Music of Westworld Vs. Music At Westworld

Published February 5, 2017 · Updated July 6, 2022

Hey Guys,
I really enjoy this podcast, so much so that I put all my other podcasts on hold as I binge listened to every episode and rewatched each Westworld episode in succession with the podcasts.

I noticed there is a lot of discussion around the use of popular music and the player piano and how it can be distracting from the show. Ramin Djawadi has created soundtracks over the years ranging from the epic grandeur of Game of Thrones to the tension building music that shows like Person of Interest, the Strain, and Prison Break to the playfulness of animated movies. One thing has always stuck out. The music is well thought out and adds a dynamic of storytelling that needs no verbalization or physical action. The music creates a mood and feeling that if you were to watch the same thing muted would not even come close to creating the atmosphere and experience intended. That being said, I simply refuse to accept that this sloppy attempt at slapping “known” songs into the soundtrack was done in an attempt to grab viewer attention. It feels too “market tested.” I think the player piano songs are more for the people visiting Westworld as background music similar to the cheesy background music you would hear in any themepark. Every once in a while you will find a gem such as Jim who plays the rag time piano outside on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom or the now defunct Future Corps who were Disneys longest running live act from 1982-2000. Both of these examples are those of people who have mastered their craft and don’t help my point. However you have acts such as the Jamitors who drum on trash cans, while this may require skill, seeing them appear around the same time as the Blue Man Group reached their height of popularity leads me to believe they were more of a “Market Tested” thing. The increasing number of Disney randomly set up stage shows with “Hip Youths” blasting through the hits while characters dance around them in appropriately themed garb also lends to my point. With a Character like Future William/Man in Black making the statement of how Hector Escaton seems “Market Tested” and Charlotte Hale wanting the park to be more simple leads me to believe that there is a very real possibility that they are using these songs as music in Westworld the place rather than Music of Westworld the show is a very strong possibility. I mean it even sounds like an idea Sizemore would come up with.

Joseph O.
Gainesville, Fl.

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