Please Change Disks to Continue...: Sega Saturday (On Monday): The Top Ten Sonic Songs of ALL TIME!

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I love Sonic the Hedgehog. I know, who doesn't right? For my entire lifetime, that pesky, lightning quick blue hedgehog has captivated video game (and TV) audiences with his Superman speed, chilly dog addiction, unbelievably bizarre mouth movements (the highest of comedy) and penchant to have a three tailed fox named Miles "Tails" Prower follow him around everywhere. And while his newer games have at times been...terrible (what? There's no good way to put it), Sonic remains a cultural icon to this day, Sega's Mario if you will. Like Richard Gere is to Hansel in Zoolander, Sonic is a hero of mine. And hopefully he's a hero of yours too.

So why are we talking Sonic? Because, after much deliberation, myself and my friend, The Great and Epic T.O. (full name), decided we needed to do a Sonic related column for Sega Saturday. Our topic; the top ten Sonic songs of all time! Of course, plans have gone array, as the evil WWE Champion Seth Rollins has trapped T.O. at work, leaving him unable to help me (T.O.'s words, not mine). Oh yeah, it's also Monday, which last I checked is the opposite of Saturday the way Britta is the opposite of Batman. Never the less, I am a man of the people, and though I may be two days late and without my collaborator, you will see this column. So put down your Crush 40 CD's, because you're going to be hearing a lot of them by the end of this column anyway. this is the Top Ten Sonic Songs of ALL TIME! ON WITH THE SHOW!

10. His World (Sonic the Hedgehog)

Is that good old Zebrahead I hear singing this one? I remember the time they did Maria Kanelis' theme during her WWE run; fun times. I honestly don't know what to say here. It's not a bad tune, but it comes from by far the worst Sonic game ever invented and sounds like a lesser version of "Reach For the Stars". The best thing I can say about this tune; it made the list. Which means it must be good. Right?

9 .Open Your Heart (Sonic Adventure)

I would've expected this to be higher on the list. The boys at Crush 40 do their job with this tune, which is provide an energetic opening song for what remains my favorite game in the Sonic canon. Why's it down here then? Because the rest of this list is that damn good. To even make it is an honor. The kind of honor that's reserved for those who get to meet Randy Orton or throw beer cans at the male lead from Fifty Shades of Grey.

HELP! SOMEBODY HELP!

8. Escape From the City (Sonic Adventure 2)

Talk about expecting songs to be higher on the list; I expected to name this number one. I love this tune! It's catchy as hell, it opens the really underrated Sonic Adventure 2, it's the song for one of the most fun 3D levels Sonic has ever produced. I would've bet my entire Dreamcast game collection this would've been at worst in the top three of this list. Alas, upon further listen, it slots in at nine. What a day. WHAT A CRAPPY DAY!

7. Fly in the Freedom (Sonic Adventure 2)

Here's the thing about Sonic music; you generally know what you're going to get with it, which is a lot of alternative/punk for everyone not named Knuckles and hip hop for everyone named Knuckles. Straight up pop? Not generally on the menu. Fly in the Freedom, the theme of Rouge (or as Knuckles calls her, Bat Girl) is a straight up pop song; you could see Katy Perry cover this today and not even blink an eye. The best part is that it's actually bearable. I'm by no means a fan of pop music, but "Fly in the Freedom" works surprisingly well. Now if only Knuckles' name calling was better. Bat Girl? Word of advice Knuck (can I call you Knuck), next time use an insult that doesn't compare your enemy to a pretty cool comic book character. Bat Girl isn't an insult you fool!

6. I Am...All Of Me (Shadow the Hedgehog)

Is it just me, or do the songs for Shadow just absolutely rule? If I can quote skateboarding legend Chad Muska from his glorious Tony Hawk: Underground cameo, those songs are "louder than a Metallica concert!". That would've been his greatest gift to society if he hadn't followed that line up with one of the greatest unintentional comedy quotes ever. "Muska, chillin chillin." Stop slaying me with your words Chad!

Back to this Shadow song. Like I said, the songs for this character are just awesome. Absolutely heavy, absolutely catchy, the kind of music that makes you want to watch the opening scene of xXx. Which of course leads to you immediately regretting watching the opening scene of xXx. That Shadow, always getting the most badass things. No wonder he's one of the most popular characters in the canon. Chicks dig the anti-heroes. Which probably explains why my brother foolishly spent tens of dollars on that Shadow the Hedgehog game. Mistake bro, mistake.

5. Live and Learn (Sonic Adventure 2)

Full disclosure; T.O. loves this song. I think it might actually be his favorite of the group. As I run the site and put the final touches on this list however, it gets put at number five. Come at me haters!

Look, this isn't a bad tune in the slightest, otherwise it wouldn't be here. Crush 40 rocks as hard as they always do, the song is as catchy as per usual; it fits the Sonic song criteria to an absolute T. Again though, I must repeat that this list is very strong. I'm talking Roman Reigns strong, or at least as strong as he is in my buddy Mazza's mind. I know you don't know that yet because you haven't read it, but trust me, the other songs take it to a whole other level. "Live and Learn" takes it to just one other level. It doesn't mean it's bad, it doesn't mean it doesn't rule, and it doesn't mean I'm not adding it to my walking playlist for my next Chill Zone run. It's just no "All Hail Shadow" (spoiler alert). Now if you'll excuse me, I have to duck for cover while T.O. throws tomatoes at me.

4. Reach For the Stars (Sonic Colors)

To say I was 100% surprised to love this song would be 100% accurate. How was this so good?! "Reach For the Stars" basically has everything going against it; it wasn't done by Crush 40 (composer Tomoya Ohtani and elctro dance band Cash Cash were behind the song), it's a song that came after the dark cloud known as Sonic the Hedgehog and it sounds like an unholy cross of a Blink 182/Owl City collaboration. But dammit, the song works. It's perhaps the most catchy song of the Sonic catalogue, the drum work is quite good and somehow the punk/electronica mix just works. Bravo to you Cash Cash. Let's hope you find your way to Muska's chill lair sooner than later.

So nice, I used it twice

3. A Ghost's Pumpkin Soup (Sonic Adventure 2)

You probably know this song better as the Pumpkin Hill theme, the song that plays throughout that creepy Knuckles level in SA2. Turns out the name is "A Ghost's Pumpkin Soup." Why? Ask Hunnid-P, the dope MC who dropped this track. And make no mistake, this is a cool tune. I'm not a huge hip hop guy, but even I can't deny that this song sticks out, and has ever since I was a kid. What makes it great; it fits the level. I may not have brought this up enough, but that is a big deal. A video game song, or any song for a form of entertainment really, can't just be great, it has to be great within the confines of where it's being used. "A Ghost's Pumpkin Soup" does just that; it's cool, eerie beat fit perfectly with the cool, eerie setting that is Pumpkin Hill. It's easily the best hip hop tune in Sonic history.

2. All Hail Shadow (Sonic the Hedgehog)

Let's be real; the PS3/X-Box 360 Sonic the Hedgehog is absolute sludge. You ever see any M. Night Shyamalan film after Signs? The Sonic reboot is all of those movies rolled into one big ball of suck. And yet, it produced this masterpiece right here. My goodness, what a damn good song! Dare I say it's Crush 40's masterpiece? I know that's high praise seeing as all their songs are top notch, but this one just continuously blows me away. Musically, it's tight like a tiger. Character wise, it fits Shadow even better than "I Am...All Of Me" does. And most importantly, this song helped make Sonic the Hedgehog, the Tommy Wisseau of video games, more enjoyable. That would get any other song number one here. Alas, only two here, which is A okay. Can I also just thank Sonic Generations for resurrecting this song in the awesome Sonic/Shadow level1? About damn time this song found a great game to be a part of.

1. E.G.G.M.A.N. (Sonic Adventure 2)

That's right, the number one song is the villain's song, and boy does it feel good. Let me tell you something now; you haven't lived life well enough until you've walked around your house screaming the lyrics, "I AM THE EGG MAN!" as loud as you can. What a glorious thing to do! And that's why this song tops the charts here. It checks off everything on the list, and then goes even deeper by being the goofiest thing I've ever heard. That just makes it even more fun. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll jam to this wonderful, over the top epic. Well done Paul Shortino and Jun Senoue; you guys are number one. Seriously though, did you doubt Jun getting here? Sonic bows down to that man.

That's it guys. Hope you enjoyed. I'll be back later tonight with a late, late night preview of the NBA Western Conference Finals. Till then, check out all these songs in the links below, tell your significant other you love them, say hi to your mom for me (Matt Mortensen requested that, not I), go Cavs, go Rangers, support Lucha Underground, take Chad Muska's advice and keep on "chillin chillin", save me that last Pepsi in the fridge, and come on DUCHOVNY, get off your ass and give us Evolution 2 already!