Midweek Music Box: Pokemon Music

How can I not talk about this of the Midweek Music Box?  Really, you should have seen this coming. I mean, seeing as Pokemon Go has stormed not only mobile gaming, but the world at large.

"Only now do you understand. Only 

now do you begin to see our true power....

Yes, it seems only fitting to devote this week's Midweek Music Box to a collection of songs from the franchise that helped Nintendo to reconquer the world: Pokemon

Original Game Intro/Title Music:

"Intro/Title Music Pokemon Red and Blue"

How iconic can you get? I mean, it was amusing, adventurous, and cheerful--exactly what you have come to expect in any given Nintendo property when it comes to the music.  Little did we know at the time this simple tune would 20 years later----

"Has it been that long?"

*ahem*

20 years later become one of the most iconic tunes in gamedom, taking a spot up there with Legend of Zelda and Mario. And, much like those two beloved franchises, it spawned a TV show with a theme song that entered into history itself. Speaking of which:

Pokemon: Indigo League

"Theme Song"

I'm guessing there's a world of difference between belting out, "I want to be the best, like no one ever was," and "Do the Mario!" It was wise of the cartoon creators to keep going and making the series and it's pretty incredible to think that the series has kept on going in one form or another. Even Mario and Link didn't get that opportunity. For many of us though, this particular song and intro music still represents the one and only Pokemon TV show theme song. Yes, there are numerous spin-offs and leagues and such based on the follow up games, but none of them quite have the same go-get'em attitude of the original. It's lyrics not only spell out the goal of Pokemon trainers, but has a catchy and energetic beat. Sure, it seems corny now, but to encourage kids to be the best (even if it was in Pokemon catching) seems inspirational by today's standards. Of course, if you want to go really bizarre when it comes to Pokemon themes, then you need to go a little Weird:

Polkamon!

"Polkamon"

Egad! Is there anything that doesn't become that much more awesome with a generous helping of Weird Al? I mean, really, the song just makes you want to dance along crazily. Not only does it have those typical Weird Al hallmarks of zaniness and merry-go-round gone mad attitude, but it actually names several dozen Pokemon over the course the song in a way that both helps you to remember the names and smile as you say them in a way the original Pokemon rap never quite could.

Well, however you choose to jam while playing Pokemon, you can't deny the impact it has had on our culture, even without the insanely popular Pokemon Go app, Pokemon has worked it's way into our hearts both through well-executed gameplay and a soundtrack to get you ready to catch'em all.

Midweek Music Box: Tron Montage (Video Games Live)

Greetings Programs!

Sometimes you just want to escape into a world of video games--like actually, physically be there. I long for a certain level of escapism that no Occulus Rift nor any amount of red-screened Virtual Boy can bring.  When I want to unwind from a long day, I love popping in the original Super Mario Bros. or Splatoon or an occasional RPG so that I can have some down time. But the six year-old me still wonders what it would be like to be in there in a video game grabbing mushrooms, fighting with mythical swords, or freeing the land of Hyrule. I think part of the reason I liked Captain N so much as a kid was that it was about a guy transported to a video game world.   As cool as that was to me though (hey, I was a little kid at the time, gimmie a break) Captain N never took the place in my heart that had already been forged by a certain Disney classic. Lets talk about the game grid and what better way to talk about it than with an instrumental montage of music from one of my favorite movies.  Yes, it's time for some Tron music!

"Intro/Birth of Tron"

Now, let me say that I love Daft Punk's music, and I think they did an excellent job with Tron Legacy--But for me, when I think of Tron music, I think of the original.  What a great soundtrack for an incredible movie.  Yeah, there were so many people back when the movie was released who thought the concept was too campy, too ludicrous to take anything about the movie seriously.  What was that, a "Master Control Progam?" "He's stuck in the so-called 'Grid'?" "Give me a break."  But as a kid--heck, even as an adult--I love this movie. Yeah, it's more fantasy than sci-fi, but what did I care of genres?  Years later when I saw the sequel I realized how much a part of the movie the music was.  Here's one of the more iconic tracks from the movie, "The Light Sailer" scene:

"The Light Sailer"

Doesn't that take you right there into the action? Doesn't it make you feel like you're right there beside Flynn as he and Yori try to escape Sark?  Egad, did Wendy Carlos do a fantastic job or what? Her compositions didn't rely solely on digital keyboards and odd synthesizers to create the feeling that you were viewing an entirely different world, but when it did use them, it did merely have an "80's feel." In think that inclusion of ethereal voices was a brilliant stroke that makes the music have more weight to it.  It  melds synthetic and organic components in such a way that I can't imagine this soundtrack being improved on in any way.  It was movie about a video game world, not just another video game.  Not a Mario or Kombat world, but a world where life was a video game. I dunno, maybe it's just my nostalgia and tiredness talking.

When I talk about video game music, I don't just want to highlight the games that had fantastic soundtracks, but I want to also talk about those shows, artists, and composers that have done so much to help video game music not only merely "sound good," but bring it to life in a way that makes it feel like the world they are writing the music for actually exists.  It's not just about fast paced music with great beats (although that can be good too); it's about making that world feel real, and listening the soundtrack from the original Tron is a great reminder of how the world created in video games can come to life in a way that feels real to us all:

"End Titles"

When I listen to the music from Tron I'm reminded of my six year old self, and not just how I loved playing video games as a kid ( I still enjoy games now). But I feel like I did back then, and remember how I dreamed that one day, it might just be possible to visit a place I can only dream of. That just beyond sight and imagination lies another world; the world of the Grid.


End of line.