Just so you know….I had to write all of this in a google doc before posting it here aasjsfhsjkfhsdf

BUT OKAY, SO HERE’S A FEW IDEAS/THOUGHTS I HAVE RATTLING ‘ROUND THIS KNOGGIN REGARDING THIS HERE ‘ONE OF KIND’ LEITMOTIF. *slaps motif so hard, all the tracks containing it fall out of my Spotify folder* fuck wait-

So the first time we ever hear this song, it is the very very FIRST song of the game, and it’s called 'One of a Kind'. And this is then repeated throughout the rest of the game, in various battle themes and boss themes. It’s also used heavily in Bayo 2, as I stated before (Bayo 3 starts off very strong with it, but it falters throughout the entirety of the game in comparison to how the other games treated this particular leitmotif). So the motif feels like it can work independently between both games and carry a different meaning depending on how it’s used. 

Generally, a leitmotif carries theme/motive to either a general idea or character or thing, and it sticks with it. But it’s hard to just pinpoint it to one thing. And again, I'm pulling this shit out of my ass, this really means nothing lmao I just love music and how it has such a huge impact on how the audience can perceive or feel about things in games/movies/shows.

OKAY SO:

For Bayonetta 1:

So the first initial idea I had, specifically for Bayonetta 1 (without relating it to the other 2 games) is that the theme represents the Remembrance or memories for Bayonetta, and maybe even her as a person in relation to the story/journey. The motif is first played as a critical turning point in her story and her life (the witch hunts, moments just before Rosa’s death and Bayo being sealed away), but those memories that are lost to her.

The motif isn’t heard again in the game until Bayonetta starts treading familiar ground and begins to relive memories and interact with Jeanne more. Examples include: Battle for the Umbra Throne, ST06 -The Sunrise and Crescent Valleys, EV22-2 The Eyes of the World, etc.

The motif is quiet and brief in these scores, but it’s there. But as Bayonetta gets closer and closer to the end of the story, and begins to remember more of her past and what happened at the Witch Hunts, the motif becomes more prominent. Examples include most of Jeanne’s music: Blood & Darkness, EV27 - Jeanne II, EV32 -The Death of Jeanne. And also Balder and even the very last boss theme, Jublieus. (You May Call Me Father, The Greatest Jubilee).

And then to end it all, a track exclusive just for the motif (EV33 - The Demise?) plays just before Bayonetta is saved by Jeanne and they defeat Jublieus one last time, which then plays the exact theme from the start of it all, One of a Kind.

The Demise is a great track to listen to if you need help recognizing the actual motif itself, as it just plays that part. It’ll help you recognize it within other tracks if you listen closely enough. 

So with all that laid out, I think that the way the motif itself is woven within the OST and how it pays off in the end, relates to Bayonetta’s journey as a whole and pretty much summarizes the entire game’s point and end goal. The game starts and ends with the motif, and it also has the same events unravel just in different ways (the exact cutscene of Jeanne and Bayonetta escaping whilst free fall, from Clocktower or outer space).

It’s also cool to see all of the connection it has to the other characters and environments that contribute to everything that is happening to Bayonetta. How important Jeanne and Balder are to her story, her life, because they are the things she has forgotten. The Eyes of World, the reason why all of this is happening. And even the motif playing during passive tracks like the Sunrise and Crescent Valleys, her home long forgotten just like everything else, and where everything transpired.

The motif is a wonderful and rewarding score when it plays along with all these events/boss themes so well. You feel you are porgressing closer and closer to something, and this singular motif has been along for the ride.

And it almost carries it over in some regard to Bayo 2. But Bayo 2 also shapes the motif in a different manner.

Which…I am not going to explain because I believe I might be onto something else with Bayonetta 2’s use of the motif. Because they also INTRODUCED A NEW MOTIF THAT REOCCURS??? I was backtracking to find a specific new motif that plays for Balder but I'm finding that it may in fact have a larger part to play in the entire score for Bayo 2, as well as the One of a Kind leitmotif does so…more on that later.

BUT YEAH THAT’S MY MADE RAMBLING, THANKS FOR STOPPING BY!!! 

Genuinely, it’s cool you had an interest and were curious. I struggle to just dump stuff like this anywhere just for the sake of sharing because I have not read if this is stuff people would give a shit about reading it 😭😭 I do want to share more, and maybe one day, I’ll do a full video on it. Because I know the more I listen to these OSTs, I will find something new. I will say, I love the shit out of Bayo 3’s OST and listen to it all the time. There might actually be new motifs buried in there somewhere like in 2, but the way they kinda just…tossed around the 'One of a Kind' motif made me sad. Like it was more a call-back track instead of being used in crucial story moments or fights that would make it matter. Then again, the story for Bayo 3 is not at all perfect and probably feels like it’s harder to track a meaning in some of the themes when…it has nothing to lead to?

More on that another day.

BUT THANK YOU!! I HAD FUN WRITING THIS OUT AND FINALLY SHARING IT!! AHHHHH