Bardcore

{{Infobox music genre | name = Bardcore | image = Bardcore Christmas Music - Copyright Free Music.opus | caption = A collection of bardcore remixes of Christmas music | etymology = Bard, Hardcore music | stylistic_origins = * Medieval folk rock * neo-medieval music * pop * EDM * power metal | cultural_origins = Late-2010s, Internet | instruments = * Audio editing software * Lute * Medieval instruments | derivatives = | fusiongenres = Piratewave | subgenres = | bgcolor = }}

'''Bardcore'''{{efn|Referring to a bard,<ref>{{Cite news|last=Yalcinkaya|first=Gunseli|date=2020-06-23|title=Prithee! Bardcore is the medieval music trend taking over YouTube|work=Dazed|url=https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/49595/1/bardcore-is-the-medieval-music-trend-taking-over-youtube-lady-gaga-radiohead|url-status=live|access-date=2020-07-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200707213031/https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/49595/1/bardcore-is-the-medieval-music-trend-taking-over-youtube-lady-gaga-radiohead|archive-date=2020-07-07}}</ref> a professional storyteller or musician in medieval Gaelic and British culture.}} or '''tavernwave''' is a musical microgenre that became popular in 2020, consisting of medieval-inspired remakes of popular songs.<ref name="guardian">{{Cite news|date=2020-06-24|title=Never mind the ballads! How bardcore took over pop music|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/jun/24/never-mind-the-ballads-how-bardcore-took-over-pop-music|url-status=live|access-date=2020-07-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703233104/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/jun/24/never-mind-the-ballads-how-bardcore-took-over-pop-music|archive-date=2020-07-03}}</ref>

== History == In December 2017, before the term ''bardcore'' was widely known, a medieval version of "Toxicity" by System of a Down was published on YouTube by Algal the Bard. By 2020, it had achieved a few million views.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://laughingsquid.com/medieval-cover-system-of-a-downs-toxicity/ |title=An Incredible Medieval Cover of System of a Down's 'Toxicity' Performed on Traditional Instruments |website=Laughing Squid |date=7 July 2020 }}</ref>

''The Guardian'' dates the origin of bardcore as a distinct trend to 20 April 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdown, when German YouTuber Cornelius Link released "Astronomia (Medieval Style)". The track is a remake of Tony Igy's 2010 electronic dance track "Astronomia", which had gained widespread attention as the soundtrack to the coffin dance meme.<ref name="guardian" />{{efn|The term "bardcore" spiked in Google searches in June 2020.<ref>{{cite web |author=Claire Bracken |url=https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/the-latest/what-in-heaven-is-bardcore-and-why-dost-thou-love-it/13341504 |title=What in heaven is Bardcore and why dost thou love it? |website=ABC.net.au |date=12 May 2021 }}</ref>}}

Link followed this a few weeks later with a medieval-style instrumental version of Foster the People's "Pumped Up Kicks", which Canadian YouTuber<ref name="nerdist">{{Cite news|last=Romain|first=Lindsey|date=2020-07-14|title=Medieval Cover of "Jolene" Is a Bardcore Banger|work=Nerdist Industries|url=https://nerdist.com/article/medieval-jolene-cover-dolly-parton/|url-status=live|access-date=2020-07-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716114506/https://nerdist.com/article/medieval-jolene-cover-dolly-parton/|archive-date=2020-07-16}}</ref> Hildegard von Blingin' (a play on the name of the medieval composer Hildegard von Bingen)<ref>{{Cite news|date=2020-06-30|title=Q&A Time! Talking Bardcore & Roleplaying with Hildegard von Blingin|work=Beasts of War Ltd.|url=https://www.beastsofwar.com/featured/qa-bardcore-roleplaying-hildegard-von-blingin/|url-status=live|access-date=2020-07-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200707170825/https://www.beastsofwar.com/featured/qa-bardcore-roleplaying-hildegard-von-blingin/|archive-date=2020-07-07}}</ref> then re-released with an added vocal track using a medieval-style adaptation of the original lyrics. By the end of June, both versions had reached 4 million views.<ref name="guardian" /> Hildegard von Blingin' has also covered Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance", Radiohead's "Creep", Dolly Parton's "Jolene", Lana Del Rey's "Summertime Sadness" and Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know", changing the rhythm and lyrics to fit the genre.<ref name="nerdist" />

Wu Tang Clan endorsed Bardcore artist Beedle the Bardcore by reposting his cover of their track C.R.E.A.M. on their official YouTube channel.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Wu Tang Clan Official YouTube Channel|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8J3eiCd57B0|access-date=2020-12-11|website=www.youtube.com}}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=The current source is now a dead link, also a YouTube video (WP:NOTRS).|date=April 2026}}

The trend was joined by other YouTubers, including Latvian band Auļi, Graywyck, Constantine Bard and Samus Ordicus.<ref name="guardian" /> Elmira Tanatarova in ''i-D'' suggests bardcore "carries with it the weight of years of memes made about the medieval era, and the bleak darkness of that time period that appeals to Gen Z's existential humour."<ref>{{Cite news|last=Tanatarova|first=Elmira|date=2020-06-23|title=Exploring Bardcore: YouTube's obsession with medieval covers of Lady Gaga|work=i-D|publisher=Vice Media|url=https://i-d.co/article/bardcore-youtube-music-trend-medieval-covers/|url-status=live|access-date=2020-07-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200717045528/https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/v7gbqj/bardcore-youtube-music-trend-medieval-covers|archive-date=2020-07-17}}</ref> The artwork accompanying bardcore songs in YouTube are frequently medieval-style representations of the song being covered, often in the style of the Bayeux Tapestry or illuminated manuscripts.

In October 2020, tracks by prominent Bardcore artists Beedle The Bardcore, Hildegard Von Blingin’, and Stantough were featured on a prime-time BBC Radio 1 show.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Radio 1's Scott Mills Daily Podcast|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p08wlpv8|access-date=2020-12-11|website=www.bbc.co.uk|date=27 October 2020 }}</ref>

== See also == {{Portal|Internet}} * Medieval folk rock * Medieval metal * Neo-Medieval music

== Notes == {{notelist}}

== References == {{reflist}}

Category:Musical subcultures Category:Internet memes introduced in 2020 Category:21st-century music genres Category:Bards Category:2020s in music