I Interviewed Bully's Composer (Shawn Lee)

There are a lot of great soundtracks in gaming, but in my opinion, one stands head and shoulders above the rest as the greatest - Bully. In this video, we take a look at the background of the music in Bully, as well as taking a closer look at how the music itself works.
Huge thanks to Shawn Lee for being so kind in giving up his time to talk to me, and being so useful and enthusiastic about his great work.
You can check out Lee here:
Website: www.shawnlee.net/
Solo Work: tinyurl.com/shawnleesolo
Ping Pong Orchestra: tinyurl.com/pingpongorchestra
⦿ SCRIPT ⦿
tinyurl.com/bullyscore
⦿ FOLLOW ME ⦿
Spotify: tinyurl.com/tea9e8v2
Twitter: / albertgenower
Instagram: / albertgenower

[@guighee7310]

Bully has the best soundtracks in all of gaming history. Shawn Lee was COOKING. Amazing video btw! Great job

[@AlbertGenower]

Glad you enjoyed :)

[@tanirberdi]

Why this video isn't trending? Extraordinary job

[@AlbertGenower]

Beats me! Thanks so much :)

[@tavisbalkin4564]

I wish Shawn Lee was allowed to release that soundtrack on vinyl. Would be an instant purchase.

[@Empiremans]

18:15 I'm glad you included the tired theme, that song solidified for me how Shawn Lee wasn't just "another composer", these songs are part of my childhood

[@AlbertGenower]

Fond memories of mashing the buttons to get back to bed before passing out...

[@jvader4187]

I always thought bully had a dark vibe to it. Especially the asylum part. Fun fact its in the same universe as manhunt so thats another reason its creepy. Theres also chainsaw and pig noises in the trailer park like piggsy from manhunt.

[@AlbertGenower]

It has a very dark vibe to it. I never really felt it when I first played it when I was much younger, but it always creeped out my parents, especially that constant glockenspiel. I'd never heard the Manhunt theory before but I just read this: www.reddit.com/r/FanTheories/comments/2gbr7s/how_manhunt_and_bully_are_connected_rockstar/ I'm not sure if I'm quite convinced that they're the same characters but it's cool they're set in the same universe.

[@Timopeo]

Man when i was a kid the asylum fucking TERRIFIED me

[@dillydilly6817]

I used to leave the game open as a kid when I went to bed so I could sleep to the music, has a certain charm to it

[@AlbertGenower]

I agree! Thanks for watching :)

[@420Handle]

I always wondered why I liked ping pong orchestra so much I was bopping my head back as a kid to his music

[@TheNathanNS]

Regarding 3:02, they initially did experiment with a licensed soundtrack, giving Jimmy the ability to carry around a portable MP3 player, and you could buy music in-game, but they felt it really didn't fit well at all, so then it was cut. And at 3:18, before Shawn Lee, they did consider Mike Patton from Faith No More/Mr Bungle to work on the soundtrack before Shawn, but ultimately felt Shawn's work hit perfectly. Not much is known about Mike's work on the soundtrack, but he did confirm it in an interview in 2007 iirc

[@AlbertGenower]

Wow, I didn't find this in my research. Thanks so much, very interesting! :)

[@RoweMan2000]

Carrying around a mp3 player is a good idea, because in one of the mission with Mrs Phillips Jimmy did mentioned that he's more into music than art

[@Helvigster]

as much as I love Patton and his music, I don't think he would've been able to construct as good of a soundtrack for this game as Lee did. Patton's more into that experimental stuff and I could've seen him going a little too wacky with it

[@alibensacrifice]

Massive Mike Patton fan, never knew he was considered for the bully soundtrack.

[@jytvreal]

oh it's you

[@narresnair1154]

Best Video Game Soundtrack So Peppy, Nostalgic, Creepy.. Those Soundtracks got tattooed in my brain 😂

[@AlbertGenower]

I agree!

[@AlfredoMartini-liia]

If they said you'd have to listen to the same music forever without ever stopping for eternal wealth, I'd choose the walking theme and it'd be a win win win

[@DangerousD299]

I was looking for a video exactly like this but you have blown my mind with the shear detail and appreciation for the composer and game. Excellent job👏🏾👌🏾

[@AlbertGenower]

Thank you!

[@jayjven4400]

Always have loved this soundtrack. It's to an extent the soundtrack of my early life. Great video kudos to you and Shawn

[@AlbertGenower]

Thanks for watching :)

[@Kite403]

Props to Shawn Lee because Bully's soundtrack is bar none!

[@JoHe_SonicBanana]

I'm so happy you did this wonderful video! Even though this soundtrack is so popular, I have never heard it being discussed so in depth musically or from Shawn Lee himself. I'm an avid video game music listener and I also think this is the best soundtrack ever; the quality of the music is outstanding in relation to how many songs there are!

[@AlbertGenower]

Glad you enjoyed :)

[@cdmnumber3fan]

Yo this video deserves way more attention! I absolutely love the Bully soundtrack. I've made a few tracks in GarageBand just messing around and Shawn Lee's composition style in Bully has been a big influence.

[@AlbertGenower]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@Wulfiebaby]

Great callout about the soundtrack embodying the dichotomy of the delightful absurdity and the dark underbelly of the game. Probably my favorite game soundtrack of all time, and quite possibly the most distinct ever.

[@AlbertGenower]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed :)

[@Allenzo04]

this is so cool you got to interview him. definitely a great soundtrack that I've cherished for years.

[@AlbertGenower]

Thanks for watching :)

[@kaizen4790]

Great video, its cool hearing from Shawn Lee himself about how the ost was created. One thing I'd add is that he also composed the soundtrack for a game called 'The Getaway' with Andrew Hale a couple years prior to Bully, which is also really good. A song on the pingpong ochestra album called 'The Chase' was used in the game, he also uses a sample of the one of the songs in that game in the halloween night theme.

[@AlbertGenower]

Wow! Thanks for sharing - is that the same Andrew Hale who composed for LA Noire?

[@kaizen4790]

@@AlbertGenower Yep I think so

[@EfrainQuezada]

I still think about the preps song 10 years after first playing bully, its so freakin good. The Christmas mix is my favorite Christmas song.

[@AlbertGenower]

I think it's so funny how Lee made the Preps song as deliberately uncool as possible... though I still love it!

[@joeyburton4930]

Awesome interview! This OST has been in the back of my mind permanently ever since i played bully for the first time as a kid and this video was really fascinating to watch. So awesome that you got to interview Shawn Lee!

[@AlbertGenower]

Glad you enjoyed! It was a real treat for me to interview him.

[@BasicallyNothin]

Shawn lee is definetely my most favorite composer ever! Bully is the second rockstar game I've ever played and i definetely enjoyed it more than the first rockstar game ive played (gta sa).

[@AlbertGenower]

I was never a massive fan of San Andreas (preferred the darker tone of GTA IV) but Bully is definitely my number 1.

[@brago_]

I'm a violinist and a fan of Bully videogame. Perfect match. Thanks for this.

[@AlbertGenower]

Glad you enjoyed :)

[@sophiewarner6586]

So interesting! I want to play bully now!!

[@AlbertGenower]

thanks swarner :D

[@r88a]

Wow amazing video, to this day I still play the bully theme song regularly

[@Jeneral_Jenkins]

Defend Bucky was my fav from this OST. Whole thing is amazing!!!

[@AlbertGenower]

It’s great - glad you enjoyed

[@bruhmoment7600]

What a phenomenal video. Great work bro 👏🏾👏🏾

[@AlbertGenower]

Thanks so much!

[@ProdByYee]

Thank you so much, Bully soundtrack was amazing I used to play this game when I was a kid all the time. Shawn Lee IS A GENIUS!

[@inoshiki2909]

Once again, an underrated youtube video I found on accident

[@AlbertGenower]

Thanks so much :)

[@aaronddi8067]

He also wrote “Kiss the sky” The intro song from New Tales from The Borderlands too

[@IAmSekto]

Young Gun Silver Fox is one of my favourite bands, its nice to see the origins of the lesser know 'silver fox' side

[@AlbertGenower]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@iswhatheis]

Daaaamn this is awesome and I didnt know he was part Native American and Irish

[@AlbertGenower]

Glad you enjoyed :)

[@ChestersonJack]

Finally catching up to this gem in my Watch Later playlist because it’s Bully’s anniversary! Glad I did, I appreciate the depth here

[@AlbertGenower]

Glad you enjoyed :)

[@violentkim]

TBH i dont found good channels or content of Bully in these days.. but this video really change my opinion! always is nice to hear the master Shawn Lee, i talk with him sometimes and he is nice people to hang out, keep up the good work! im sub! and feel free to vist my channel sometimes; i do Bully content too :).

[@AlbertGenower]

Thanks so much! Shawn was lovely and so kind to talk to me and be so helpful. I'll have a look at your channel :)

[@PETROVICGAMES]

This guy is a genius!!

[@AlbertGenower]

Agreed!

[@whiteslave8664]

Great vid, hoped to see Shawn Lee's interview but didn't expect it to be made so good.

[@AlbertGenower]

Thanks so much! :)

[@NAETEMUSIC]

I reckon Maestro Lee was very influenced by Goblin's original theme to 1977's Suspiria for "Welcome to Bullworth" Also your channel is so goat'd bro. Now I have a new game that I missed in childhood to go back and check out.

[@AlbertGenower]

Your channel is just as goated ahaha I have never seen the original Suspiria but I went and had a listen and I can certainly hear it. It's a great game that is highly deserving of a sequel.

[@GoryRory]

Wonderful analysis and splendid that you were able to have Shawn Lee speak to his work.

[@AlbertGenower]

Thanks so much :)

[@1994moviebuff]

Bully is like Harry Potter without the magic (and you make friends with Malfoy the first day)

[@AemadGreenMusic]

Couldn't have said better myself!

[@ChubbyPotato153]

amazing video this deserves 1M views

[@AlbertGenower]

Thanks so much! Maybe one day ahah

[@kazvt]

thanks for putting this video together

[@AlbertGenower]

Glad you enjoyed :)

[@keshveen11]

awesome video, very underrated needs more views

[@AlbertGenower]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@eaten_toaster]

THANK YOU! I've wanted to see a video like this for a long time and has information i've been craving to know!

[@AlbertGenower]

Thanks so much :) Glad you found it helpful!

[@ALI_FA17]

This guy is a hidden gem 💎 🎵 gaming soundtracks were incredible had to take a sample

[@AlbertGenower]

He really is great :)

[@theonlybigsmoke]

Perfect video

[@AlbertGenower]

Thank you so much :)

[@VaughanDavies]

Fantastic video, really in-depth and you’ve made want to start covering this soundtrack again :p Thanks for covering one of my favourite video games and soundtracks, was an awesome surprise!

[@AlbertGenower]

Thanks so much! Means a lot :)

[@scoutlangley6221]

amazing soundtrack, great dissection of it :)

[@epizootics]

I believe the bass playing was influenced by Serge Gainsbourg's music as well

[@AlbertGenower]

I can totally hear that.

[@user-nv9vn8fm1d]

Really happy i found this! I've never played bully. But i like how you talked about it

[@AlbertGenower]

Thank you so much :)

[@juliantorres4464]

One of my all time favorite composers, up there with Ennio Moricone 😅

[@AlbertGenower]

Maybe I should do a video on Morricone!

[@juliantorres4464]

@@AlbertGenower That would be awesome 😁

[@LIUKKAKE]

This guy's got great hair.

[@joshpierattdrums]

I love the Bully OST the best vibes Shawn Lee is awesome

[@falqar1.6]

Thanks for this video

[@AlbertGenower]

Thanks for watching :)

[@Mushketer300]

What an excellent analysis, I'm sure it would be very interesting for Bully fans and people of music. Unfortunately I'm being only the 1st category lol, but anyway. Also 1st Shawn Lee's interview I've ever seen. Thank you, I wish prosperity to your channel.

[@AlbertGenower]

Thank you very much :)

[@gwenmollo]

What a awesome job !! thanks so much it's very interesting ! Did you transcript the song yourself ? I made a lot of full score of this Soundtrack too, 36 guitar Pro files. Npw I can finish "Welcome to Bullworth" :) more thing like that please !!

[@AlbertGenower]

Glad you enjoyed! Yes, I did all the transcriptions from ear myself.

[@ps3cls]

Excellent video

[@AlbertGenower]

Thank you!

[@tema_zos7873]

🔥🔥

[@dexi600]

Very well done video

[@AlbertGenower]

Thank you :)

[@GordonFreemanRazorBellic]

Shawn Lee e a Banda HEALTH fizeram ótimos trabalhos no Bully e Max Payne 3, respectivamente! Parabéns, simplesmente umas das melhores trilhas sonoras! Saúde e sucessos sempre, para nós! Esperamos vermos mais de vocês em futuras continuações também, como Bully II e Max Payne 4

[@AlbertGenower]

Can't believe they've never done a Bully 2.

[@GordonFreemanRazorBellic]

@@AlbertGenower Well, they did, until mid-2021, but they canceled it and some things that would have been in it, they used it in RDR2. He spent years, until mid-2021 making BULLY 2, it has artwork, assets, maps, models and everything. Ele ficou uns 50% já feito antes de cancelarem por completo. É muito triste que não teremos Bully 2, e poderia ter e lançar, porque é ótimo jogo, uma obra-prima. There's an interview with some of the developers talking about everything. Unfortunately I don't know the title of the interview, I was going to pass it on to you. There's on YT too, she and from 2022, this interview.

[@manoelgomigemendo6715]

I was expecting he to talk about the tracks and saying which was his favorite

[@PanicDr]

Nice one!

[@AlbertGenower]

Thank you :)

[@CubIsDaPlugg]

😮🎶

[@BasicallyNothin]

Cool vid btw :)

[@AlbertGenower]

Glad you enjoyed :)

[@lord_of_the_bebra]

goddd this video is so underrated

[@AlbertGenower]

Thanks for watching :)