Game music of the day: Bully

GR’s ongoing tribute to the beloved world of videogame music

Words: GamesRadarTylerNagata on June 24, 2010

Welcome to GamesRadar's daily blast of all things pertaining to the ever-growing field of game music. Each post will introduce new sounds, games, composers and fan-made remixes of gaming's greatest aural achievements.

June 24, 2010

Game: Bully
Song: The Slingshot
Composer: Shawn Lee

Above: A sample of “The Slingshot” from the Bully soundtrack

Angry parents and ill-informed educators were ready to preemptively dog pile on Rockstar Game’s Bully for glorifying school violence. It turned out that the protagonist, Jimmy Hopkins, wasn’t much of a Bully at all. In fact, he was much more of an anti-bully, a sympathetic Holden Caufield-esque character who found himself abandoned by his mother at a New England boarding school.

We loved Bully’s story, its world, and righting wrongs with our trusty slingshot and pocket full of stink bombs. But we also loved the game’s music, which is one of the most overlooked soundtracks we’ve come across. So turn up your volume and open your ears as we continue our audio adventures with today’s Game Music of the Day.

Have a listen to “The Slingshot.” Like so many great songs, it’s not afraid to use “more cowbell,” and it keeps getting better as the rubber bandy bass line and driving drum beats kick in. The snappy guitar licks and jazzy horns are the icing on the cake, making for a smoothed out sound that makes for great listening when you’re cruising for a bruising at Bullworth Academy.

Above: Best weapon. Ever.

Above: The Bully soundtrack was scored by Shawn Lee. If you liked “The Slingshot,” check out “Millionaire” by the Shawn Lee Ping Pong Orchestra

Jun 24, 2010

Game music of the day: Killer 7
Rave On by Masafumi Takada

Game music of the day: Actraiser
Bloodpool by Yuzo Koshiro

Game music of the day: Dote up a Cat
“Why do humans want sex with cats?” ponders our equine editor

Platforms:

Xbox 360, PS2, PC

Topics:

Game music

17 comments

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nighthawk205 - June 25, 2010 12:28 p.m.

I completely agree with this song. Great pick Tyler. I wasn't a big fan of the overall soundtrack for Bully, but I was always a fan of this one. And I second shyfonzie with the Pokemon music. Get on that Brett! And if we can make our requests, I say go for the classic GB Pallet Town. Now that HG and SS have come out, I've literally sat in Pallet with GB Sounds and gone to do something else as I listen to the music.
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Wootles - June 25, 2010 11:33 a.m.

I'll sacrifice a box of cute little kittens to get my hands on a high quality version of the Walking Theme. I never understood why they didn't put one of the game's most memorable songs on the soundtrack.
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CombatCat120 - June 25, 2010 10:53 a.m.

It's weird how almost every game by Rockstar has a kickass soundtrack, and Bully, my favourite PS2 game till today, is no exception. I just love how every mission and every situation, whether walking or riding a bike, had its own unique track. And that's what makes half of this game so awesome for me.
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philipshaw - June 25, 2010 10:30 a.m.

You are right in saying that the soundtrack was over looked, I never remember any reviews mention how great it was. For me it was typical Rockstar of matching a great game with a great soundtrack
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shyfonzie - June 25, 2010 7:31 a.m.

Ooh yeah, sounds fun. I feel like I should be making something out of cardboard with my friends in fast motion, but sometimes we pause for a rowdy goof-about. And hey if you're taking requests, Pokemon hasn't been on GMOTD yet. "Cycling Road" from the original Gold/Silver for Game Boy is a really upbeat and adventurous song. Or Ruby's credits. It's the sound of going home after tough times.
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GayforGilbert - June 25, 2010 4:41 a.m.

My favorite song from this soundtrack is Final Showdown. It's just about the best thing I've ever heard in a game.
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GamesRadarTylerNagata - June 25, 2010 2:23 a.m.

@listerfeed I love the walking theme, too. It's so ominous and foreboding. I remember trying to figure out how to play it when I still had a bass guitar. I'm keeping a list of reader suggestions for songs. So, thank you for all the GMOTD requests!
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GamesRadarBrettElston - June 25, 2010 2:06 a.m.

@Che When did we use Bully? First time we did was today, AFAIK.
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WaveMaster - June 25, 2010 1:56 a.m.

Great new feature. As a soundtrack aficionado I will be following this closely.
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Vitoruss1 - June 25, 2010 1:37 a.m.

Bully has one of the best soundtracks ever. The only two videogame soundtracks I ever bothered downloading were for Devil May Cry (every game, guilty), Mortal Kombat "The Album" (if that counts), and Bully. I love this soundtrack.
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FTW - June 25, 2010 12:44 a.m.

Never actually played the game but the music is fantastic! I love game music of the day always makes my day better.
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CH3BURASHKA - June 25, 2010 12:32 a.m.

Though I am appreciative of the track, I think there are plenty of other games that can be sampled before you guys go into the back-catalogs. Need I remind you you already did a Bully entry? Great track, though.
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WonsAuto - June 24, 2010 11:58 p.m.

I loved this game. Great choice, T-Nag.
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jaffa_5 - June 24, 2010 11:52 p.m.

bully was one of my fave games on ps2 and the sound track had a lot to do with that i wish rockstar would announce bully 2
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listerfeend - June 24, 2010 11:44 p.m.

This soundtrack is soooo good. I love this one, which must have been ripped from the game, as its not on the soundtrack: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmqbIUa8RcA
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raisonbread - June 24, 2010 11:43 p.m.

its a sign. I was debating if I should get bully:scholorship edition or not. Looks like I am.
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jpalz - June 24, 2010 11:41 p.m.

Hey, didn't know about this OST (cuz' I never played the game). Thanks for the pick Tyler! You know which could be a great pick? "The Best is Yet to Come" (I think that's the name- otherwise it would be the ending song) from Metal Gear Solid :D
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