The eye of a storm elicits a peculiar dichotomy of emotions. In the face of foreboding doom, the eerie stillness is equally welcomed and dreaded. As the eyes gaze upon the horizon to the challenges that lie ahead, the mind slowly begins to comprehend the temporal nature of this tranquil pause. We are trapped, surrounded on every side by chaos and disaster. Redemption can only be obtained by facing the perilous threat.
Such is the range of emotions I felt as the Moon slowly descended toward the inhabitants of Clock Town. As the notes from the Ocarina of Time summoned the four giants of Termina, Link once again uses the power of song to thwart a travesty. With the solemn “Oath to Order” playing in the background, Link ascends to the heavens to confront the Skull Kid.
During my first playthrough, I was shocked. Having played Ocarina of Time the year prior, I expected Majora’s Mask to crescendo in a similar fashion to Link’s ascension of the castle’s staircase to face Ganondorf. Instead, we find the quiet respite of a lush field inside the Moon. At this point, I slowly began to realize how different the confrontation with the game’s final boss would be and how the “Oath to Order” perfectly set the mood for this encounter.
Meet Jake McCoy. Better known on YouTube as jam2995, Jake is an adept guitar player who specializes in video game themes. Although the Zelda community tends to focus on the more popular “Song of Healing,” here Jake instead chooses to perform a special rendition of the “Oath to Order.” His use of vocals and choice of electric and acoustic guitars perfectly embody the “calm-before-the-storm” moment from the game’s ending.
Jake begins by inserting his own somber vocals into the song’s introduction. As his voice cloaks the actual game’s instruments with solidarity, I could feel the four giants slowly gathering and raising their arms to prevent the inevitable chaos.
As he introduces the song’s main verse, Jake opens with a stroke of genius. His gently tickles a few piano keys as he builds the audience’s anticipation with a progressively strong drum riff. He crescendos with a heavy metal guitar, which instantly feels symbolic of the four giants bracing for the Moon’s impact.
At this point in the melody, Jake makes his most creative decision by unexpectedly switching to an acoustic guitar. With the strength of the song’s refrain weakened, my thoughts immediately jumped to the quiet interlude on the Moon’s surface. The softer tone of the unabated strings created a perfect “eye-of-the-storm” feeling.
Jake concludes this ominous theme by returning to a place of strength: the heavy metal guitar. But instead of returning to a singular electric guitar, Jake overlaps the melody with guitars playing simultaneously. The power exuded from the song’s conclusion perfectly exemplifies Link’s confronting of the final boss and serves as a beautiful ending to one of the more dismal entries in the series.
Although darker elements and moments from the Zelda franchise remain my favorites, I’ll admit I overlooked the significance of the “Oath to Order.” Many fans consider the “Song of Healing” to be their favorite Majora’s Mask track, but jam2995’s rendition of “Oath to Order” opened my eyes to the song’s importance. As in real life, not every conflict is a gradual escalation. Sometimes in the midst of chaos, the cold eeriness of the “eye” appears. But instead of embracing the dread, take a deep breath, enjoy the momentary pause, and press onward toward the challenges that lie ahead.
Be sure to check out the rest of our articles from Majora’s Month, our month-long celebration of Majora’s Mask’s 20th anniversary!
