The musical theme of Ethan Winters' Resident Evil 7 adventure is a heavily modified cover that strives to be a surreal introduction to the horrors that await players in game.
The title theme, created by Michael A. Levine, has a strange backstory. Originally a small part of a one act opera, parts of the song have been featured in everything from hymns to horror games. The path of "Go Tell Aunt Rhody" from opera to horror title theme has been long and winding, with a contested origin.
The melody of the song seems to have originated with Jean-Jacques Rousseau's one-act opera Le devin du village, according to Resident Evil 7 composition, which turns a song about the loss of a gray goose into one of the horror genre's underrated theme songs.
The Odd Nature Of Resident Evil 7's Main Theme
Resident Evil 7's Go Tell Aunt Rhody was composed by Michael A. Levine, who is known for the 2014 version of Everybody Wants to Rule the World sung by Lorde. According to an interview with Resident Evil's creepier creations.
Levine's version begins with repetition. The soft vocals of Jordan Reyne repeat the phrase "go tell Aunt Rhody" as an industrial beat slowly gets louder and louder, and culminates in a line change from "the old gray goose is dead" to "that everybody's dead." The singer's volume increases with every line, culminating in a crescendo of violins and piano. The lyrics themselves foreshadow the events of Resident Evil 7. Verses like "They locked me up and took my soul," and "His arm's outstretched but when she's done, he'll be torn apart," foretell the pain that awaits Ethan Winters and the Bakers during the events of Resident Evil 7.
Perhaps the weirdest aspect of the opening number is Levine's fascination with cryptomusic: hiding mysteries within a composition itself. This lends a whole new layer of interest to what is already an interesting composition. Reddit hidden messages in Resident Evil 7's theme. She created a slightly edited version of the number played backwards that highlights some horrifyingly good production work. Towards the end, ear-piercing screams can be heard, as well as what can only be described as a heartbeat. Levine has gone on record to say that there may or may not be hidden puzzles within the theme, but the coyness of his statement only fueled the search.
The track's allusions to the events of Resident Evil 7 combined with the possible secrets within make for a hair-raising piece. Levine's work had many scouring for hints as to what Resident Evil 7 would be about before release. Creepiness, combined with a musical puzzle, made for a theme that stayed in the minds of Resident Evil fans.
Source: Bibliolore, PCGamer, AestheticGamer
