Strap in Sonic Adventure 2 sickos, the main theme from the series’ 3D platformer is going to be in the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 live-action movie. Were you worried we’d get some terrible needle drop during a climactic moment? Were you mentally bracing yourself to hear Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding Out For A Hero” as Sonic and his friends race to save the world? Well, that might still happen. But at some point, Japanese-American rock band Crush 40’s “Live And Learn” will play during the next live-action movie.
Rumors started circulating after a tease for the movie was posted on February 2 that featured what sounded like an orchestral arrangement of the super cheesy metal song. Sonic superfans/music lovers reached out to Crush 40 vocalist Johnny Gioeli to ask if the track might make an appearance in the film itself. Then, screenshots of Gioeli seemingly confirming that the song would be featured in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 started to sprout up on social media. Independent gaming and culture site Aftermath then got an official comment on the matter.
“I have indeed signed a deal with Paramount for song placement,” Gioeli told Aftermath. “How they will use it is strictly up to them…Paramount now has the legal right to use ‘Live and Learn’ in any manner they feel necessary.”
So there you have it, folks. “Live and Learn” will be in the upcoming movie in some fashion. It could play during an action scene, be retooled into the score similar to the Green Hill Zone song in the first film, or Paramount could slap it at the end in the credits. Given that Sonic the Hedgehog 3 appears to be incorporating a lot of elements from Sonic Adventure 2 by focusing on antihero Shadow the Hedgehog, using “Live and Learn” for a final action sequence would be a great tribute to the franchise’s history. Remember the second movie’s dance battle scene set to “Uptown Funk?” I thought that was pretty cute, but less of that moving forward, please.
Anyway, I’m off to rewatch the Sonic Symphony concert in which Crush 40 performed “Live and Learn,” and other songs they contributed to the franchise. I cried at that shit. “Live and Learn” isn’t even my favorite Sonic Crush 40 song (“Open Your Heart” and “I Am…All of Me” supremacy), but I will cry when this song comes on during the movie. I’m such a mark.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is set to premiere on December 20, and will bring back several cast members from the first two movies. This includes Jim Carrey as antagonist Dr. Robotnik, who was originally considering retirement after the second film came out in 2022.
