"Main Theme" from Bobby is Going Home on the Atari 2600 (1983)
Composer/Arranger: Unknown*
Album: No Official Release
Publisher: Bit Corporation
Developer: Bit Corporation
The main theme in Bobby is Going Home is another example of one of the earliest uses of continuous music in a home console video game. While not an original composition for the game, something you find semi-frequently, what is impressive is that you can still tell that this is "What a Friend We Have in Jesus," or at least you can tell if you're already familiar with the song. Remember that the Atari 2600 was capable of only producing two distinct sounds at any given time, so having a game with background music along with sound effects needed to work a bit of magic. Something else that is interesting that isn't captured in the music above but in the linked game play video is that at times the music slows down and speeds up, which seems like a deliberate choice, possibly to throw off the player with the timing of their jumps, and if that is indeed the case, then kudos to Bit Corp. for throwing that in there.
I couldn't find any credits for Bobby is Going Home outside of what is known/available on Wikipedia and Moby Games interviews with Bit Corporation about why this particular song was chosen. It might've just been that the song was in the public domain and that it was still simple enough that it worked with the melody and bass line with the bass line being cut for the jumping sound effect. Whatever the reason, just another great example of 40-year-old video game music.
~JWfW/JDub/The Faceplantman/Jaconian
Is It Worth The Time?
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