Musicology of Video Games #2: Evolution of Sonic the Hedgehog theme songs and Sega's changing audience perspectives

I didn't own any game systems when I was a little kid, so when I got Sonic 3 & Knuckles for the PC one day for Christmas, about two years after its original PC release and five years after its Genesis release, I didn't know what to expect, since I didn't know anything about games.  I would soon come to consider this the title that defines my childhood as a gamer, and the game with the most personal value.  And back in the day, I was damn good at it, too.  I got to the point where I could do a virtually flawless run to get the best ending in an afternoon, which is more work than I have ever put into a game, including Super Smash Bros (I used to try and play that one competitively, it didn't work out very well).  Anyways, being an avid fan of the Fastest Thing Alive, I felt I'd dedicate a post to the way his game's themes have evolved to follow their audience over the years.  For this one, I'm only going to talk about titles that actually have distinct theme songs with lyrics, so the godly Sonic 3 & Knuckles will be left off the list.  All right, let's begin!

Sonic CD - "Sonic Boom"

GUYS LOOK AT HOW INCREDIBLY '90s IT IS.  Now that I have that out of my system, Sonic CD came out at the peak of what I call the "First Golden Age" of Sonic games, which takes us from the Genesis release of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 to the release of Sonic & Knuckles.  These three games (StH2, CD, and S3&K) are still revered as the best in the series by most modern Sonic fans, or at least most fans my age, and all modern games are critiqued as to how faithfully they carry the mood of 2 and 3.

At this point in the blue blur's lifestyle, he was Sega's card-carrying member against a slew of Nintendo heroes, most popularly Mario and Donkey Kong, though in retrospect Link and Samus got the real "golden" games of the Super Nintendo.  To compete against Nintendo's family-friendly demeanour, Sega had to play up Sonic's badass factor.  In this wonderful opening, the kids who were "2 kool 4 skool" enough to have a Genesis with the CD attachment are reaffirmed by Sega that yes, you are a badass, and look how much of a damn Sonic does not give right now.  That's you, not caring.  Because you're awesome.

Sonic 3D Blast - "You're My Hero"

Sonic 3D Blast was smack in the middle of the first shaky era for Sonic games... there was a bit of a trouble finding Sonic's true 3D niche, and as much as Sega hates to admit it, it really took the inspiration of Super Mario 64 to finally find the right direction to go with 3D Sonic (more on that later).  For now, we got the lacklustre Sonic 3D Blast, which wasn't particularly fast, wasn't particularly challenging, and... well, it just didn't play up the badassery we had come to expect.  Our hero is now rescuing birds by sending them to another dimension... right.  And this game was basically a replacement for what would have been Super Mario Galaxy over ten years before Galaxy came out, a project that Sega cancelled in its early stages, but a demo of which can be seen in its early stages of production here.


This tune is technically credits music, and not a main theme, so I can be a little more lenient in that it's meant for something different than what "Sonic Boom" was.  However, when we look at the next one, we realize that Sega was taking a different direction for a couple years.

Sonic R - "Super Sonic Racing"

Sonic R is a game that polarizes Sonic fans, mostly because of its short length, being a racing game (with... *shudder*... FREEZE TAG), and having all the tracks sung by the same woman, TJ Davis, who is distinctly NOT "2 kool 4 skool" like the gals in "Sonic Boom" were.  I'm not sure what had gotten into Sega by this point, but this does have a very... Sega Saturn sound to it.  This is thanks to Richard Jacques, the game's composer, who was steering Sega more in the direction of pop music (not in an MJ/S3&K way either).  It's not a surprise to hear that Davis sings in an ABBA cover band.

Sonic Adventure - "Open Your Heart"

Now... HERE we go!  Sonic Adventure brings in the "Second Golden Age" of Sonic gaming, which lasts until the release of its sequel (these two titles themselves are enough to constitute an age, yes).  The main theme here, sung from the perspective of our hero as he prepares to fight Perfect Chaos at the end of the game, has become what we expect from Sonic titles.

This was the first song written by the collaboration of Jun Senoue, a guitarist who worked on Sonic the Hedgehog 3, and vocalist Johnny Gioeli, who would later be known to Sonic fans as Crush 40, the defining band of Sonic music.  In fact, Gioeli's vocals are heard on more Sonic music tracks than anyone else combined.

Most people might not notice it at first, but Sonic Adventure was greatly inspired by Super Mario 64, what with the new (to Sonic) style of proper 3D movement, fixing the errors of Sonic 3D Blast, and reliance on central hub worlds to connect to the levels.  Thus, since Sonic was actually straying back into Mario's territory, it made sense for the music to take an even further leap from Nintendo's plumber and play up the "way past cool"ness of our hedgehog.  And none of us fans are complaining.

Sonic Adventure 2 - "Live and Learn"

Sonic Adventure 2.  My second-favourite Sonic game, and definitely in my personal top ten game soundtracks.   This song, another Crush 40 composition, is the quintessential Sonic song, being referenced in the finale of Shadow the Hedgehog and the Super Smash Bros Brawl Sonic trailer.

Something the Adventure series really gets right is that its songs reflect the emotion of the game, and especially of their respective finales.  Shadow is discovering the error in his ways, and the promises he made in the past that he has forgotten, and this song is representative of the trials our amnesiac anti-hero must overcome.  Also, how many video game theme songs do you know that have gotten an entire room fist-pumping?

Sonic Heroes - "Sonic Heroes"

Although this is another Crush 40 tune, the Sonic Heroes theme seems a little too... nice, compared to the previous two.  This comes from a kind of "Silver Age" in Sonic history, where the games were actually still alright, but couldn't really live up to the Adventure series.  However, the biggest thing, I believe, about Heroes is that it was slated for multiple platforms right away.  Whereas previous Sonic titles were meant for Sega platforms, and Sega knew that their followers were more badass than others, this was to be released on the Nintendo GameCube, and even the PC.  Therefore, though it still has the same rock sound, it's a gentler message, showing the characters as infallible idols than broken heroes in need of redemption.

Speaking of broken heroes in need of redemption...

Shadow the Hedgehog - "I Am.. All of Me"

Shadow the Hedgehog is a... different game.  It's the first game aimed at a "more mature" audience (haha, E10+), and contains dubious morality, in that the player's choices determine whether they take the role of a hero or villain.  Crush 40's theme this time is MUCH more intense, and matches the nature of the game, which is itself much more intense.  Players expecting to see the happy Team Rose-esque nature of Heroes will definitely have to "step inside and hold on for dear life."  I also suggest you check out the credits theme, one of Crush 40's crowning achievements, in my opinion.

Sonic Riders - "Sonic Speed Riders"...? Or something?

I don't know much about Sonic Riders, besides the fact that Sonic's on a hoverboard... when he's the fastest thing alive... because that makes sense... I don't even know about this one, guys.

Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) - "His World"

Sigh... Sonic '06 will be forever known as the game that ruined it all.   Terrible acting, an abundance of glitches, poor synchronization, lazy animating... this game had it all.  Or, rather, lacked it all.  The only (and I mean ONLY) upside is that, as usual, the soundtrack isn't half bad.  "His World" shows a change of direction from the usual theme, what with rapping and strings thrown in.  On one hand, it's a nice tune and a nice change, but on the other, I can't get over this game.

"His World" was written by Zebrahead, who did an alternate version here that has a more traditional rock band sound.  Crush 40 also did a version here.

Sonic Unleashed - "Endless Possibility"

Sega knew they had to redeem themselves.  Unleashed was their first attempt, and though it did a few things right, it did several things wrong (werehog).  Like the werehog.  There probably should have been more Sonic-running-through-levels-as-himself in it.  Did I mention the werehog?

That aside, Sega seems to like the direction "Endless Possibility" has brought Sonic music.  It is lighter than most Crush 40 things, but it seems they're trying to almost channel the pre-Adventure days.  For the past several games, Sega knows that they had a perfect formula, they just can't seem to remember what it was, and so they look back to the older games, with varying degrees of success.  This was beaten out by...

Sonic Colours - "Reach for the Stars"

Besides the obvious in Generations, Colours is the closest Sega has gotten since 2006 to recapturing their lost glory.  This theme very closely resembles the previous, and I see this as Sega trying again.  They realized something wasn't quite right last time *cough*werehog*cough*, and so they fixed the mistake and gave it another shot.  And so Colours was born.  "Reach for the Stars" is again one of the lighter, happy themes, but I do see a reason for this:

Even if we take out the bad controls, bad acting, bad animation, and glitches, Sonic '06 was too serious.  There was too much plot, and fans didn't particularly care.  We just want to run through levels and smash robots.  And so, by cooling down and taking it easy even in the main theme, Sega is showing us that they're relaxing and going back to the good old days of "I just want to run really fast."  Because in the end, that's what Sonic is about.  You're the fastest thing alive.



I'll leave you with this gem from the Sonic Colours soundtrack.  Next time... I don't know, possibly Mahl Wars, possibly something else, but definitely music.  We shall see!