What’s the Most Iconic Song You Associate with a Game That Isn’t Its Main Theme?

[Moonface]

We often think of the main theme song when coming up with the most iconic song we can associate with a game from its respective soundtrack, but if the main theme didn't exist for a game, then what would you consider to be its most iconic song instead? For example, I'm sure most people associate the underground theme with Mario as their choice other than the main theme, but perhaps for a Pokemon game it's a battle theme or a particular route that has the most iconic song for you.

I'll kick off with saying that for Spyro 1, I think Dark Hollow is the song that is the most iconic in the game for me, if I don't consider the song that plays during the credits which is the only song to feature across the entire OG trilogy. Although even if I did consider it, Dark Hollow is the song that sticks out more for me that captures the essence of Spyro and instantly makes me visualise the game.

The Jungle Rollers theme from Crash Bandicoot is also the first song that comes to mind for me for that game, even above the games main theme. Much like Spyro's Dark Hollow, it just always jumps into my mind first whenever I try to hear the music of Crash Bandicoot in my head.

For both of those games, Dark Hollow and Jungle Rollers were both featured in the demos of those games, so I'm wondering if I associate those songs so heavily with the games because they're the tracks I heard the most of from playing the demos so much. I didn't have that for the sequels to those respective games and I'm actually finding it harder as to which songs I think are the iconic songs of those games that isn't the main theme.

[Maniakkid25]

The easy ones that come to mind are JRPGs; I usually look to the battle music as their iconic songs, not their opening theme. The True Mirror for Baten Kaitos, Don't Be Afraid for FF8, Leap the Precipice for Eternal Sonata, Last Surprise for Persona 5, this list goes on for days. Hell, even with FF13, I don't think of My Hands; I think of Blinded by Light. For games that don't immediately make me think of their combat music, I can look at Dark Cloud 2 and Legend of Zelda, for starters.

Dark Cloud 2 makes me of either two tracks: Starlight Valley (which is the theme to Starlight CANYON, confusingly), and Gundorada Workshop. Both of those songs are easily the best songs off a top-notch OST, and I love them to pieces.

Legend of Zelda I think is obvious: rather than any of the opening songs, when I think Legend of Zelda, I think Hyrule Field. Well, I personally think of Gerudo Fortress in Ocarina of Time, but most I think would think of the Hyrule Field theme. That is a pretty iconic song in and of itself.

[ShiraNoMai]

Do you mean the Gerudo Valley theme, Maniak? If so, I also absolutely think of that first. Actually, well second to Saria's Song, that song IS Ocarina of Time for me.

Yoshi's Island, for me, is absolutely Big Bad Baby Bowser's theme (the final boss music). The OST may have only 8 songs, but I think this one exclusive song made for this boss is just the most thought of when you think of "epic boss theme" for videogames.

[Nightingale]

The DuClaire Manor and Ending themes from Deus Ex are about as iconic as they get for me.

[Kyng]

Definitely "Stay Alive" and "Want You Gone" from the Portal games:





These are the songs that play on beating the games, and they've become memes (especially the first one). By contrast, Portal 2's main theme was entirely forgettable, and I'm not sure if the first game even had a main theme.

[Moonface]

For both of those games, Dark Hollow and Jungle Rollers were both featured in the demos of those games, so I'm wondering if I associate those songs so heavily with the games because they're the tracks I heard the most of from playing the demos so much. I didn't have that for the sequels to those respective games and I'm actually finding it harder as to which songs I think are the iconic songs of those games that isn't the main theme.

I've been trying to think about my answer for this, and I have at least some:
Crash Bandicoot 2 - Turtle Woods or the Warp Room theme
Crash Bandicoot 3 - Future Frenzy

Still trying to decide what songs from Spyro 2 and 3 are iconic enough to me that I think of those before any of the others and associate it with those respective games...

[WR91]

The first one that came to mind was GTA: Vice City's commercial back in 2002 that had A Flock Of Seagulls "I Ran" song in it. To this day I think of it whenever I hear that song.

Take a listen for yourself.