James Vincent McMorrow on Game of Thrones’ “Wicked Game” 

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When the season 6 trailer for “Game of Thrones” hit yesterday, Irish singer-songwriter James Vincent McMorrow watched along for the first time like the rest world. But unlike the rest of the world, McMorrow had a specific tie to it: His cover of Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game” soundtracked the one minute and forty second clip.

“It’s funny when the request  came in to use the song I was literally on the last day of my new record, I was so absorbed in it that the request barely caught my eye,” McMorrow says in an email. “Then about two days later I had this moment where I was like, ‘Wait, did they ask to use my song in something to do with Game of Thrones!??’”

McMorrow says he wasn’t sent the trailer ahead of time and usually sees everything before he approves the use of his music – but in this instance, he went with his gut. “You say yes and then you watch the trailer with everyone else,” he says.

Isaak’s original was on his 1989 album “Heart Shaped World,” was released as a single in 1990 and used in David Lynch’s 1990 movie “Wild at Heart.” It was a hit for Isaak and spawned many cover versions over the years. McMorrow worked it into his live set around the time he was releasing his first album, 2010’s “Early in the Morning.” He used it to close out his shows. “It became a beautiful focal point in the encore,” he says. “It’s just a ridiculous song, a perfect piece of music.”

The version in the “Game of Thrones” trailer is taken from a live version recorded in Kilkenny, Ireland, and was included as a bonus track on “Early in the Morning.”

McMorrow thinks the song is a logical choice for the series. “It’s one of those rare love songs that is also incredibly gritty, it’s a sentimental song but it’s also hard as nails,” he says. “Isn’t that what ‘Game of Thrones’ is? Love stories interspersed with unrelenting grit and violence.”

McMorrow also describes himself as a “huge fan” of the series, saying he’s one of those “annoying people who read the books before the show started airing.” He’s in disbelief that Jon Snow is really dead, and he actually prefers the TV series to the books.

But in terms of which character he relates to most, that’s a tough question. “I’m not sure how relatable anyone can ever feel to a bunch of murderous maniacal sex fiends from a fantasy world,” he says. “I genuinely wasn’t expecting people to lose their minds to a trailer like this, it caught me off guard. But then I get it, it’s ‘Game of Thrones,’ the intensity around it is unlike anything else.”

McMorrow’s “Game of Thrones” connection will continue later this year, when on June 26 he opens up for Icelandic band Sigur Ros, who had a cameo in season 4 as the band at Joffrey and Margaery’s wedding.

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