MIDNIGHT SPECIAL

MIDNIGHT SPECIAL

Song Information

MIDNIGHT SPECIAL's GuitarFreaks & DrumMania jacket.

MIDNIGHT SPECIAL's DanceDanceRevolution jacket.

Artist: Love machineguns
Composition/Arrangement: Toshio Sakurai, Hideyuki Ono, Yuei Uematsu
Lyrics/Vocals: Thomas Howard Lichtenstein
Trumpet: Hideyuki Ono
Trombone/All Saxophones: Jimmy Weckl
Guitars/Bass/Drum Programming: Toshio Sakurai
Recording Engineer: Akira Goshima
BPM: 182
Length: 1:20
Genre: SKA PUNK
Movie: yos
First Music Game Appearance: drummania 2ndMIX
Other Music Game Appearances:

• DanceDanceRevolution SuperNOVA
• DanceDanceRevolution ULTRAMIX2
• GITADORA OverDrive
• GUITARFREAKS 3rdMIX

Lyrics

Game Size

In the barrio you gotta learn how to survive 
Cause you never know When it's your turn to take a dive 
 
So you go through each day 
With your eyes in the back of your head 
You never know if you'll be alive or be dead 

That is why always have it 
You carry a midnight special 
Never leave home without it 
Always better with a midnight special 

In the dark on the street 
Never know who you're gonna meet 
No problem you got a midnight special

Long Version

In the barrio you gotta learn how to survive Cause you never know when it's your turn to take a dive ★ So you go through each day With your eyes in the back of your head You never know if you'll be alive or be dead ★ LITTLE JOHNNY SMITH, they nearly laid that boy to rest But he's still alive - thank God, he must be heaven blessed But you know that somewhere There's a bullet that says your name You can't avoid the danger it's part of this game ☆ That is why always have it You carry a midnight special Never leave home without it Always better with a midnight special In the dark on the street Never know who you're gonna meet No problem you got a midnight special ☆ ★・・・・★　repeat ☆・・・・☆　repeat

Song Connections / Remixes

• A long version of MIDNIGHT SPECIAL appears in the GUITARFREAKS 3rdMIX & drummania 2ndMIX soundtracks album.
  • An acoustic version of MIDNIGHT SPECIAL appears as a bonus track in the same album.

Trivia

This song has different backgrounds, banners, jackets, or other related images. For more information, please see this page.

• Despite that MIDNIGHT SPECIAL's BPM is shown as 182, it actually ranges from 182 to 187 BPM.
  • Prior to GuitarFreaks V & DrumMania V, MIDNIGHT SPECIAL's BPM was not displayed.
• In DanceDanceRevolution ULTRAMIX2, Dancing Stage Unleashed2, and DanceDanceRevolution STR!KE, MIDNIGHT SPECIAL's title and artist were capitalized as Midnight Special and Love Machineguns respectively.
• Midnight Special can be unlocked in DanceDanceRevolution ULTRAMIX2 by playing any 20 songs.
• Midnight Special can be automatically unlocked in DanceDanceRevolution STR!KE if you have save data of GuitarFreaks V & DrumMania V CS on your memory card.
• MIDNIGHT SPECIAL received a proper Single BEGINNER chart and a unique, different video in DanceDanceRevolution STR!KE, based on DYNAMITE RAVE's unique video. Both were later carried over to DanceDanceRevolution SuperNOVA. Its video eliminates all on-screen dancers prior to DanceDanceRevolution WORLD.
• MIDNIGHT SPECIAL being crossed over marks it as the only musical appearances of both Toshio Sakurai and Yuei Uematsu on an arcade release of DanceDanceRevolution.
• MIDNIGHT SPECIAL is one of the unlockable songs of the ULTIMATE FESTIVAL!! ULTIMATE GATE event of GITADORA OverDrive.
  • As of GITADORA Tri-Boost, it is available by default.
• MIDNIGHT SPECIAL received a new jacket in GITADORA OverDrive.
• MIDNIGHT SPECIAL is available in コナステ GITADORA as part of the Konasute GITADORA HISTORY PACK vol.2 (コナステ GITADORA HISTORYパック vol.2).
• In DanceDanceRevolution GRAND PRIX, MIDNIGHT SPECIAL received its difficulty change from DanceDanceRevolution WORLD on July 3rd, 2024.

Song Production Information

Sakurai: I went to Tower Records after finishing my work in DM1st, and heard a ska punk song playing. It sounded interesting from a game standpoint, so I wondered if I could do something like that next time. "P.P.R." and this song were written together with Ono, and it's faster when we write together because I don't get lost (laughs).

Ono: Yes, yes, it's fast and fun! (Laughs). When we make songs together, we both grab a guitar and play "1, 2, 3, 4". The most important aspect of DM and GF is the "band groove". The songwriting process became into a private live performance (laughs). That's a very common thing.

Sakurai: That's right (laughs). The intro and the final "bababababa-" are melodies written by our youngest member, Yuei. Right!

Yuei: Yeah!

Video Production Information

None.

Difficulty & Notecounts

DanceDanceRevolution difficulty rated from 1 to 10 from DDRMAX2 to SuperNOVA2. and 1 to 20 from X onwards.
GuitarFreaks & DrumMania difficulty from the original games to GUITARFREAKS 4thMIX & drummania 3rdMIX rated from 1 to 10, and 1 to 99 from GUITARFREAKS 5thMIX & drummania 4thMIX onwards.
GuitarFreaks & DrumMania XG and GITADORA difficulty rated from 0.00 to 9.99. (Ratings and notecounts obtained from BEMANIWiki 2nd and GITADORA Rating Sources.)

DanceDanceRevolution

Game	Single					Double
	Beginner	Basic	Difficult	Expert	Challenge	Basic	Difficult	Expert	Challenge
Notecounts / Freeze Arrows / Shock Arrows	101 / 12	144 / 21	236 / 11	267 / 14	- / - / -	190 / 3	244 / 11	274 / 8	- / - / -
DanceDanceRevolution ULTRAMIX2 / Dancing Stage Unleashed2	⁂N/A	4	5	7	-	6	7	8	-
DanceDanceRevolution STR!KE	2	4	5	7	-	6	7	8	-
DanceDanceRevolution / Dancing Stage SuperNOVA NA/EU CS	2	4	5	7	-	6	7	8	-
DanceDanceRevolution GRAND PRIX	3	7	9	10	-	8	10	12	-
DanceDanceRevolution SuperNOVA→SuperNOVA2	2	4	5	7	-	6	7	8	-
DanceDanceRevolution X→A3	3	7	9	10	-	7	10	12	-
DanceDanceRevolution WORLD→Present	3	7	9	10	-	↑8	10	12	-

⁂ Denotes that no proper chart data actually exists.

GuitarFreaks & DrumMania

Original Series

Game	Drum			Guitar			Bass			Open
	Basic	Advanced	Extreme	Basic	Advanced	Extreme	Basic	Advanced	Extreme	Basic	Advanced	Extreme
Notecounts	346	534	663	269	269	269	312	312	-	-	-	-
GF3/dm2	4	6	8	4	6	8	N/A	N/A	-	-	-	-
GF4/dm3	4	6	8	↑5	↑7	↓6	N/A	N/A	-	-	-	-
GF5/dm4→GF6/dm5	37	71	86	48	51	54	N/A	N/A	-	-	-	-
GF7/dm6	↓29	↓50	↓72	↓12	↓16	↓31	N/A	N/A	-	-	-	-
GF8/dm7	↓21	↓48	↑74	↑18	↑21	↑33	N/A	N/A	-	-	-	-
GF8/dm7 power-up ver.→GF/DM V2	21	48	74	↓16	↓19	↓32	27	36	-	-	-	-
GF/DM V3→V8	21	48	↓68	16	19	32	27	36	-	-	-	-
GF3/dm2 CS	4	6	8	4	6	8	N/A	N/A	-	-	-	-
GF/DM V3 CS	21	48	68	16	19	32	27	36	-	-	-	-

XG & GITADORA Series

Game	Drum				Guitar				Bass
	Basic	Advanced	Extreme	Master	Basic	Advanced	Extreme	Master	Basic	Advanced	Extreme	Master
Notecounts	240	485	662	-	228	269	269	-	188	312	312	-
GITADORA OverDrive→Tri-Boost	3.10	5.40	6.75	-	3.50	5.40	6.75	-	3.30	5.20	6.70	-
GITADORA Tri-Boost Re:EVOLVE	↑3.15	↓5.00	↓6.50	-	↓3.10	↓4.80	↓6.20	-	↓2.75	↓4.65	↓6.00	-
GITADORA Matixx	↑4.00	↑5.30	↑6.70	-	↑3.50	↑5.25	↑6.60	-	↑2.80	↑4.90	↑6.35	-
GITADORA EXCHAIN	↑4.15	↑5.75	↑6.95	-	↓3.35	↓4.90	↑6.65	-	↓2.70	↓4.75	↓6.20	-
GITADORA NEX+AGE	4.15	↑5.80	6.95	-	3.35	↑4.95	6.65	-	↑2.80	↑4.80	↑6.25	-
GITADORA HIGH-VOLTAGE→Present	↓4.10	↑5.85	↓6.90	-	↑3.60	↑5.35	↑6.85	-	↑3.15	↑5.60	↑6.60	-
コナステ GITADORA	4.15	5.80	6.95	-	3.35	4.95	6.65	-	2.80	4.80	6.25	-