Donkey Kong Country "I Want to Go Home" 3:27

As part of today's 31st anniversary of Donkey Kong Country's release, we look back just a year to Dwelling of Duels' David Wise Month, from which a rich store of ReMixes have sprouted like lilies after the rain throughout 2025. For the comp, Mel Decision teamed up with judge paradiddlesjosh on drums and Nemo Fairlight on vocals to make this evocative, haunting and downright beautiful ballad based on Donkey Kong Country's mine theme.

Of her choice of source, Mel writes:

"I narrowed down on the Donkey Kong Country soundtrack pretty quickly (because, let's be real, it's a banger) but didn't want to do the more obvious choices."

Yeah, everyone might like "Aquatic Ambiance" – and rightly so – but what sold me on Donkey Kong Country's soundtrack (and first sparked my journey with David Wise's music) was the moment I stepped onto Winky's Walkway. From that first ascending wail-like pitch, 10-year-old me was struck by the spine-tingling mystery between melancholy and hope in "Life in the Mines", with its eerie call-and-response melodies, and its minimalistic arrangement to create a vast sense of space like the level's abyssally dark depths and its rickety, half-lit narrow gangways that hang above. Ever since that time I first rented the game from Video Ezy, I still find myself coming back to this tune that continues to haunt me.

Mel gets it, and it shows. She writes:

"I loved the soundscape and overall vibes of "Life in the Mines': deep, desperate, driving, and bittersweet. [...] I liked how the melody and countermelody played off of each other in the original, and thought that vocals would help enhance that back-and-forth between the two. I got the phrase "take me with you/I want to go home" stuck in my head while I started arranging and ended up creating this story about a miner injured after a cave-in and their struggle to find their way out of the mines, while the spirit of their long-dead lover urges them forward. That helped me frame the lyrics."

When I saw six verses of lyrics and a bridge, I thought I was going to be in for a long ride; however, Mel was able to distill the essence of hope and desperation down into each short line. Lyrically, the length feels just right, with its story developing and growing from beginning to end, while its use of two narrators makes us feel like we're there, struggling through the darkness yet encouraged to continue despite the odds. Comment and commentary, plea and plaint, the miner and the spirit embody the two sides of Wise's original spinning coin and Mel brings this out through her setting.

But what are beautiful lyrics if no-one is there to perform it, and aptly? Nemo has made a notable presence as of late here on OC ReMix, and her versatility and range is on wondrous display throughout this ReMix. She delivers on Mel's lyrics in a heartfelt, soaring self-duet that brought judge Rexy to tears. The judges were impressed by Nemo's use of two styles: the light and airy soprano of the ghostly memories and the dark mezzo of the desperate miner, the latter of which gives me Loreena McKennitt vibes. I get chills down my spine every time I listen thanks to her voice, especially once she soars to that amazing climax.

Mel's lyrical vision for her ReMix may be ambitious, but her arrangement is conservative yet delightfully so. Of this she writes:

"I wanted to do a mix of synths and pads but bring in some orchestral elements like harps, strings, and a little flute. I relied on piano to reinforce the melody. I kept the bass part simple because I planned on recording it myself. [...] I normally usually use even more FX in my tracks, but I wanted to keep this one a little sparser and just relied on some ambiance and percussive texture to build out the picture of a mine."

By keeping things simple, Mel pulls upon what makes this source so special. While compounding upon it and enhancing it to a wider, fuller spectrum of sound, Mel keeps the heart of the piece intact and strengthens it. Drums feature in the original source's climactic reprise, so when Mel could not find what she was after, she brought in another expert:

"I was also unsatisfied with my first few attempts at percussion on the track, and asked paradiddlesjosh to write something instead. He came back with a complex, driving groove that helped build momentum and intensity throughout the song which I was able to build on with some additional percussion for texture."

Larry was initially unhappy with those drums being too much and said, "there's no synergy"; but thanks to listening in Office Hours and Mel's subsequent adjustments, we have been rewarded. According to Larry:

"The drumming was good, it just needed to know its place amidst this soundscape, which was subordinate to the vocals. :-) The DoD version would have gotten my approval as is, and there's no major changes, but it's nice to have an even stronger version now."

As I mentioned, the judges' concerns were minor and this ReMix passed the panel with flying colors. prophetik music states in his characteristic miniscule:

"i think this is a *really* neat idea. the original is such a unique track, and your approach here definitely leans successfully into what makes it so interesting. i like the vocal approach a lot, and it's executed really well. i'd say that i think that this is not perfect - i didn't like the second half as much as the first with some of the conflicting instrumentation and vibes, and a few spots in the writing - but there's a really neat core here that's absolutely over our bar."

Rexy adds:

"This track feels haunting, for sure [...] the call and response between the deeper vocals and the airier ones mark a great way to reflect the melancholy of the original's melody. The textural shaping is also on point - the lighter delivery of the first two verses, then the following two pairs were parts of a rollercoaster to a breaking middle. [...]

The presentation is also serviceable, too. Nemo's performance delivered both vocal styles well, though tonally, it's not perfect [...] but in a soft rock environment, imperfections ought to drive things forward [...] it's a clean recording that adapted to the soundscape in front of it, and the instrument [choices] and Josh's percussion secured the package with a neatly wrapped bow.

I like this submission, Mel. This core hits the standards with no issues, and this haunting delivery is bound to reflect on someone somewhere."

If my write-up is anything to judge by, it's certainly given me cause for reflection. This ReMix is as if I've rediscovered this treasure that, although overshadowed by its watery sibling, in my view definitely deserves more attention and recaptures the source's wonder that my inner child remembers.

I'll give proph the final word from the judges:

"this is going to be someone's favorite track of the last year for sure."

Will it be yours?