I honestly don't even pay attention to the meaning of the lyrics, I guess I just like the voice and obviously the melody and arrangement, which is very good. I think that's enough for me.
I think my problem with the song is more the yelling towards the 2nd half. I love the ballad, but screaming out "I'm here" or "Horizons" at the very end isn't doing it for me. I will say that the emotional somber tone that Ian talked about regarding the story is well reflected in the music which is encouraging. Granted, Sonic music rarely disappoints on a melodic level I think, but lyric-wise it hasn't really reflected the emotional intent of the story like that since maybe Heroes and "What I'm Made Of", possibly even Unleashed and "Endless Possibility" to a lesser degree. I'll compliment the song on that front, but absolutely I think the shrillness of the very end kinda rubs me the wrong way.
The Reach for the Stars slander is real and it hurts me. I don’t like this. It’s got nothing to latch onto for me, no hummable medley and the mitre just feels all over the place. I guess it’s fitting for the game in so far as it’s quite melancholic and melodramatic, but I’ve always preferred music that becomes an ear worm, echoing in my head for years afterwards.
I was, and have been, super into emo shit since I was a teenager. Never left me. But even with that, "I'm Here" just screams "this is a Sonic song", imo I think it just feels like it's trying too hard instead of using figurative language that is down-to-earth and feels normal. I would say it's the use of hackneyed language like "cold dawn" and "new horizons", but that doesn't feel like what's getting me. I think what gets me here is the writing feels a bit rigid and literal, but it's also reaching for metaphors and hold expressions like "new horizons". There's quite a few "I" statements and they feel like they are sung straight-forwardly, like spoken sentences. There isn't much negative space in most of the lines. I will say I like the form, with the "new horizons" line being used as a coda. @RikohZX : I actually do think the lyrics were written after Ohtani made the arrangement, it's not unheard of or even uncommon. Also this discussion is interesting bc I always liked Reach for the Stars a bit more. It is cheesy for sure, but the lyricism feels a lot more natural and the lyrical devices they use kinda reflect the light-hearted nature of the song. It feels whimsical and magical but it also doesn't feel afraid to embrace that. Not the direction I prefer for Sonic personally, with the whole goofy character writing and everything, but the song kinda matched the vibe of the game. "Speak With Your Heart" went that direction too. And to clarify, I don't hate fun and I recognize a lot of people like the song, I'm just trying to figure out why I'm not super hyper about it.
IIRC that was the case for His World, Ohtani wrote the instrumental and Zebrahead wrote the lyrics later on. That’s why a lot of 06 prerelease ads only use the instrumental of His World, because the lyrics didn’t exist yet. This isn’t unprecedented.
Sonic Heroes was the same way, wasn't it? The early version has Jun go "Ba de ba ba ba ba ba ba" at a certain point. Writing lyrics after the fact isn't a bad thing, but either way this song feels really bland to me. There's just no strong melody here it seems, like the song is building up to a moment that never comes. Musical blue balls.
Well I like it better on day 2, so that’s nice. I really want to hear the whole song though. I can imagine a few ways it could progress after the first chorus to make the overall song better than just this snippet. And for the lyrics: the singer is credited with them so they 100% were written well after the music itself and fit to a vocal melody that Ohtani composed. That’s how most songs are made. It’s pretty unusual to start with lyrics then compose around them.
Ian you torturous bastard so help me the anticipation for this game is killing me. In spite of all the warts, it feels so good to be truly excited for a Sonic game again. I think the only of time I've felt this amped for a Sonic game is Mania. Even watching all the Generations trailers and gameplay back when I was 13 didn't get me this giddy.
I really don't like how the marketing between Sega and Ian is all like "Ohhh, the lyrics! Ohhh, the ending! You better get ready for that ending! You might cry!" Like, now I'm gonna be expecting some big impact or twist, which effectively removes the point of there being a twist in the first place. Imagine if Sega had released "Dear My Friend" prior to Unleashed's release and done a hint hint, nudge nudge as to what the ending was going to be. It would've been obvious that something was going to happen to Chip.
Ian's gotta calm down on the teasing, because I got a feeling whatever we get isn't gonna match the hype build-up (no offense to him, all offense to Sonic Team). I mean, I can't blame him though. He got to write for the games. You'd be giddy too!
I was going to say that this is just "my opinion", but the more I think about it, I believe what I am about to say is generally true... The older Sonic music that relied on melodies, electronica and leitmotif, were simply more memorable and built up the IP/brand over time. The newer music, and this goes for both video games and movies generally, tend to rely on atmospheres and popular music, which even with the single primary headline song, just tends to wash out of the collective memory and doesn't build upon anything (sans Escape From the City). The previous melodies were catchy, and there are no lyrics to ascribe any meaning to - which can then be forgotten. The leitmotif functioned to build continuity, and these can be harkened back to again and again in subsequent installments to create a lineage, nostalgia and world. You just don't get this with the modern "featured" songs. They can be remixed into a later installment, but the song is always just that, a remix which is self-referential, but not very effective in world building. It's the same mentality that ruined the Simpsons... For example, classic Simpsons would have guest star Jon Lovitz as a separate character, and that character became part of that world apart from the actor who played them, but post-modern Simpsons would bring on a guest star and inject them into this fantasy world, merely as themselves... "Mel Gibson!", "Fed Chair Alan Greenspan!". These appeals to pop-culture create inauthenticity, at least for me they do. Or think about how tv and movies used to have orchestrated music specific to themselves, easily recognizable... Whereas today they tend to just phone it in with popular references, like Maroon 5, or "Uptown Funk" (Looking at you Sonic Movie 2). These decisions are not timeless, they are not memorable or worldbuilding, but quite the opposite. Mario may be "kidsy", but they understand this and it pays at the bank.
So One Ok Rock posted the official lyrics to the Japanese version of Vandalize, which are noticeably different from the English release. I ran a quick and dirty translation through DeepL if anyone is interested. They may or may not give additional clues to the ending... Spoiler: Lyrics Sound the alarm Shatter me like glass Covered in scars But roses are coming through the cracks Time that you killed You promised to Help me rebuild You caught me off guard Sound the alarm Said you’d keep me safe Now you’re tearing me down Am I laid to waste Now that you’re not around Come and leave your mark Vandalize my heart Fuck the pain away My bed is in ruins Need you in my veins Don’t know how you do it Come and leave your mark Vandalize my heart 描かれていたモナリザは君のようさ The Mona Lisa that was painted was like you 冷たくて後をひく微笑みがさ with your cold lingering smile カラクリじかけの魔法で As if broken and driven mad 壊されて狂うように by the magic of a magic trick 何回もTrip Over and over I want to Trip そして君にAddしたいのに and Add to you 掴みようのない But I can't hold on to you そうシルクのように so silky Said you’d keep me safe Now you’re tearing me down Am I laid to waste Now that you’re not around Come and leave your mark Vandalize my heart Fuck the pain away My bed is in ruins Need you in my veins Don’t know how you do it Come and leave your mark Vandalize my heart Oh you’re fucking crazy Hate me love you Breaking bottles on the pavement Just to watch them crash 全て失っても 君はまだ I wanted to believe you were still there そこにいると信じたかった even after everything I'd lost Come and leave your mark Vandalize my heart 虚しくても終わらせれない I can't end in emptiness 諦めるほど強くはない I'm not strong enough to give up Come and leave your mark Vandalize my heart 何も無くなってから気付いた It wasn't until there was nothing left はじめから君はいなかった that I realized you were never there to begin with Come and leave your mark Vandalize my heart
Yeah I like the opening's vibe a lot, and even the vocal style, but it really does feel cut off in a way that other intro tracks (like the truncated versions of Open Your Heart and Live and Learn in SA2:B) don't. It is miles above any of the main themes since Heroes though (bar 06's and Shadow's, which I thought were... fine). I straight up dislike Sonic Heroes, Endless Possibilities, Reach for the Stars, Fist Bump and such, and I don't dislike this. Just feel like the editing is a bit weird. That key change in the chorus for instance is usually something you only see at the very end of a four minute track, the last instance of the chorus before the very end of the song (Sonic Heroes even does it!), and it just feels wrong here.
