The Atari 2600 game library in song

[Keir]

I had this idea to make a list of songs that can be associated with Atari games and see if I could get 1 song for each game ever released for the 2600. It could be a song about the game (e.g. Buckner & Garcia's "Pac-Man Fever") or maybe it just has the same name as a game (The Who's "Squeeze Box") or maybe it just reminds you of the game for some obscure reason. Think we can do it?

 

Here are a few to get started....

 

Asteroids Kid Stuff Records - "Asteroids"

Defender Manowar - "Defender"

Donkey Kong Buckner & Garcia - "Do the Donkey Kong"

Freeway Arethra Franklin - "Freeway of Love"

H.E.R.O. Tina Turner - "We Don't Need Another Hero"

Journey Escape Journey - "Don't Stop Believin'"

Missile Command Kid Stuff Records - "Missile Command"

Mountain King Edvard Grieg - "In the Hall of the Mountain King"

Out of Control Edguy - "Out of Control"

Pac-Man Buckner & Garcia - "Pac-Man Fever"

Pressure Cooker Metal Church - "In Due Time" (lyric: "I am trapped in a pressure cooker")

Squeeze Box The Who - "Squeeze Box"

Yar's Revenge Kid Stuff Records - "Yar's Revenge"

 

Anyone care to add?

[+Atari_Warlord]

California Games - David Lee Roth?, "California Girls"

Karate/Realsports Boxing/Boxing - Pat Benatar, "Hit me with Your Best Shot"

Gigolo - Sammy Hagar?, "Just a Gigolo"

Fire Fighter - Def Leppard, "Pyromaniac"

Ghostbusters - ?, "Ghostbusters"

M.A.S.H. - Theme Song

James Bond - Theme Song

Music Machine - Foreigner, "Jukebox Hero"

[Cybergoth]

Hi there!

 

Frank Black / Whatever happened to Pong?

 

Greetings,

Manuel

[Mindfield]

California Games - David Lee Roth?, "California Girls"

Karate/Realsports Boxing/Boxing - Pat Benatar, "Hit me with Your Best Shot"

Gigolo - Sammy Hagar?, "Just a Gigolo"

Fire Fighter - Def Leppard, "Pyromaniac"

Ghostbusters - ?, "Ghostbusters"

M.A.S.H. - Theme Song

James Bond - Theme Song

Music Machine - Foreigner, "Jukebox Hero"

 

"Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody" = David Lee Roth (original by Louis Prima)

"Pyromaniac" = "Rock of Ages" (from the album "Pyromania," lyric is "No serenade, no fire brigade, just a pyromania")

M*A*S*H theme = "Suicide is Painless"

 

As for my additions:

 

Bachelor Party: The Weather Girls' "It's Raining Men"

Bachelorette Party: Def Leppard's "Women"

Sneek 'n Peek: Howard Jones' "Hide & Seek" (the subject matter doesn't fit tho)

Any shoot 'em up: AC/DC's "Shoot to Thrill"

Montezuma's Revenge: "La Cucaracha" (obvious)

River Raid: Kenny Loggins' "Danger Zone"

Save Our Ship: Gordon Lightfoot's "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"

Time Warp: Visage's "In the Year 2525"

[Godzilla]

peter schilling has an old video game song, zone 804, iirc, that would fit any space shooter you wanted it too, but 5200 zone ranger has zone in the title... :-)

[NE146]

Here's an old Space Invaders song by Uncle Vic for ya (sorry but it's in crappy .ra format)

space_invaders.zip

[Big Player]

Here's some ideas for music hacks for the 2600.

 

http://www.atariage.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=15418

[liquid_sky]

for some reason pressure cooker makes me think of that old old reggae song "pressure drop"

 

Oh and Super-Charger heaven by While Zombie for playing your Starpath games

[Witchfynde]

Mountain King Edvard Grieg - "In the Hall of the Mountain King"

 

Savatage also had a tune by the same name, or one close to it, I think.

 

Maybe "Driving with Your Eyes Closed" by Don Henley for Night Driver?

[Keir]

They did indeed. Awesome song too (but I figured I'd go with the original song that inspired the game).

 

Here are a few more:

 

Blackjack Agony Column - "Blackjack"

Fire Fly Kermit the Frog - "Firefly" (I'm not sure who did it originally, Tony Bennet maybe?)

Flash Gordon Queen - "Flash Gordon"

Frogger Bad Religion - "Frogger"

Gauntlet Nosferatu - "The Gauntlet"

Gunslinger Voice - "Gunslinger"

Miner 2049'er Devo - "Working in a Coal Mine" (I don't remember who did the original)

Superman R.E.M. - "Superman"

 

BTW, the Ghostbusters song is by Ray Parker Jr.

[+Atari_Warlord]

Thanks Mindfield & Keir, I'm really bad at remembering details about songs.

 

 

Here's a couple more:

 

Eli's Ladder - Led Zepplin, "Stairway to Heaven"

Haunted House - The Eagles, "Hotel California"

Any Sports title - Queen, "We are the Champions"

Popeye - ?, "Owner of a Lonely Heart"

BMX Airmaster - Queen, "Bicycle Race"

Dragon Stomper/Defender - Queen, "Dragon Attack"

Texas Chainsaw Massacre - Queen, "All Dead, All Dead" or "Another one bites the dust"

Warlords - Journey, "Castles Burning"

Spikes Peak - John Denver, "Rocky Mountain High"

Riddle of the Sphinx - Bangles, "Walk Like an Egyptian"

[Witchfynde]

Popeye - ?, "Owner of a Lonely Heart"

 

Yes did that one.

 

Riddle of the Sphinx - Bangles, "Walk Like an Egyptian"

 

(laughs!) Good one!

[Vic George 2K3]

The Who's "Pinball Wizard" (which was better performed by Elton John) for Video Pinball, Bumper Bash, and Midnight Magic

[Witchfynde]

"Cars" by Gary Neuman (I think that was his name) while playing Dodge 'Em, Demolition Herby, Indy 500, or any other game involving cars

[Keir]

Thought I'd bring this back to see if anyone had anything to add. Here's one:

 

Earth Dies Screaming Iron Maiden - "Public Enema Number One" (lyric: "California dreaming while the Earth dies screaming")

[Christophero Sly]

Private Eye Private Eyes (are watching you) -- Hall and Oates

Kung Fu Superkicks 'Kung Fu Fighting' -- Carl Douglas

[Happy_Dude]

The Who's "Pinball Wizard" (which was better performed by Elton John)

What drugs where being smoke on that day

 

ET Bad Religion - Better off dead or Pennywise - Alien

[Krytol]

Kaboom! Gap Band - You Dropped A Bomb On Me

[ZylonBane]

Shouldn't every track from Pac-Man Fever be here by default? Ode to a Centipede, Froggy's Lament, Goin' Berzerk, et al.

[MegaManFan]

"Crush 'Em" by Megadeth seems appropriate for Squeeze Box.

[liveinabin]

Hmm, Breakout - Another brick in the Wall , Pink Floyd

 

Beat em and Eat em - Relax - Frankie goes to Hollywood

[MegaManFan]

"Thieves in the Temple" by Prince would be suitable for Tutankham.

[Inky]

Just do a parody of 'It's the end of hte world as we know it' and fit the names of the atari games in there.

[rockman_x_2002]

Shouldn't every track from Pac-Man Fever be here by default? Ode to a Centipede, Froggy's Lament, Goin' Berzerk, et al.

 

That's what I was thinking. I mean, the whole record covers games that all graced the 2600.

[raindog]

Earth Dies Screaming Iron Maiden - "Public Enema Number One" (lyric: "California dreaming while the Earth dies screaming")

 

I think I'll stick with "Earth Died Screaming", by Tom Waits. While I'm sure at some point someone was playing Iron Maiden while I was playing some Atari game, it would have to have been one of their earlier albums