Top 5 Vocal Songs In Games

There's a lot of talk about great game soundtracks, but it's mostly—pardon my language—orchestral bullshit. Not that I mind some good orchestral bullshit, but where's the love for good vocals? They exist on game soundtracks, you know. Surprising, I know! Sure, you have to do some digging, and there's a small number of such songs even once you've found them, but let me help you if you're a music-lover like me. Here are five great vocal songs written and performed specifically for video games.

 

 

5. “Vagabond” – Greenskeepers, Grand Theft Auto IV

 

Perhaps best known for “Lotion” (a song about Buffalo Bill, from Silence of the Lambs), Greenskeepers turned out another winner for Grand Theft Auto IV. You might recognize it from one of the TV spots, or maybe you heard it on Radio Broker in-game. It’s not as funny as “Lotion,” but the imagery goes perfectly with GTAIV and Niko Bellic’s story. Rife with themes of disillusionment, destructiveness and revenge, it’s not hard to make an argument for “Vagabond” being GTAIV’s unofficial theme song.

 

 

4. “Burning Jacob’s Ladder” – Mark Lanegan, Rage

 

Just by the name attached to it, “Burning Jacob’s Ladder” earns its place on this list. Mark Lanegan’s collaborated with Queens of the Stone Age on some of their best work and was a founding member of Screaming Trees. His solo career’s been strong, too, with a total of six studio albums. “Burning Jacob’s Ladder” brings a dusty, Old West vibe to the Rage soundtrack, complete with banjoes and country blues-style guitar work. And then there’s Lanegan’s smoky vocals, instantly recognizable anywhere you hear them. If only Rage itself had lived up to the tone set by "Burning Jacob's Ladder."

 

 

3. “Exile Vilify” – The National, Portal 2

 

I know, I know… “You didn’t use ‘Still Alive’!? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!!!” I’ll grant you, “Still Alive” is a very funny, very catchy song, but next to “Exile Vilify,” there’s no contest. Nestled away in one of the Rat Man’s dens, playing on an old radio, this oft-ignored song stole the show. The Portal games are known for their brilliant, thoughtful-but-hysterical writing. “Exile Vilify” may not be funny, but it’s got the other two concepts down pat. The relaxed piano melody and string accompaniment make the solemn, contemplative lyrics all the sweeter.

 

 

2. “You’re Not Here” – Akira Yamaoka & Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, Silent Hill 3

 

There was no doubt Silent Hill would appear on this list. Akira Yamaoka is a brilliant songwriter, and his music soars when combined with McGlynn’s vocals. Almost any track featuring the duo is amazing, and it was a hard choice, but I had to pick “You’re Not Here.” Silent Hill 3’s soundtrack went a little heavier on the grunge than its predecessors, resulting in some of the franchise’s best music—including the uptempo-but-forlorn “You’re Not Here,” a song that compares loss of love to heroin withdrawal. …Fun, huh?

 

 

1. “Far Away” – Jose Gonzalez, Red Dead Redemption

 

Red Dead Redemption had an amazing soundtrack from the start. But then Rockstar commissioned a handful of songs from folk artists like Jose Gonzalez. Gonzalez wrote the outstanding “Far Away,” which represents John Marston’s contradictory struggle to find a new life by constantly putting himself in situations that could easily kill him. It’s a sad, lonely, wistful song—and it’s the perfect theme for Mr. Marston. “Far Away” is a great song regardless of its source material; it was not only one of the best video game songs from 2010 but one of the best songs, period.