrior Princess episodes from four seasons and just played them without context.

In my mind, Jaskier offered the perfect method to deliver exposition and humor throughout the series as a narrator. Every one of the Witcher tales could have been told through his lens (and we also get to see the reality in the action, which sometimes differed). Jaskier could have provided us with little details like how long it's been between the stories, what place elves and dwarves have in human society.

The Witcher world is weird and fun and kooky, but damn near nobody spends any time actually explaining the context of it. A wizard starts talking about a prophesy and Geralt doesn't really care much, so the audience doesn't get much detail. An old-school narrator could have helped frame the series a lot, and set it apart from Game of Thrones. The Witcher is a modern romantic (dark) fairy tale, and fairy tales are told, not just witnessed like any other period drama.

I do feel like this was a big missed opportunity. People think "show, don't tell" is some ironclad rule, but it's not always better. A clever script with a lively narrator can rescue a dull scene of a man wandering through a wilderness. It can take awkward-but-necessary exposition out of the mouths of characters who really shouldn't be saying it. It can save you making characters talk to themselves to fill the silence of a padded scene.

When there's something worth saying, by all means: Tell.
Spock0Clock
Spock0Clock - 12/31/2019, 10:24 PM
For context, the kind of narration I'm talking about wouldn't need to be oppressive. And you can give "Jaskier the narrator voice" a bit of a tweak to set him apart from "Jaskier the character". A shade older, perhaps, or just with the confidence that comes with knowing how all the stories will eventually end.

The model I'm thinking of is something like his role in the story "A Little Sacrifice" mixed with a bit of Daniel Stern from the Wonder Years.
Shroombeast
Shroombeast - 12/31/2019, 10:12 PM
The song has been stuck in my head since the 20th. Looking forward to hearing Trivium's cover of it.
Shroombeast
Shroombeast - 1/1/2020, 12:13 AM
Oh, and I want to hear the demos that didn't make the cut.
Shroombeast
Shroombeast - 1/1/2020, 12:14 AM
Jaskier: "When a humble bard..."
Geralt: "That's not how it happened"
rkshuttleworth
rkshuttleworth - 1/1/2020, 1:24 AM
Happy New Year to a lot of people I probably disagree with lol.
Spock0Clock
Spock0Clock - 1/1/2020, 2:40 AM
@rkshuttleworth - It's not happy at all! How dare you!
Reeds2Much
Reeds2Much - 1/1/2020, 6:06 AM
Matador
Matador - 1/1/2020, 6:51 AM
Very catchy I liked it.
RolandD
RolandD - 1/1/2020, 6:55 AM
It’s no “Brave Sir Robin,” but it’ll do.
RolandD
RolandD - 1/1/2020, 8:31 AM
@RolandD -

RolandD
RolandD - 1/1/2020, 8:33 AM
@RolandD - Sadly, the composer and singer just passed away this week. Hopefully he’s having or avoiding all the Spam he likes. RIP Neil Innes
SuperCat
SuperCat - 1/1/2020, 7:50 AM
Just started watching this. Pleasantly surprised. On episode 2.
Mr2099
Mr2099 - 1/1/2020, 10:35 AM
@SuperCat - The next episode gets WEIRD
Skrull
Skrull - 1/1/2020, 11:41 AM
@Mr2099 - Weird is good.
SuperCat
SuperCat - 1/1/2020, 3:37 PM
@Skrull - LOL. Thanks for the warning! Will watch tonight :)
Mr2099
Mr2099 - 1/1/2020, 4:54 PM
@Skrull - Maybe but still, it kinda disturbed me
ThunderThighs
ThunderThighs - 1/1/2020, 8:15 AM
I loved this show. And loved the song.
Markus316
Markus316 - 1/1/2020, 8:26 AM
You’ll find “Toss a Coin to a Witcher” on Spotify as well. Great Catchy song.
View Recorder