Videogame music has won its first Grammy, even though it may have been indirectly.
A little over five years after the release of Civilization IV, one of the songs from its soundtrack has won a Grammy. The 53rd Grammy Awards show honored Christopher Tin’s “Baba Yetu” with not only the first videogame song Grammy nomination, but the first videogame song win.
“Baba Yetu” was awarded the Grammy for “Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s).” The song went up against the likes of music from Bobby McFerrin and musical legend Herbie Hancock.
The thing is, it was kind of an accident. “Baba Yetu” won due to its inclusion on Tin’s album Calling All Dawns, released in October 2009, and not as the opening song from Civilization IV. However, it was composed specifically for the game. To see the song go so far isn’t surprising, because it tends to hook anyone that listens.
“Baba Yetu” is a rendition of Chrisianity’s “Lord’s Prayer” sung in Swahili, but did you know that it also has officially endorsed English lyrics? It’s true. I’m going to go ahead and say it was smart of Tin to stick with the Swahili version for his album.
