Persona 5 Original Soundtrack
| Persona 5 Original Soundtrack | |
|---|---|
| 📅 Released | January 17, 2017 |
| ⏳ Length | 227:24 |
| 🏷️ Label | Mastard Records |
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Persona 5 Original Soundtrack is the official soundtrack album for the 2016 role-playing video game Persona 5, developed and published by Atlus. The album was composed primarily by Shoji Meguro, with additional compositions by Toshiki Konishi, Kenichi Tsuchiya, Atsushi Kitajoh, and Ryota Kozuka. Vocalist Lyn Inaizumi performs on all vocal tracks throughout the album.
The album was released in Japan as a three-disc set on 17 January 2017 by Mastard Records, under catalogue numbers LNCM-1175 through LNCM-1177.[1] It contains 110 tracks spread across three discs, accompanied by a booklet featuring composer commentary and illustrations by Persona 5 character designer Shigenori Soejima.[2] Upon its release, the album debuted at number five on the Oricon weekly album chart, selling over 29,000 copies in its first week.[3]
The soundtrack is widely noted for its fusion of acid jazz, funk, rock, and electronic music, and has received extensive praise for how effectively it complements the themes and atmosphere of the game. Tracks such as "Wake Up, Get Up, Get Out There", "Beneath the Mask", "Last Surprise", "Life Will Change", and "Rivers in the Desert" are among the most frequently cited highlights.[4]
Background and composition
Persona 5 was developed by Atlus's internal studio P-Studio under director and producer Katsura Hashino. Shoji Meguro, who had previously composed the soundtracks for Persona 3 and Persona 4, returned as the lead composer.[2] Meguro joined Atlus in 1995 after submitting a demonstration recording and passing an audition, having been assigned to the original Persona game almost immediately upon joining the company.[5]
For the game's musical direction, Meguro adopted acid jazz as the central genre — a hybrid style blending jazz, soul, funk, and disco that had enjoyed popularity in the 1990s before gradually fading from mainstream exposure. He first discussed this approach at the Persona Super Live 2015 concert in February 2015.[6] Meguro explained that acid jazz's inherent soulfulness and funk qualities allowed him to capture what he described as the protagonist's state of mind — his "crudeness" and "immaturity" in the Japanese sense, intended to evoke the raw idealism of youth and the protagonist's resentment of injustice.[5] This thematic framework connected the game's motifs of personal freedom and rebellion against corrupt authority to an aesthetic rooted in countercultural expression.
Meguro also explained his use of English lyrics: because many Japanese players do not understand English, the lyrics blend into the background music without distracting from gameplay, while also sounding "cooler" in his view. He noted, "Apologies to the Western gamers," acknowledging that English-speaking players experience the vocal tracks differently than the intended domestic audience.[6]
While the majority of the soundtrack's compositions are credited to Meguro, four other composers at Atlus contributed tracks. Toshiki Konishi was responsible for numerous pieces, particularly for animated sequences and environmental scenes. Kenichi Tsuchiya and Atsushi Kitajoh contributed a range of incidental and atmospheric cues; Kitajoh's total output was noted in the liner notes as larger than even he had anticipated, causing logistical challenges during the album's mastering.[5] Ryota Kozuka contributed a small number of additional pieces. Each composer provided liner notes for their individual tracks in the album's booklet, which were later translated into English from Japanese by community translator Om_Badai and published online with permission.[5]
Meguro aimed to move the vocal tracks away from the catchier, pop-adjacent melodies of earlier Persona games toward a more "cool" and grounded sound. To achieve this, he recruited vocalist Lyn Inaizumi (whose legal name is Inaizumi Rin) as the album's principal singer. English lyrics for many of the vocal tracks were written by Benjamin Franklin (a pseudonymous lyricist, distinct from the historical figure) and Rike Schmalz, while Japanese lyrics were provided by Shigeo Komori.[1]
The orchestrated sections across the album were performed by the Muroya Strings, a twelve-piece string ensemble conducted by Koichiro Muroya, with Meguro layering additional programmed strings over the live recordings for textural depth.[2] Several tracks also made use of unusual instruments: "Price" features a zurna, a Central Asian wind instrument; "New Beginning" is performed with an Irish flute; the melody for "Will Power" was produced by applying a harmonic synthesizer plug-in to a guitar; and "Tokyo Emergency" uses a guitar with a gradually raising pitch to evoke the sound of an ambulance siren.[2]
For "Last Surprise", the main battle theme, Meguro described his intention in the liner notes: "Battling is something out of the ordinary, but for the main character's gang it becomes part of their everyday lives, so I made the song in full acid jazz style. Are the Muroya Strings in the beginning fantastic or what? I really love the sound of the organ's glissando right before the singing starts."[5]
Release
The soundtrack was announced at the Persona 5 stage event at Sega Fes, a Sega-affiliated fan exhibition held on 19 November 2016.[2] The album was released in Japan on 17 January 2017 by Mastard Records. To mark the release, a special in-store event was held at Tower Records Shinjuku on the release day, at which Inaizumi performed a mini live set and held a signing session; tickets were distributed to fans who had pre-ordered or purchased the CD.[2] A preview video featuring excerpts from ten tracks was also published to Atlus Japan's official YouTube channel, atlustube, to coincide with the release.
The original pressing was packaged in a multi-disc jewel case enclosed within a three-sided slipcase featuring artwork by Soejima. From January 2024 onward, the album was reissued without the slipcase.[2] The soundtrack was subsequently made available for digital purchase on iTunes through Atlus West in North America,[7] and was later added to streaming services including Spotify.
Upon its debut, the album reached number five on the Oricon weekly album chart, selling over 29,000 copies in its first week of release — a strong debut for a video game soundtrack release in the Japanese market.[3]
Music and themes
The 110-track album spans approximately three hours and 47 minutes across three discs, covering a wide range of musical moods suited to the game's varied contexts. While acid jazz forms the dominant stylistic framework, individual tracks draw on a broad array of subgenres and influences, including funk, big band, J-rock, heavy metal, post-rock, gospel, hip-hop, and classical music.[8]
Disc one
The first disc opens with "Wake Up, Get Up, Get Out There", the game's main theme. The track establishes the album's sonic identity immediately, with Inaizumi's vocals accompanied by string arrangements, soft synthesizer chords, and energetic percussion. Meguro intended the song to serve as a declaration of rebellious intent, reflecting the Phantom Thieves' core motivation throughout the game.[4]
The disc also contains several of the album's most prominent vocal tracks. "Last Surprise", the main battle theme, opens softly before Inaizumi's voice escalates into a driving, syncopated chorus. "Beneath the Mask", which plays during the nighttime sequences set at the in-game café LeBlanc, is one of the most recognized pieces on the album. Composed in G minor as a slow jam, the track cycles between Inaizumi and the backing instruments taking the melodic lead. Its lyrics, written by Rike Schmalz, deal with themes of concealment and vulnerability that echo the game's core motif of hidden identities. In his liner notes, Meguro stated: "I think that this song might be the one that expresses Lyn's style the best. Her singing voice is fantastic... It's a difficult track, but it was impressive how easily she sang it."[5]
"Life Will Change", also on the first disc, serves as the Phantom Thieves' heist anthem and features Inaizumi over a violin and guitar-led arrangement. Meguro described a hidden musical callback in the piece: "Towards the end of the game, we tried to give you a 'nice' surprise — how did you like it?"[5]
Disc two
The second disc opens with "Tokyo Daylight", which features Inaizumi's vocal ad-libs over a groove-driven arrangement. Reviewer Samer Farag of RPGFan noted it manages to evoke the synthesizer-based textures of Persona 3's soundtrack while remaining its own distinct composition.[9]
The disc contains numerous incidental and environmental tracks covering a broad tonal range, from the nostalgic "Days of Sisters" and the melancholic "The Days When My Mother Was There" to the more aggressive "Keeper of Lust". Several of the disc's tracks are credited to Kitajoh, whose total output on the second disc exceeded his own expectations. In the liner notes for "Beneath the Mask -rain-", Meguro noted: "There are four different arrangements of 'Beneath the Mask', but we didn't put them all in the CD just to fill space. We imagined that the OST would probably turn out to be three CDs, but Kitajoh had many more songs than even he expected, so during mastering we were pretty worried about running out of room."[5]
Disc three
The third disc covers much of the game's final act. "Rivers in the Desert" is a chamber-influenced composition that draws on disco and orchestral elements, with Inaizumi delivering one of her most vocally expansive performances on the album. In the liner notes, Meguro praised Inaizumi for handling the difficult key of A major across five tracks and a full chorus.[5] The climactic boss theme "Jaldabaoth" also appears on the third disc.
The album closes with "With the Stars and Us", a seven-minute piece performed primarily in Japanese that serves as the game's ending theme. Reviewer Samer Farag compared the piece's use of Japanese to "Never More" from Persona 4, noting that the language choice allows Inaizumi to deliver a more emotionally unguarded vocal performance. He described it as "a seven-minute epic with that traditional soaring Meguro fare, and will more than likely make anyone cry when they hear it after beating the game."[9]
Track listing
Credits adapted from the physical album liner notes[5] and digital streaming release.[10] Japanese-language titles are listed alongside their official English localizations where both exist. Vocal credits apply to Lyn Inaizumi unless otherwise noted.
Notes
- [a] "Hymn of the Soul" is performed by Haruko Komiya, not Lyn Inaizumi.
- [b] "Beneath the Mask (Rain)" uses a different set of English lyrics by Benjamin Franklin, distinct from those on the original "Beneath the Mask".
- [c] "With the Stars and Us" is performed primarily in Japanese; lyrics by Shigeo Komori.
| Disc one | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "Wake Up, Get Up, Get Out There" | Shoji Meguro; Benjamin Franklin (lyrics) | 4:37 |
| 2. | "Phantom" | Meguro | 2:17 |
| 3. | "Escape" | Meguro; Toshiki Konishi | 0:53 |
| 4. | "Life Will Change" | Meguro; Franklin (lyrics) | 4:22 |
| 5. | "Getaway & Arrest" | Meguro; Konishi | 1:40 |
| 6. | "Interrogation Room" | Meguro | 1:37 |
| 7. | "Recollection & Foreboding" | Meguro; Konishi | 1:01 |
| 8. | "Aria of the Soul" ([a]) | Meguro | 5:38 |
| 9. | "Beneath the Mask (Instrumental Version)" | Meguro | 4:41 |
| 10. | "Meeting" | Konishi | 0:45 |
| 11. | "Into the Metaverse" | Konishi | 1:15 |
| 12. | "Tension" | Meguro | 2:04 |
| 13. | "Awakening" | Meguro | 1:30 |
| 14. | "Will Power" | Meguro | 2:45 |
| 15. | "King, Queen, and Slaves (Another Version)" | Meguro | 1:43 |
| 16. | "King, Queen, and Slaves" | Meguro | 1:59 |
| 17. | "Last Surprise" | Meguro; Franklin (lyrics) | 3:55 |
| 18. | "Talk" | Meguro | 0:59 |
| 19. | "Triumph" | Meguro | 1:09 |
| 20. | "Tokyo Emergency" | Meguro | 2:34 |
| 21. | "Confession / Secret" | Meguro | 2:31 |
| 22. | "Confession / Secret (Piano Version)" | Konishi | 1:06 |
| 23. | "Layer Cake" | Meguro | 2:27 |
| 24. | "Life Will Change (Instrumental Version)" | Meguro | 2:30 |
| 25. | "Blood of Villain" | Meguro | 2:11 |
| 26. | "Blooming Villain" | Meguro | 2:39 |
| 27. | "Regret" | Meguro | 1:19 |
| 28. | "The Collapse of Lust" | Meguro | 1:31 |
| 29. | "Beneath the Mask" | Meguro; Rike Schmalz (lyrics) | 4:41 |
| 30. | "Endless Days" | Meguro | 2:23 |
| 31. | "Star Forneus" | Kenichi Tsuchiya | 2:00 |
| 32. | "Punch Ouch" | Tsuchiya | 1:54 |
| 33. | "AkaTaro Railway" | Atsushi Kitajoh | 1:25 |
| 34. | "Gochitera Gang" | Kitajoh | 1:30 |
| 35. | "Hatred Goemon" | Kitajoh | 1:24 |
| 36. | "Professional Golfer Monkey Tabiko" | Kitajoh | 1:36 |
| Total length: | 75:25 | ||
| Disc two | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "Tokyo Daylight" | Meguro; Franklin (lyrics) | 4:07 |
| 2. | "Butterfly Kiss" | Meguro | 3:35 |
| 3. | "Mementos" | Meguro | 3:16 |
| 4. | "Have a Short Rest" | Meguro | 1:58 |
| 5. | "Suspicious Person" | Konishi | 1:44 |
| 6. | "My Homie" | Meguro | 2:07 |
| 7. | "Wicked Plan" | Meguro | 1:49 |
| 8. | "A Woman" | Meguro | 2:21 |
| 9. | "A Woman (Another Version)" | Meguro | 2:13 |
| 10. | "Sunset Bridge" | Meguro | 1:59 |
| 11. | "Days of Sisters" | Meguro | 2:02 |
| 12. | "Beneath the Mask (Rain)" ([b]) | Meguro; Franklin (lyrics) | 4:34 |
| 13. | "BAR Yuu Comer" | Kitajoh | 2:03 |
| 14. | "Suspicion" | Meguro | 2:04 |
| 15. | "High Pressure" | Meguro | 1:34 |
| 16. | "Price" | Meguro | 3:29 |
| 17. | "Price (Another Version)" | Meguro | 2:02 |
| 18. | "Keeper of Lust" | Meguro | 3:42 |
| 19. | "Life Goes On" | Meguro | 3:57 |
| 20. | "Memories of a Summer Day" | Konishi | 2:17 |
| 21. | "Going Through the Scorching Desert" | Meguro | 1:23 |
| 22. | "The Days When My Mother Was There (Another Version)" | Konishi | 1:58 |
| 23. | "The Days When My Mother Was There" | Meguro | 3:12 |
| 24. | "Alleycat" | Meguro | 2:19 |
| 25. | "Fall of Anger" | Meguro | 1:46 |
| 26. | "Alright (Elp Version)" | Konishi | 2:01 |
| 27. | "New Beginning" | Meguro | 2:32 |
| 28. | "Hawaii" | Konishi | 1:32 |
| 29. | "Alright" | Meguro; Franklin (lyrics) | 3:31 |
| 30. | "Break It Down (Elp Version)" | Meguro | 1:59 |
| 31. | "The Spirit" | Meguro | 2:04 |
| 32. | "What's Going On?" | Konishi | 1:47 |
| 33. | "Sweet" | Kitajoh | 1:14 |
| 34. | "Big Bang Burger's March" | Kitajoh | 1:07 |
| 35. | "Triple Seven" | Kitajoh | 1:08 |
| 36. | "Crane Game" | Kitajoh | 1:11 |
| 37. | "Planetarium" | Kitajoh | 1:03 |
| 38. | "Electronics Store" | Kitajoh | 1:16 |
| 39. | "Welcome Back! Master♡" | Kitajoh | 1:04 |
| 40. | "Penalty Time" | Kitajoh | 0:43 |
| 41. | "Destiny Land" | Kitajoh | 1:21 |
| 42. | "Dark Net" | Meguro | 1:36 |
| Total length: | 75:59 | ||
| Disc three | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "Beneath the Mask (Rain, Instrumental Version)" | Meguro | 4:33 |
| 2. | "Break It Down" | Meguro | 4:02 |
| 3. | "Is It Boring?" | Meguro | 2:44 |
| 4. | "Disintegration" | Konishi | 1:59 |
| 5. | "Sweatshop" | Meguro | 2:57 |
| 6. | "Sweatshop (Another Version)" | Meguro | 2:08 |
| 7. | "Run, Run, Run!" | Meguro | 2:09 |
| 8. | "Broadcast Accident" | Tsuchiya | 1:37 |
| 9. | "Restlessness" | Meguro | 1:27 |
| 10. | "The Whims of Fate" | Meguro; Franklin (lyrics) | 5:00 |
| 11. | "Escape (Another Version)" | Meguro; Konishi | 1:02 |
| 12. | "Getaway (Another Version)" | Meguro; Konishi | 1:27 |
| 13. | "Betrayer" | Konishi | 2:07 |
| 14. | "Nothingness…?" | Konishi | 1:33 |
| 15. | "Trick" | Konishi | 1:47 |
| 16. | "Unfamiliar Arrogance" | Konishi | 1:57 |
| 17. | "Ark" | Meguro | 3:50 |
| 18. | "Improvised Song Dedicated to the Next Prime Minister's Ship" | Ryota Kozuka | 1:37 |
| 19. | "Wake Up, Get Up, Get Out There (Instrumental Version)" | Meguro | 4:37 |
| 20. | "Rivers in the Desert (Instrumental Version)" | Meguro | 4:43 |
| 21. | "Desire" | Meguro | 2:21 |
| 22. | "Rivers in the Desert" | Meguro; Franklin (lyrics) | 5:16 |
| 23. | "Collapse of Arrogance" | Meguro | 1:52 |
| 24. | "Freedom and Security" | Meguro | 2:04 |
| 25. | "Erosion" | Konishi | 2:17 |
| 26. | "Confrontation" | Konishi | 2:11 |
| 27. | "Jaldabaoth" | Meguro | 3:34 |
| 28. | "Swear to My Bones" | Meguro | 2:32 |
| 29. | "Our Beginning" | Meguro | 3:15 |
| 30. | "With the Stars and Us (Piano Version)" | Konishi | 2:28 |
| 31. | "With the Stars and Us" ([c]) | Meguro; Shigeo Komori (lyrics) | 7:10 |
| 32. | "With the Stars and Us (Opening Movie Version)" ([c]) | Meguro; Komori (lyrics) | 4:21 |
| Total length: | 87:59 | ||
Critical reception
The Persona 5 Original Soundtrack received widespread acclaim from music critics and the video game press following its release. Reviewing for RPGFan, Samer Farag praised the album as a significant progression in Meguro's compositional work with jazz, writing that each of the 110 tracks "has a purpose and establishes a mood" and that the material coheres naturally into something resembling "an impromptu jazz band jam session." Farag highlighted "Beneath the Mask" and "With the Stars and Us" as emotional centerpieces and praised Inaizumi's delivery throughout, while identifying occasional clarity issues in the lyrics of "The Whims of Fate" and "Rivers in the Desert" as minor drawbacks. He concluded: "I can recommend Persona 5's Original Soundtrack with complete confidence. If you were a fan of the previous Persona albums, you will feel right at home."[9]
On the review aggregation site Album of the Year, the soundtrack achieved a user score of 90 based on over 1,150 ratings, ranking it among the highest-rated video game soundtracks on the platform.[11]
Writing for Sound Tracker, one reviewer described the album as "three discs of acid jazz bliss" and noted that the genre's combination of soul and funk elements allowed Meguro to effectively translate the protagonist's emotional state — his youthful idealism and resentment toward injustice — into musical form. The same reviewer identified "Beneath the Mask" as the defining track of the album, calling its tonal construction and Inaizumi's vocal performance a "beautiful slow jam" whose emotional qualities were inseparable from the game's themes of duality.[12]
The soundtrack gained particular attention for its consistency across a large track count. Multiple reviewers noted that despite a runtime of nearly four hours, individual tracks rarely felt redundant or out of place. Farag observed that the core "grooving" character established with the opening theme is maintained even in more intense or dramatically weightier game sequences, citing "Will Power" and "Keeper of Lust" as examples of the style holding under pressure.[9]
Writing for Everything Is Noise, a reviewer described the album as "very well my favorite original soundtrack ever," noting that the 110 tracks span "a multitude of genres and tonalities" while maintaining thematic coherence, and singling out "Wake Up, Get Up, Get Out There" as "a pretty perfect summation" of the soundtrack's aesthetic from its opening moments.[8]
Legacy
The Persona 5 Original Soundtrack is widely regarded as one of the most influential video game soundtracks of the 2010s. Its use of acid jazz as a primary compositional framework was credited by commentators with helping renew popular interest in the genre among younger audiences, and the soundtrack became closely associated with the game's broader cultural impact.[4]
Persona 5 was recognized at The Game Awards 2017, where it won the award for Best Role Playing Game. The game's music was frequently cited as a critical factor in its overall reception; Atlus's promotional materials for later platform releases described Meguro as an "award-nominated composer."[13]
The soundtrack's success led to several related releases. Persona 5 Royal (2019) featured an expanded and partially revised score released separately as the Persona 5 Royal: Original Soundtrack, which included 29 new tracks composed for the expanded game. A Western-market version, titled Persona 5 Royal: The Soundtrack, followed in 2020 with a shorter track listing.[14] Tracks from the original soundtrack were remixed and rearranged for the rhythm game Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight (2018).[15]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Shoji Meguro – Persona5 Original Soundtrack". Discogs. Retrieved 2025-03-06.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 "Persona 5 Original Soundtrack". Megami Tensei Wiki. Retrieved 2025-03-06.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Persona 5". Wikipedia. Retrieved 2026-05-22.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Film Music Theory (2025-01-28). "Music of Persona 5: A Sonic Journey Through Fantasy". Retrieved 2026-05-22.
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 "Persona 5 Original Soundtrack Track-by-Track Composer Comments". Too Far Gone. 2018-05-09. Retrieved 2026-05-22. Unknown parameter
|note=ignored (help) - ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Glixel: Interview with Composer Meguro and Artist Soejima About the Development of Persona 5". Persona Central. 2017-11-24. Retrieved 2026-05-22.
- ↑ @Atlus_West. "This just in, the #Persona5 Soundtrack (All 110 songs) is now available for download on @iTunes!". Megatenwiki (archived tweet). Retrieved 2025-03-06.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Sound Test: Persona 5". Everything Is Noise. 2019-07-31. Retrieved 2026-05-22.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Farag, Samer (2017-03-27). "Persona 5 Original Soundtrack Music Review". RPGFan. Retrieved 2026-05-22.
- ↑ "Persona 5 (Original Soundtrack)". Spotify. Mastard Records. Retrieved 2026-05-22.
- ↑ "Shoji Meguro – Persona 5: Original Soundtrack". Album of the Year. Retrieved 2026-05-22.
- ↑ "Persona 5 Soundtrack Review". Sound Tracker. 2017-08-11. Retrieved 2026-05-22.
- ↑ "2017's game of the year is Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild". South China Morning Post. 2017-12-08. Retrieved 2026-05-22.
- ↑ "Persona 5 Royal: Original Soundtrack". Megami Tensei Wiki. Retrieved 2025-03-06.
- ↑ "Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight and Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight". Retrieved 2026-05-22.
External links
- Persona 5 Original Soundtrack at VGMdb
- Persona5 Original Soundtrack at Discogs
- PERSONA5 ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK at MusicBrainz
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