thread of video game composers blatantly recreating moments in popular music

stuff like David Wise on DKC2: "[on "Bayou Boogie"] No coincidence. I was trying to get the SNES to sound like the Roland CR78 that Phil Collins used for In the air tonight."

note: this has to be on purpose, so robo's theme doesn't count. also straight-up covers are out, i.e. the Moonwalker soundtrack doesn't count. the samples in earthbound are kind of right there on the border between counting and not.

but speaking of, a good example is "mind of a thief" from mother 3 which is both gameplay fanservice -- first time you get to wander around at like midnight, as duster, who rules -- and music-geek fanservice, because it's "Be My Baby" (plus bass, because foreshadowing):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bF0Fb682rsY

awesome thread

aforementioned dkc track for those living under rocks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tffqG3zRLQ

The soundtrack for Lotus Turbo Challenge 2 for the Commodore Amiga has samples from Yello's 'Oh Yeah' in the intro music (there's also a faint subliminal message buried in there which says "you will not copy this game") - also, the night course intro music features a tune that's based on Depeche Mode's 'Waiting For The Night' - less obvious is the marsh course intro music sounding like a take on The Stranglers (the password for the level is even "PEACHES"!) and the storm course having an intro tune that sounds like, but isn't, 'She Sells Sanctuary' by The Cult ...

Wild Arms' soundtrack was composed entirely by Michiko Naruke[37] and is heavily inspired by Spaghetti westerns, featuring instrumentation from mandolins, acoustic and electric guitars, finger cymbals, trumpets, and whistling to produce an Old West sound to fit the game's setting and stylistic approach. A classical theme is also present in many tracks with the melody being provided by string instruments and deep drums to heighten the mood or increase tension.[38] The game's overworld theme "Lone Bird in the Shire", contains the melody from Ennio Morricone's "The Ecstasy of Gold" originally from The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.[38] The opening theme "Into the Wilderness" is of Riz Ortolani's "Day of Anger" from Day of Anger. The melody that plays while Mother is reawakened sounds very similar to the melody of the song "Farewell to Cheyenne" from the popular western, Once Upon a Time in the West.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVOFibwVMw0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0dqQ-8FOII