Hello.
In 1999, twelve VGM composers collaborated on
2197, a concept album which envisions the society of the future through music. The album itself has nothing to do with video games; the only connection is that everyone involved in it is best known for their work in games. It features a blend of various styles and genres, though it leans towards the electronic. It's super good and you should be trawling eBay for a copy right now. Anyway, the first track on the album is:
by, yes, the Chrono Trigger guy. You'll notice the opening seconds include a non-sequitur clip of some man (who is not Yasunori Mitsuda) speaking. He says the following:
...decreasing our ability to invest in our children, our schools -- perpetuating a mad economic cycle that threatens to spin us totally out of control.
In no time at all, in no time at all, we have gone from the greatest seller nation...
Then the clip ends and the track continues on, melding smoky jazz and sparkling synth for another three minutes. It's a shame this is the "short collage mix," as I want more of what Mitsuda's laying down here, but to my knowledge no other version of this track has been released.
But who is this man, and what is he talking about? Why, it's former New York Governor Mario M. Cuomo, of course, and the clip is from a speech he gave at the 1992 Democratic National Convention, endorsing Bill Clinton for President. You can find the full text of his speech
here.
So why did Mitsuda-san choose this sample for his track? Well, you see, the answer is [TEXT MISSING]
Enlightening! Join me next time, when I discuss the connection between Xenogears and one Mr. Marlon Brando. Keep watching the ground!
