Bathroom Dance

Todd Phillips’ 2019 film, Joker, is a gritty exploration of mental health and societal alienation. The film follows Arthur Fleck, a struggling comedian who descends into madness, culminating in a city-wide uprising. The film’s haunting atmosphere is greatly enhanced by the dread-filled soundtrack by composer, Hildur Guðnadóttir.

Guðnadóttir is a tiny, soft-spoken Icelandic lady who also composed the score for HBO’s Chernobyl. While she has done some uplifting work with Johann Johannsson on Mary Magdalene — her musical niche seems to be hopelessness and despair.

Guðnadóttir’s music is inextricable from Joker’s gritty, psychological tone. With a blend of atonal cello melodies, and eerie electronic soundscapes — her music subtly telegraphs Arthur’s descent into madness.

I came up with this version rather quickly, and I love how it turned out. Initially, Hildur Guðnadóttir’s music doesn’t seem applicable to a single guitar performance. However, if one listens long enough, we can begin to hear the faint themes and melodies with in her dark and brooding work on Bathroom Dance.

My YouTube video for this performance has nearly 470,000 views and counting.

You might also like to play…

Mary Magdalene: Mustard Seed | fingerstyle guitar + TAB

Johann Johannsson: Mandy | fingerstyle guitar + TAB

Max Richter: On the Nature of Daylight | fingerstyle guitar + TAB 

How to play Bathroom Dance | fingerstyle guitar

The guitar tab is beautifully written across 2 pages. I configured Guðnadóttir’s piece into a slightly longer arrangement for guitar. It’s essentially one long passage that I play twice through.

Enjoy, the guitar tab is available below:

**Joker: Bathroom Dance (Hildur Guðnadóttir) fingerstyle guitar

Bathroom Dance is played in a C# minor tuning: C# G# C# E G# C#.