Licensed music isn’t always used with much thought in video games but sometimes songs fit so well with a game that the two become inseparable in fans’ minds.

I was thinking about songs in games. Music with lyrics as opposed to game music in itself, which is another subject of discussion altogether. I was thinking about songs in games, and I thought which songs have fused permanently with my memories of playing a game?

It happens sometimes when I hear a specific track on commercial radio. The song will immediately trigger gaming memories. Some songs are placed so well they attain a sort of synchronicity with the game that uses them. These tracks seem to be written for the host game, even when they usually aren’t.

Also, some song usage is so good it enhances gameplay, for me at least. I thought I’d briefly go through several key examples to illustrate what I’m talking about. In my mind these songs and the games that they appear in have become synonymous. They are perfect fusions of two entirely different forms of media.

Paradise City by Guns N’ Roses is an obvious example of song/game synergy. The song fits Burnout Paradise so well it’s hard to imagine that the song existed for ages before the game was released. This brilliant song really enhances the racing and automotive violence of the game.

I Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire, by the Ink Spots is perfect for Fallout 3. This song practically is Fallout 3 and Fallout 3 is this song. The fact that this song came out in the ‘40s emphasises and symbolises Fallout 3’s apocalyptic nightmarish world with its pockets of humour and pseudo vintage charm.

Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked, by Cage The Elephant. It’s impossible not to think of Borderlands when I hear this song, and I’m not a great fan of Borderlands, but when I hear this song it makes me want to go and play Borderlands. This song and the game are truly amalgamated in my head. It helps that the lyrics of this song are great when you listen to them. The track describes dangerous encounters but sort of in a fun way, which is what Borderlands is all about.

Walking Dead, by Puressence. This song plays in a Rotterdam bar/strip club in Hitman Contracts, and it fits the dark mood of the game so well. While I was playing the Deadly Cargo level in Hitman Contracts I would enter the club as Agent 47 and purposely loiter in the seedy establishment simply to hear this song because I adore it.

The Bartender and the Thief, by the Stereophonics. Ages ago I played Gran Turismo 2 on the PlayStation 1 and my memories of racing in various cars are forever connected to this song. I’m not a fan of the Stereophonics or the Gran Turismo series, but this song dominates the memories I have of playing that game. The song’s barrelling rhythm seems to suit the experience of driving a car around a bend at speed.

Far Away, by José González. This song and its placement should top any list of perfectly selected tracks in games. Far Away plays at an ideal moment within Red Dead Redemption. Is the track only used once? I think so. The track’s isolation and sparse use are probably what makes it so effective and memorable.

It’s been years since I’ve played the game that this song features in, but I listen to the track often because I purchased it. I’ll always remember Far Away and what I was doing when I first heard it. Riding a horse slowly through a vast, unpopulated landscape. In the past Rockstar have selected excellent songs for their games, which leads on to my last choice.

Pretend We’re Dead, by L7. I love this song. Pretend We’re Dead is one of those tracks that I can listen to over and over again and I never get sick of it. Whenever I hear this song, I think of my extensive time playing as CJ in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. This song makes me recollect speeding across the game’s copious map on the back of a motorcycle.

There might be other examples of perfect song/game fusion. The aforementioned titles are just the first tracks that I could think of.

By reader Michael Veal (@msv858)

Burnout Paradise Remastered – even the name reminds you of the song (EA)

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