Sonic 1 composer finally puts lyrics to the Green Hill Zone theme

30 years ago, the absolutely iconic theme for the first level of Sonic the Hedgehog, Green Hill Zone, blasted on speakers around the world. It immediately makes an impact with its cheery, bouncy pop melody that makes for a fantastic companion to the intro stage. As such, it’s been remixed official and unofficially many times over the years. The latest comes directly from the game’s original composer Masato Nakamura, whose band finally gave the Green Hill Zone tune lyrics.

Nakamura, who composed the first two Sonic games, and his pop band Dreams Come True released the single “Tsugino Seno! De – On The Green Hill” earlier this week as part of Sonic’s 30th-anniversary celebration. The single takes the classic Green Hill theme and renders it in a modern orchestral pop style. It’s a great treat for Sonic and J-pop fans alike.

Check out the music video below.

Green Hill Zone + catchy music + lyrics = beautiful

The video depicts Nakamura playing the bass, as he has been doing for Dreams Come True since 1988. It centers around a young man with red shoes and a blue jacket running through open green hills. (Do you see the parallels yet?)

The band’s lead singer Miwa Yoshida penned the lyrics to this version of Green Hill Zone. She sings not just about green hills, but about sunlight, sharing dreams, being together, and fighting against the darkness. It’s an appropriate set of lyrics considering the level that inspired it, and the beat behind it is catchy thanks to Nakamura’s arrangement.

Dreams Come True and Sonic fans aren’t the only ones talking about the single, however. Former Sonic Team head Yuji Naka tweeted about the song and is evidently very pleased with it.

The single “Tsugino Seno! De – On The Green Hill” is slated for release on Sept. 22, featuring four versions of the track. You can learn more about the release here.

Via Eurogamer.