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| Special Thanks to Morgan Meryl for the title card. For commissions check out her dA page. |
I
am by no means a smaller gentlemen. If you are familiar with the
standup of Gabriel Iglecias, I would be in the Fluffy category. Of
course I have battled my weight since I was a young child. While I
would fluctuate on weight loss, there was always one constant that
helped me when I was working out. Video Game music is that sort of
music that gets my body to move. Whether it's the main theme of
Mortal Kombat, to Uematsu's Searching For Friends from Final Fantasy
6 to even Jesper Kyd's Venice Rooftops from the Assassin's Creed 2
soundtrack, these songs are full of energy.
So
starting off Healthy Listening Month, I will be listing off my
personal top 20 songs to work out to. In order to keep these lists
diverse, I am limiting it to 2 songs per franchise.
20:
Gym Battle ~ Junichi Masuda (Pokemon Red/Blue)
Junichi
Masuda, I choose you. Use Red/Blue Gym Battle. It's super effective.
Gym
Battle from the original Pokemon Red/Blue/Green is a good way to kick
off this list. One can easily swap out this song for any of the new
versions that exist, but I chose the original because to me, it works
the best as a song to get you started. I am not sure what it is about
this song. Perhaps it's the fact that this song makes you want to
succeed in game and it stems to real life. It's a great a song to
start off with. As I said you can choose any version of this song,
but my preference is with the original.
19:
Pillars of Creation ~ flashygoodness
I
was born in 1985 and got my first Nintendo when I was 5 years old. I
know the term Nintendo Hard and Tower of Heaven is the very
definition of it. I am not here to discuss the game (if you are
interested however you can go here to play it) but it's music. One
common theme in this list is going to be perseverance and success.
Pillars of Creation can be considered the definition of success
because this song makes you feel victorious. You over came your
trials and now stand tall and proud. That is how I feel with this
song.
18:
Lower Norfair ~ Metroid Metal
If
you read my Metroid Metal PAX East article, you know my thoughts on
this particular track. It is a military march with a powerful, morale
boosting chant. When I listen to this song, I imagine some military
commander barking at his troops to work faster, or move faster. While
not wanting to drop my life and join the military, it does help keep
me focused on my goal and not waver.
17:
Rox 300 ~ Anamanaguchi (Scott Pilgrim)
I
brought Rox 300 out again because it belongs on this list. When
working out, one is in need of high energy music and Rox 300 fits the
bill. As I said in my other article, Rox 300 is much like the
character herself. It is high energy and spastic. You will be hard
pressed to keep up with the song itself and afterwards, even though
you have only going at it for less then three minutes. It is a great
track to have in my personal opinions.
16:
Braving Tal Tal Heights ~ Disco Dan (LoZ: Link's Awakening)
When
it comes to music. Legend of Zelda has always been a personal
favourite. With tracks like the iconic over world theme, the Windmill
Hut, or Dragon Roost Island, the songs from Zelda are always there to
make me feel better. Even some of the more lacklustre games have
solid tracks to them. I have found some of the more upbeat tracks to
be incredibly inspirational.
I
had so many songs to choose from, I decided to go with a more obscure
title. Braving Tal Tal Heights by Disco Dan is a song that makes you
feel good. As I stated, this song is more obscure on OCRemiX, but is
still a good track to listen to. It gives the listener enough of an
oomph.
15:
Dancing Mad ~ Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy 6)
I
have often praised Final Fantasy 6 as my favourite of all the 16 bit
iterations of Square's flagship title. Perhaps it was the music, the
story or the characters. Or maybe it was a little known villain named
Kefka Pallazzo. Whatever the case may be, Kefka's final boss theme, a
2 part magnum opus called Dancing Mad is a song that redefines hope.
The song is chilling in it's presentation, with an ominous Latin
chorus and epic band work. A song that forces yourself to fight on
and not to give in to despair. The fate of all living beings depends
on you.
So
why does this song help me when I am working out. Like Lower Norfair,
it forces me to focus on my goal. To stop the enemy at no matter the
cost. Be the enemy a clown suffering from a god complex, or your own
weight. A solid song at the 15 spot.
14:
The Passing of the Blue Crown ~ Sixton Sounds, Steppo, Zircon (Mega Man 3)
Mega Man has always had a good run musically. During this writing I had 2
different Mega man Mixes up for this spot, 2003 from Gecko Yamori and
The Passing of the Blue Crown by Zircon, Steppo and Sixton Sounds. In
the end, I chose the latter because it made me want to work harder at
my goal. Don't get me wrong, Gecko Yamori's version of the Mega Man 3
Title screen is a good song in it's own right, it just starts off too
slow for me. By the time it gets to the good part, my mind has
wandered and it makes me want to do something else. Passing of the
Blue Crown on the Other Hand starts off at a mid speed and continues
to accelerate, slowing down only for a quick breather before jumping
right back into the fray
Like
many of the songs on this list, it is one that reflects the
characters determination to conquer their enemies. That is something
I enjoy in music. Where the music itself is filled with such emotion
that you can feel it. I love it and I feel it does a lot more good
for the person. Not just to help them with their exercises, but
emotionally as well.
13:
Enter the Frog ~ JigginJonT (Chrono Trigger)
I
am not sure what is about this song that makes me enjoy it so much. I
like the character Frog from Chrono Trigger. After being given the
Masamune, he ended his self imposed exile and looked to the future. He
faced adversity with a determination. He is a hero that people
idolize.
With
tunes like this to listen to while doing your own exercises, it gives
one a sense of their own determination. To push beyond ones own
adversity with determination and look to the future with hope. To me,
Enter the Frog by JigginJonT is a song that fills me with such
emotions. When I listen to it, I can look forward to the future. It
is not as high energy as the other songs on this list but it does
it's job right.
12:
People Seized With Trance ~ ambient (Chrono Cross)
Working
out does not necessarily mean going to the gym and doing a dozen
reps, or running in the park. For some people, working out can be
going to the club and dancing for hours on end. While People Seized
With Trance is an excellent song, it is more suited for dancing then
working out.
Now
this isn't a bad thing. As the old adage goes, all work and no play
makes Jack a dull boy and I personally find working out after a
while, it becomes monotonous and boring. Now while I am not much of a
dancer, I find it more freeing and far more fun then regular working
out. That is what makes this song work. It's a great song for you to
get on the floor and just dance the night away.
11:
Give me all your love ~ WAKAKO (The World Ends With You)
The
World Ends With You is quite possibly one of the best RPG released on
the DS. With tight, intuitive controls, beautiful art design,
likable characters and one of the best soundtracks of this generation
of gaming. If you are a fan of J-Pop, then this is a solid
soundtrack. But I am not here to promote this album at this moment,
check back in September for that. I would like to single out one of
the songs though.
Give
Me All Your Love by WAKAKO is quite possibly one of my favourite
songs on the album. With fun, if suggestive as hell lyrics and a beat
that makes you want to move your body. Which is kind of the point if
you actually have read the lyrics. The lyrics are solid, but what I
prefer is the beat. Like the lyrics, it makes me want move my body. I
love this song.
Ishimoto
Takeharu
musical arrangement is spot on with this track.
There
you have it, the first part of the top 10 list. Now again this is
just my recommendations. You may have your own opinion on what you
want to listen to. Come on back next week for part 2 or Music you can
move your body by. This is Daimo Mac and I am lost in the music.
For more healthy tips, visit www.1upyourlife.com
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