The song is used throughout the game, with its most well-known sequence being during the game's final boss battle. "Live & Learn" is notable for helping Crush 40 gain popularity among theSonic community, as well as being one of the most memorable and beloved tracks in the franchise during the 2000s.[1]
"Live & Learn" was recorded forSonic Adventure 2. During its development, Senoue and Gioeli reunited to record the title track.Takeshi Taneda [ja] and Katsuji Kirita—fromGargoyle andthe Cro-Magnons—were brought in to play the bass and drums respectively, while Shibata and Homma were busy performing with Loudness and laterAnthem.[2][3]
Senoue recorded the intro to the song, inLos Angeles, for the game's trial edition; he later worked on the rest of the arrangement and completed it within a single day. He then sent ademo to Gioeli to record his vocals.[4] Gioeli was given the task of writing the lyrics for "Live & Learn".[1]
"Live & Learn" is set in the key ofC# minor, with atempo of 172 beats per minute.[5][6] It was composed withguitarriffs anddrum beats[7] Gioeli's vocal delivery accompanies the instrumentation.[7]
According to Gioeli, the idea for the song's lyrics came from imagining someone navigating through the game, getting crushed, and learning and getting past and living.[8]
"Live & Learn" has become one of the most memorable songs on the soundtrack forSonic Adventure 2, according to Sean Aitchison ofFanbyte,[1] and remains a popularSonic song amongst fans.[9]Chris Greening ofVideo Game Music Online praised the hard rock sound, as well as Gioeli's vocal delivery, stating that the song is "an ecstatic Americana rock anthem featuring Johnny at his best".[10] Gioeli was initially nervous and asked Senoue if his lyrics for "Live & Learn" were okay on multiple occasions, but has over time become one of his favorite songs, according toVice.[11]
Crush 40 debuted "Live & Learn" live in their first live performance at the 2008Tokyo Game Show.[12][13] The song is a staple of Crush 40's live sets, with notable performances including the 2010Summer of Sonic fan convention[14][15], at LIVE in Tokyo in 2011[16], and atJoypolis inTokyo,Japan in 2015.[17]
In 2021, Crush 40 performed the song with a new symphonic arrangement with thePrague Philharmonic Orchestra as the finale of the Sonic 30th Anniversary Symphony.[18] Later in 2023, Gioeli and Senoue reunited to perform it live with theSonic Symphony band in Los Angeles. Gioeli later performed live at the 2025 TooManyGames game convention at theGreater Philadelphia Expo Center, in Pennsylvania.[19][20]
In 2008, "Live & Learn" has received a remastered version by Masahiro Fukuhara, labeled as the "2007 Mix", for theTrue Blue: The Best of Sonic the Hedgehog studio album.[21]
The song was reimagined as anacoustic version in 2022 byCrush 40, with most of the instrumentation and vocals re-recorded and arrangements for new instruments introduced. The version is featured in theRock 'n' Sonic The Hedgehog: Sessions studio album.[22]
In the original Japanese version ofSonic X, "Live & Learn" appeared as an insert song in episode 38, whereSuper Sonic andSuper Shadow both perform Chaos Control to teleport the ARK back to orbit.[24]
An instrumental remix of the song briefly plays after the "I Am... All of Me" portion in the track "Event : Super Shadow" in the 2005 video gameShadow the Hedgehog, where the eponymous character transforms into their super transformation.[25][26]
In December 2024, lead vocalist of Crush 40Johnny Gioeli contended that whileSega owns the lyrics for "Live & Learn", Gioeli himself owns themaster recording for it. He sued the company for unpaid royalties for the song's usage in numerous games and media, and claimed that they owe him $1 million in restitution and damages.[30]
On August 28, 2025, the lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice in favor of Sega. On September 22, 2025, Gioeli publicly revealed the outcome on social media, and stated that the ownership status remains in "limbo".[31]
On January 16, 2026, after the song was remixed in a promotional video by Sega, Gioeli revealed that "Live & Learn" is no longer in limbo, implying that the matter has been settled.[32]
^Greening, Chris (August 1, 2012)."Crush 40 - Review".Video Game Music Online.Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. RetrievedJanuary 17, 2026.
