Sonic the Hedgehog/Awesome Music

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


It's no secret. Compared to the Super Nintendo, the Genesis wasn't exactly a killer in the sound department. It was fueled in part by what soundtracks really caught your ear, but for a real classic, you didn't have to look any farther than the Sega mascot.

Everyone's favorite hedgehog speedster has had quite a number of notable themes over the years which cements that although the ride has been rocky with plenty of ups and downs, there's one thing that everyone can agree on, the music is almost always awesome.

And you can now get a lot of this music on iTunes!

Main Games

Sonic the Hedgehog 1, 2, 3&K (Genesis/Mega Drive)

Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Sonic 3 & Knuckles

  • Hydrocity Zone is a level with a lot of water. However, its Act 2 music largely makes up for it.
  • The music from Flying Battery Zone.
  • The well-known, well-loved Ice Cap Zone theme.
  • The Doomsday Zone. This one set the standard for all future Super Sonic battles.
  • I'd like to place emphasis on the above Final Boss theme. This song first shows up in Sonic 3, and it marks the first - and one of the only times - that Super Sonic is NOT invincible. A grab attack from this boss will outright knock you clean out of your super form. This is the first time that Robotnik's REALLY a true threat, and this music really knocks it home.((This troper would like to add that this was supposedly a glitch, according to many people at Sonic-Retro. Think about this, why doesn't it happen in Sonic 3 with Knuckles (Sonic 3 attached to Sonic and Knuckles) when you play that level? Also, it should be noted that getting to that fight as Super Sonic is very difficult, thanks to the two boss fights and long cut-scene that precede it. Still, for a glitch, it's a fairly impressive one))
  • Freaking Lava Reef Zone, including the second act (which shares its theme with Hidden Palace Zone) AND it's epic remixes.
  • Sky Sanctuary Zone is my favourite. It really gives me a "Yeah, we're gonna go save the world!" feeling. Also, the Act 1 boss theme. "COME ON!"
  • Launch Base Zone.
  • Angel Island, Hidden Palace and Death Egg zones (remixed in these links) are nothing to scoff at either.
  • The Sonic 3 ending credits.
    • And the beta version of it that was Dummied Out, which plays like the other Sonic credit tunes in the Mega Drive series.
  • The Robotnik theme! DADADA DADADA DADADA daaa daaa!
  • Azure Lake, Balloon Park, Chrome Gadget, Desert Palace, and Endless Mine. From Sonic 3's two-player competition mode, which gamers largely ignored in favor of the the one-player mode. Sonic Team had to have known this would happen, in which case, I gotta admire the composers for writing kickass songs for levels that would barely ever get played.
  • The Sonic & Knuckles opening screen theme. I've still got it stuck in my head to this day...
    • It's Fanfare-like reprise in the very end of the Ending Credits will always make this troper weep nostalgic tears.
  • The Special Stage theme. This is the version heard ingame, where it gets fast and unbelievably awesome. That surreal blend of chirpy and mysterious at high speed is glorious.
    • Thank you. This troper loves the beat that's going on.
  • No mention of Sandopolis Zone at all? Tropers, how could you?
  • This troper freaking loves Carnival Night Zone. Just the sound of that synthesized refrain as the deep bass and beats jam... so cool.
  • Michael Jackson was the influence for almost the entire soundtrack of Sonic 3 & Knuckles. Ice Cap was influenced by Who is it? (or Smooth Criminal), and Carnival Night has riffs from Jam in it. Perhaps the most noticeable, the beats of the BGM in in the Marble Garden zones (Act 1)were heavily influenced by Remember The Time.
  • Knuckles' theme only makes a brief appearance in Sonic & Knuckles, but MAN, is it catchy.

Sonic CD

Sonic the Hedgehog CD

  • Where to begin? First, the music shared between both soundtracks: the 'Past' music.
    • The tropical sounding music for Palmtree Panic, which is more laid back than the present music
    • Collision Chaos, which has a more subdued version of the beat from the JP soundtrack's present track
    • Tidal Tempest, which is calm to go with the fact that there's still time to fix the future when you're there
    • Quartz Quadrant, which like Collision Chaos has a subdued version of the beat from the JP present music
    • Wacky Workbench, a Western-sounding track that goes with the wide open space around the area that can be seen in this time period's less developed version of the factory
    • Stardust Speedway, which takes the "Hey, hey, hey, hey!" lyrics from the JP version's tracks and makes them and the main track more quiet
    • Metallic Madness, which has the urgent beat of the Japanese present soundtrack and unlike that version is instrumental

JP/EU soundtrack

  • You Can Do Anything, Little Planet, and Cosmic Eternity. The first 30 seconds could also qualify as a Tear Jerker, but Your Mileage May Vary.
  • The Boss theme, which starts with a younger man and an older man laughing as if they're making fun of how Robotnik's machines are always broken apart by a few bashes against them by Sonic, and it is also more easy-going and upbeat than its American counterpart, getting your heart pumping as you work that sucker (Robotnik) to death. Its lyrics even say " Work that sucker to death! Come on now! Work that sucker to death!"
  • Palmtree Panic: the upbeat Present and Good Future. The former seems good for a day at the beach, while the latter is fitting for an outright beach party.
  • Collision Chaos: the Ear Wormy Present and Good Future.
  • Tidal Tempest: the ever-so-ambient Present.
  • Quartz Quadrant: the catchy Present, the chaotic Bad Future, and especially the Good Future.
  • Wacky Workbench: the chaotic, fast-paced techno Present and the bright, mechanical Good Future.
  • Stardust Speedway: the funky Present, the darker Bad Future, and the much brighter, calmer, and peaceful-sounding Good Future. Note that the Bad Future music plays during the Metal Sonic race even in the Good Future.
  • Metallic Madness: The urgent Present, fitting for the final level, the you-screwed-up-big-time Bad Future complete with with sinister-souding instead of jolly versions of the laughing men from the boss track and a robotic voice in the background saying stuff resembling anti-Sonic propaganda from Robitnik (e.g. "You can't do anything, so don't even try it," "Don't do what Sonic does," and finally, "Sonic, dead or alive, is mine"), and the a-winner-is-you Good Future that takes the instruments from the intro of the urgent present music and uses them for an upbeat background instrument.
  • Special Stage. Enough said.
  • Final Fever, when it's finally time to drivethe man himself from the Little Planet once and for all.

NA soundtrack

Sonic Adventure series

Sonic Adventure / DX

Sonic Adventure 2 / Battle

Sonic Heroes

Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)

Sonic Unleashed

Sonic the Hedgehog 4

Episode I

Episode II

Sonic Colors

Sonic Generations

Side Games & Spin-Offs

Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine (Genesis)

Sonic the Hedgehog 1/2 (Game Gear & Master System)

Sonic the Hedgehog

  • Bridge Zone and Labyrinth Zone. There has been an effort to convert some of the songs into the Genesis version, so here's the same songs in that style (note that the latter uses the Sonic 3 drums).
    • The new Scrap Brain & Sky Base music is great too.
      • How about the Act 2 Sky Base? Sure it loops after only about 15 seconds, but so did quite a few tunes in the Mario Universe.
  • It also helps that the soundtrack was composed by none other than Yuzo Koshiro, who did the impossible with the Genesis sound card by crafting the most epic video game soundtracks, EVER!
  • Jungle Zone is a nice song. It has a real Disney vibe to it.
  • The ending theme is possibly the most upbeat and happy ending song I've ever heard.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2

  • I would like to name here the Green Hills (yes, that's hills with an S) Zone tune from the Sega Master System version of Sonic 2. What's special about it, you may ask? Well, I didn't think there was anything at first, until it reached a certain point... and then I froze, my eyes widening in amazement, and then laughed and began to sing along: "Toot toot Sonic warrior, toot toot Sonic warrior..." It's "Sonic - You Can Do Anything" from the Japan/Europe version of Sonic CD!!! Even better is that Sonic CD was made way after the Master System version of Sonic 2, so for Sonic CD they took a tune from a (probably) lesser-known Sonic game and turned it into a song. THAT is awesome.
    • Don't forget the outstanding Game Gear version of the Boss Theme became THIS
    • The Sonic 2s and Sonic CD were actually all in development at the same time (Sonic CD was originally meant to be the SEGA CD version of Sonic 2), so it's not surprising that there'd be some links like that.
    • BEHOLD! The two wed in glorious union!
    • And it was given an awesome remix as Mecha Green Hill Zone in Sonic Chaos!
  • Underground Zone from the Game Gear version (from the first stage of the game, at that) is a great track that really exemplifies the speed of the series.
  • Scrambled Egg Zone
  • Aqua Lake.
  • Bad Ending. *sniff*

Sonic Triple Trouble

Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball

Tails Adventure

Knuckles' Chaotix

Sonic Blast

  • Red Volcano Zone has a catchy tune with a sweet hip-hop rhythm that was pulled off pretty nicely despite the limits of the Game Gear/Master System sound chip.

Sonic 3D Blast

Genesis/Mega Drive

Saturn & PC

Sonic R

Sonic Shuffle

Sonic the Fighters

  • Metal Sonic's theme for this game, Never Let It Go, is one of the lesser known and more underrated themes in the franchise.
  • Lovers sets the player up for a good ol' brawl.

Sonic Advance

Sonic Advance 2

Sonic Advance 3

Sonic Battle

Shadow the Hedgehog

Sonic Rush Series

Sonic Rush Adventure

Sonic Riders series

Sonic Riders

Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity

Sonic Free Riders

General

Storybook Series

Sonic and the Secret Rings

Sonic and the Black Knight

Sonic Rivals series

Sonic Rivals

Sonic Rivals 2

Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood

Other

General

  • The medleys that played over the credits of most of the 16-bit games.
    • This troper has heard numerous themes and countless remixes, but even though it's been over a decade since I first heard them, the original boss themes from Sonic 2, Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles still remain the perennial favorites.
  • The drowning music.
  • The Opening Theme to Sonic Mega Collection is a fan favorite and even got rehashed for Generations.

Fan Remixes

You are now imagining Solaris as an angry little girl spraying fire danmaku everywhere.

People

  • Crush 40. Full. Freaking. STOP. Also, this troper prefers pretty much every remix the band has done of theme tracks originally done by other artists.
  • Sonic Team has featured a fantastic set of composers throughout the years. Let's throw a few names in, shall we?
    • Jun Senoue (Crush 40 guitarist; one of the main composers from Sonic 3 onward.)
    • Tomoya Ohtani (Sound director for '06 and Unleashed.)
    • Kenichi Tokoi (Sound director for Colors.)
    • Fumie Kumatani
    • Richard Jacques
    • Mariko Nanba
    • Yutaka Minobe
    • Hunnid P. If it's Knuckles, he did it.
  • Julien-K ("This Machine", "Waking Up")
  • Bentley Jones is coming out nicely, what with his soothing tunes and remixes.
  • My Chemical Romance in the City Escape trailer for Generations. Yet more proof MCR are One of Us.
    • Not to mention Kele in the original trailer.
  • For shame all of you...all this talk 'bout the love of classic Sonic music, and no one bothers to put MASATO NAKAMURA on this list?! the man who gave us the -original- Green Hill Zone and started a franchise trend for Music of Awesome. Sonic the Hedgehog would not be the same if it weren't for his original compositions for the start of this series.
  • How in the hell did My Chemical Romance end up on here before Michael Jackson?!
  • Cash Cash should at least be mentioned for their theme for Colors, as well as their work remixing stuff for Generations. Their auto-tuney power-pop sound fits in the series quite nicely.
  • Zebrahead provided two versions of "|His World".

Non-Game media

Misc

Mashups