10 Best Songs In The Tony Hawk's Games
5. Pain - Jimmy Eat World
In addition to the aforementioned Born Fe Rebel, Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 is chock full of standout songs, including Iggy & The Stooges’ 1970, The Sugar Hill Gang’s Rapper’s Delight, and The Doors’ Break on Through (to the Other Side). Yet, when it comes to pure catchiness, almost no other selection rivals Pain by alternative rock/emo pop group Jimmy Eat World.
Easily one of their most adored compositions, it comes from 2004’s Futures, and its main topic (self-medication via drugs) provides an interesting apposition to the therapeutic benefits of the sport.
Assisted by stilted percussion and guitar lines, singer Jim Adkins’ first stanzas are hypnotically sparse and emotional; cleverly, the instrumentation adds layers during the second verses, leading to a strong dynamic break before the cathartic choruses. The result is a consistently compelling journey whose contrasts between suffocating apprehension and purifying release exemplify the healing power of the skilful pastime.
In other words, skateboarding “takes [the] pain away”, too, and despite being a part of other titles in the medium (Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition, Guitar Hero: Van Halen, and Rock Band), Jimmy Eat World’s piece remains best known for and most effective in its first video game appearance.