Snake Eater Composer on Mysterious Lyrics and Their Endurance

Musician Norihiko Hibino didn’t have much material to draw on when composing “Snake Eater,” the iconic theme song Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake EaterHe had an unfinished game script, some early concept art, and the knowledge that Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima really liked James Bond’s music.

Hibino also knew what Kojima NO want for Metal Gear Solid 3theme song: The melody originally intended for the game, “Don’t Be Afraid.” This composition by former Konami musician Rika Muranaka ultimately appeared much later in the game.

Hibino joined Konami in 1999, not out of passion for video games, but for music.

“I really didn’t care what genre I worked in,” Hibino said, “as long as I could make good music in a good environment. I didn’t even know about Metal Gear until I got to Konami. In my first few weeks there, they asked me to play Metal Gear Solidoriginal PlayStation version, and it was so strenuous for me to finish the game. That was the hardest mission for me.”

Konami hired Hibino to work on Metal Gear Solidcontinuation from 2001 and collaboration with the main composer Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of LibertyHarry Gregson-Williams. “I could speak English,” Hibino said, “so I was kind of responsible for connecting with these Hollywood studios about how we were making music.”

Image: Konami

During his five years at Konami, Hibino contributed music to Metal Gear Solid, Zone of the Enders, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and Boktai. However, “Snake Eater” is certainly his most famed work, thanks in immense part to the singer’s powerful vocals Cynthia Harrell.

To create his theme, Hibino said he delved into Hollywood film soundtracks, especially those of composer Hans Zimmer — Kojima’s first choice for music Metal Gear Solid 2 —and Harry Gregson-Williams, who composed many of the songs for Metal Gear Solid. Composer John Barry, who wrote most of the music and themes for the early James Bond films, was also an influence.

“I knew Mr. Kojima was really into ’60s James Bond music,” Hibino said. “So I got used to that kind of music. I knew I had to get into that style, but also incorporate something from the game.”

Hibino’s composition and lyrics for “Snake Eater” closely followed the themes of songs from Bond films such as “From Russia with Love”, “Goldfinger” and “Thunderball”, incorporating the title “Snake Eater” and its plot points into the lyrics.

“The main ideas of why we have to live and why we have to move forward are the kinds of things I wanted to put into the lyrics,” he said.

Hibino said composing “Snake Eater” was a solitary experience. He wrote the music and lyrics, and also created a demo version with scratch vocals to get Kojima’s approval. The recording process, however, was more of a collaborative effort. Recorded with an orchestra, conductor Mark Holden gave the song an “increasingly James Bond-esque” brass arrangement, Hibino said, and singer Cynthia Harrell recorded her memorable vocals in just two takes. It was “really powerful,” Hibino recalled.

Harrell’s vocal track was isolated and played a cappella later in the game. Metal Gear Solid 3the infamous two-minute ladder-climbing sequence. This wasn’t the original plan, as Hibino had composed something else for that segment of the game, “but it didn’t fit,” he said.

“I think it was someone else’s idea, not mine,” Hibino said, having played the vocal track of “Snake Eater” without instruments, which gave the piece a more “relaxed” feel.

“Snake Eater” has been a catchy Bond theme for 20 years, and sits alongside the series’ best vocal themes, including “The Best Is Yet To Come,” “Sins of the Father,” and “Quiet’s Theme.” Hibino’s song will return in Konami’s upcoming remake of the game Metal Gear Solid 3project known as Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater. Hibino said he is not involved in this project, but he did remix the song for another upcoming project, Metal Gear Solid: Vinyl Selection the collection will be released this year by Laced Records.