Well today's entry ended up being a walk down memory lane and a dip into a nearly overwhelming amount of information, much of which I had never considered and hadn't thought about. I'm up to 1990 and the game WWF Wrestlemania Challenge. I don't know what it was, but in the early 90s, wrestling just got big. All my friends were talking about it. My brother and I even convinced my parents to let us go over to our great aunts' house (they had cable) and pay-per-view Wrestlemania VII, which we recorded on a VHS so we could rewatch it. I still remember Ultimate Warrior vs Macho Man in a "retirement" match during this event. Anyhow, I haven't watched wrestling in years and years, but I loved this game as a kid and the two player possibilities.
Original music is composed by David Wise, also composer of RC Pro AM, Wizards and Warriors, Battletoads, Ironsword: Wizards and Warriors II, and plenty of other iconic games. However, one of the questions I had to address immediately was how much of this music was actually written by David Wise. The "internets" list David Wise as the composer for the game, but anyone around my age who bought the game probably also followed wrestling and was thus aware that the various characters' theme songs play when the matches start. In other words, when you fight the Big Boss Man, his theme plays, and likewise with Hulk Hogan or Ultimate Warrior. This, of course, means that David Wise didn't composes these pieces; he arranged them for use in this game.
Definitely one of the joys of my game audio study is all the various avenues it leads me down. For instance, this entry led me to dig around on the internet for some information about who composed these original wrestling themes. Wow, this is a major topic of internet chatter... and well deserved! I totally agree that these composers should be more recognized for their work. I suspect a lot of guys my age know these songs. I can remember my friend Ryan doing a faux-strip dance when Ravishing Rick Rude's music came on as we played this game. Even though I haven't watched wrestling in years, I still know the words to the refrain of Hulk Hogan's theme, Real American. In any case if you're into learning more about wrestling music themes, I found particularly helpful postings here, here, here, and here. There's also a new documentary that's just come out, Signature Sounds: Music of the WWE, if you want to learn more about Jim Johnston, who composed (and still composes) much of wrestling's music. For tracks that are featured in this game, I've listed the original composers below in my notes.
One innovative use of the music implementation you can hear in this longplay is the fact that the music changes themes between the characters fighting. As a kid, I often thought the changes were random, but as I re-watch this video, it does seem that, after the initial introduction of the character's theme, the music changes depending on how the match is going. Perhaps, though, that's just my imagination, wishing to connect the dots. In support of that idea, notice how long Hacksaw's theme keeps playing versus how quickly Macho Man's theme shifts and compare the flow of the matches. It also seems that changes are only possible at the end of the loops, not mid loop, although pinning or getting out of the ring allows for a restart of theme. I'd love to ask David or another member of the design team about this musical implementation.
I'd say the overall key for this game is E minor. Most of the introduction music is in E minor, the bell that counts your pins rings an E. E definitely feels like home base, particularly for the music that David Wise composed. At the end of the game, we move into D for the victory music, but there is a nice flow between tonality at the beginning of the game.
Just over 10 minutes of music in this soundtrack.
These detailed notes on these pieces were composed using this soundtrack. Composed by David Wise unless otherwise noted.
-Menu: 9 sec. E minor. Uses i-bVI-bVII.
-Player 1: 42 sec. A minor. A B C D. D section is in the relative major.
-Player 2: 49 sec. E minor. A (6) B C(4) D. Less regular in phrase shapes than other themes. Also uses i-bVI-bVII in the D section.
-Brutus the Barber Beefcake: 50 sec. A minor. (Composer, Jimmy Hart, original in same key)
-Ravishing Rick Rude: 66 sec. C major. (Composer, David Rose, "Stripper", original in same key) Intro- A A B C. Awesome theme.
-Big Boss Man: 56 sec. E major. (Composers, Jimmy Hart and JJ Maguire, original in same key) A (12) A (12) B (12)
-Hacksaw Jim Duggan: 49 sec. A major. A (12) B (12) B' (12) (Hacksaw's theme was either Stars and Stripes, John Phillip Sousa, or an original piece, composed by Jim Johnston, "Two by Four". I don't hear a connection here to either of these. Perhaps there were rights problems or there was just a decision to make a new piece?). Probably an original David Wise composition.
-Andre the Giant: 51 sec. B minor. Intro (4) A B. Andre had no theme song at this point in his career, so this is probably David Wise.
-Rando "Macho Man" Savage: 47 sec. D major. A A . (Original here, in same key) Of course, we all know this from our graduation ceremonies. This is from a movement of Pomp and Circumstance Military Marches by Edward Elgar. Some online places cite this as being by Jim Johnston, who perhaps arranged it, but the composer is indeed Elgar.
- Hulk Hogan: 54.5 sec. A major. A B C (4) D D. Really unfortunate in the D section when the melody has to drop out to accommodate another line! ("Real American", in same key, composed (as best I can tell) by Jim Johnston, performed by Rick Derringer)
-Ultimate Warrior: 40 sec. E minor. A A B B (4). (Composer, Jim Johnston, original in same key)
-Victory: 3.5 sec. E minor
-Between rounds: 5.5 sec. G major.
-Match winner: 7 sec. D major.
-Tournament winner: 16 sec. D major.
- Continue: 3 sec. D major.
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