Translated from Game Magazine, 2005.12.21
Janne da Arc's song "Destination" has been announced as the main theme for the Taito title "Over G", for the XBOX 360, to be released on February 23, 2006.
In accordance with this announcement, we have asked Janne da Arc vocalist yasu and keyboardist kiyo about the whole process of making the song, as well as their impressions of the game itself.
Q: Can you tell us how it came to be that Janne da Arc composed the theme song?
yasu: The producer of the game approached us about writing the song for them about two years ago, but at the beginning we didn't have the time to do the recording with the band and everything because of our schedule. But, they talked with us again after "Over G" had been finished, and that's how it came to be in its current form. Janne da Arc is very pleased with the producer, who was kind enough to attend some of our lives. He made it feel like things were very organized, and we had a good time working with him.
Q: Could it be that the tune has progressed since then?
yasu: Actually, when we started writing the song, we had no idea what kind of game it was going to be for, so we all agreed on doing a song for a fighter pilot simulation game. Everyone's image of the fighter jet was different, of course, but finally, we settled on a piece of music (that kiyo composed). That piece of music was kiyo's interpretation of a game of this kind, and it differed from mine, but it suited my image in itself, and I thought it was really cool. It had the feeling of being free, the valiant efforts of the fighter plane, from the very introduction, so I thought it fit perfectly. As far as the lyrics are concerned, I wanted to write them more like the lyrics that would suit a game, but because I hadn't eliminated it as a song for a new single, I didn't want it to sound too much like a game song. The people listening would, certainly, know that it was meant to be the song for a game, however, the balance between that and the overall good feeling that the song gives became what I wanted to do with it.
Q: Are the lyrics a reference to the game's storyline?
yasu: If you say it like that, not especially so. When kiyo made the initial demo tape, I wrote the lyrics as I liked them. I wrote about being in an airplane, going into battle against an enemy...but, the woman I love is in the clutches of the enemy nation...that kind of situation made it into a game's theme song. I thought it was really interesting, but looking at just the words, it was kind of grotesque (laughs). So, we had a meeting about it, and the result was the current lyrics. We all agree on them now, but I don't think they're as interesting anymore (laughs).
Q: In regards to game music, does the artist have anything more they would like to say?
yasu: That has nothing to do with this at all, does it? (Laughs.) When I was in elementary school, the Nintendo was immensely popular. We truly were the generation raised by video games. As a result, in our view (as artists), we absolutely wanted to try out something like that--game music. We all know this, but as far as the Nintendo is concerned, it can't produce that many notes, can it? They're not melodies with three parts: baselines, melodies, and harmonies. They're melodies constructed with only about three or four tones. But, even with such restrictions, people were able to make music. All of us, especially kiyo, thought that game music was very interesting, and held a deep respect for these artists. But with the current gaming machines, you can have CD-quality sound, yeah? But, on the contrary to what it was before, there's a sort of lonely feeling to composing music for games. Game music isn't the art of a skilled craftsman working with the limitations of their musical systems anymore.
Q: What about Janne da Arc's game theme song?
kiyo: No matter how you put it, we generally have an image that assigns us on the "hard" side of the musical spectrum, but we like trying out writing for all kinds of genres. But, basically, a lot of our songs are written with the assumption that they will be played live, so the tempo is usually faster, the guitar has a large part, and it has its individualized places too…I like that. Really, it seems as if it would almost be better without keyboard (Laughs). It ("Destination") is an intense song from the very beginning. It has a little more guitar, too.
Q: When you made this piece, what were you dedicated to?
kiyo: Ever since the old times, we've always been really careful to not make the melody line too hard, because the sound left in your ears of course has some significance. yasu already mentioned it, but we don't want just the melody to be left behind. All of the members' lives hang in the balance between the hard lines and the melodic lines, and the life behind those lines.
According to these two, the game is very good, and they're already practicing, boasting that they will be the number one player! The "Destination" CD will be released on February 8, 2006, so let's take a look at how much of a success this collaboration between Janne da Arc and "Over G" will become!