Sing Us a Song, You're the Poké-Man - Pokémon Tower Theme

Expanding on the Lavender town theme I discussed in my last entry of "Sing Us a Song, You're the Poké-Man", The next song I would like to go over is the Pokémon Tower theme. The Pokémon Tower is where the spirits of fallen Pokémon are laid to rest and where the ghost type Pokémon are found. Pokémon Tower is also where the bulk of Lavender Town's story takes place, so naturally the theme perfectly complements the theme of the town.

Before entering the tower we hear stories of how Team Rocket in some way caused the death of a Marowak while kidnapping several Cubone. Rocket has caused severe unrest in the tower causing the ghosts to be so unstable that local Pokémon House(basically a child services type center for Pokémon) volunteer, Mr. Fuji, goes to the tower attempting to calm the spirits. This is a heart wrenching story that gives extra punch to the theme. The theme plays out with enough ambiguity to make the ghosts illicit both fear and sorrow in the player.

The Pokémon Tower theme bursts in with high pitch chips being held and layered over top each other before entering the main beat. The main tune relies heavily on the sounds of long held notes with a slight amount of distortion as they trail off. Comparable to an ethereal spirit leaving a trail as it floats by. The distortion in this theme does more work than just that as it also adds an air of mystery to the tower that leaves the player questioning the intentions of the spirits.

The theme of the Pokemon Tower leaves you feeling as if you are trapped in a haunted house. Discovering secrets and solving mysteries all while trying to avoid the looming threat of the ghostly hand on your shoulder. It is an experience few would expect coming into the game for the first time. The tower and Lavender Town are anomalies in the Pokémon world that remind you of how these small creatures you are collecting have lives and feelings just like any person. Which calls into question just how moral it is to use these creatures the way you and many other trainers do.

Check out my write up of the Lavender Town theme here

LOOK WHO CAME:

Garett Mefford