Games

Snake Eater’s composer on its enigmatic lyrics and staying power

BBG News

Snake Eater’s composer on its enigmatic lyrics and staying power

As a music enthusiast and video game aficionado, I find myself deeply captivated by the intricate story of the creation of “Snake Eater” for Metal Gear Solid 3. The journey of composer Norihiko Hibino, as he delved into the world of Hollywood soundtracks to craft a theme that would become iconic in the gaming industry, is nothing short of inspiring.

Norihiko Hibino faced limited resources when crafting “Snake Eater,” the renowned theme song for Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. He had an incomplete script of the game’s narrative, some preliminary artwork, and the understanding that Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima was a fan of James Bond-style music.

Snake Eater’s composer on its enigmatic lyrics and staying power

Check out our special issue TopMob FM, a week of stories about all the places where music and games connect — retrospectives, interviews, and much more.

Hibino was aware that Kojima had a different preference for Metal Gear Solid 3’s opening song; it wasn’t “Don’t Be Afraid,” the tune originally meant to serve as the theme, created by another former Konami musician, Rika Muranaka. Instead, this piece was featured later in the game.

In a recent interview with TopMob, Hibino shared that “[‘Don’t Be Afraid’] started as the main theme, but it was too soft and gentle for that role.” He went on to explain that Kojima wanted a more “James Bond-like” style, and since there was no budget left for new songs, Hibino composed something himself. He wrote both the music and lyrics, then presented it to Kojima who liked it very much. This marked the beginning of a new direction for the theme.

Hibino joined Konami in 1999, not out of passion for video games, but for music.

Hibino expressed that the genre he would work in didn’t matter much to him, as his main goal was to produce quality music in a favorable setting. He admitted that he wasn’t familiar with Metal Gear until joining Konami, and when they asked him to play Metal Gear Solid on the original PlayStation, he found it incredibly challenging to complete the game – it was the most difficult mission he had ever encountered.

https://open.spotify.com/watch?v=track/2e3g8go386Zn6EyIz60Ci9

In 2001, Konami enlisted the services of Hibino for the development of the sequel to Metal Gear Solid. His role also included working alongside Harry Gregson-Williams, the primary composer for Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. As Hibino is fluent in English, he served as a liaison between our team and Hollywood studios, facilitating the creation of the music.

It was a job, and Konami had something Hibino desperately wanted: the budget to pay for the best music gear and technology. Hibino was used to having access to Pro Tools, Adobe Premiere, and other expensive tech during his studies at Berklee College of Music in Boston. So when he applied at Konami, he asked, “‘If I work there, can you buy all of that gear?’ It was something I could not afford. They said yes, and so I knew I’d get to make good music in good quality. That was the reason I [went to work at] Konami.”

Snake Eater’s composer on its enigmatic lyrics and staying power

For five years at Konami, Hibino composed music for various games such as Metal Gear Solid, Zone of the Enders, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and Boktai. However, it’s his work on “Snake Eater” that has gained him significant recognition, notably due to the impactful vocal performance by singer Cynthia Harrell.

As a devoted fan, I can share that Hibino shared an intriguing piece of insight about “Snake Eater” from Metal Gear Solid 3. He mentioned that he penned it during the initial stages of development. At this point, Mr. Kojima was almost done with the script, yet there were no concrete visuals to speak of; just some illustrations by Yoji Shinkawa. It was truly the embryonic phase of the project.

To develop his theme, Hibino revealed he delved deeply into the soundtracks of Hollywood films, with a particular focus on Hans Zimmer (Kojima’s initial pick for scoring Metal Gear Solid 2) and Harry Gregson-Williams, who later contributed music to several Metal Gear Solid games. Composer John Barry, famous for his work on the early James Bond movies, also served as an inspiration.

In his conversation, Hibino mentioned that Mr. Kojima was a fan of the ’60s James Bond soundtrack. Consequently, he became accustomed to this type of music himself. He felt compelled to incorporate that style into his work, while also adding elements from the game at the same time.

https://open.spotify.com/watch?v=track/7r0EUONfPUZ8SD1vu4ro27

In composing and writing the lyrics for “Snake Eater,” Hibino drew inspiration from the style of James Bond theme songs, such as “From Russia with Love,” “Goldfinger,” and “Thunderball.” The title “Snake Eater” and its associated themes are cleverly woven into the song’s lyrics.

He mentioned that the essential ideas behind the purpose of living and continuing on were themes he wished to include within the song’s lyrics.

Creating “Snake Eater” music ahead of time also provided an additional advantage according to Hibino; it helped the entire development team develop a clearer aesthetic vision for the game: “Once the melody is established, it serves as a powerful unifier for the team, including programmers and designers. They understand the style and direction we aim for, as music is one of the quickest means to convey such concepts.”

In his own words, Hibino described the process of creating “Snake Eater” as a lonely journey. He penned both the music and lyrics, even producing a preliminary demo with rough vocals to secure Kojima’s endorsement. However, when it came to recording, it became more of a cooperative endeavor. The song was recorded using an orchestra, with conductor Mark Holden adding a distinctive James Bond-like brass arrangement, according to Hibino. Singer Cynthia Harrell managed to capture her iconic vocals in just two takes. Reflecting on the process, Hibino felt it was “extraordinarily powerful.”

In the game Metal Gear Solid 3, Harrell’s vocal track was separated and then played a cappella during the well-known two-minute ladder-climbing scene. This wasn’t part of the initial plan as Hibino had created a different composition for that part of the game, but it didn’t blend smoothly, he explained.

Hibino stated that it seemed like someone else’s concept, not his own, when he decided to play back the “Snake Eater” melody without any accompanying instruments, resulting in a more laid-back atmosphere.

For two decades, the catchy tune “Snake Eater” has remained a memorable melody akin to Bond themes, such as “The Best Is Yet To Come,” “Sins of the Father,” and “Quiet’s Theme.” Composer Hibino’s song is set to resurface in Konami’s upcoming remake of Metal Gear Solid 3, titled Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater. Despite not being part of that specific project, Hibino has remixed the song for a different upcoming release – the Metal Gear Solid: Vinyl Selections collection from Laced Records, due later this year.

Read More

2024-08-05 18:21

Previous post Tag team wrestling in AEW needs some improvement
Next post Zac Efron shares update after reported accident