The Bardcore Phenomenon, Explained
A look into the latest music trend taking YouTube by storm, complete with Middle English, medieval aesthetics, and plenty of memes.
Written by C.S. Harper
Image courtesy of Hildegard von Blingin’ on YouTube
The Middle Ages brought a plethora of game-changing phenomena in human history: the Crusades, Genghis Khan, and most recently, bardcore. Comprising medieval-inspired covers of popular rock and pop songs, the novelty genre isn’t actually from the Middle Ages. Instead, bardcore was born from the meme music side of YouTube, which has blessed the internet with classics like “Bohemian Wapsody” and “Eminem - ‘Mom’s Spaghetti.’” But this internet music trend may have more to it than meets the eye. Though bardcore’s appeal is seemingly niche, it has cropped up in people’s YouTube feeds and gone viral thanks to the platform’s infamous algorithm. With its unique sound and origins in memery, the microgenre has captured the hearts of Gen Z, becoming an integral part of 2020s pop culture.
Bardcore’s beginnings date back to 2017, when obscure YouTube channels began uploading medieval-style covers to the platform. Unlike most modern songs from the movement, though, the earliest bardcore tracks were completely instrumental. For example, LjB0’s “Halo Theme (Ye Olde Medieval Version” comprises just a few instruments: “lute, harp, tin flute, & celtic drums,” according to the video’s description. Algal the Bard’s cover of System of a Down’s “Toxicity” takes the simplicity of the bardcore production style one step further by incorporating an international sound, using the Greek bouzouki lute and the Egyptian darbuka drum. Though they use vastly different approaches to the genre, both covers set a precedent for future songs in numerous ways. The production styles of both tracks showcased what would become sonic staples of the microgenre, such as flutes, lutes, and triplet rhythms. Additionally, the cover art of “Halo Theme (Ye Olde Medieval Version)” helped establish the bardcore aesthetic, which typically features medieval-inspired images of peasants, animals, and pastoral life.
Image courtesy of C.S. Harper via the Historic Tale Construction Kit
But bardcore didn’t blow up until 2020, when its popularity skyrocketed with the help of another meme: the Coffin Dance. Inspired by a medieval picture of the viral video that paired Vicetone’s remix of Russian music artist Tony Igy’s “Astronomia” with a clip of dancing Ghanaian pallbearers, YouTuber Cornelius Link added a bardcore twist to the song. In place of the original track’s siren-like synths and riveting drum beat, Link crafted a catchy flute melody over a lush arrangement of lutes and strings. To top it all off, he created the record’s cover art of medieval pallbearers using the Historic Tale Construction Kit, a Middle Ages tapestry creator that first became popular in the infamous imageboard website 4chan but quickly became a staple for bardcore meme creation.
With its distinctive imagery and production style, bardcore quickly captivated YouTube memers and proliferated on the platform as other artists dabbled in the microgenre. One of Link’s most noteworthy contemporaries, Hildegard von Blingin’ (whose name is a tribute to the Christian mystic), began pairing bardcore instrumentals with her trademark angelic vocals. Performing over Link’s arrangement of “Pumped Up Kicks,” the Canadian singer rewrote the song’s controversial lyrics about a school shooting into a tale about an archer in quasi-Middle English, singing “buskin boots” in place of “pumped up kicks.” Following suit, many other bardcore artists have used vocals to elevate the medieval vibe (and general air of meme-iness) of their music. Most notably, the_miracle_aligner writes covers in a variety of ancient languages, singing ABBA’s “Gimme Gimme Gimme” in Attic Greek and Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” in Old Norse. Even non-bardcore musicians have embraced the community: the language-learning channel ScorpioMartianus has created many medieval covers in classical Latin and Greek. As a result, the genre has diversified and expanded over time, intermingling with other internet communities.
But egad! Why would YouTube memers pay homage to an era of ugly painted babies and the Black Death?
The internet-driven rise and unconventional sound of bardcore reveals multitudes about 2020s pop culture. In an i-D profile of the microgenre, Hildegard von Blingin’ argued that the trend’s popularity resulted from people’s need to escape their “own ennui,” explaining that the pandemic has given people more time to create and discover novelty music. Building off this idea, musicologist Dr. Lisa Colton added in the same interview that the nostalgia and playfulness of bardcore have driven many to the microgenre.
So perhaps bardcore owes its popularity to its easily memeable nature. Memes are meant to evolve — a major part of their appeal is how easy they are to make and recycle into different contexts. With its simple but idiosyncratic aesthetic and sound, bardcore is the ultimate template for meme creation. In the comments section of the “Pumper Up Kicks” video by Hildegard von Blingin’, one can find viewers incorporating the microgenre into other online trends. One commenter writes, “POV: You’re a French soldier who has just threatened to cut off the middle fingers of the English archers,” while another jokes, “Everybody gangsta till the Local Lord's kid stops hunting pheasants and starts hunting peasants….” By using memes like “POV roleplays” and “everybody gangsta until,” YouTube users interweave bardcore into other corners of internet culture, taking part in the creation and expansion of the genre’s lore beyond artists’ original intentions.
The internet is also increasing the scope of bardcore by exploring different mediums to incorporate it in. For instance, YouTubers have started inserting the genre into an easily accessible format for Zoomers: the compilation playlist. Following the example of meme compilation series like “Russian doomer music” and “lo-fi hip-hop radio,” bardcore artists and fans alike have created a variety of playlists, from one-hour-long videos of Lana Del Rey songs to Daft Punk cover compilations. Beyond music, memers have also recycled elements of bardcore into an O.G. internet meme: the Navy Seal copypasta, using its characteristic Middle English to elevate the humor of the original meme. The microgenre’s aesthetics have also taken over the realms of TikTok and the fashion community, with plague witch doctors and meme-y YouTube fashion designers like Karolina Żebrowska. And yes, bardcore even found its way into “WAP” (or “Well-Armed Peasants”).
So is bardcore just a passing novelty trend that will soon be forgotten like vaporwave and seapunk, or does it hold a greater significance for this generation of internet music nerds? Only time will tell if bardcore will truly endure, but its universally appealing nostalgia and general meme-iness are bound to have Gen Zers singing, “Best ye go, best ye go, faster than mine arrow” for years to come.