Katamari Damacy's Lonely Rolling Star Rocks
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ก.ย. 2024
- Lonely Rolling Star is one of those tunes that I think is just impossible to hate. Join me as I break down how the approach the melody, the harmony, and the way these two elements interact create something great.
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“We are moved to tears by the size of this theory! We want to turn it into a star right now!”
“Weird wonderful and full of absolute bangers.”
Honestly that is Katamari in a nutshell. I remember talking with my friend about Katamari and I said how "the Katamari games have a song for every human emotion" and they agreed 100%. Like there is a song to complement whatever mood you're in. It really is an incredible feat what Katamari has pulled off.
"Wonderful sound, strange shape"
"how are you doing fellow kids"
let's not forget Rose Gin and Tonic
When my best friend introduced me to Katamari, he explained his so called "Katamari rule":
"Stop asking questions about how weird it is and just enjoy it"
Best advice I ever got, Katamari has since been one of fave games to chill out to. The music's great, and you can really pick out which levels you like to just vibe with.
i'm sorry, i totally missed the intro cuz I was too busy listening to lonely rolling star
Yeah, I had to repeat it three times because I kept tuning out the speech and listening to the song.
Katamari Damacy is on my short list of candidates for “best video game score of all time” not only for the quality of the music, but the fact the songs are so wildly different in genre yet all feel like they fit together in the game.
I think the real icing on the cake is at the end when you can hear the "leitmotiv" of the Katamari Damacy theme. The chills that gives me is insane!
Yes! That combined with the arpeggio is just perfect
It's the only level song on the soundtrack that brings back the leitmotiv like that too. It's like they knew what a big achievement this song was.
@@sandwell27 Oh dude, it's hidden in a couple of them! It shows up in the second part of Angel Gifts (used in BA... NA... NA... level), but it's slowed down so much that I didn't recognize it at first. My mind was blown once I realized.
👆THIS THIS THIS 👆
So, the vocalist for this song, Saki Kabata, released this just two months after her friend and musical influence, Shimizu Kazuhiko, died in a car accident in January of 2004. She released nothing else for the first half of that year.
Given the ideas of the song -- a girl who's waiting for their lover to come back, as their lover explores the cosmos rolling that lonely star -- I can't help but feel it played into her performance. At the very least, it stands out as the one work she wanted to do during a painful part of her life.
This song has always made me tear up without really knowing why, thanks for giving me EVEN MORE REASON
Ok well now I'm gonna cry every time I listen to the song!
So you're telling me that bawling my eyes out every time I hear it is the correct reaction. Good to know.
There’s so much emotion behind this, thank you so much for sharing the story behind the piece, I have to go, I have something in my eye...
The thing I like most about it is that you can tell what's it's about without even knowing Japanese. It just sounds sad, hopeful, and yearning.
Your description of a hybrid approach with pop melodies and jazz harmony is something I've always identified as one of the key features of J-pop, but I've struggled with how to convey this in words before! Thanks a ton!
Ah, time to play "how short a phrase from _Lonely Rolling Star_ does it take to make tear up?" again, I see. This time with added education!
Katamari music analysis? What a welcome surprise!
If you're watching this and haven't played Katamari Damacy, I don't know what to tell you besides *play the game.* It's a wonderful game.
The 8 bit big band version of this is SO GOOD.
And the Aivi and Surasshu version!
Right?? I didn’t think I could love the song more than I already did, and then I found that cover! 🤩
"What kinda music are you into?"
*Katamri OST playing on constant loop in my head*
"Oh haha just normal stuff you know"
The arpeggio that plays in the background at the end of this song is the best thing that's ever happened to me. I love this soundtrack!
The big reveal that the song was playing into the title theme THE WHOLE TIME. It sends me every time.
I would love to see more of these “scientifically slaps” videos, like with baka mitai
Katamari Damacacy has such a beautiful sound track. Thanks for explaining how it works musically :D
I love this song. Amazing video.
This song always has a happy feel to it, but if you know what the lyrics is about, there is definitely feelings of loneliness and longing for something or someone that never fails to make me feel more blue than happy when listening to this song.
I was just constantly tearing up; love a song that can make me feel a rollercoaster of emotions!
This song made me incredibly emotional, and I had never heard it before? ...thanks, I think? ^^'
PLEASE do yourself a favor and listen to all of the Katamari soundtracks. Every single song is incredible, tho this is probably my very favorite one. Also find the cover 8 Bit Big Band did of this song on youtube
Favorite part of this song growing up was the main Katamari theme appearing in a synth at the very end, seamlessly fitting into the chord progression of the song as it winds down.
I've never played this game but this song gives me endless happiness.
Wonderfully done breakdown.
PLAY THIS GAME. Seriously.
"Katamari Damacy's Lonely Rolling Star Rocks"
I know it does but tell me more!!!
Oh, rocks, huh? What about them?
Man, Lonely Rolling Star has aged like a fine wine. It's a fantastic song but when I hear it outside of the context of replaying Katamari Damacy, I get that bittersweet nostalgic feeling of remembering my childhood and who I was when I first played the game. I don't think that was the composer's intention, but it hits that feeling harder than anything I can think of.
I really liked the simplification of the song to show how the feel of the music changes based on complexity of the chord. As someone whose just starting to learn music theory, it’s super helpful to hear and see the theory.
"I can feel it! I can feel the cosmos!"
This game has one of THE best soundtracks in video game history. My first playthrough of this game took me about 4 hours, but good god did the tracks land on me, all of them. It elevates the atmosphere of this simple game to such an amazing height... it's awesome.
It's not mentioned in the video, but I love the subtle quote of the main theme at the end of this track.
I love how the harmonies convey that sort of sad or bittersweet feeling and then the melody takes it a little in the bridge near the end. This song is so fun, sad and beautiful at the same time
that Db - C transition in the bass' chorus gets me every time
I LOVE THIS SONG MORE THAN MYSELF
8 Bit Orchestra’s cover is absolutely beautiful it nearly brings me to tears
8-Bit Music Theory takes a scalpel to "Lonely Rolling Star" from the game Katamari Damacy, explaining precisely what makes this song so good. I've loved this song since at least 2008, and am glad to finally see it receive the recognition it deserves.
lonely rolling star is such a wonderful song sometimes i can't help but smile listening to it and sometimes i just tear up..... thank you for your analysis of it :)
I'm screaming at the screen. I'm crying. I love this song so much. It's nice to now better understand why every chord change in this song makes cracks in my heart.
Thank you.
Even when I played this game back in the day, this is that one song I can't forget from this soundtrack.
Listening to him describe all the links and progressions in and through the chords and such makes me glad I am a drummer and never had to learn that stuff.
The Katamari soundtrack sounds like it was composed by shuffling 20 genres into a hat and having the composers take turns drawing one at random, and yet it's somehow hard to think of another soundtrack with a more cohesive identity, or that better suits its respective game. It's been a source of both terror and awe to me since I discovered it.
Rolling Down the Street in my Katamari
Another thing that I love about this song, is the amount of elements inside it. Everytime that I listen I notice elements that I never ear before. I love that!
I think the mix of weird jazzy + accessible poppy matches so well with the game as well; it's super cute and approachable, while also being weird and, in some places, a bit dark.
I know I'm late to seeing this video but seeing you do Katamari is like my dream come true. Great analysis!
this song always makes me cry 😭
I would listen to this song for hours on loop, and this is probably gonna get me sucked back into it. Great video!
I cannot tell you how happy I was to see this in my notifications. One of my favourite songs from one of my favourite TH-camrs. This has been the highlight of my entire week. And now I know why this song is so cracking! Thank you.
This is like my exact philosophy when composing music so it's really cool to see something I can relate like 1:1 to 😂 that jazz harmony pop melody is one of the things I strive to achieve in every single song I make! Great video!!! I learned a lot
What a fun coincidence. I just started playing Reroll a few days ago because it had been so long since I played Katamari on PS2. I was trying to explain to my mom how it's one of my favorite game soundtracks of all time and that it felt like the developers spent their whole budget on the songs. I remember playing the soundtrack on repeat so many times throughout college, and "Lonely Rolling Star" always stood out as the one that would make me cry. This video was a wonderful break down of why this particular song always had such emotional power to it. This track and "Walking on a Star" were always my favorites. Thank you for deconstructing it in such an informative and fun way. It's always great to hear more love for this beautiful game and its many amazing sounds!
The music makes this game legendary. I’m so glad you made a video on it. I love the chords
I have been waiting for this video for SOOOO long!!!! This song SLAPS!! So glad you covered this one!!
Grew up with this game as a kid and the music has stuck with me well into adulthood. I still pull up the full OST and jam out to katanari on the rocks, lonely rolling star, que Sera sera, etc
Interestingly, the Katamari soundtrack is commonly described as belonging to the microgenre of "Shibuya-kei" which is a microgenre who's influences include Pop, Jazz, and Electronic, as well as others. It's really interesting to see all of these genres come together on a song like this.
This song never fails to make me cry
I love your videos man, I didn't complete my music studies so many things I understand and others escapes me. And now I am in the great task of seeing all your videos. Greetings from Argentina!
This song makes me cry in the best way possible
and then there's the lyrics which just give that contrast spice to make you cry
This needs to be a series
I cannot tell you how happy I am you covered this song. I used to listen to this ost on repeat as a child.
He lined up the "let's go" of his preamble with the "ikou" of the song.
FEAR THIS MAN.
Great analysis. The more and more I study music the more and more I understand your analysis videos.
This is literally my favorite video game track of all time
2:10 IT SOUNDS kinda LIKE ACCUMULA'S THEME
*Furret scrunches into a ball
Considering this song predates Pokemon BW by six years, shouldn't that be the other way around?
@@WillowEpp true
this video was an absolute delight!! watching you dissect and analyze lonely rolling star genuinely brought me just as much joy as the song itself, great work as always!!! :'D
i have to add. my absolute favorite part in this video is 9:57 when you outline out the chord progression in the chorus... something about the movement from C7 to Abmaj7 just makes me smile automatically no matter how many times i hear it :)
I'm always amazed by the music people create and how different it can sound. I'm amazed at how "outside the box" people think with their music, and I think I need to add some of that willingness to experiment and get outside the key more in my own music.
I love your vids so much, you nake me see stuff in videogame music that I wouldnt be able to see alone and I alwys end up tearing up at some point ahah
Best song in the series without a doubt. Great video, man! ❤️
Dude yesterday I thought that this video would be great if it existed... and here it is!!
Hell yeah this is an amazing analysis for a series that deserves more attention! Thanks for all your hard work and I really enjoyed the editing in this one.
As a music theory geek who is obsessed with videogame music, you are my new favorite TH-camr!
before I was into jazz, when I hear this banger's chords I'll be like "whoa what's happening". Then as I progress my knowledge I finally understand it. This video just re-ignites my curiosity about this song which I love so much!
This video was great, so interesting and engaging as always!
I don't have nostalgia for Katamari, as I only played it for the first time relatively recently, but man this song just tugs on that nostalgic feeling so hard, I don't know what it is.
You sound happier than usual in this one, not that you don't sound happy in your other videos but you seem more excited to talk about this song. I totally get it though, this song is in my top 20 favourite songs of all time.
One of my favorite youtube channels covering one my favorite games of all time!!! Absolutely loved the video, great content as always!
i need a video essay on the katamari series
I'm absolutely in love with bar 3 of the chorus. I think it's something about the tritone between the 3 in the melody and the b7 in the bass. It feels like a flower blooming to reveals a whole new dimension of harmony and depth.
And just after I thought I got this song out of my head...
Really though, thank you so much for tackling Lonely Rolling Star. There's just something so special about the Katamari OST, and hearing your analysis was great!
Your videos are fantastic and this was one of your best
Omg I love this song so much! Replaying the level over and over...
For me my favorite part of the song are the 'running' 8th notes that were added in on top of the harmony in the final chorus, particularly how each measure follows a 3-5, 1-4-7 pattern for the note that is emphasized on top(Minor nitpick: you have it transcribed that the first eighth note in the second measure of the progression is a B-flat. I'm hearing an F.).
8Bit Music Theory analysis on one of my favourite songs ever!? Yes please!!
2:39: I’ve been watching enough Adam Neeley that I distinctly heard the guy in that clip he uses say “Nostalgia” right there.
I'll sometimes boot up Katamari Damacy just to hear the wonderful music. Excellent analysis. Keep up the great work!
This song has a sequel called "Sayonara Rolling Star". Check it out you won't disappoint.
I think you should expand to cover tv shows and movies and stuff. Haunting of Bly Manor and Hill House have had some phenomenal soundtracks that people are sleeping on. The guy who composed game of thrones and Person of Interest's music (Ramin Djawadi) is a genius that is getting slept on. The way he gave each character their own themes in PoI and weaved them together, especially in this one pivotal scene in season four (in 'til death do us part') is awe inspiring and heartaching. The light of the seven? That whole scene with the montage and all this magnificence even with such few lines... Man is a true artist. And some older movies I remember have the most magical and resonant sounding themes and soundtracks. Who doesn't remember the Jurassic Park theme song when they hear it? Bicentennial man's Celine Dion song was such a tearjerker that perfectly accentuated the movie's themes of loss and humanity. And even animated shows and movies have amazing and impactful soundtracks. Married life from up will forever hurt to hear, and Rebecca Sugar's musical input specifically in Steven Universe and Adventure Time and her other shows like that is invaluable. You're sleeping on some good stuff. Ooh, Florence Welch and her music for Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children, or her cover of stand by me used in FFXV could be good video ideas too. Especially the latter. The way it was used set up one of the most memorable bits in the game.
My favorite song in Katamari! Great taste.
I'm not a fan of this type of music normally but Lonely Rolling Star is one of my favorite J-Popish songs. The harmonies are just too good and knows how to hit you in the feels! It's the music equivalent of a rich decadent dessert for me!
I hardly ever understand when you bring out the music sheets but I still love these videos. It’s fun to see what makes these songs I love tick!
oh hey i was just thinking about this song, great video!
Katamari Damacy is cool and all, yes. Now, I'd really like to see this TH-cam channel cover the NiGHTS into dreams soundtracks, analyzing what gives them those dreamy and magical vibes. I think that would be a really cool analysis video to watch
I love this song so much thank you for covering it :)
thanks for doing this one. i love this song so much :') feeling inspired by this
I have no idea what you're talking about but it is very interesting and I love Katamari
For anyone who loves this song, there's an AMAZING cover of it by Aivi and Surasshu on their album called The Black Box, there's also a video for it you can find on Aivi's channel if you search for "Lonely Rolling Star Aivi"
It really is a treat. The 8-Bit Big Band cover is also excellent!
Hell yeah, I’ve been waiting for this one a looong time, what a nice time to be a subscriber :’)
This has always been by far and away my favorite song of the series.
I'm crying. Thank you so much for this 👏
I love how excited he sounds at 11:15
Every time I start listening to Japanese Jazz/Fusion, 8-bit Music Theory starts showing up in my recommended. I don't mind it.
Fantastic pick, this song is so so good!
For some reason, the chorus reminds me of "She's Leaving Home" (The Beatles)
Thank you, this is one of my fav. song in game history
THE DAY HAS COME! Never thought I'd see an analysis of this nostalgic song from my past.
This was an amazing analysis. I'm not sure if you'll see this comment, but do you think you could analyze Out Run's "Passing Breeze"? That song is amazing.
I'm not tearing up, you're tearing up ;ᵕ;
for real tho, this song gets me every time
Thank you for analyzing this song; it's my favorite song from a game that was so important in my life.
Before my significant other and i got together, we strongly bonded over this game. Then i told them, "i want to roll you up into my life." We've been together for 14 years now.
A question i have. How do they make it sound like there are multiple part harmonies in the chorus, despite there being only 2 distinct notes being sung? i would really like to apply whatever tactic is being employed, to my music.
3 minutes in and I have no idea what he's talking about but I love this song.