Song for Japan has been ruined for me :(
- harrisonreed
- Posts: 6479
- Joined: Aug 17, 2018
We are rehearsing the full band version of Song for Japan and one trombone solo (our bass trombonist is just pulling out his tenor mid gig and crushing it as the soloist)
One of the clarinetists comes up to us after the rehearsal and said, "wow I had no idea the Donkey Kong theme meant so much to the people of Japan! This is a beautiful variation on that theme"
<YOUTUBE id="Xqf8jID9TsE">[media]https://youtu.be/Xqf8jID9TsE</YOUTUBE>
At first we thought this was hilarious, but now a beautiful piece that I have a good history with performing is tainted with that observation. :lol:
One of the clarinetists comes up to us after the rehearsal and said, "wow I had no idea the Donkey Kong theme meant so much to the people of Japan! This is a beautiful variation on that theme"
<YOUTUBE id="Xqf8jID9TsE">
At first we thought this was hilarious, but now a beautiful piece that I have a good history with performing is tainted with that observation. :lol:
- Doug_Elliott
- Posts: 4155
- Joined: Mar 22, 2018
That is kind of hilarious.
- harrisonreed
- Posts: 6479
- Joined: Aug 17, 2018
Oh it's not actually wrecked for me. We laughed so hard when he played that for us
- SwissTbone
- Posts: 1138
- Joined: Mar 23, 2018
Haha! Well I guess you take inspiration from wherever it comes!
- BengeCollector
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Sep 22, 2022
I remember that! It absolutely wrecked my brain to hear the similarites. Lucky I didn't laugh next time I had to go up and do a run-through!
Good times, Harry. Miss you guys over there!
Good times, Harry. Miss you guys over there!
- PatrickDaly
- Posts: 4
- Joined: May 01, 2023
I mean this game was made in Japan, So this is technically also a song for Japan if you really think about it.
- Trombonjon
- Posts: 46
- Joined: Jun 29, 2022
Can't help but to wonder if S V was aware of this when he wrote it, or if Song of Japan is just another arrangement of the Donkey Kong song.
- Doug_Elliott
- Posts: 4155
- Joined: Mar 22, 2018
A rough timeline I put together to help me understand:
The earthquake and tsunami occurred on the 11th of March 2011
Steven Verhelst, Belgian composer , trombonist and bass trombonist. wrote Song for Japan when? Soon after, I think.
Donkey Kong Song composed by David Wise, British video game music composer
He apparently started composing for Donkey Kong in June 2013
That video was posted in 2018
It's really obvious plagiarism.
The earthquake and tsunami occurred on the 11th of March 2011
Steven Verhelst, Belgian composer , trombonist and bass trombonist. wrote Song for Japan when? Soon after, I think.
Donkey Kong Song composed by David Wise, British video game music composer
He apparently started composing for Donkey Kong in June 2013
That video was posted in 2018
It's really obvious plagiarism.
- ithinknot
- Posts: 1339
- Joined: Jul 24, 2020
That's not quite the timeline...
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- Doug_Elliott
- Posts: 4155
- Joined: Mar 22, 2018
I'm honestly not that interested in researching this any more, but I still can't find any evidence that the Donkey Kong melody in question existed before Song for Japan was written. David Wise did compose the original 1994 Donkey Kong music, but it was unrelated to that melody.
- Kjong3545
- Posts: 14
- Joined: Apr 06, 2022
Donkey Kong for the NES, released in 1986 has the same theme for the title screen. 2013 is just a remaster of the original. The original title screen theme is attributed to Yukio Kaneoka. If anyone plagiarized it’s definitely Verhelst.
Although, mind the “original” from 1986 is just a 15 second track, but it contains nearly the entire Song for Japan first theme.
https://www.mariowiki.com/Opening_(Donkey_Kong)
Although, mind the “original” from 1986 is just a 15 second track, but it contains nearly the entire Song for Japan first theme.
https://www.mariowiki.com/Opening_(Donkey_Kong)
- harrisonreed
- Posts: 6479
- Joined: Aug 17, 2018
<YOUTUBE id="Qf9Riw4XDX8">[media]https://youtu.be/Qf9Riw4XDX8</YOUTUBE>
©1981
Video may be correct in it's attribution to the NES port (1986), but the 1981 copyright date is for the arcade version. This contains the first theme.
©1981
Video may be correct in it's attribution to the NES port (1986), but the 1981 copyright date is for the arcade version. This contains the first theme.
- willroberts
- Posts: 2
- Joined: May 20, 2023
I feel obligated to revisit song for Japan after this. I grew up on that game.