Sound of Play: 70

[JaySevenZero]

Here's the latest episode of our weekly podcast dedicated to videogame music – Sound of Play

In this special 70th edition of Sound of Play, we turn our focus to Atlus’ Persona series. From the first one released two decades ago, up to the more recent and idiosyncratic Persona 4: Dancing All Night, we bring you 23 tracks from nine titles from within the Persona series.

This show’s presenters are Joshua Garrity and Leah Haydu.

Track listing for this show is as follows:

Track 1: The Poem of Everyone's Soul by Shoji Meguro - Persona 3, 2006
Track 2: Maki's Theme by Shoji Meguro - Revelations: Persona, 1996
Track 3: Trish's Spring by Toshiko Tasaki, Kenichi Tsuchiya, Masaki Kurokawa - Persona 2: Innocent Sin, 1999
Track 4: Maya’s Theme by Toshiko Tasaki, Kenichi Tsuchiya, Masaki Kurokawa - Persona 2: Enternal Punishment, 2000
Track 5: Burn My Dread by Shoji Meguro - Persona 3, 2006
Track 6: Iwatodai Station/Dorm by Shoji Meguro - Persona 3, 2006
Track 7: When The Moon’s Reaching Out Stars by Shoji Meguro - Persona 3, 2006
Track 8: Mass Destruction by Shoji Meguro - Persona 3, 2006
Track 9: Deep Breath Deep Breath by Shoji Meguro - Persona 3, 2006
Track 10: Heartful Cry by Shoji Meguro - Persona 3: FES, 2007
Track 11: Maze of Life by Atsushi Kitajoh, Toshiki Konishi - Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth, 2014
Track 12: Pursuing My True Self by Shoji Meguro - Persona 4, 2008
Track 13: Like a Dream Come True by Shoji Meguro - Persona 4, 2008
Track 14: Theme of Junes by Shoji Meguro - Persona 4, 2008
Track 15: Heartbeat, Heartbreak by Shoji Meguro - Persona 4, 2008
Track 16: Reach Out to The Truth by Shoji Meguro - Persona 4, 2008
Track 17: Signs Of Love by Shoji Meguro - Persona 4, 2008
Track 18: I’ll Face Myself by Shoji Meguro - Persona 4, 2008
Track 19: Best Friends by Atsushi Kitajoh, Shoji Meguro - Persona 4: Arena, 2012
Track 20: The Seeker of Truth (Naoto’s theme) by Atsushi Kitajoh, Shoji Meguro - Persona 4: Arena, 2012
Track 21: Backside of the TV by Lotus Juice Remix - Persona 4: Dancing All Night, 2015
Track 22: Time To Make History by Akira Yamaoka Remix - Persona 4: Dancing All Night, 2015
Track 23: Nevermore by Shoji Meguro - Persona 4, 2008

Sound of Play: 70 was edited by Jay Taylor

You can subscribe using iTUNES or you can just simply DOWNLOAD IT HERE instead.

[gallo_pinto]

I will BURN MY BREAD!!!!!

I haven't listened to this yet, but I just wanted to say how excited I am that you all did a Persona episode. I couldn't think of two people I'd rather listen to doing a deep dive on Persona music than Josh and Leah.

Now I need to find two hours worth of household chores that I can do to justify listening to this as soon as possible!

[Combine Hunter]

Thanks Gallo_pinto, I hope you enjoy it!

[gallo_pinto]

Really great podcast guys. Between an entire Cane and Rinse series on the Zelda franchise and now a whole Sound of Play episode on Persona music, I feel like we're being spoiled. Sometimes we don't say thanks enough for all of the hard work you guys put in, but it's thoroughly appreciated.

Two quick thoughts on the episode. While I completely agree that the spin-off games don't hit the highs of Persona 3 and 4, I do think that the Persona 4 Arena games and Persona 4: Dancing All Night are in a class above Persona Q. When Josh was talking about making caricatures of these beloved characters, I think that Persona Q is far and away the most egregious offender. I found Labrys' character arc across the two fighting games to be genuinely touching and I thought she had earned a place among the core team by the end of the story.

Secondly, I wanted to add a song from Persona 3 that I think embodies a lot of the game's themes. There are just too many Persona songs to include them all in a two hour podcast (Sound of Play 80 anyone? ) so I wanted to add it here.

There's a song called "Living with Determination" that plays during the social link with Akinari, a terminally ill teenager trying to come to terms with the fact that he'll die before becoming an adult. It's a simple piano piece that's really melancholy, but as you progress through the social link and this kid starts to accept his fate, you begin noticing a more stoic tone to it. Akinari dies at the end of the social link.

As you move into the end game, it's clear that Persona 3 has a lot to say about death, how we react to its inevitability and what that says about us as people. As your party starts contemplating that they might not survive, all of these characters you've watched grow over the course of the game start making comments about their own impending deaths. It's at this point in the game where the music outside of school changes to a remix of "Living with Determination." Everyone now has to deal with the fact that they might not make it, just like Akinari did. It was a really powerful way to use music to communicate both themes and where the characters were at. Hot damn, Persona is a good series!



Thanks again for an awesome podcast!

[ratsoalbion]

Really great podcast guys. Between an entire Cane and Rinse series on the Zelda franchise and now a whole Sound of Play episode on Persona music, I feel like we're being spoiled. Sometimes we don't say thanks enough for all of the hard work you guys put in, but it's thoroughly appreciated.

Thank you kind sir.
We do generally feel appreciated by the community but it's nice to hear/read it now and again too.

[Combine Hunter]

I love that track too! I think Leah and I could have done an entire show on Persona 3 honestly, so unfortunately a lot of great tracks didn't make the cut.

[Todinho]

Speaking of great tracks that didnt make it I have to say Im sorely disapointed that the most iconic track of the entire series didnt make it, it almost soured the whole special for me,hopefully you can rectify that on a future special after P5

[JadePhoenix]

I quite liked Persona Q, but it's really an Etrian Odyssey game with Persona characters and only small mechanical references.

[MagicianArcana]

Between an entire Cane and Rinse series on the Zelda franchise and now a whole Sound of Play episode on Persona music, I feel like we're being spoiled. Sometimes we don't say thanks enough for all of the hard work you guys put in, but it's thoroughly appreciated.

I couldn't agree more!
I was pleasantly surprised to find out this week's Sound of Play was a Persona special. I just finished listening to it and really enjoyed it. It was a nice walk down memory lane and reminded me of how I felt the first time I played a Persona game.
Persona 3's soundtrack is definitely my favorite in the series. You guys are right that on paper the mix of genres sounds like a horrible idea, but I'm so impressed they pulled it off. All these years later I still listen to Mass Destruction from time to time and I'm still not sick of it.

[Joshihatsumitsu]

After 70 episodes I'm finally listening to my first Sound of Play! Isn't it fortunate I'm a Persona fanboy?

Now I'll have to work my way through other episodes... so many hours of free stuff... really should buy a shirt or a bag.

Tiny edit: I got myself a PS2 copy of Persona 4 this year, and was so glad that it came with a bonus soundtrack CD! I didn't even realise it when I bought it, and it was such a pleasant surprise.

Miniature edit: also watched part 1 of 4 of the Persona 3 movie. The great thing is that all the music is there, and damn if it didn't bring a smile to my face. It was also nice to have my memory jogged of events that happened very early in the game (I easy put in 100 hours so I was bound to forget some things). And the negative: I think if you didn't play the game, the story would not make an ounce of sense, and it's hard to recommend to people who hadn't played the game. It's kinda preaching-to-the-converted sort of movie.

Geez... another edit: that "Theme of Junes" is such a sharp satirical take on any of the big, multi-story stores in Japan, and I would guess that anyone who's every visited a Yodabashi will attest to the repetitious jingle that plays over, and over, and over again in that place.

[Tleprie]

This was a fun special, I was hoping for the P4G intro song but fortunately have it on my iPod, so I listened to it right after the episode. Even though I only played through about half of P4G, I definitely felt nostalgic listening to a lot of the music from it. I just wish I could get past all the dungeon crawling and JRPG stuff.