So as one does, I was listening to PLANITb’s Simple and Clean remix on my-really-good-headphones™ and I realized that’s there was a part of the song I hadn’t picked up on.
You must understand, I’ve been listening to this song at least 10 to 100 times a year for the past 17 years after I first saw it in Kingdom Hearts 1. In 2022 I will have been listening to this song for 20 years, I will be 30. This song is what made me like electronic music. This song is what got me into electronic music. I love this remix. Like I think its the best Progressive House song ever. Like this song still slaps and people loose their minds to it live today:
(look at how happy these people are, they know all of the words, they are literally screaming themselves hoarse; Porter Robinson you sick weeb fuck)
So the fact that I’m noticing something new now 17 years after its release is earth shattering to me. Until literally today I foolishly thought that the short version of the remix used for the opening of Kingdom Hearts 1 was only a cut down edit of the full length one. For the most part is this true, the differences between the two are minor at best, but it is these minor differences which I finally heard for the firs time today.
Starting at ~1:45 the short version moves into its ending phase. After Utada’s ghostly last “Nothing’s Like Before” we smash back into the driving bass line of the song, but this time there’s a tiny difference. A part of Utada’s voice is chopped and turned into a supporting synth line. Here let me just play that bit for you:
Did you notice it? Wind it back to minute 1:45 if you didn't and listen real close. I don’t know about you, but I had literally missed this part for 17 years. Which is a bummer because this little bit of chopping is too fucking cool for school. It so subtle and lends a strength to the beat’s dismount that makes the song that much more undeniable.
Maybe I’m biased here, I love vocal chopping and it can really make a song for me. But to realize that there is chopping in one my favorite/gateway songs was very exciting. My immediate reaction was to pull up the full version of the remix to see if this vocal chopping was in other parts of the song and I had just missed it because of not good headphones...but the thing is, its not in the full version of the song. Here listen:
How on earth had I missed this...for so long. But looking back it makes sense. The only way I could watch/listen to the short version until the internet was if I started up Kingdom Hearts 1. By the time I had the internet I downloaded the high quality mp3 version of the full mix and started listening to that on loop for years. I didn’t buy or listen to the short one because at that age I still thought the full version of a remix was always better.
The only time I would’ve had the opportunity to listen to this was while playing a game of Kingdom Hearts which meant I was more focused on playing Kingdom Hearts and not listening to the song that closely. So I get it, and in a way I’m glad I didn't notice until today because now I have a new thing to love about this song.
It’s also a fun way to look back on the evolution of my EDM tastes. How some things have changed and how I’m still a sucker for certain old tricks. It makes me realize that some of the newer music I like may not be as different from older tunes as I like to think.
