#soundtrack analysis

So this is. Unlike anything I've ever made before!!

I've been wanting to do one of those "every instance of a motif in (game)" videos, like the UTDR ones, but for Super Paper Mario. And last night I finally sat down and wrote down every motif I could find in the game while listening to the OST

This first video is only over the game's motif, which I dubbed the "Purity Motif", since it plays whenever you put a Pure Heart in a Heart Pillar, and overall just seems to permeate the entire game.

Idk where I'm gon upload this, but I guess sharing it with you guys is fair game. So. Uh. Yea that's part one! If I missed anything feel free to comment about it, I want people to talk about the OST more

EDIT: I added "Staff Roll" to the video, so reblog this version of the post, rather than the original!

EDIT 2: Realized I forgot “Soft Light” somehow. Idk when I’ll add that in but it’ll go in. I’d add Piccolo’s themes but unfortunately they’re notnin the OST itself.

I want to talk about the song You’re A Fighter, composed by my besties Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein. Specifically, what it represents when it comes to character arcs.

The track is used 3 times in season 3, and I think it's really interesting to look at these scenes side by side

The first time we hear this song is during Nancy’s heart-to-heart with her mother about getting fired from her journalism internship.

“Most people.. just give up. But you’re not like that, you’re a fighter”

This scene encapsulated everything we had seen about Nancy’s dreams and goals in the past seasons. She is driven, ambitious and most importantly, does not want to live out the status quo. Nancy questions the gender roles placed upon her. She has a lot of motivations as a character, but above all else, she is driven by the fight for success.

The next time we hear You’re a Fighter is in the bathroom at the mall, just before Robin comes out to Steve.

“I found someone who's a little bit better for me”

It’s pretty obvious that Steve is driven by his quest for romantic love. Sometimes this is specifically about Nancy, but in season 3 and the beginning of 4, it’s very clearly demonstrated that Steve is actively looking for “the one”.

"I really dig this girl.. who knows, maybe she could be 'the one'"

Additionally, we’ve seen his willingness to fight for romantic love throughout the show, like volunteering to go through Watergate first in s4.

So if we focus back in on the bathroom scene, the choice to reuse You're a Fighter fits in with how it was used in Nancy's scene. Just like she's willing to fight for her ambition, Steve is willing to fight for love.

The next time it's used is in the epilogue of season 3, in a scene between Jonathan and Nancy

“What if I just don’t let you go”

Once again, I think this scene is indicative of Jonathan’s overarching objectives. His primary motive as a character has been loyalty to those he loves. He’s upset when Nancy gets him fired, not because it hurts his long-term career, but because he wants to provide for his family financially. He has his own ambitions, like going to NYU, but in later seasons, we see these tied to Nancy. Overall, Jonathan is willing to fight for the people he loves.

So what have we learned? Geniuses Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein like to use You’re A Fighter during scenes that show a character’s primary motive - in other words, they’re showing us what each character is going to have to fight for

“But Zoe!” I hear you say, “You just told us You’re A Fighter is only used 3 times, how can it be connected to Byler?”

And to that I say - never doubt my ability to connect things to byler

Let’s take another look at that last scene, with Nancy and Jonathan. Although the song plays throughout the whole scene, it actually starts at the end of the previous scene…. Which happens to be…….

You guessed it!!

“What if you want to join another party?”

The song fades in right as Will replies, "not possible". This scene is a discussion between Will and Mike, but I'd argue that it focuses more on Mike and his reaction to Will's statement.

Given the song's use throughout the season, we can infer that my idols Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein are indicating that this is part of Mike's overall character arc - he'll fight to be needed, to be loved- he'll fight for Will.

It's established that Will loves Mike in the way he wants to be loved. Demonstrated through various moments in the van scene:

“What if... after all this is over, she doesn't need me anymore?" "At least Lois Lane is an ace reporter for the Daily Planet"

Mike needs to be needed. These lines are then directly contrasted by Will's painting monologue

"But you make [me] feel like [I'm] not a mistake. Like [I'm] better for being different. And that gives [me] the courage to fight on."

Even in earlier seasons, we've seen Mike take the role of Will's caretaker

"I'm the only one who cares about Will!"

"I've got him! I've got him! Keep trick-or-treating"

We see this dynamic fizzle away somewhat in season 3, which is why it's so pivotal that we get this moment in the epilogue. We're seeing Mike's original arc return!

So, if You're a Fighter is used when a character's established motive comes to a head. Why not give Byler their own scene with it, rather than having it play at the end of their scene and transitioning into Jonathan and Nancy's?

Unlike the other characters who have scenes with the track, I don't think Mike realises that loving Will is his overarching motive yet. In fact, many Bylers believe he started to put the pieces together in the very next scene:

(yeah bro.... that's the face I made when my girlfriend kissed me too..... before I dumped her....)

If we take it that You're a Fighter plays when a character is focused on their primary driving force, it seems like they're trying to show us that Mike hasn't quite understood his own character arc yet, but that it might be dawning on him. It sneaks in when Will says something that makes him particularly happy

(look at that shit-eating grin)

TO CONCLUDE:

Mike Wheeler is gay

He is in love with Will Byers

He realised at the end of season that all he wants is Will to need him

I am going insane

I have no idea how to write conclusions

The idea to this post came to me when I randomly had a line of the soundtrack in my head and suddenly thought "wait, the text is painfully accurate for Sullivan - is that the case with every song used in the show"? So if you enjoy "Boots" as much as I do, you might enjoy my "little" episode-by-episode analysis of the soundtrack :) I tried to make it appealing by including GIFs and links to the songs on youtube :)

More under the cut!

(Sullivan sings "We are the champions" here)

Episode 1 (The pink Marine)

Behold, my (not so brief) discussion of the experimental sounds used in the Stargaze soundtrack & how they emphasize onscreen plot points/possibly allude to scrapped scenes

ch1 is a lil intro, the rest is a bulleted list to read while listening

https://archiveofourown.org/works/86483661/chapters/228820186#workskin

i only have the first half of album 1 written up so far, but i do have notes for the rest! however, cleaning them up took a lot longer than i thought it would, so i can’t commit to that unless there’s someone out there would actually like to read them ahaha

when henry first enters markvarts room he's ready. ready to kill markvart. to gut him like a pig. he's so angry. he's been waiting for this for so long. the music is building, the lyrics (a song referencing this old ass fucking death chant) are all pointing to what henry's going to do. he's going to kill this man. as the lyrics say (roughly translated) "a guilty man must be judged." the music and the choir just get louder and louder the longer henry is in the room with markvart.

as henry turns to face markvart the singing gets Slightly more calmer, the choir singing what roughly translates to (my latin is incredibly rusty so there Could be better ways to translate this. my bad.) "that tearful day, merciful jesus give them eternal rest, grant them rest" he's thinking about skalitz. about his parents. about what markvart has done to him. but i think it also signifies how henry realises how badly markvart is doing, he's literally on his last legs. but the choir starts swelling again as markvart says "you didn't come here to pour me wine, you came here to kill me" like the music is confirming yes. yes. henry is here to kill.

the music keeps getting louder and louder. the guilty man Must be judged. henry's rage is so palpable the whole room is suffocating in it. but then the music goes completely silent as henry tells him who he is. where he's from. until henry mentions his parents and a different more melancholic tune starts playing. its the skalitz theme. and henry is so shocked that markvart remembers his parents. and they talk, and its almost as if for a moment, atleast what the music is conveying, that henry empathises with markvart. war is a nasty business.

but then, markvart says he only did what he had to do, just like the devils pack, just like sigismund, wenceslas... Just like henry. and the choir comes back. the music is spiralling, just like henrys mental state. his rage is back. he's NOT like markvart. not like sigismund. and the music keep swelling and swelling. its getting so loud its almost deafening what markvart is saying. the music just gets louder as henrys horror sets in. is he really sure he didn't kill someones father? or mother? and finally. the music crescendos. i think at this point henry has already decided what he's going to do. he's going to kill markvart (atleast thats what i did in my playthrough LOL)

henry Will take his revenge. the music is SCREAMING at us to kill kill kill as it references this death chant (the dies irae for those curious). markvart Will die. and it gets quiet as you talk to him, and the music only comes back as you stab him. this time more somber. (in my first playthrough i stabbed him dishonourably because i was so angry, i think in part because the music was urging me to so bad, but this time i went back and killed him honorably and personally it feels like the more henry like choice but be free to do what you want the scene hits just as hard whatevre you do).

i'd also like to point out how the loud choir only continues swelling and spiralling if you kill markvart dishonourably meanwhile if you kill him honourably the music is a lot more somber. (important to note that the skalitz theme comes back when you kill him honorably)

anyways thats all i have to say, i just think jan valta did such an impressive job when it came to having the soundtrack convey So much emotion and what henry's thinking and feeling. you can see how the different choices impact the music playing and i think thats really fucking cool!!! i had the ability to be able to listen to his music live in concert and it was such a beautiful powerful moment. i really love video game soundtracks a lot. ramble over!

Okay so I've been looking at the soundtrack of stampede and I've noticed some things. "Mystery Man" is a less developed version of "Common Front/TRIGUN STAMPEDE/VASH The Stampede" (don't worry I'm working on parsing out the differences there) but like idk if that was common knowledge but that's cool af.

With THAT said-

Let me introduce you to soundtrack that plays upon witnessing Sephiroths new form for the first time. AKA, as said in OG FF7, Bizarro Sephiroth.

OH. MY. FUCKING. GOD.

(if you plan on listening it (PLEASE DO I BEG OF YOU), i recommend that you use headphones.)

It's starts so quietly, then it errupts into a whole triumphant-like symphony of instruments and voices, then quiets down again, into something more demonic, maybe. It's sounds out of this world, makes your skin errupt in goosebumps in both dread and awe. It REMINDS us of an angel, of something sacred, heavenly, and yet, far from such pure being. This song is a FLAWED type or ethereal.

It's supposed to trick us, into thinking, what really HAS he become? Alien? Angel? God? Spirit? Something else entirely? A mix of all those? We don't know. And THAT'S what's fucking amazing and terrifying.

Notice how the harmony is different than the usual, 'angelic' one? Now, I'm no musician or professional at that department, BUT, what I did notice, is that in order to depict something heavenly, composers use 'diatonic harmony', the harmonization of a piece of music using chords derived from the diatonic scale of a particular key.

But, what THIS melody uses, is a 'non-diatonic harmony': which is similar to diatonic harmony, when it come to the central scale of a song, but brings other notes from different scales outside of that main scale and can create tension within the overall structure of the song.

As one of descriptions of Bizarro Sephiroth say, he is "a resurrected being who now wields unimaginable might and commands the arbiters of fate. He seeks to pierce through the layers of existence, and reunite fragmented space-time. He shall rule over the planet and create eternity."

He DOES have a few attributes of an angel, but his overall form is described as 'grotesque'. A mutation of limbs, two heads, faces, pair of multiple wings, and the rest unknown. It is said that all those limbs even act independently of one another. It's origins are known to come from JENOVA, an extraterrestrial life-form from outer space, a calamity from the skies, who acts like a parasitic organism in nature. His beloved "mother". Main antagonist of the game.

His whole form is just... Colossal, which again, this song depicts PERFECTLY. You feel intimidated. But you're unsure, whether if it's positive or negative. If you should be scared for your life, or stop to gawk at whatever has appeared before you. We can recognize that it's Sephiroth, but BARELY. (Imagining you're in Clouds pants for a moment lmao)

Also, notice how his usual motives in songs that we hear in the game are COMPLETELY gone? Like, it's an ENTIRELY NEW THEME for him. No lyrics, the usual, "ESTUANS INTERIUS IRA VEHEMENTI!" or even the choir chanting his name. I don't think there's not even JENOVAS melody present. NONE of that is present. They just literally sing something original, unknown, I think it's latin? It would be even BETTER if it's not, aka if it's actual gibberish, an invented language.

And all those small effects in the background, makes it all the more creepier in a way. Because, we're not even certain if Sephiroth is himself or someone new entirely, since he evolved. (WHO'S THAT POKEMO- im joking Sephy please don't kill me PLE-)

(STOP he's so fucking beautiful...)

Perhaps he has become somehow independent of his mothers influence, that greed for power has gotten to him, got him blinded. Now he just wants to spread havoc for his own PERSONAL fulfilment and joy.

Imagine that YOUR fate is in hands of THIS motherfucker, at his complete mercy.

Not really the most reassuring feeling, now, is it, when you look at him. (speaking for YALLS behalf I love this form so much it's so underrated goddamn i would gladly sell my soul and give my fate to him i mean what who said that)

id like to kiss and hug him :3

Jokes aside, THIS SONG AWAKENS THE NASTIEST GOOSEBUMPS I'VE EVER GOTTEN IN MY LIFE EVERY DAMN TIME I LISTEN TO IT, NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES I'VE PLAYED IT.

It legit makes PRIDE bloom inside my heart, even if it's NOT MY theme, LOL XD. It's just that powerful. I start smiling from ear to ear, close my eyes, soak in this whole experience of a song. Pity that is so short, I wish it was longer.

Square Enix, the company you are. You fucking deserve that award for the best game soundtrack of the year.

Because, god damn. I ascend to heaven when I listen to this.