Awesome Music / Need for Speed

While the Need for Speed franchise is known for its cop chases, car customization, and high-speed action, it's also the music that helps keep the wheels spinning.

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First era: 1994's The Need for Speed to 2002's Hot Pursuit 2

• You can't go wrong with music from The Need for Speed itself with Jeff Dyck and Saki Kaskas. Tracks such as "Fill'er Up" and "Chronos" provide some catchy techno beats while songs like "Toxic Exhaust" and "Overheated" (both Legends tracks) provide some nice hard rock . Then you get some tracks that sound downright metallic such as Scud (Legends track) and "Route 99".
• "Headless Horse", "Pavlova", "Heinerklingle" and "Sanoqoua" from NFS II. Besides their perfect match with corresponding racing circuits, these tracks were clearly meant to be played while you are driving in high speeds. Some would find the rock/metal selections just as appropriate for similar or different reasons (take these numbers for examples).
  • Heck, even the tracks that last less then a minute are awesome, such as the themes in showcase videos from NFS II (like the McLaren F1, or Ford GT90).
  • "Menu", NFS II's menu music by Rom Di Prisco, is an orchestral techno track so beloved that it was given a dubstep remix in The Run and returned in its original glory in the 2015 reboot's Legends Update.
• The demonstration tracks in NFS III and High Stakes when the game is left on the menu for long enough.
• "Sirius 909" from Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit, (Legends track).
  • "Hydrus 606", "Romulus 3" (which actually debuted in II and returned in the 2015 reboot's Legends Update), Whipped, "Triton", Monster, "Whacked", and "Minotaur".
  • "Rear Flutterblast #19", Little Sweaty Sow, Snow Bags, and especially "Snorkeling Cactus Weasels".
  • "Flimsy"!
  • "Aquila 303" (Legends track), Cetus 808, Knossos, Pi.
• Paradigm Shifter from NFS: High Stakes, (Legends track)
  • I'm Commander Shepard and this is my favorite song in Club Afterlife. Wait... (also a Legends track).
  • Electro Optik, Cygnus Rift, Photon Rez, and Bring That Beat Back.
  • NFS: High Stakes has everything done by Rom Di Prisco effin' amazing. However, "Liquid Plasma" takes the cake.
  • "Dude in the Moon" by Dastrix.
• From Porsche Unleashed, we have Sub Zero, The UK Sound, Dr. Know, Sentient, and Twin. Also, the Modern Era Menu music is quite a cool tune with great atmosphere. While the Playstation port may not be good as the PC version, it manages to get some pretty catchy tunes such as the French Electro-esque "Voiture", the calm but Tear Jerker "Classic Era Home" theme and the breath-taking Main Menu theme. It sounds like it came from 007!
• Hot Pursuit 2 has a couple: "Brakestand", "Bundle of Clang", "Sphere", "Cone of Silence", and the stuff from the Buzzhorn, Bush, Course of Nature, and Rush.
  • The song used for the game's intro cinematic: "Going Down on It" by Hot Action Cop. If you get it, be careful though; the game version is insanely different, and worlds better, from the very dirty album version.
  • "Fever for the Flava", also by Hot Action Cop. Which is also much different from (and better than) the very dirty album version.
  • "I keep it, I keep it, I keep it, I keep it, I keep it coming with the OOOOOOOOH!"
• Mellow Sonic brings us Need for Speed Reloaded, a whole album of techno tracks remixed from Road & Track Presents: The Need for Speed II: SE, III: Hot Pursuit, Road Challenge/High Stakes and Porsche 2000/Porsche Unleashed. The entire album can be downloaded for free (or paid for if you want to) here.

Second era: 2003's Underground to 2008's Undercover

• In Underground, there are several epic songs, such as "Born Too Slow" by The Crystal Method, "Need for Speed" by Petey Pablo, "Snapshot" by Fluke or - best of 'em all - "Kimosabe" by BT.
  • "Out Of Control" by Rancid.
  • "Get Low" by Lil' Jon & The Eastside Boyz, featuring the Ying Yang Twins, has transcended its original purpose as a strip club anthem to become the anthem of car tuners everywhere thanks to its use as Underground's main theme song. Even to this day, if you go on any videogame or car-centered message board and quote this song, a lyric chain will immediately ensue just for how memorable it is.
• Underground 2 gives us a remix of The Doors' "Riders on the Storm" produced by Fredwreck with new rap lyrics by Snoop Dogg, Capone's "I Need Speed", and Spiderbait's awesome cover of Black Betty.
• Switch/Twitch by Fluke is a stand-out in Underground 2's soundtrack for good reason. Its sensuous, darkly alluring beat makes this song a great pick for a heated race in Bayview's downtown.
• In Underground 2 we have the great Give it All by Rise Against, Determined by Mudvayne, Skindred's Nobody, and No W by Ministry. If those songs don't pump even more adrenaline through your body while you race down the highway at 200 mph, there's no help for you.
• There's a lot more from NFS; here's a good place to start.
  • Most Wanted (2005) had excellent pursuit music as well: Feels Good Donit by Paul Linford (a frequent collaborator of renowned film composer Trevor Rabin).
  • "The Mann" by the same guy: Part 1 and Part 2. Especially when the orchestra kicks in.
• The licensed soundtrack of Most Wanted is one of the reasons why the game is held in such high regard by gamers. Between the mix hip-hop, electronica, and metal, many agree that there is not a single bad song in the game. Standouts include "Do Ya Thang" by P$C, "Decadence" by Disturbed, "I am Rock" by Rock, "Shapeshifter" by Celldweller ft. Styles of Beyond, "We Control" by Hyper, and "My Hood (In a Hood Near You)" by Suni Clay. In fact, the soundtrack is so good that many fans feel like the later games are underwhelming by comparison. It's not that those soundtracks are necessarily bad, it's just that this one is too good. If there is a single song everyone will consider the true standpiece of the soundtrack, it has to be "Nine Thou (Grant Mohrman Superstars Remix)" by Styles of Beyond - a ferocious Rap Rock tune that encaptures the game's mood perfectly.
• Carbon had "Sounding Streets" by Trevor Morris.
  • Serge Santiago's remix of "Ride a White Horse" by Goldfrapp.
  • "I'll tell you all the story 'bout the joker and the thief of the night!"
  • "What It Look Like" by Spank Rock is Dirty Rap at its finest. Carbon's soundtrack has got everything, definitely.
• The awesome music in "ProStreet". Granted, it has a lot of electro in it, but if you like that kind of music, the OST has a lot of good tracks - as evidenced by the following examples:
  • More by Junkie XL. While the title is censored, the lyrics actually feature the original title "Fuck More".
  • A cause de Garcons by Yelle in the Riot in Belgium Remix.
  • The Tommy Sunshine Remix of Boys Wanna Be Her by Peaches.
  • Decalomania by Junkie XL.
• ProStreet also has a good amount of rock music, ranging from indie rock (Klaxons' "Atlantis to Interzone", TV on the Radio's "Wolf Like Me", Yeah Yeah Yeahs' "Kiss Kiss") to the harder stuff (Airbourne's "Blackjack", Clutch's "Power Player", Avenged Sevenfold's "Almost Easy"), enough to keep the races exciting.
• Pendulum's pieces that appeared in the series: "The Tempest"", Granite" and "9000 Miles" in Undercover.
• "The Mark Has Been Made" from Nine Inch Nails' album The Fragile (1999) is pretty dark and good for taking revenge on the cops for impounding your favorite ride.

Third era: 2009's Shift to 2011's The Run

• Need for Speed: Shift has a cool remix of Kanye West's "Paranoid", Kasabian's "Underdog", Mistrkrft'd (Feat E-40) with "Click Click", Chase & Status (Feat Plan B) with "Pices", and deadmau5's "Ghost N Stuff".
• "Code of the Road" by Danko Jones from Nitro is quite a catchy rock song.
• Continuing the Pendulum focus from the previous folder, "Watercolour" and their remix of "Stay Too Long" by Plan B in Hot Pursuit 2010.
• The late World consists with several tracks made by Mick Gordon such as the Safe House theme.
• World also has "Static", which plays if you keep playing on free roam or idling. Compared to the usual high energy tunes the series is known for, it's shockingly downbeat and melancholic, and wouldn't be out of place as a Solemn Ending Theme... which it effectively became with the game's shutdown in 2015.
• Criterion Games didn't waste a second invoking this trope in Hot Pursuit 2010, having invoked it- twice, no less!- in the reveal trailer. First, there's the Covered Up version of "Tainted Love" by Marilyn Manson, followed by "Edge of the Earth" by Thirty Seconds to Mars.
  • "Edge of the Earth" also serves as the title theme, and it's Criterion's way of saying right on the title screen, "You're about to play an awesome game, have fun!"
  • All six of the pursuit themes are pretty epic on their own, although you'd be hard-pressed to listen to them outside of the game.
  • This trailer for the game features a catchy tune from a band called Pint Shot Riot called "Nothing From You (Redanka Remix)".
    • This trailer features a song from a band called !!! (yes, that's the name of the band) called "The Hammer". Criterion is good at picking music for their racers.
    • Also, "Bombshock" by Hadoken! and the two songs from the Klaxons ("Echoes" and "Twin Flames" off their 2011 release, Surfing the Void).
  • The menu theme as well. It has an intense, ominous feel to it.
  • Screw it, here's the complete list.
• Shift 2: Unleashed already has one: the exhaust note of the Pagani Huayra.
  • And another: a game-exclusive remix of "Help Is On The Way" by Rise Against. If that didn't send chills down your spine, check your pulse, you might be dead.
  • "Levitate" by Hollywood Undead. So freaking fitting for this game, and so awesome at the same time.
  • The main theme, however, takes the cake. Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Thirty Seconds to Mars. This is THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTERRRRRR! Upping the ante even further, this DJ set of the song's three remixes is eight minutes of EPIC.
• The Run: The soundtrack was composed by Brian Tyler, who also scored several films in the The Fast and the Furious series.
  • The orchestral track that plays during the final race. It's a fitting piece for the race that decides who wins the big prize.
  • "Insane Face" is a fast, hard-hitting song mixing classical and rock music that just keeps building and never lets up until the end. "Sicker Than You" is similar, but a bit slower, with techno instead of rock, and a lot more bass.
• The Wii/3DS one has some catchy songs of its own:
  • "Tonight" by Danny Bird, "Better Days" by Wolfmen, "The Nightlife" by Big Omeezy.
  • Quite a surprising number of previous Need for Speed songs got remixed for these releases. A remix of Sirius, Aquila 303 and Cetus 808 by Mick Gordon. Queensyze brings a kick ass remix of Bring That Beat Back and Aaeeyaaeeyaa. 3volution gives us a more rocking version of Amorphous Being and a remix of Nashat. If Indian Rock were a genre, it would be this song.

Fourth era: 2012's Most Wanted and 2013's Rivals

• Criterion hasn't lost their touch, if Most Wanted 2012 is any indication.
  • They sure nailed the opening video. The song is "Butterflies and Hurricanes" by Muse. It's awesome on its own, but fits so well.
  • Other amazing songs from Most Wanted 2012? "Bonkers" by Dizzee Rascal, "The Power" by DJ Fresh and Dizzee Rascal,^note Which was also used by Playground Games for their Forza Horizon. Zedd's remix of "Breakn' a Sweat" by Skrillex and The Doors, Cato's remix of the legendary "Won't Get Fooled Again" by The Who, and best of the best, "Galvanize" by The Chemical Brothers.
    • The energetic yet calming "Anjunabeach" by Above & Beyond will easily come in handy when you're driving at excess of 200 MPH and you need to chill out.
    • "You Ain't Pretty But You Got It Going On" by Band of Skulls and "Weatherman" by Dead Sara.
    • "Won't You (Be There)" by Nero. Really. Hear it if you love dubstep. You'll love it. You can also hear it as ending theme after beating the Koenigsegg Agera R.
    • "I Love It" by Icona Pop, which became a hit in the United States and Europe later on.
    • "A Light Goes Off (RuN RiOT Mix)" by RuN RiOT. The extended intro created specifically for the game makes it even better.
    • "Double Edge" by Flux Pavilion, Sway and P Money and "Contact" by Foreign Beggars and Noisia. Love dubstep? Love rap? You'll adore these songs.
    • "Cast Away" by Strange Talk. Very soft for Need for Speed's standards, still really awesome.
    • "Circles Around the Sun" by Dispatch and "Blue Ghosts" by Riverboat Gamblers also count.
    • "Unknow" by The Maccabees; haunting, yet atmospheric.^note It also appeared in Sleeping Dogs (2012).
    • "Telepathy", an electronic number by Crosses, also known as the side project of none other than Chino Moreno.
  • The original music heard in the menus is also pretty cool.
  • You know what? Here's the list. Pick one.
• From Rivals:
  • "Technicolor" by Madeon, who also provided "The City" from Most Wanted 2012.
  • While we're there in Rivals, there are also "Castle of Glass (Mike Shinoda Remix)" by Linkin Park, "EDM Death Machine" by Knife Party, "I Am Dust" by Gary Numan, "Lootin' In London" by RDGLDGRN, "Make Those Move" by I Am Legion (supergroup composed by Noisia and Foreign Beggars), Destroid 6. Put It Down by Excision and Bassnectar, and "Paralyzed" by Mystery Skulls.

Fifth era: 2015's No Limits and the Need for Speed reboot to 2019's Heat

• No Limits delivers a truly high-quality, bombastic soundtrack, highlights being "Push 'Em" by Travis Barker & Yelawolf, "Mosh Pit" by Flosstradamus and Casino, "Crucial Velocity" by Clutch, and "Rage The Night Away" by Steve Aoki and Waka Flocka Flame.
• The reboot's teaser trailer closes with this.
  • Its showing at E3 surely impressed in terms of music. A remix of "Night Riders" by Major Lazer featuring Travi$ Scott, Pusha T, 2 Chainz and Mad Cobra has been used for the full-length trailer, and the customization trailer used two songs: the trap anthem "Surface" by Aero Chord, and "Go" by The Chemical Brothers featuring Q-Tip.
  • The E3/Gamescom build has also confirmed a handful of new songs, such as the bass-heavy, high-energy "Black Sun" by Congorock (who also provided "Minerals" for Rivals) and Daddy's Groove, the raw, unrefined garage rock sound of "We Can Do What We Want" by Drenge, and the chaotic, brutalizing "Move It" by Reso.
  • Other noteworthy songs in the full game include the heavenly, summer-influenced "Rio" by Netsky and Digital Farm Animals, the menacing "Insignia" by Muzzy, "Shake and Tremble" by Django Django, and the insanely catchy "Kokayne" by Riff Raff.
  • For those who like heavier stuff, there are always "Ice Hands" by Krakota, "Vikings" by Botnek & 3LAU^{note (spoilers)} which also serves as the background song for the Golden Ending cutscene., "Better Hide, Better Run" by the Glitch Mob, "Imbalanced" by Phace, "Blight Mamba" by Royalston, "Lose Ya Love" by Kill The Noise, "Elektra" by Refused, and "Machines" by Modestep.
  • Lynx's "Into The Light" is the perfect backdrop for a fast race in the highways of Ventura Bay. "Clap Track", instead, is more fitting for a tight race in Ventura's tight suburban alleyways.
  • "Vibe Out" by GotSome combines infectious, brassy yet ominous basslines and beats (reminiscent of Front 242's "Headhunter") with British hip hop superstar Wiley's constant, precise flow, making it quite possibly one of the best songs in the game.
  • "Stormtrooper" by June Miller and Virus Syndicate is the perfect fusion between beautifully horrifying drum and bass with vortex-like, ultra-fast rapping. It is an adrenaline rush from start to finish.
  • "Blockbuster Night Part 1" by critically acclaimed Underground Hip Hop duo Run the Jewels (El-P and Killer Mike) lasts only 2 minutes and a half, but that's all they need to blow you away utterly.
  • "Let's Take This Outside" by The One and Only PPL MVR is even shorter, lasting just 1:46, but it's still riding the same boat as the above song.
  • "Break Them" by Aero Chord and "Get Rowdy" by Clement Marfo & The Frontline are only heard during two specified cutscenes, and that's a real shame because they both really get the adrenaline flowing.
  • Spanish industrial metal/drum and bass duo GoMad! & MONSTER's "Under Control" is a song exclusively composed for the game, and features ex-Qemists frontman Matt Rose. The music video even features snippets from the game's various trailers and even the game's own characters such as Spike and Robyn.
  • One of the things the Legends Update did was bring back many beloved past NFS tunes going as far back as the first game, covering up to ProStreet. See the list for yourself on Need for Speed Wiki.
• Payback's soundtrack is considered one of the best in the series so far, with an eclectic mix of alternative rock, hip hop and electronica that is reminiscent of Carbon.
  • Highlights include "I Was Just a Kid" by Nothing But Thieves, "Ascension" by Gorillaz and Vince Staples, "I Win" by Lethal Bizzle and Skepta, "Systematic" by DJ Shadow and Nas, "The Choreographer" by Action Bronson, "Burning Man" by Watt and Post Malone, "Lights Out" by Royal Blood, "Panther Like a Panther (Miracle Mix)" by Run the Jewels and Trina, and "The Way You Used To Do" by the Queens of the Stone Age - the latter fittingly playing during the credits.
  • The riff that plays when you win a race never stops being satisfying.
• While it lacks the variety of the previous soundtracks, Heat's licensed score more than makes up for that with an assortment of urban music that fits the game's atmosphere like a glove.
  • Day time features laidback Latin pop, dance and reggaeton tunes like "Swing" by Sofi Tukker, "Con Mucho Son" by Bomby and Apache, "Ordinary Pleasure" by Toro y Moi and "Hazle Completo el Cuento" by Gente de Zona; the soundtrack for the night time segments, on the other hand, features more aggressive Trap Music and Drum and Bass like "Momma I Hit A Lick" by 2 Chainz and Kendrick Lamar, "Birdz" by Denzel Curry and Rick Ross, "Murder Music" by Chase & Status and "Novocaine" by Valentino Khan and Kayzo.
  • The garage-exclusive music is no slouch either, with songs like "Say Yeah" by Troyboi, "A Caged Bird/Imitations of Life" by the Cinematic Orchestra and "Man's First Inhibition" by NGHTMRE, ZHU and Kidd Keem already considered as highlights by the fans.
  • Finally, the original score - courtesy of Pedro Bromfman of Narcos fame - is widely regarded as one of the best in the entire series with its catchy yet grimy Latin-like sound and fittingly intense pursuit music. A good example is "Underground", the main menu theme, or the night time pursuit theme.

Sixth era: 2022's Unbound onwards

• Much like its predecessor, Unbound doubles down on the hip hop and electronic music, but this time it has a much wider set of artists coming from every corner of the globe. A$AP Rocky is the obvious headliner with "Babushka Boi" and "Shittin' Me", and is accompanied by some of his labelmates at AWGE like A$AP Ferg ("Shabba"), Slowthai (who appears with "Deal Wiv It" accompanied by Mura Masa), and Playboi Carti ("Slay3r").

Artist Related Music

• Rom Di Prisco's work isn't confined to the series, he made quite a lot trance music for his own albums like Cryptidalia and didn't refrain from the occasional remix here and there. Some of his best songs include Subatomic Shifter (and its remix) and Delta Velorum (and its remix as well) but the best probably has to go to Graviphoton, its remix and another remix by Mellow Sonic.

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