List of audio similarities

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The nature of the video game business means many audio tracks in Sonic the Hedgehog games share a striking similarity with the works of others. In some cases, (most famously Sonic the Hedgehog 3), this is because the artists responsible for the original composition were directly involved in the game's production. Other times ideas are lifted as a tribute, or in some cases, in the hopes that nobody would notice.

This relaxed approach to copyright, rife in the 1980s and early 1990s, has got some video game publishers in legal trouble, with soundtracks being altered or royalties forced to keep the game on sale. This is widely thought to be an ongoing issue with Sonic 3, but has also led to differences between Master System and Game Gear soundtracks of the same game.

The following is a list of Sonic the Hedgehog audio thought to have been inspired by other composers and musicians.

Music similarities

Sonic the Hedgehog (Mega Drive; 1991)

In-game audio	Similar to	Comments
Green Hill Zone
Star Light Zone

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Game Gear; 1992)

In-game audio	Similar to	Comments
Boss music	"Cübik" (808 State; 1991)	The Master System version uses a different tune.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Mega Drive; 1992)

In-game audio	Similar to	Comments
Ending music

Sonic the Hedgehog CD (Mega-CD; 1993)

In-game audio	Similar to	Comments
D.A. Garden	"Pacific" (808 State, 1989)	While far from an exact match, there are many variants of Pacific from 808 State and it gained quite a bit of popularity across European clubs during the late 1980s and early 1990s. D.A. Garden uses the same kind of "birdsong" at the beginning for which Pacific is usually known for.

Sonic Chaos (Master System; 1993)

In-game audio	Similar to	Comments
Gigapolis Zone music	"Oh Yes! (SONG0)" (Korg M1 demo; 1988)	This demo tune from the Korg M1 synthesizer, very probably used to compose the rest of the music in Sonic Chaos, is almost identical to that of Gigapolis Zone on the Master System. The Game Gear version uses an entirely different track.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (Mega Drive; 1994)

In-game audio	Similar to	Comments
Carnival Night Zone music	"Jam" (Michael Jackson, 1991)	Michael Jackson and his associates were involved in Sonic 3, but Jackson himself was not credited.
Ice Cap Zone music	"Hard Times" (The Jetzons, 1982)	Brad Buxer of The Jetzons worked on Sonic 3, and this unreleased track from 1982 was recycled for the game. This track remained unreleased until 2008, when it was included in the compilation "The Complete Jetzons".
Credits music	"Stranger in Moscow" (Michael Jackson, 1996)	While the Sonic 3 credits have a faster tempo, there are many similarities to this song, once again likely owing to Michael Jackson's uncredited involvement in the game. This particular theme is unusual, however, as it pre-dates Stranger in Moscow by two years, suggesting it may have been a work-in-progress track at the time.

Sonic the Fighters (Model 2; 1996)

In-game audio	Similar to	Comments
Attract music	"Vogue" (Madonna; 1990)
Death Egg's Eye music	"When Will I Be Famous?" (Bros; 1987)

Samples

Sonic the Hedgehog CD (Mega-CD; 1993)

Japanese soundtrack

In-game audio	Samples from	Comments
Boss music	"Work That Sucker To Death" (Xavier; 1982)