Music of the Katamari Damacy series

Lore & Background

The music of the Katamari Damacy series began with the 2004 game Katamari Damacy, where sound director Yuu Miyake composed seven tracks and led a team including Asuka Sakai, Akitaka Tohyama, Yoshihito Yano, Yuri Misumi, and Hideki Tobeta. Miyake chose vocalists by seeking Japanese singers who were well-known in Japan but had not been heard from recently, aiming to create fun, memorable music that fit the game's world. The opening song's humming—'na-na-na-na-na-na-na-Katamari'—was an experiment to make a memorable theme. The soundtrack album Katamari Fortissimo Damacy was released in 2004 and included a bonus track not in the game.

For the 2005 sequel We Love Katamari, Miyake and his team (including Katsuro Tajima) again used Japanese artists, though Miyake had wanted non-Japanese musicians. The soundtrack album Katamari wa Damacy omitted many instrumental tracks, which were later added to the Me & My Katamari soundtrack album. The third game, Me & My Katamari (2005), reused tracks from the first two games, and its music received the weakest reviews due to this reuse. Subsequent games in the series continued to use previous tracks, with no separate album releases for their soundtracks.

Five soundtrack albums were released in total: Katamari Fortissimo Damacy (2004), Katamari wa Damacy (2005), Katamari Original Soundtrack Damacy (2006, also including omitted tracks from We Love Katamari), Katamari Suteki Damacy (2007), and Katamari Damacy Tribute Original Soundtrack: Katamari Takeshi (2009). All were published by Columbia Music Entertainment.

Reader's Guide

The music of the Katamari Damacy series is significant for its role in establishing the franchise's playful, offbeat identity. The original soundtrack's blend of jazz, samba, and J-pop, with catchy vocal hooks, was widely praised and won major awards from IGN and GameSpot in 2004. This success set a high standard for the series, though subsequent soundtracks were often compared to the original. The We Love Katamari soundtrack earned a specific award for its vocal song 'Katamari on the Swing' but was seen as more experimental and less focused on catchiness. The series' music is noted for its quirkiness and memorability, with the original game's theme becoming iconic. The soundtracks' albums were well-received by critics, with the Me & My Katamari soundtrack receiving weaker reviews due to heavy reuse. The music's legacy lies in its integration with the game's surreal visuals and gameplay, creating a cohesive and beloved aesthetic that remains a hallmark of the series.

Did You Know?

• The soundtrack for Katamari Damacy won both IGN's and GameSpot's 'Soundtrack of the Year 2004' awards.
• Yuu Miyake chose vocalists by looking for Japanese singers who were well-known in Japan but had not been heard from recently.
• The opening song's humming was an experiment to create a memorable theme in response to criticisms that modern game music was not as memorable as older games.
• The soundtrack album for Me & My Katamari included tracks from We Love Katamari that were omitted from its own album.