"Snake Eater" is the opening theme for Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.
Overview[]
Norihiko Hibino wrote the game's opening theme, "Snake Eater",[1] a distinctly James Bond-like vocal track, as performed by Cynthia Harrell.[2]
In Metal Gear Solid 3, Harrell's vocals from the song will play during the lengthy ladder-climbing sequence, in which Naked Snake makes his way up to the Krasnogorje mountaintop. Another version of "Snake Eater," unofficially known as the "The Boss Mix," will play during the fight with The Boss when five minutes are left in the fight. At that point, the song will play up to the chorus and then replay from the first verse with vocals. After that, the song will play through normally and conclude with the dramatic sting. Another version of "Snake Eater" also exists, known as the "Abstracted Camouflage" mix. Bars from the final instrumental portion of the song are also heard immediately after Ocelot calls the DCI.
In Metal Gear Solid 4, the opening drum beats from "Snake Eater" will sometimes play when the player equips the Patriot. The full song itself is also used as the music for the third phase of the Final Battle between Solid Snake and Liquid Ocelot on top of Outer Haven. It can be unlocked as an iPod song by collecting all emblems, and will give gameplay bonuses when played during combat.
A piano version of the song is played in Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker during flashbacks relating to The Boss as well as during both instances where Big Boss attempts to remove the memory drives. It is an unlockable song for the Walkman.
A cover version performed by Donna Burke is featured in the soundtrack Metal Gear Solid ~Vocal Tracks~.
"Snake Eater" is also available as a collectible cassette tape in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, found at Outpost 21 in the Angola-Zaire border region. In addition, the song, or rather, the variant used for the final five minutes of the battle against The Boss in Metal Gear Solid 3, will also be made available for BGM in the version 1.02 update for Metal Gear Online 3, titled "MGS3 THE BOSS.
Lyrics[]
Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater - Song - Intro - PS2
The Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater intro.
What a thrill
With darkness and silence through the night
What a thrill
I'm searching and I'll melt into you
What a fear in my heart
But you're so supreme!
I give my life
Not for honor, but for you (Snake Eater)
In my time there'll be no one else
Crime, it's the way I fly to you (Snake Eater)
I'm still in a dream, Snake Eater
Someday you go through the rain,
And someday you feed on a tree frog,
It's ordeal, the trial to survive
For the day we see new light
I give my life
Not for honor, but for you (Snake Eater)
In my time there'll be no one else
Crime, it's the way I fly to you (Snake Eater)
I'm still in a dream, Snake Eater
I'm still in a dream, Snake Eater
(Snake Eater...)
Lyrics from official booklet of the Single CD, code KOLA-082 and GFCA53 <LC1563>
Other appearances[]
"Snake Eater" can be sung in Konami's Karaoke Revolution Volume 3 for the PlayStation 2.
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, "Snake Eater" appears in the game as an instrumental track on Solid Snake's level, Shadow Moses Island. It would later receive a more intense remix in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
An instrumental version of "Snake Eater" also plays when the player downloads the MGS3 theme for the 3DS.
The announcement trailer for the addition of Solid Snake, Raiden, and Big Boss has bars from "Snake Eater" playing in the beginning.
Credits[]
Vocals: Cynthia Harrell
Written, Music, Words: Norihiko Hibino
Strings & Horn Arrangement: Mark Holden
Programming: Nate Phillipe / Rika Muranaka
Produced: Rika Muranaka
References[]
- ^ Norihiko Hibino. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 2008-03-28.
- ^ Cynthia Harrell. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 2008-03-28.