Clickbait

Clickbait is a song performed by C-Side. It is considered the main theme of.

Description
Clickbait is a song from performed by C-Side. The song features vocals, guitar, and bass, and is a multiplayer music track for Splatoon 3.

Clickbait has two versions. One is used for Anarchy Battles and X Battles, another is used for Turf War Regular Battles. Because of Turf War's time limit of 3 minutes and using its last minute for Now or Never!, the Turf War version loops earlier, at around the 1:25 mark, unlike the Anarchy Battle version where it loops at around 1:47. The Turf War version plays in the jukebox.

The full Regular Battle version was first heard in the Release Date Revealed trailer on 2022-04-22.

Clickbait (Splash Sessions Demo)
The music which plays during the Splatoon 3 tutorial segment can be considered a variation of Clickbait, similar to Splattack! (Jam Session) and Inkoming! (Cloud Demo). This music is divided into three main phases. The first two phases contain variations. It starts with a sparse drum solo, but more instruments are added in as the music transitions between phases following the player's progression in the tutorial. When the end of the third phase is reached, the final 16 bars are looped continuously. The song also plays in the jukebox, with an additional drum solo intro segment at the start. The version in instead starts with the normal opening, but inserts the drum solo between the first and second phases, including the cymbal roll for the transition out of the drum solo, and also adds a proper ending at the end of the third phase.

Tableturf Main Theme
In Tableturf Battle, a chiptune style mix of Clickbait plays until the last three turns. It is produced by Ancho-V Games.

Bait & Click
During Big Run, a distorted and frenetic cover of Clickbait produced by ω-3, titled Bait & Click, plays instead of Deluge Dirge during non-Known Occurrence waves, heavily sampling the original. This cover can also be heard in the Big Run-related announcements in the Splatoon 3 Direct on 2022-08-10 and the Chill Season 2022 Announcement trailer.

Bait & Click (Mutation)
Another mix of Bait & Click is played in the Grizzco building during Big Run, replacing Happy Little Workers - 24/7 Mix. It notably features fewer digital elements and timpani strikes compared to ω-3's other songs as well as being significantly slower, creating a feeling of tension.

Lobby Terminal jingle
When the player is near to or using the Lobby Terminal in the Battle Lobby or the Grizzco Terminal in Grizzco Industries, a short chiptune cover of Clickbait intro vocals can be heard indefinitely looping. It is louder the closer the player is to the terminal and plays in addition to the usual background music.

Clickbait (Demo Tape)
A demo version of Clickbait can be heard on the Live from Squid Research Lab on the Nintendo website. The instruments sound less "live" and the vocals are less filtered. The vocal part exclusive to the Anarchy Battles version can be heard in this demo for a few seconds before it fades away.

The full version of this demo is included in as track 36 in Disc 3. It does not loop but includes an ending the same way as the "In the Studio" version.

Clickbait (September 2021 Direct)
A shorter demo version can be heard in first part of the Splatoon 3 trailer in the September 2021 Nintendo Direct. While it is very similar to the aforementioned demo version, this version skips some parts of the song, and the beginning of the guitar sequence is cut off by static noises as the trailer transitions to the reveal of the Return of the Mammalians mode and Nine Out of Tension starts playing.

Clickbait (Splatoon 3 Direct introduction)
At the beginning of the Splatoon 3 Direct on 2022-08-10, the music starts with the first phase of Clickbait (Splash Sessions Demo) with the longer intro, but quickly transitions into the third phase, then transitions into the full version of Clickbait.

Clickbait (Instrumental)
In an unlisted commercial shared by Nintendo of America on 2022-09-09, a version of Clickbait without the vocals can be heard playing throughout the video's entire duration.

Clickbait (Live)
The live version of Clickbait performed during the Deep Cut Concert at Nintendo Live 2022 is somewhat similar to the versions used in the actual game. It starts with the Turf War version of Clickbait, then a second loop is played, this time with a different guitar section for the latter half. After that, the song continues with the extra section in the Anarchy Battle version. Following that, an original transition is performed, in which the music gets faster by increasing the tempo twice (first to 184 BPM, then to 188 BPM) to eventually match the tempo of Sea Me Now, then transitions into it at the end.

Clickbait (In the Studio)
The behind-the-scene video uploaded by Nintendo uses the Anarchy Battle version of the song, but the musicians play an additional ending section instead of looping like in-game.

Clickbait (Splatune 3)
The version of Clickbait in is the same as the in-game Anarchy Battle version during the first loop. The second loop features a different guitar section in the middle, similar to the version performed in Deep Cut Concert at Nintendo Live 2022. After the second loop, the track ends with the same ending featured in the behind-the-scene video.

Bait & Click (Chill Season 2022 trailer)
In the Chill Season 2022 announcement trailer, another version of Bait & Click was heard. This version is extended from the one in the Big Run announcement.

Inkopolis Plaza train jingle
During Big Run, a jingle that uses the melody of Clickbait's opening vocals can be heard playing by the train station in Inkopolis Plaza. This replaces the usual melody of Calamari Inkantation and plays just before the train passes the station rather than when the train has stopped.

Etymology
Clickbait refers to a deceptive tactic used on websites to trick someone into clicking on something via misleading thumbnails or titles, as well as a pun on fishing baits.

Bait & Click is a play on the term "bait and tackle", the latter of which refers to equipment used for fishing, and "point and click", a common phrase regarding ease of use in website design. It could also be a play on the term "bait and switch", referring to the song's intro being the first few seconds of the original Clickbait.