In spite of all the amazing soundtracks produced in video games over the years, there have definitely been some speed bumps along the way.
Twitch streamer Coney put together a tournament on Twitch on Oct. 3 in which his viewers submitted what they believed was the worst song and put it to a vote. And wow, the winner sure does deserve the title.
Following the stream, Coney announced the winner on Twitter for the wider public to hear, and they hated it. This comes from the Sega Genesis game Spider-Man: The Animated Series, and it’s the track called “Fun House.” As it might sound, it played when Spider-Man enters the Fun House in a carnival area of this forgettable platformer. The track features a constant “boing” that strains the ears, but that’s not even the best (or worst) part.
No, what sets this “song” apart from the rest is the constant laughing and screeching that plays in the background. Those aren’t sound effects that just so happen to be playing in the level; this is all part of the song itself. This, along with the cuckoo clock and other odd sound choices, makes me picture a Tom & Jerry cartoon without any of the charm. It’s incredibly bad.
If you’re interested in what “Fun House,” was up against, Coney also tweeted the event’s runner-up, and it’s only slightly more tolerable. Coming from the game Wild Woody—another bizarre platformer lost to time—this song is called “Treasure Caves.” There are parts of it that do, in fact, SOUND like music, but so much is going on that it sounds like you left five different tabs on and they’re lumping together to form a garbled mess.
This fun idea of a tournament really shows just how low the music experience has gone over the years in gaming. In a way, it’s kind of beautiful how far we’ve come. But on the other hand, it’s dreadful to know we will never fully escape the horror of songs as bad as these. Now excuse me while I take some Tylenol to treat the awful headache these songs have given me.
