KH 10th Anniversary Fan Selection Official Site Opens!

[Sign]

Hello, hello everyone! To all collectors, music lovers, and general fans of KINGDOM HEARTS, you'll be pleased to know that the official site for the KINGDOM HEARTS 10th Anniversary Fan Selection Melodies&Memories soundtrack has opened! As you already know, this 2 disc soundtrack will be available on September 19th for 3,500¥ (roughly $44.72 USD), and thus, they have begun to reveal the tracks chosen to go into this set!

So far, only the ones for KINGDOM HEARTS and KINGDOM HEARTS CHAIN OF MEMORIES have been revealed, and you can view the list below. Composer Yoko Shimomura also has a short note about each track, which we'll have up shortly. She's remastered each of them specially for this occassion, and you can listen to previews of them on the site as well!

KINGDOM HEARTS:

• Dearly Beloved
• Destati
• Hand in Hand
• Hollow Bastion
• Hikari
• Hikari -KINGDOM Orchestra Instrumental Version-
• Traverse Town
• Kairi I
• Always on My Mind
• Another Side

KINGDOM HEARTS CHAIN OF MEMORIES:

• Naminé
• Lord of the Castle

You can also view the complete list of all tracks in the KH series, and visit the sites of the other soundtracks as well!

Edit: Thanks to the lovely goldpanner, we now have translations for all the messages by Ms. Shimomura regarding the above tracks!

Dearly Beloved Of course, this is the track I wanted to begin with. I composed this melody in the image of waves lapping in and out on the shore. I made it just thinking it would be nice to use for some kind of scene someday, and then it went and ended up with the huge position of title song! I decided on the name 'Dearly Beloved' in a flash, I was really happy with it. -Yoko Shimomura Hikari ('Light') -KINGDOM Orchestra Instrumental Version- As music with the image of Kingdom Hearts goes, you cannot leave out this song. I love this melody and I love this arrangement of it. In the first meeting with Mr Kaoru Wada, who I asked to do the arrangement and orchestration, I asked him to "please compose to your liking a grand arrangement that gives the feel of a huge drama." --Yoko Shimomura Destati Now, this piece is the first I made and included that represented the Darkside (ha ha) of the Kingdom Hearts project. The musical phrase is incorporated in every title, including the latest one, Dream Drop Distance. But, in the games, it does not actually exist as a song as it is~ Because of that, I worried to the last moment over where to place this track. --Yoko Shimomura Traverse Town When originally directed to create something that felt like a stroll through a fun town, this is what I made. It's quite a short tune, and I wish I'd made it slightly longer... I do regret that a tiny bit, haha. But, well, when I think about ways it could be lengthened, adding any more to the melody would feel redundant, so I guess maybe it is fine the way it is after all~ that's what I end up thinking! --Yoko Shimomura Hand in Hand For the first half of Traverse Town, the battle theme was the same as on the darkened islands, and I thought, I want to fight battles that are as bright as I can make them! I went and made this additional song without being directed to do so. I was told that "if the song is good, then we'll think about it," and so when they listened and gave me the OK, I remember being incredibly happy. --Yoko Shimomura Kairi I For some reason, Kairi is the only one who has had a theme from the first title. On top of that, there were three versions of it, haha. Between I and II, only the first chord is different. Even just that changes the feel of the song significantly~ I made three versions to fit the cutscenes properly. I'm glad I wasn't told to make three versions for all the themes from then on, haha! --Yoko Shimomura Hollow Bastion Before I had started composing this song, I was playing through the game myself, and the moment I arrived in Hollow Bastion I thought, "Ahh, I've made it this far, then. The last dungeon feels close..." I put that impression straight into the song. Even now when I listen, I am reminded of falling willy-nilly down traps and get sad, haha. --Yoko Shimomura Always on My Mind I have deep memories of this song. I recorded and made a movie file of the cutscene myself, and to make the song match the events in the scene, I adjusted it over and over, I really mean it, over and over and over and over and over and over!!!!! (to be repetitive! haha.) It incorporates many musical phrases. Actually, from KH2 onwards, the title themes (apart from BbS) all incorporate the first part of the melody of this song. --Yoko Shimomura Hikari And now we're finally at the theme song for the first title, Hikari. I've heard the demo track from before this song was finished. I'm really proud of that, haha. Even the demo track had an indescribable strength to it and I felt a premonition that it would be a famous song, but even so, when I heard the master track I was still surprised at what an amazing song it had turned out to be. This song, which Ms Hikaru Utada said had the first title she'd written in kanji, and that she had taken it from her own name, is a hugely impressive famous song. When I'm down town, even now, no matter where I am around (ha ha), for an instant I slip back in time. --Yoko Shimomura Another Side Pardon me for taking a moment to speak of personal things, but this was actually the last song I wrote as an employee of Square. At the time, I wrote this not knowing what was happening regarding a sequel, and with the chance this would be the last song I'd write. I remember going home feeling as exhausted as a mere shell (ha ha). Ten years has passed, and the fact that I still have the privilege of being in charge like this, and the fact that this song is still regarded so highly among you, makes me so very happy. --Yoko Shimomura Naminé The source of these sounds is Re:Chain of Memories, the version for the PS2, but the song actually first appeared in Chain of Memories for the GBA. It comes before KH2, so it's the second theme song for a person, after Kairi. Heroines being treated a bit too well, haha. I composed the song with images I got from the name 'Naminé', of gentle rolling waves drifting, and of the underwater movement of water. --Yoko Shimomura Lord of the Castle This is a final boss theme added to the Re:Chain of Memories version. The two final boss themes I originally had were relatively plain, none in a fiery vein, so I wanted to make a super fiery theme, I decided! And so I made it! But... the truth is, when I presented the demo, I was told I had to re-do it, and to 'pump it up more'. More? More?? MORE~??? RAAAAGHH~!! I pumped up just like that, and it turned into a pretty grand theme, haha. --Yoko Shimomura

[Oran]

So does this mean there will be songs from each game then?

[Roro]

Always on my Mind isn't Always on my Mind lol, just listen to it on the site it sounds like a completely different song :0

But cool, I'm looking forward to seeing what other tracks from the other games are going to be picked for this album :)

[Sign]

So does this mean there will be songs from each game then?

Guess so lol. Why they didn't tell us this when this was first announced is beyond me xD I misunderstood so much.

[dakirbymaster]

I am excited to see the reveals as they come. No wonder it's 2 discs; they're going all out! :D

[Lvng]

So I think it says there are 45 songs altogether, plus the bonus "Twinkle Twinkle Holidays" from drammatica?

And yeah, that "Always on My Mind" preview is not right. It's "Beyond the Door", which is right beside "Always on My Mind" on the KHOST.

[rokudamia2]

Glad lord of the castle is on there.

[Retro]

The orchestral version of Hikari will always be one of my favorite video game songs, and they have it on there, so ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Still don't know if I want to pay that much though. I love Kingdom Hearts, but I haven't bought an actual cd in years....

[iDrops]

The tracks are looking good so far, I'm glad that Traverse Town and the original Dearly Beloved are on that list. I wish that the gummi ship theme was in the KH1 list, I was so happy to hear that song again as a mini game in BBS, but I guess that's just the nostalgia talking.

[Claire-Farron]

Hollow Bastion's on there! :D That's one of my favorite songs from KH1.

[goldpanner]

These are Ms Shimomura's blurbs btw!
Translated by me, here:
(original)

Dearly Beloved
Of course, this is the track I wanted to begin with. I composed this melody in the image of waves lapping in and out on the shore. I made it just thinking it would be nice to use for some kind of scene someday, and then it went and ended up with the huge position of title song! I decided on the name 'Dearly Beloved' in a flash, I was really happy with it. -Yoko Shimomura

Hikari ('Light') -KINGDOM Orchestra Instrumental Version-
As music with the image of Kingdom Hearts goes, you cannot leave out this song. I love this melody and I love this arrangement of it. In the first meeting with Mr Kaoru Wada, who I asked to do the arrangement and orchestration, I asked him to "please compose to your liking a grand arrangement that gives the feel of a huge drama." --Yoko Shimomura

Destati
Now, this piece is the first I made and included that represented the Darkside (ha ha) of the Kingdom Hearts project. The musical phrase is incorporated in every title, including the latest one, Dream Drop Distance. But, in the games, it does not actually exist as a song as it is~ Because of that, I worried to the last moment over where to place this track. --Yoko Shimomura

Traverse Town
When originally directed to create something that felt like a stroll through a fun town, this is what I made. It's quite a short tune, and I wish I'd made it slightly longer... I do regret that a tiny bit, haha. But, well, when I think about ways it could be lengthened, adding any more to the melody would feel redundant, so I guess maybe it is fine the way it is after all~ that's what I end up thinking! --Yoko Shimomura

Hand in Hand
For the first half of Traverse Town, the battle theme was the same as on the darkened islands, and I thought, I want to fight battles that are as bright as I can make them! I went and made this additional song without being directed to do so. I was told that "if the song is good, then we'll think about it," and so when they listened and gave me the OK, I remember being incredibly happy. --Yoko Shimomura

Kairi I
For some reason, Kairi is the only one who has had a theme from the first title. On top of that, there were three versions of it, haha. Between I and II, only the first chord is different. Even just that changes the feel of the song significantly~ I made three versions to fit the cutscenes properly. I'm glad I wasn't told to make three versions for all the themes from then on, haha! --Yoko Shimomura

Hollow Bastion
Before I had started composing this song, I was playing through the game myself, and the moment I arrived in Hollow Bastion I thought, "Ahh, I've made it this far, then. The last dungeon feels close..." I put that impression straight into the song. Even now when I listen, I am reminded of falling willy-nilly down traps and get sad, haha. --Yoko Shimomura

Always on My Mind
I have deep memories of this song. I recorded and made a movie file of the cutscene myself, and to make the song match the events in the scene, I adjusted it over and over, I really mean it, over and over and over and over and over and over!!!!! (to be repetitive! haha.) It incorporates many musical phrases. Actually, from KH2 onwards, the title themes (apart from BbS) all incorporate the first part of the melody of this song. --Yoko Shimomura

Hikari
And now we're finally at the theme song for the first title, Hikari. I've heard the demo track from before this song was finished. I'm really proud of that, haha. Even the demo track had an indescribable strength to it and I felt a premonition that it would be a famous song, but even so, when I heard the master track I was still surprised at what an amazing song it had turned out to be. This song, which Ms Hikaru Utada said had the first title she'd written in kanji, and that she had taken it from her own name, is a hugely impressive famous song. When I'm down town, even now, no matter where I am around (ha ha), for an instant I slip back in time. --Yoko Shimomura

Another Side
Pardon me for taking a moment to speak of personal things, but this was actually the last song I wrote as an employee of Square. At the time, I wrote this not knowing what was happening regarding a sequel, and with the chance this would be the last song I'd write. I remember going home feeling as exhausted as a mere shell (ha ha). Ten years has passed, and the fact that I still have the privilege of being in charge like this, and the fact that this song is still regarded so highly among you, makes me so very happy. --Yoko Shimomura

Naminé
The source of these sounds is Re:Chain of Memories, the version for the PS2, but the song actually first appeared in Chain of Memories for the GBA. It comes before KH2, so it's the second theme song for a person, after Kairi. Heroines being treated a bit too well, haha. I composed the song with images I got from the name 'Naminé', of gentle rolling waves drifting, and of the underwater movement of water. --Yoko Shimomura

Lord of the Castle
This is a final boss theme added to the Re:Chain of Memories version. The two final boss themes I originally had were relatively plain, none in a fiery vein, so I wanted to make a super fiery theme, I decided! And so I made it! But... the truth is, when I presented the demo, I was told I had to re-do it, and to 'pump it up more'. More? More?? MORE~??? RAAAAGHH~!! I pumped up just like that, and it turned into a pretty grand theme, haha. --Yoko Shimomura

[Retro]

These are Ms Shimomura's blurbs btw!
Translated by me, here:
(original)

Thank you veryyyy much for translating. I'd give you rep, but there is none

[goldpanner]

Thank you veryyyy much for translating. I'd give you rep, but there is none

Aw, glad you enjoyed! :3

[kupo1121]

Quick question, what does it mean when the songs are "remastered?"

[Retro]

Quick question, what does it mean when the songs are "remastered?"

In a nutshell, it's basically just improving sound quality. Best way I can explain is that mastering is similar to the difference between 480p and 720p videos on YouTube. Of course, the difference on the soundtrack won't be as extreme, as the original quality of the songs weren't that bad from what I can remember.