Why Are These MASTERPIECE Songs Just Chilling Inside Animal Crossing?

[@CharlesCornellStudios]

I can't get over the perfect blend of goofiness and incredible composition work in this stuff. I'm REALLY close to starting periodic live streams where we can go wayyyy deeper for way longer and listen to a BUNCH more than I can fit into a video. Would you tune into something like that? Also, broken record here, but we have like FOUR days left in the year and you can still get the 8 course bundle for $99, which is that insane Black Friday pricing that I just decided to extend this year. Hope you all find it useful, and thank you SO much for the support!! shop.betterpiano.com/

[@spiritvizion]

I'm soooooo there if you start doing in-depth lives!!!

[@ObadiahQRex]

Happy new year. Please do Kirby's triumphant return.

[@AaronLacasse-z2f]

I'd love longer and more in-depth streams, especially for games with larger sound tracks like Deltarune or Omori that may warrant it

[@silvyfalcon3528]

I would LOVE if you went longer and more in-depth on live streams. Even if I couldn't catch it live, being able to go back and watch the VOD after it happened would be awesome. Also, I second going over the Deltarune soundtrack, it's in contention for my favorite video game OST.

[@SethCrowderMusic]

Yes! I would love to be able to be in the chat too, i enjoy these alot from a guitar theory brain!

[@Torenhire]

Man, I would legit watch an episode like this on every K.K. Slider song. Sometimes I just binge these little credits/concert videos while doing chores.

[@clouds643]

Animal crossing wouldn't be the same without the music, its just such a huge part of it even tho most people dont pay attention to it

[@ImPDK]

I honestly think the only reason people think FFX is a masterpiece is because it has a legendary soundtrack that everyone knows even if they don't know it's from the game. The game actually kinda sucks I'm sorry.

[@shinigamimiroku3723]

​@@ImPDKDon't be sorry. You're absolutely right.

[@brocktv4352]

@@ImPDK thats a cool one just a special one

[@wumbojet]

​@@ImPDK the absurd graphical fidelity and gorgeous cutscenes running in a ps2's early life are also incredibly impressive to be fair. Just imagine playing crash bandicoot 3 and then seeing ffx's in-game cutscenes, you'd be shocked.

[@ryandixon8202]

they definitely do pay attention to it, you discredit your fellow humans too easily. The beauty of animal crossing’s music is how seamlessly it fits with the theme of the game - it blends perfectly with the aesthetic and they symbiotically amplify eachother. It’s like saying the game is beautiful but nobody pays attention to the graphics, they always are, it’s a constant appreciation.

[@Scrofar]

"man loses his mind over the Animal Crossing music" is my favorite genre of commentary

[@benjibenj7]

That should be the title of this video

[@Hellscrap3r]

What i love about that second song (KK Cruisin') is that those first four chords are basically "Virtual Insanity" by Jamiroquai

[@wumbojet]

Holy shit, I can hear it. I can hear the phantom "...made of, virtual insanity..."

[@FizzyK-45]

Oh God, I can already imagine all the furniture in my house moving. 😂

[@biglove9374]

I hear Something About Us by Daft Punk

[@Saxdude26]

There's a reason there are entire channels dedicated to remixing or rearranging KK Slider music and instruments into existing classic hits. The fact someone has made a cover of Superman (the one usually associated with Tony Hawk) is amazing.

[@slClaw]

and just the two of us

[@boy_genius]

Kazumi Totaka, his work is scattered all throughout nintendo's history. One of my favorite video game composers, just amazing writing. also K.K. the dog is named after him "Totakeke"

[@ac3theartist225]

Totaka did some of these somgs, but a bunch of these (especially the newer ones) are written by other composers like Manaka Kataoka and Atsuko Asahi!

[@TicTacToeCraft]

He's also the VA of Yoshi

[@techman3420]

Nintendo's composers go hard dude. They have incredible talents under their roof.

[@TicTacToeCraft]

And they aren't even mentioned in the music app or the SMB movie (except for Kondo).

[@GeekyGami]

They sound even better in radio version, because you get to hear what they're actually going for beyond the KK voice. Bubblegum being a prime example, as the song you hear on social media is actually the radio version from the actual game.

[@Saxdude26]

Some of them even have interludes that fill gaps for one another, like K.K. Jazz which has a calm guitar melody in the bridge that gets a rad whistle so during the perfomance version, so you get a whole THIRD experience mixing then back together. ❤

[@dogman15]

The best version of a K.K. Slider song is one that uses all the parts of the live version, but with the instruments of the aircheck version. Aircheck songs usually have very short loops and omit parts.

[@dianethepunk6149]

K.K. Cruisin' uses an EXTREMELY common chord progression in R&B and smooth jazz. It's the same chord progression as Just The Two of Us, nearly the same as All I Do Is Think Of You, etc. You see it all over the place. It's VERY fun.

[@Amy_Dunn]

Someone earlier mentioned Jamiroquai's Virtual Insanity, which I would say still counts, since a lot of Jamiroquai's music is R&B Dance music.

[@daveslamjam]

circle of fifths babey

[@DjVortex-w]

Also giving me bossa nova vibes.

[@pennsimmons]

I love how much Charles genuinely gets giddy when he heard something unexpected. Such love for music is instantly engaging

[@Saxdude26]

KK Slider not only keeps older Animal Crossing themes alive with every new entry, but gives us TWO VERSIONS of every song in his albums courtesy of instrumental and live perfornances. Hearing him singing the New Leaf title theme in New Horizons made me tear up a little... this little dog is such a special part of these games. 😊 And somehow triggers a nostalgic memory with CASIO KEYBOAVRD MIDI INSTRUMENTS that live rent free in my brain. Some are 2 minutes long, some are 35 second loops... it's an in universe hidden gem that keeps deliverying. It's the kind of musicality that upon listening to in the Nintendo music app remains timeless, like a pack of TimTams you remember you have in the cupboard saved for a bad day. The best part is, with all that in mind, always makes sense when I remember the same minds are responsible for the soundscape of Zelda BotW and TotK.

[@TheRealBatabii]

You should listen to the airchecks. Those are more like how the songs were meant to be played, on multiple instruments

[@TicTacToeCraft]

But then you miss out on K.K.'s beautiful voice. No, seriously, you're right. Although, an advantage of the live versions is that they are easier to replicate on piano and focus more on the composition, with less going on. For example, K.K. Bubblegum usually has a countermelody.

[@cooldebt]

Or to vgm jazz covers by bands like The Consouls - vgm sounds great played on real instruments

[@TicTacToeCraft]

@cooldebt A lot of VGM is performed on real instruments already.

[@cooldebt]

@@TicTacToeCraft True, I was thinking of the old 8-bit stuff 😅

[@mamienoll9357]

PLEASE YES! Please just go through the KK Slider songs. Like go through them 5 at a time. He’s got such a great catalog!

[@hinney827]

Animal Crossing, ever since the GC version, has always contained some of my favorite music in gaming. It's so cozy, and there's simplicity but also somehow complexity everywhere. An absolutely perfectly made soundtrack.

[@keyblaed]

omg you did bossa and drivin… two of the best kk songs in my opinion. love it sm

[@kito-]

My favourite kk slider song is one of the "error" songs he plays if you misspell a song when requesting him to play one. In the game files it's called Hazure 02, it's pretty clearly based on Sparkle by Tatsuro Yamashita

[@FizzyK-45]

Nice, more Animal Crossing breakdown from Charles is always good. 😁 This time breaking down the work of the best doggo, Totakeke. ❤ My top 5 favorite K.K. Slider songs are probably K.K. House, K.K. Bossa, K.K. Ska, Surfin K.K, and K.K. Robot Synth. (Edit: Just wanna add the timestamps of the K.K. songs) 0:21 *Bubblegum K.K.* 5:52 *K.K. Cruisin* 7:53 *K.K. Disco* 10:14 *K.K. Bossa* 11:43 *Drivin'*

[@FSAPOJake]

My favorite KK song as a kid was always KK Mambo. Toru Minegishi composed basically all of these (at least all of the ones that were in the original game) and he had to do a lot of research to at least get the basic sound of each style. Musical genius. Kenta Nagata did the hourly music in the original, and the genius Shinobu Nagata (known for doing the entire Mario Kart DS soundtrack by herself) did the holiday and event music. The Animal Crossing series as a whole is a treasure trove of great music. The hourly music from all of the games (especially the original and New Leaf) makes for some fantastic focusing / studying music.

[@SethCrowderMusic]

OK what BANGERS! I've never played animal crossing (or too much nintendo games really) but gosh dang! Also as a guitarist... That kind of synth guitar tone was EPIC *i want it* 😂

[@beavinator]

I only ever played the first Animal Crossing on gamecube, but I played it a LOT. Always loved K.K. Slider's songs. Good to see they've kept it up with later games. My ex-wife and I always thought it sounded like he was singing about meat. "Oh meat now, oh meat ball, meat ball now oh, my meat ball oh..."

[@herelizasaint]

I can't un-hear that now. Thank you.

[@groofay]

What can you say, the guy's really passionate about his spaghetti toppings.

[@Composercleo]

Love Animal Crossing’s music!! New Horizons was my first introduction to the series and I’ve since been making fun songs dedicated to the various villagers! Some people think it’s silly but even the music in game has such strong roots and brilliant composition like you mentioned! Glad you talked about it since it’s felt like the community has talked about the game less lately. Thanks Charles!!

[@ShadyNetworker]

KK Salsa, Surfin' KK, and there is one minor sounding song which is just AMAZING....I'll get to you with the title later. STEEP HILL! is what's it called

[@NeonOrangeKnight]

My absolute favorite is K.K. Disco, and I was glad to see it make the video. K.K. was such a good sport, playing it multiple times on Saturday night for years.

[@dottielane.]

I've been waiting for this episode since I started following you. Infectious enthusiasm, just love this ongoing video game music series 👏👏🤩

[@calliope_x3]

speaking as someone who just made a song with the chord progression from kk cruisin, i can confirm that it's incredibly fun to solo over. the fact that it uses a lot of non diatonic notes in the chords means that the solo can too without too much effort, i highly recommend it to people just starting to write/improv their own melodies over existing songs!

[@cooldebt]

KK Cruisin' was the very first vgm jazz cover I heard from The Consouls. Vgm is great played as jazz as evidenced by the band's 400+ covers

[@Shmey]

I remember the first time I came to the club on a Sunday(?) night in New Leaf. KK Slider was sitting in the middle of the club with just his acoustic guitar. He asked me what I wanted to hear. I think I chose something chill. He busts out K.K. Synth for the first time, and gives me the track. I thought it was odd at first, but it quickly grew on me. I've loved the song ever since.

[@circuitgamer7759]

I have a request for a future video that I think a lot of people will agree with :) Have you heard any of the soundtrack from A Hat In Time? There's a huge variety of music, and all of it is incredible, including the DLCs. The game itself is amazing too (although I haven't played it myself, just watched other people play it and several of my friends love it). Here's a list of songs that I think would be the best to look at if you don't go through the entire soundtrack (copy/pasted from an old comment so I don't have to retype it): - The title theme (absolutely incredible writing, and a primary favorite), - "Welcome to Mafia Town" (I think this is a primary favorite, but I'm not fully sure), - "Dead Bird Studio", - "Train Rush" and "Trainwreck of Electo Swing" (these two have a quirk that might make the harmony tricky to analyze, but I'm not sure how you would process it. They're both primary favorites, and go together. Trainwreck is a remix of Train Rush), - "The Battle of Award 42" (this one is crazy, and is a primary favorite), - "Subcon Forest" (very atmospheric), - "Toilet of Doom" (silly title, but great music), - "Your Contract Has Expired" (this is one of the primary favorites, and is crazy), - "Alpine Skyline" (just really good), - "Clocktowers Beneath the Sea" (a beautiful and peaceful song, plus fun to find some of the main theme motifs in it. A favorite.), - "You Are All Bad Guys" (which can be divided into three major sections if you want, and is a primary favorite), - "Rush Hour" (which is from one of the DLCs, so it may or may not be included in some playlists), and - "Peace and Tranquility" (which is exactly what the title says). That was a long list, but it's worth it :) And that's only the very surface, the whole soundtrack is amazing. I'm sure if other people see this comment they'll agree :)

[@therealjimmyswitch906]

If you dig Animal Crossing tunes check out the Splatoon soundtracks if you haven't already. It has the same kind of vocals with a full band behind them. The different versions of 'Splattack' and 'Now or Never' are a great start.

[@5hark906]

Im gonna intentionally put this in everyone's minds. Kk slider is a vocaloid, prove me wrong-

[@KevinRandlesMusic]

what have you done

[@96alguyf]

thank you for making the course so affordable for real I just started it last weekend (the improv course) and I am loving it so far

[@samevans4834]

8:41 YOU'VE BEEN GNOMED

[@TheSaneMongrels]

These are actually all reorchestrations/remixes of tracks that exist in the game as purchasable items for your music player. For example, the first track (Bubblegum K.K. by K.K. Slider) actually sounds like a bubblegum pop/J-Pop song in its original version.

[@gavinnicoson2270]

Please please please more of these! Animal crossing music is so delightful and surprising in its quality!!

[@visualeyesmusic]

You know, the aircheck version of K.K. Hypno gets a bad rep, because of its involvement in a popular horror story, but the live version is absolutely magical.

[@N1ckT1107]

Thank you for covering my fav kk songs, they are all truly amazing

[@MaisieSqueak]

"Na Niboo Na Way Way!!" Lyrics to live by...

[@michasalwa3645]

I recently learned about another game Totaka made music for - Mario Artist: Talent Studio, the soundtrack is absolutely insane

[@baconeater4133]

I have loved the Animal Crossing music since I played the first one on Gamecube as a kid. Makes me happy to see it get recognition from a professional!

[@sammykaijuk9]

KK Cruisin is one of my FAVORITE tunes to play on the piano. So glad that tune grabbed you!

[@Digitalsurfer265]

I’m so happy you’re going over these! I love the Animal Crossing music

[@Blueskies2513]

5PM from new leaf is my favorite, I had to learn it

[@Aeroblast64]

I truly believe KK Slider is the most cultured video game character bar none. The guy has more musical stylings under his belt than humanly possible!

[@reneeshaann]

Man, you have such an amazing ear! While I’ve been playing wind instruments for a long time, once I finally started studying music theory, I realized I have a terrible ear. So I’m always so impressed by how you can hear and play those chords. Anyway, it’s been awhile since I’ve watched your videos, so I’m wondering if you’ve tackled other video game music like Cuphead or Sonic the Hedgehog. I’ll have to go through your channel!

[@AmethystLink]

K.K. Condor is my favourite, always gotta get that one as soon as I can when playing a new Animal Crossing game

[@purpurpur2]

animal crossing really has some bangers, even i jam to them for my drum practice sessions

[@velizabethparquette6983]

This song is so good!! Another one I really like is K.K. Tango. I have a huge love for music and I appreciate it so much. I love it how you break it down! Keep up the good work :)

[@EchoSnake999]

7:53 I swear that’s a rickroll

[@AyeshaShaSha]

OK now I can't UNHEAR THIS!! 😂😂

[@GLAD0s_cake]

Thanks for giving the AC music a listen, it really is so good and impressive that they can embody so many genres of music in these little tunes

[@SolitareHeartz]

Aww It love Animal Crossing music breakdowns. I think Thomas Game Docs had a video explaining how it was made in general is a good watch. But to really get under the hood and hear it amazing.

[@gormauslander]

My exposure to animal crossing was briefly playing city folk and getting bored of it, so I only learned about the KK slider stuff by proximity, but I randomly stumbled across some and was like "wait, this is a fully structured song, to a grade of quality that could easily be produced and on-album of any current pop artist"

[@RosileeJe]

I was always partial to K.K. Bossa when I played on GameCube! It might have been the first song I ever got but I can't remember. I just know I had it playing in my little house all the time The music was always one of my favorite parts! The hourly songs are also amazing, like I can still remember the specific hours my favorites in the GameCube version would play because they stuck with me. 5pm, 11pm, 8am, 9am, 2am, 4pm etc. Honorable mention to 1pm because cat noises lol oh and the rainy day music! I never played New Leaf, but 7pm from New Leaf is gorgeous!

[@metalpuppet5798]

3:03 that sounds like a guitar played through a Miku Pedal 😂

[@kuhnuckles1]

Stale Cupcakes is my favorite 💕 I spent forever finding the perfect gyroids to go with it. It just makes me feel at peace

[@dyztopia7087]

0:20 During this song, my brain kept blaring I IV ii V. When you played vi instead of IV I went back and listened to it again to correct my mistake. It was then I noticed you had written still wrong on the vi lmao 😂

[@SomeoneElse-w8z]

I would LOVE an hour long video analyzing K.K. Slider music!!!! Loved this video too and all your reactions to the music I grew up with and enjoy deeply ♥️

[@krekcabnow2910]

His job is really to listen to whatever you tell him to and find something nice to say about it that makes you feel good for liking it.

[@thecatladytm7172]

My favorite KK song Ive gotten so far is KK Bashment. There's something about it that just fills the vibe I want out ofthe game. But I havent heard them all, so that favorite could change!

[@zantomun]

5:55 this was the song I had playing in my house for the entire time I played Wild World back in high school. Incredible memories

[@VulpineDemon]

My favorite to listen to when I played was K.K Flamenco. Flamenco is always pleasing to listen to so I always had it playing.

[@dreeg1896]

LITERALLY MY FIVE FAVORITE KK SONGS I HAVE MADE LYRICS FOR ALL FOUR THAT DIDNT HAVE ALREADY POPULARIZED LYRICS HOLY COW MAN.

[@Justin-TPG]

Trained jazz pianist enjoys KK Slider? Well, I am shocked… 😅

[@fr.andygutierrez5356]

Some of those K.K. songs are great, but the hourly music is also cool. The 5 am and the 12 noon hours are my faves. One is super chill and the other makes me want to dance

[@avalonmandrake3989]

This was a ton of fun, i highly recommend checking out the Aircheck versions of these, as they have more instrumentation, and they might be a neat way to hear the tunes in a different way

[@lockedouttv8617]

You covered 2 of my 3 favorites in this video! KK Disco, KK Bossa, and Animal City

[@CitrusPolarBear]

KK Bossa is my favourite KK slider song. It’s so beautiful ❤

[@PlutoniumBoss]

So often in media, whether it be movies, shows, or games, we're introduced to characters that are supposed to be these amazing performers, and then when it comes to actually showing how great they are the music is just absolutely nothing. In Animal Crossing, your first major goal is to get the superstar K.K. to come to your island, and it's an actual reward to hear this.

[@WillowEpp]

I would love a Charles Crossing album where you did these songs on piano with your typical flair.

[@MrJcalvino]

Animal Crossing Wild World has incredible songs for each hour of the day. Worth to check it out!

[@pw3ninja]

K.K. is that dawg. literally.

[@michaelsmith9467]

If only he had seen the microtonal version of the k k cruisin

[@garrjammm]

Recently bought and framed the K.K. slider Vinyl 😎

[@StudioTrainor]

The studio versions of the songs are less goofy. I listen to them all the time.

[@mr_moss205]

So I was just playing along with you and you forgot to mention that KK bubblegum has not one, but two 2 5 1 progressions. the first 2 5 1 progressions ends with a g7 to g chord.

[@brocktv4352]

So cool that ur picking so much differentes things and always so cool about them ^^

[@Zeitta7]

The real question is why is KKSlider naked?

[@beatchef]

The music has to be free, man!

[@TicTacToeCraft]

He has a guitar covering him

[@Pickleton]

I liked Go K.K. Rider the best. I loved Power Ranger type shows when I was a young lad, and it recreated that feeling so well.

[@sounds_like_matt]

So at 6:09, if a chord has 7th note, do we always default to calling it a 7 chord? It's also got the 9th. How come it's not a B maj 9? Have fun playing, y'all 🎹

[@jasonmclaughlin6130]

Quarantine 2020 Bangers

[@chchchchel7361]

I would watch sooooo many episodes of this!!! P.S my favorite song aside from Drivin' is K.K. Moody!

[@Clovr4]

PLEEEEASE do an episode on the trial scene of helluva boss season 2 episode 11, PLSS ITS SO GOOOOD

[@shannonjones8877]

Always fun to play Smash Bros on a Saturday night, jump into Smashville and have K.K. jam out for you during your matches

[@bioniclebros]

I would also reccomend checking out the airchecks, these are the live versions of the songs where he only has his guitar, but the airchecks are full instumentals!

[@LimeZMusic]

What would be AMAZING is if you could check out the ULTRAKILL soundtrack. The amount of not only the musical diversity, but also the inherent musicality of it all is SO GOOD.

[@quirkyviper]

K.K. Cruisin' is my FAVORITE. I listen to it like it's a regular song.

[@callospaziale]

Charles Always covering my shuffle list from Music

[@AlwaysHavingFaith]

So DOPE. I want to learn these chords

[@dylan1kenobi]

I'd definitely buy another month of Nebula for a "Reacting to every KK Slider song" video! I get so much dopamine whenever you go "Wait what??" 😂

[@kenziemckenzie-bennett5399]

Yes, please do the hour-long discussion on animal crossing!

[@dkrumpenstein2370]

+1 for getting an hour long video focused around animal crossing music

[@justwhytho_omg]

I dare you to look at The Car - Arctic Monkeys

[@3lH4ck3rC0mf0r7]

The best compositions are the ones that can stand out beyond very goofy instrumentation.

[@Bluebox87]

K.K. Lament is my favorite.

[@herschell64]

Currently my favourite is Agent K.K. and I've got it playing on almost all devices throughout my island lol

[@TheKirbyT]

K.K. Bossa is my favorite. That's the soundtrack for my house in ACNH.

[@NintendoMusicEnjoyer]

Charles ain't ready for the solo in the live version of KK Break

[@aintnoman]

Animal crossing and pokemon is the only game that would blow my mind away because of the music

[@36iRealisedImOldToday]

The simple ones are the most catchy, I always have the GTA V menu music in my head, so simple and yet so good!

[@Mr.Goofyglasses.]

YES PLEASEE DO THE HOUR LONG ONE

[@servancastillo986]

I always thought KK Slider was such a great name for a character

[@KazuhiroHayate]

Hazure 02 (K.K. Sparkle). Look it up. you won't regret it. that's my Favorite .