'The Crown' Theme Song Makes You Think Of Royalty

Netflix's new historical drama series The Crown has a theme song worthy of a show about royals. In the opening credits of the series, which debuted Nov. 4, a haunting orchestral tune plays over a montage of artistic shots that eventually come together to create a brass crown and a chandelier. The segment, which is credited to master composer Hans Zimmer, is reminiscent of Game of Thrones in its design, despite the fact that Game of Thrones employs a much more boisterous tune to start its episodes.

Zimmer, a composer from Germany, has scored some of the most recognizable movies including Pirates of the Caribbean, The Dark Knight, Inception, Hannibal, and A League Of Their Own — and that's just the tip of the iceberg for the composer, who has also assisted musically on numerous movies and television shows. While the soundtrack for The Crown is currently available for pre-order ahead of its Nov. 4 debut, there's also a track list and some samples up on Zimmer's website (minus the opening). Zimmer is only responsible for the theme music of The Crown, however. The rest of the original music is composed by Rupert Gregson-Williams, who is best known for his work on The Legend of Tarzan and Bee Movie.

The theme song for The Crown reminds us of the show's regal nature, as well as the high stakes that the show will employ for its players (symbolized by the sharp brass imagery and twisted, intricate details of the crown itself.) Much like Game of Thrones, it introduces us to the world of royalty and danger by using less visuals and allowing us to focus more on the music itself in terms of telling the story.

Another historical drama that The Crown shares its musical roots with, in a way, is The Tudors, which aired on Showtime from 2007-2010. Although the opening visuals are more overt, the theme that plays over the images of King Henry VIII is powerful and intense, indicating danger and royalty are to be expected.

It'll be interesting to see if The Crown keeps its opening as it continues through its seasons, or if it changes slightly, like the way Game of Thrones adds new locations to its map every time a new season starts. Either way, we look forward to hearing a lot of this theme song when The Crown started streaming on Friday.

Image: Alex Bailey/Netflix