Carry On Carryin' On

You, you found me
Made me into something new
Led me through the deepest waters
I promise loud to carry on for you...
-- "Carry On", Kygo and Rita Ora

The new Detective Pikachu movie wouldn't be complete without a soundtrack, and that soundtrack has a great lead single. That lead single is the song for which I've quoted the chorus above. It's a dance-pop tropical house number by a popular DJ and singer, in the same vein as quite a bit of the music in the current era. Beyond that, though, there's a fair bit of significance associated with the elements in this song.

The lyrics of the song speak about someone who is missing and yet is also motivational. The associated longing drives the person who would be singing the lyrics to do exactly as the song says, which is to carry on or proceed in life. In short, as another reviewer puts it, it's "melancholic". Yet it's also a love song in some ways, not the least because the word itself is mentioned. Overall, the lyrics appear to suit and be representative of the relationships of Tim, Harry, and Pikachu in the movie, and that is perhaps not an accident.

Rita Ora, the singer of the song, wears a yellow coat in the music video of the song, suggesting a representation of Pikachu. The video itself takes the setting of the places in the movie and has scenes from the movie itself, which further ties everything together. This is quite appreciable for the song, the movie, and the associated feelings. As an aside, Rita Ora is also quite involved with this movie: she appears as the scientist Dr. Ann Laurent, whose work sets the stage for crucial events in the movie. This too is highly appreciable.

Songs that sound like this one are fairly common in the current era, and in fact I almost mistook it for something generic the first time I listened to it. However, an in-depth look showed that this song means more than just common music of the era; it's an evocatively sentimental and significant part of a newfangled Pokémon feature, and that's not a bad thing. The modern sensibilities of the song totally suit the modern take on a Pokémon feature and captures much of the sentiments felt within it.

One year ago: The Living Dex
Two years ago: Pastrana and Pikachu