The Sonic the Hedgehog franchise is a wildcard in terms of its quality, especially when it comes to the games. There’s been some great games, some bad ones, and some mixed bags. However, there’s one thing a Sonic game almost always does well, and that’s the music. The vocal tracks in particular are pretty awesome. With the third Sonic movie releasing soon, and with one of the songs possibly being in the movie, I wanted to explain what I think are the 10 best Sonic vocal tracks.
Joe Schu’s List
Honorable Mention: Dreams of An Absolution by LB (Remix Factory) (Sonic the Hedgehog (2006))
Say what you want about Sonic 06, but it has some great music. As the main theme for Silver the Hedgehog, Dreams of An Absolution has a nice, almost futuristic beat to it (which is fitting for Silver). The song is about Silvers desire to save and fix the world of its ruined state, as “absolution” means to be released from guilt, obligation, or struggle, which seemed like it was only a dream for Silver up until the events of the game. The song perfectly captures Silver’s character and his arc through the game. It’s an honorable mention because I like the other songs more than this one, but still felt like mentioning it because Silver is one of my favorite Sonic characters, and I think this song is underrated.
#10: Infinite by Tyler Smith and Andy Bane (Sonic Forces)
Say what you want about Sonic Forces and Infinite as a character, but you have to admit, his theme song is pretty good. It’s a very nice rock song that can really get the blood flowing. Even though I really like the lyrics of the song, when putting it into context of Infinite as a character, they don’t really work as well for him because of how he was handled in Forces. Despite that, it’s still a pretty good song.
#9: One Way Dream by Nathan Sharp (Sonic Frontiers)
This song will only play during the credits if you complete Frontiers on Hard Mode. One Way Dream is a really good song that is about the adventure that’s ahead, and that nothing can hold us down. It also has been seen as a message from Sonic Team as a way to thank the fans for supporting them through all the good and bad times, and that they’re going to do their best to keep making good Sonic games.
#8: Escape From The City by Ted Poley and Tony Harnell (Sonic Adventure 2)
Played during the opening level of the Hero Story for City Escape, this is another great song that gets the blood flowing and just makes you want to go out on a run. It’s a great song to be played during the opening level of Adventure 2 and it really fits Sonic as a character because as he says in the game, he’s just a guy who loves adventure, and skateboarding down the streets of San Francisco while trying to escape the military is just the adventure Sonic craves.
#7: What I’m Made Of by Crush 40 (Sonic Heroes)
Played during the second phase of the final boss of Sonic Heroes, this is an absolutely epic song. The song can be perceived in two ways: from Sonic’s perspective or Metal Sonic’s perspective. For Sonic, it’s that nothing can stop you (especially since he yaps a lot about the the power of teamwork meaning nothing can stop you in the game), and for Metal Sonic, it’s him expressing his anger towards Sonic, as with all the power he’s gained, Metal believes himself to be the REAL Sonic, and Sonic is actually the copy. It’s just a really cool song that has a nice double meaning about the two characters.
#6: Find Your Flame by Kellin Quinn and Tyler Smith (Sonic Frontiers)
Playing over arguably the best Titan fight in Frontiers, this song is just so raw. It just gets the adrenaline pumping as you prepare to wail on a giant robot as Super Sonic. Like the other Titan fight songs, this song actually has Kellin Quinn from Sleeping with Sirens singing this song, but for this one, he’s joined by Tyler Smith, and because of that, it feels very familiar towards Infinite’s theme song. And the ending sounds so majestic that it makes it feel like you just overcame a massive struggle, and it’s a great way to end out the song.
#5: It Doesn’t Matter (ver.2) by Tony Harnell (Sonic Adventure 2)
There are actually two versions of this song. This one is from Adventure 2 and I honestly prefer it over the original version because it’s more upbeat and fast paced, which I think is more fitting for Sonic’s character. This song is great because it really shows Sonic’s character as he doesn’t care how people see him as long as he’s doing what he believes is right, and that’s especially prevalent in Adventure 2 were Shadow framed him, but he’s still doing what’s right despite that. Also, the whistle followed by the upbeat guitar playing just works really well for getting you pumped.
#4: All Hail Shadow by Crush 40 (Sonic the Hedgehog (2006))
Shadow has had a couple of theme songs, but I think this one is the best. It’s an epic rock song that is about how no matter what comes his way, Shadow will always rise back up and prevail through the hardships like he has done before. Also, the image of people bowing down before an anthropomorphic hedgehog like he’s a king is pretty funny and also kind of cool.
#3: Undefeatable by Kellin Quinn (Sonic Frontiers)
This song pretty much took everyone by surprise. For a game where a lot of the open world music is somber and mysterious, it was rather unexpected when Sonic went Super to fight the first big boss and an almost heavenly chorus and lyrics began to play, with it quickly being followed up by metal core rock music that really set the tone for these boss fights. There’s something amazing about beating up a giant robot while the music chats, “I am Undefeatable!” It’s just so awesome and has quickly become a fan favorite song in the series.
#2: Live and Learn by Crush 40 (Sonic Adventure 2)
Arguably the most iconic Sonic song for most fans, Live and Learn is the main theme and final boss battle theme for Sonic Adventure 2. The rock song is about learning from past experiences and failures. The song is mostly associated with Sonic and Shadow, as the main characters of Adventure 2. Sonic is all about living his life to the fullest and Shadow has to learn from his past. It’s just an amazing song that almost describes the whole Sonic franchise as a whole, and it shows as so many people love the song. However, it’s the runner up because there’s one song I like a little more.
#1: I’m Here by Merry Kirk-Holmes (Sonic Frontiers)
I’m Here is the main theme for Sonic Frontiers, and I just love this song. It starts out with the same mysterious and somber tone that the music of Open Zones play, but then it quickly kicks up into the kind of rock song that Sonic is usually known for. The song is mostly from Sonic’s perspective, as he’s here in an unfamiliar location, but he’s going to keep going and save his friends; just like he always does. There’s a more metal core version of the song sung by Kellin Quinn as well, and I love that one as well, but I like this one a tiny bit more. It’s a song that I just really enjoy listening to, and that’s why it’s at number 1.
