How the Song “Sleepwalking” Ended Up in GTA 5

15 Mar at 21:39 Comment Views: 13

“Sleepwalking” by The Chain Gang of 1974 stands as a quintessential anthem within the world of GTA 5. The track is woven into the very fabric of the game, appearing in the official trailer, rotating on Radio Mirror Park, and serving as the poignant musical backdrop for Ending B. It is also a highlight of the compilation album The Music of Grand Theft Auto V — Volume 1: Original Music.

Kamtin Mohager, the creative force behind the band, once recounted the serendipitous encounter that led to this legendary collaboration. In 2011, just a day before his scheduled performance at the Lollapalooza festival, Mohager was at a social gathering when a stranger approached him. Initially, the musician assumed it was a standard fan interaction and was prepared to offer a photograph.

However, the individual introduced himself as a representative from Rockstar Games, noting that the entire development team were massive fans of the band. He hinted at a massive, top-secret project they were developing and expressed a strong desire to collaborate. Mohager later reflected on how fortunate he was to have passed that business card along to his manager.

A few months later, Mohager’s manager arranged a meeting at The Hollywood Roosevelt, where the Rockstar team was staying. The developers—described by Mohager as incredibly laid-back—finally revealed the scope of their work and confirmed their interest in featuring The Chain Gang of 1974. During this session, Mohager played two demos from his then-upcoming album Daydream Forever: “Lola Suzanne” and “Sleepwalking.” Interestingly, the Rockstar team initially showed a stronger preference for “Lola Suzanne.”

More time passed while the band was on the road. During a routine stop to replace a tire on the tour bus, Mohager received a pivotal call from his manager:

“Don’t get your hopes up too high yet, but they’ve been testing the commercial with ‘Sleepwalking’ as the soundtrack.”

Roughly half a week later—just three days prior to the official reveal on August 29, 2013—the definitive news arrived:

“They want ‘Sleepwalking’ for all the promotional spots. They want it for the gameplay, and they want it to close out one of the game’s endings.”

This high-profile placement became a transformative milestone for The Chain Gang of 1974, ultimately catapulting the project to international stardom.

Source: gta.com.ua

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