Composition
Wise initially worked as a freelancer and assumed his music for Donkey Kong Country (1994) would be replaced by a Japanese composer because of the importance of Donkey Kong to Nintendo. Rare asked Wise to record three jungle demo melodies, which were merged to become the "DK Island Swing", the first level's track in that game. Wise was subsequently offered the job to produce the final score of the game, and was later asked to create the soundtrack of Donkey Kong Country 2. [4]
When composing the song, Wise initially believed that it would be used for a water level; [5] [6] so he composed it to be a spiritual successor to "Aquatic Ambience," a song he previously wrote that is played in such a type of level. After playing the game, he described the bramble-filled stages where the theme plays as very difficult, so he believed that the "calming tune adds a nice juxtaposition to the gameplay." [5] Wise also believed that the song "pushed the very limits of the sound chip on the SNES." [4] He later stated that the track was "an expression of how [he] was feeling inside at the time", and that it was also meant to convey "a sense of wonder and intrigue". [6]
Rearrangements of "Stickerbush Symphony" appear in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (2011), Donkey Kong Bananza (2025), and the Super Smash Bros. series. [3] [7]
Reception and legacy
"Stickerbush Symphony" has received critical acclaim and is widely regarded as one of the greatest video game soundtracks ever. [8] [9] Writing for Kotaku, Ethan Gach called the track "melancholic and reflective" while still "up-tempo enough to be a bop," and said that when combined with its accompanying level, it was "one of the most transcendent platforming moments in the genre." [10] Gach later praised the song's rearrangement in Bananza, stating that the "incredible mashup [of a great level and song] hasn’t been repeated since [Country 2], until Donkey Kong Bananza." [3] Writing for Clash , musician Skott called the song "good music to cook to. Or drive to," and "one of my favourite moods." [2] Brett Elston of GamesRadar also praised the theme, saying its "mood is right in between somber and inspirational, as if it's calling us to action but we're too caught up in thought to comply." [11] Shacknews writer Ozzie Meja called the song one of his "favorite video game tracks of all-time." [12] Taking it a step further, Luke Winkie, writing for Vice , said the track was "one of the best songs ever written." He believed that it had "charisma, an otherworldly mystique, a gorgeous, misty aesthetic, and some of the best midi-sax of all time." [13]
A now-removed upload of "Stickerbush Symphony" on YouTube was considered an "internet checkpoint", where listeners would share updates on their lives through comments. [3] [14]
The track, along with the rest of the Donkey Kong Country 2 soundtrack, was added to the Nintendo Music application in November 2024. [15]
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