Michael Jackson composed the music for Sonic 3, Yuji Naka reveals
Michael Jackson composed the music for Sonic 3
It had been talked about for decades, but no one had ever confirmed the involvement of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, in the soundtrack of the famous video game Sonic the Hedgehog 3 until now. To remove any doubts about this urban legend, Yuji Naka, co-creator of the game published by Sega on the Mega Drive platform in 1994, thought about it. The programmer let slip a detail on the occasion of the release of Sonic Origins, on June 23, for Sony PlayStation 4, Microsoft Xbox One, Xbox Series X | S, Nintendo Switch and Windows PC.Sonic in an image from the trailer for the second film The new collection sees the presence of the first official re-release of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 after several years. A choice much appreciated by fans of the game, although Yuji Naka has noticed a difference with the original video game. In fact, the change in the soundtrack did not go unnoticed: the music of the retro edition no longer contains the compositions of Michael Jackson, elaborated for the first publication of the game.
Michael Jackson and the Sonic 3 soundtrack
Below you can see the reference tweet:
Oh my god, the music for Sonic 3 has changed, even though SEGA Official uses Michael Jackson's music.
- Yuji Naka / 中 裕 司 (@nakayuji) June 23, 2022
In doing so, the co-creator of the video game has revealed the truth about the legendary collaboration between SEGA and Michael Jackson, even if the name by the singer never appeared in the credits of the original. According to some rumors, the reason is linked to the accusation of sexual harassment received in 1993, the year in which he was producing the melodies in question. Over the years, in fact, several composers of the Sonic 3 soundtrack had claimed to have worked side by side with the Thriller artist on some songs from the video game. Despite this, Sega and Yuji Naka had continued to officially deny any involvement by Michael Jackson, at least until now.
Read also: Sonic: the secrets of a 30-year long success
'Sonic' Creator Reveals Michael Jackson Wrote Music for 'Sonic the Hedgehog 3' Soundtrack
Yuji Naka has officially confirmed the long-persisting rumor that Michael Jackson did write music for the soundtrack of Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
The Sonic creator revealed the news on Twitter in celebration of the first game's 31st anniversary, first asking the question “Does Sonic Origins Sonic 3 have a different song?” in reference to the recently-released remastered compilation of the first four Sonic games entitled Sonic Origins. He managed to answer his own question, stating, “Oh my god, the music for Sonic 3 has changed, even though Sega Official uses Michael Jackson’s music.”
Naka also shared a TikTok video of Sonic channeling his inner Michael Jackson with 'Billie Jean,' adding, “SEGA Official uses Michael Jackson’s music. means this.” To corroborate his claims, he shared a photo of the late artist's Neverland ranch shot from high above, “This is a picture taken by me with my camera when we went to his house in his helicopter. It’s pretty faded. I miss it.”
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