Sonic the Hedgehog's Green Hill Zone is up there with Megaman and the original Super Mario for iconic songs. However, it's been a song completely without lyrics for the past 30 years, so the best you could do was just hum the tune while folding laundry or trying to outrun an evil scientist hellbent on turning the world's fauna into robots.
That ends today. Sonic's original composer Masato Nakamura has given the Green Hill Zone song lyrics with the help of his J-pop band, Dreams Come True. Nakamura, the bassist of the group, did the composition while bandmate Miwa Yoshida wrote the lyrics.
The song is called Tsugino Seno! De – On The Green Hill; an ode to the original that features a music video where a young man drops his change and is then transported to a land of rolling green hills. He's wearing some spiffy shoes, so he decides to start running until he's nothing but a blue blur.
It's no surprise that this song is part of Sonic's ongoing 30th-anniversary celebration, but what is surprising is that the new version is so catchy. That said, it might feel a little slow to fans of the original. Dreams Come True has got you covered with a faster, remixed version that's far closer to the original in terms of tempo. You can listen to 'em both on Spotify.
On The Green Hill even has the approval of former Sonic Team head Yuji Naka, who said it made him feel both "happy" and "quite nostalgic."
Sonic's 30th-anniversary celebration kicked into high gear earlier this month with the remastered Sonic Colors: Ultimate. Although the game received great reviews, technical glitches are spoiling the party somewhat, especially if you've got epilepsy or are prone to seizures. Sega has promised to work on the game's visual glitches ASAP, with yesterday's patch hopefully solving the majority of those bugs.
Thanks, VGC!