Few final boss themes have as much reverence as Sonic Adventure 2‘s Live and Learn. For a time, it could even be said that it defined Sonic the Hedgehog as a franchise, evidenced by how it was the theme of Sonic’s reveal trailer in Super Smash Bros Brawl. While the song makes for an exciting final boss battle, there is more to its success than that. The way Sonic Adventure 2 uses it throughout the game is what brings it to life.
Live and Learn as an Introduction
Those playing the updated re-release, Sonic Adventure 2: Battle (as many did because the original version was released shortly before the Dreamcast’s lifecycle ended), would be treated to an introduction movie featuring Sonic and Shadow. While this does not play Live and Learn, it uses the “Live and Learn!” vocals that are common throughout the full song. These vocals are a player’s first taste of the song. Regardless of the game’s version, the game’s title screen plays a shortened instrumental version of the song, which would act as the first taste for Dreamcast players.
This is an interesting decision because most games would not bring their final boss theme to the forefront like this. Even if the final boss used a song that was a leitmotif, it would usually be a remix of an existing song (like Persona 3‘s Battle for Everyone’s Souls). In Sonic Adventure 2‘s case, the decision is instead made for the game to start with references to a theme that is fundamentally made for the final boss. This is a decision that persists throughout the game, as well.
A Leitmotif and Lyrical References
Sonic Adventure 2’s first stage, City Escape, continues this trend of teasing what’s to come. The lyrics to its theme, “Escape from the City”, features the lyrics, “Trust your feelings, you’ve got to live and learn!”. It doesn’t stop there, though, as a specific guitar riff from the full song manages to worm its way into numerous other songs in the game. It can heard on the stages Prison Lane, Sky Canyon, and Final Rush. A first-time player may not notice it, but it’s as if the game is subtly building something up by repeatedly including it.
The same riff can be heard in the game’s penultimate boss fight against the Biolizard. This track, called “Supporting Me”, is a gritty and mysterious-sounding song in which an electric guitar riff from a high-octane rock song may seem out of place. All of the little references to Live and Learn before now have been subtle, but this one is anything but. Its prominence in this song indicates that the game is nearing its end and that all of this build-up is reaching its climax.
Sonic Adventure 2’s Thrilling Conclusion
Just before the final boss battle begins, a cutscene plays that starts to pay off everything the game’s soundtrack had been foreshadowing until now. It plays an instrumental version of Live and Learn as Sonic and Shadow power up to their super forms. On its own, this is already incredibly satisfying, but it isn’t done yet. When the final boss properly starts, the full version of Live and Learn, vocals and all, plays during the over-the-top grand finale.
This fight is great on its own merit, but its music sets it apart. Live and Learn not only pumps up the player but finally pays off everything the game has been doing until this point. The opening movie and the title screen both have what feel like incomplete versions of the song, that the player finally gets to listen to the ultimate version of. Sonic Adventure 2 has always been a divisive game, but most can agree that its climax is an astounding spectacle, and in part, it is that way because of how it handled its music.
The Power of Music in Games
Music affects more than just the scene it’s currently playing in. As demonstrated above, Live and Learn teaches us how to make music slowly build throughout the game to make its final challenge feel far more satisfying. Clever uses of leitmotifs and other variations of music have the power to enhance a game’s soundtrack in ways one might not expect. Sonic Adventure 2 is a master of such techniques, and the reverence its music receives is a testament to that. It is expected that the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 movie will use Live and Learn, so hopefully they can live up to SEGA’s expertise.
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