Let Mom Sleep

"Let Mom Sleep[lower-alpha 1]" is a song composed for the 2000 computer animated video game Jet Set Radio. The song was first released alongside the game on June 29, 2000, and has been considered the main theme song of the game itself, and is the official theme song of the character Gum. It is a remix of various sounds, including those from police sirens, horse neighs, and older television shows. The song was released as part of the Jet Set Radio album on December 20, 2000.

"Let Mom Sleep"
Remix
from the album Jet Set Radio
ReleasedJune 29, 2000 (in-game)
December 20, 2000 (album)
Genre
Length2:51
Songwriter(s)Hideki Naganuma
Composer(s)Hideki Naganuma

"Let Mom Sleep" received positive responses and acclaim from gaming critics, many of whom praised its catchiness and city-like style. The song attained success in video game culture, and has since made several appearances in other media.

The song was featured at the 2000 E3 Game Critic Awards when Jet Set Radio won Best Console Game of that year.[1] It was also featured in the Sega All-Stars video game franchise, and made appearances in several video games thereafter.

History, creation, and composition

"Let Mom Sleep" is the first song present in the Jet Set Radio series, first appearing in the original game trailers in the very early 2000s.[2] It was originally composed and written by Hideki Naganuma, who also composed most of the score for the game.

The song only has two repetitive lines: "would you stop playing with that radio of yours" and "I’m trying to get some sleep." The recorded lines come from the 1956 sitcom, the Tony Handcock Show, extracted from the segment "The Radio Ham". The recordings originally came from actress Annie Leake, when her character interrupts Handcock's character by knocking on his door and demanding that he shut his radio off. The song mostly consists of police sirens, Leake's voice recordings, horse neighs, and city-like radio noises, all of which were combined into the remix to give the illusion of an actual song. It also contains two other lines at other points in the song: "let’s look at the funk” and "this is most disturbing", both of which were extracted from currently unidentified media.

The song reappeared in Jet Set Radio Future, remixed and edited by composer Richard Jacques, who also remixed several other original songs from the previous title. "Let Mom Sleep" also appears in Jet Grind Radio Advance, the Game Boy Advance version of Jet Set Radio, and was changed to be adapted to the console in 2003.

"Let Mom Sleep" played during Sega's Jet Set Radio festival, and later when they held a graffiti contest.[3]

When Jet Set Radio was announced for a remaster for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and other consoles, "Let Mom Sleep" was used in promotional material and game trailers to advertise the game's return.

Release

The song was first released as part of the game Jet Set Radio, and is the first song anyone hears when they first play the game. The song can be heard on the game's main menu at first, and later during selective missions and levels.

Hideki Naganuma, who composed the songs for Jet Set Radio, released an album for the game containing all original songs are released them to the public on December 20, 2000.[4][5] Several different albums containing the song "Let Mom Sleep" were released between the years 2000 and 2008. The song and the original albums entirely were uploaded to Spotify under Hideki's name.[6]

Official licensed Jet Set Radio songs were released to YouTube in May and June of 2020. "Let Mom Sleep", under official licenses was released under Hideki's name, was released on May 29, 2020.

In other media

In the Sega All-Stars series, "Let Mom Sleep" appears as both an unlockable and default soundtrack for the games. It appears in Sega Superstars Tennis, Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, and Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. Although the original song is present in Sega Superstars Tennis, the song was remixed by Richard Jacques for the racing games. It also appears as Gum's official theme in Sega Superstars Tennis and Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed when the character activates her special abilities.[7]

When Gum activated her special ability in the puzzle RPG quest game (also known as Minty Cool Flavor) in the mobile game SEGA Heroes, two different and altered segments from the song "Let Mom Sleep" played while she attacked enemies with the ability. The music did not include any of the recordings from the Tony Handcock Show, just the instrumental segments.[8]

Game appearances
Year Game Notes Source
2000 Jet Set Radio First appearance
2001 De La Jet Set Radio
2002 Jet Set Radio Future "Let Mom Sleep (No Sleep Remix)"
2003 Jet Grind Radio Advance Alternate version
2008 Sega Superstars Tennis
2010 Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing "Let Mom Sleep (No Sleep Remix)"
2011 Dreamcast Collection Menu select, Jet Set Radio only
2011 Sonic & SEGA Racing "Let Mom Sleep (No Sleep Remix)"
2012 Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Original, "Let Mom Sleep", and "Gum's Theme"
2014 Sonic Transformed: Mobile "Gum's Theme" only
2018 SEGA Heroes Segments/cameo only

Reception

The song was well-received by fans and critics alike. "Let Mom Sleep" is currently the most-listened-to song by Hideki Naganuma on Spotify, surpassing over 1 million listeners as of 2021.[6] The official licensed version of the song on YouTube, uploaded May 29, 2020, has been viewed over 200,000 times as of September 2021.[9]

Critical reception

Much like the game itself, "Let Mom Sleep" was well-received by critics. Writer Vince Ingenito for IGN cited the music and songs from Jet Set Radio as one of the main highlights of the game, including the remix "Let Mom Sleep".[10] Another member of IGN's staff stated "the combination of original music and some cool licensed tracks comes together as one of the most unique collections I have ever heard. It's so good, in fact, I actually went out of my way to acquire the tracks for my CD player."[11]

In 2000, "Let Mom Sleep" was featured at the E3 Game Critic Awards when Jet Set Radio was recognized and won Best Console Game of the year for the Dreamcast.[1] The song was also featured at the 4th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards in 2001.

Hideki Naganuma, who uses his Twitter account to repost Jet Set Radio content, likes to share remixes, covers, and alternate versions of "Let Mom Sleep", and other songs composed by him, created by fans.[12]

Other versions

As if 2012, "Let Mom Sleep" has four different official versions. The version in Jet Set Radio Future is titled "Let Mom Sleep (No Sleep Remix)", while the Game Boy Advance variation doesn’t have an alternate name and the one that plays during Gum's All-Star Move in Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is titled "Gum's Theme".

See also

References

Notes
  1. Mama o nemura sete (Japanese: ママを眠らせて)

Citations
  1. am, IGN StaffUpdated: 22 Jun 2012 7:25 pmPosted: 13 Jun 2000 12:00, The 2000 Game Critics Award - IGN, retrieved 2021-10-27
  2. Jet Set Radio - Trailer, retrieved 2021-10-27
  3. Jet Set Radio - Graffiti Contest Winners!, retrieved 2021-10-27
  4. Jet Set Radio Original Soundtracks = ジェット・セット・ラジオ オリジナルサウンドトラック (2000, CD), retrieved 2021-10-27
  5. Jet Set Radio SEGA Original Tracks, 2012-10-03, retrieved 2021-10-27
  6. "Hideki Naganuma". Spotify. Retrieved 2021-10-27.
  7. Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (PS3) Gum in Rogue Cup (Expert), retrieved 2021-10-27
  8. Playing SEGA Heroes- Gum, Rouge, Cream, And Blaze, retrieved 2021-10-27
  9. Let Mom Sleep, retrieved 2021-10-27
  10. pm, Vince IngenitoUpdated: 1 Mar 2016 9:18 pmPosted: 17 Sep 2012 9:43, Jet Set Radio Review - IGN, retrieved 2021-10-27
  11. am, IGN StaffUpdated: 20 May 2012 7:04 pmPosted: 28 Oct 2000 12:00, Jet Grind Radio - IGN, retrieved 2021-10-27
  12. "@Hideki_Naganuma". Twitter. Retrieved 2021-10-27.
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