Music to Save the World To

Maybe I’m the only one, but when I get into a game, really into it, I start imagining what it would be like if I were the hero of my own “fate of the world hangs in the balance” saga. Of course, important concerns are that I look bad ass while saving the world, and we all know that nothing helps set the tone for this sort of thing like a good soundtrack. With that in mind, I present my collection: Music to Save the World To, for your pleasure and consideration.

Track List:

1.    Combat (Afro Season II) – RZA
2.    This Blood – Black Lab
3.    The Day the World Went Away – Nine Inch Nails
4.    The Little Things – Danny Elfman
5.    The End is the Beginning is the End – Smashing Pumpkins
6.    Storm Center – Shiro Sagisu
7.    When the Smoke Clears – RZA
8.    Prayer of the Refugee – Rise Against
9.    Reach out to the Truth – Shoji Meguro
10.    Hero – Hans Zimmer
11.    Stone Eyes (The Great Warrior) – Shnabubula
12.    Divinity II (Cloud vs Bahamut) – Nobuo Uematsu
13.    Shifu Faces Tai Lung – Hans Zimmer
14.    One Winged Angel – Nobuo Uematsu
15.    My Number is 47 – Geoff Zanelli
16.    Dance of the Yi People – Min Xiao Fen
17.    The Lonely Shepherd – Georghe Zamfir
18.    Baker Street – Gerry Rafferty
19.    Cloud Smiles – Nobuo Uematsu
20.    Together We Will Live Forever – Clint Mansell

Combat (Afro Season II) – RZA

You May Have Heard it In: Afro Samurai Resurrection

This awesomely bad ass track has stalking killer seeping through its beat, melody and lyrics. In its aforementioned use, it’s played during the first real combat sequence of the film, where Afro slaughters a gaggle of challengers who are trying to kill him for the number one headband. If you’re caught in a series of dark, gory and extreme battles on your quest while you tear through your opponents with vicious precision and skill, this is the track to have over it.

This Blood – Black Lab

You May Have Heard it In: Blade III Trinity

Just like in Blade, this song begs to be played when you come back, fueled by adrenaline and rage to tear through hordes of enemies. Since sometimes, in saving the world, you’re going to have to turn up the adrenaline and let fly your fury, this track is definitely perfect for those moments.

The Day the World Went Away – Nine Inch Nails

You May Have Heard it In: The Trailer for Terminator Salvation

So, Terminator Salvation may have been a bit of a disappointment for most of us (it was for me), but the trailer used it very effectively. This is a song for the darker times of your struggle. For when the tide is pushing against you and you’re seeing allies fall before the onslaught. Nine Inch Nails’ dark tones and chaotic sonic qualities perfectly accentuate this mood and that point in a conflict.

The Little Things – Danny Elfman

You May Have Heard it In: Wanted

Danny Elfman’s Wanted theme is expanded to a power chord driven rock track complete with complimentary nihilistic lyrics. Just as it is applied in the movie, something about this song just screams: a duo working together to take down their opponents.

The End is the Beginning is the End – The Smashing Pumpkins

You May Have Heard it In: Its complementary slower version (The Beginning is the End is the Beginning) is used in the trailer for The Watchmen, and was also on the soundtrack for Batman & Robin.

This song is about more than just struggle, but loss, the all consuming casualties a battle for the fate of the world is bound to have and how that kind of struggle can consume you and drive you mad. The melody and the sneering singer’s voice all carry you to this place in your battle against that world, nay, universe ending evil.

Storm Center – Shiro Sagisu

You May Have Heard it In: Bleach (used particularly whenever Captain Hitsugaya fights)

This track is pure instrumental and begins with low distorted guitar chords that almost seem lyrical in themselves from their challenging tones. Finally, a louder guitar comes in, and the song takes off into its slightly off tempo rage, screaming of a furious fight that is still a display of collected discipline and skill (which would roughly be why Hitsugaya is the character its usually associated with).

When the Smoke Clears – RZA

You May Have Heard it In: The Afro Samurai Video Game

This i a sympathetic action track. It’s an amazing beat, but the whole idea of a hero who is conflicted inside about the pain driving him isn’t quite thematic of the Afro Samurai (he was fairly certain of what he was doing), but it drives a moment where the hero may be conflicted about having to commit the actions and feeling as if he’s locked into the battle at this point and has no point to draw his sword now if only because he drew it so many times before.

Prayer of the Refugee – Rise Against

You May Have Heard it In: Guitar Hero III

Prayer of the Refugee is a song that screams of the kind of struggle and determination that one would rise from the darkness of the Nine Inch Nails track towards. A bit more mainstream than the other tracks on this list, but definitely a great fit.

Reach Out to the Truth – Shoji Meguro

You May Have Heard it In: Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4

Because this is what it looks like when four teenagers decide to beat the shit out of someone.

Though not mainstream, this track definitely has the most pop music feel of anything on this list. Taking a step back from the darker tones of some of the previous tracks, this one serves beautifully as a battle theme (just as it does in the game) for the group dynamic battle against baddies.

Hero – Hans Zimmer

You May Have Heard it In: Kung Fu Panda

Kung Fu wha? If you missed this one, you missed out. I’m mainly recommending the first half of the song which is set to Po’s introductory fantasy of the “legendary warrior of legend” (the rest of it is just a cutesy plucking melody as he helps his father in the noodle shop). The song feels classic and, well, legendary. The sort of thing a hero of the world has playing when he displays his incredible skills against the minions who he is vastly superior to.

Stone Eyes (The Great Warrior) – Shanbubula

You May Have Heard it In: It’s an adaptation of Uematsu’s “The Great Warrior,” you can find it here for FREE on OC Remix)

Stone Eyes is a beautiful take on Uematsu’s theme for Red XIII’s sadness from Final Fantasy VII. It begins tragically, with a strong tone of grief but eventually builds to a beautiful crescendo of hope and determination to carry on with the fight. A must for the warrior in his moment of doubt.

Divinity II (Cloud vs. Bahamut) – Nobuo Uematsu

You May Have Heard it In: Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children

Don't Stop Believin' (Hold onto that Fee-eee-lin').

Cloud’s renewed passion and determination in the face of what feel like impossible odds leads up to the first of the three climactic battles against one of his stolen summons: Bahamut. Hebraves the beast that all his other friends were barely keeping at bay together by himself. The song’s powerful tones and chorus drive any sort of pivotal battle, and the interlude over which Cloud briefly sees Aerith’s hand in the film captures a similar moment of digging deep into yourself to find the final drive to finish the fight. The song’s closing invokes the peace and relief of a battle finally ended against all odds.

Shifu Faces Tai Lung – Hans Zimmer

You May Have Heard it In: Kung Fu Panda

One of the final battles of the film, the master Shifu must (again) face his villainous pupil who has come back for revenge and the legendary Dragon Scroll. The song is the more desperate side of Divinity’s tones. It’s clear this fight is also against impossible odds, but is leading to a more tragic end for our hero. The pain and imminence of death at the hands of evil loom very close throughout this song.

One Winged Angel – Nobuo Uematsu

You May Have Heard it In: Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children

I’m sticking with the Advent Children thing here. Uematsu’s remastering of the classic song from the game for the final battle between Cloud and Sephiroth in the film is masterful. The song captures perfectly the kind of living nightmare Sephiroth is: relentless, inhuman (super human more like), ruthless, and twisted evil. The blending of rock guitar and orchestral music is a brilliant move, conveying the dark chaos that is the villain you’re trying so desperately to take down that it takes everything out of you as the song finally ends.

My Number is 47 – Geoff Zanelli

You May Have Heard it In: Hitman (the movie)

Zanelli’s soft song comes in at the final farewell of our anti-hero and the woman he has fallen in love with (at least as much as it’s possible for the inhuman 47 to fall in love). It’s sad tones convey the length of a journey that is at a crossroads, and it clearly ends with the building resolve of the hero that has to go on alone.

Dance of the Yi People -Min Xiao Fen

You May Have Heard it In: A Tea Shop (I’ve never heard it used in any media before)

Dance of the Yi People is a song traditionally played on the Pipa, and is a slow mournful song that eventually, and suddenly, transitions to a frenetic and passionate whirlwind of string plucks that comes when the song seems to be withering to its conclusion. Perhaps it’s the song that plays as our hero calmly tries one last time to talk things out with his nemesis only to have it devolve to a tragic fight to the death. Perhaps it’ll convey something different to you, either way, it’s beautiful.

The Lonely Shepherd – Georghe Zhamfir

You May Have Heard it In: the Kill Bill flicks

This pan flute melody is the kind of slow yet dedicated tune you play to send off the “pops” hero; the guy who everyone thought was just the old dog too tired to have any fight left in him, but made it to the end and made a difference. This was a close tie with Auron’s Theme from Final Fantasy X for similar reasons, but I decided Uematsu is getting plenty of love on this list as it is.

Baker Street – Gerry Rafferty

You May Have Heard it In: An episode of The Simpsons, or any dive bar generally populated by 40-somethings

I hate Lisa Simpson and didn't want a photo of her with her stupid sax.

Gerry Rafferty’s ballad is a song that always conveys more a sense of goodbye to me. The final huzzah for a person who knows it’s time to cash in and get out with one last honorable fight with everything he has in him. Personally, I see it being set to another “pops” type of battle, where he refuses the help of his comrades, knowing it’ll be his last fight one way or another, and somehow pulls the win out at the very end, just before he rides into the sunset to leave the war to the younger heroes, content to know he’s done his part and served as an example for them. The Foo Fighters version was a close contender for this spot, but Rafferty’s original version hits a more poignant crescendo (as opposed to just rocking out) for the emotional moment I’m looking for.

Cloud Smiles – Nobuo Uematsu

You May Have Heard it In: Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children

Like I said, Uematsu is a heavy hitter on this playlist, claiming three spots (a fourth if you count the rearrangement of his Final Fantasy VII song “The Great Warrior”) and mostly his Advent Children work no less. Cloud Smiles functions as the happy ending for our heroes. Coming out of the war  to find not just victory, but even more to look forward to and be grateful in the peace to come in the aftermath.

Together We Will Live Forever – Clint Mansell

You May Have Heard it In: The Fountain

Clint Mansell’s track punctuates the moments of dawning comprehension for Jackman in the film. The things  that are worth the most to us are things that we have to be ready to lose since having them for only a limited time is what makes them truly special. The theme of Jackman’s tragic lesson is the perfect theme for the bittersweet ending of any adventure.