Soundtrack Saturday: Super Mario Bros

 

In this weekly feature, I recommend game soundtracks. I share a few of my favorite tracks, talk about why everyone should listen to the soundtrack, and a little bit about the composer. This week's choice is Super Mario Bros by Nintendo.

THE STATS

Name: Super Mario Bros
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Release Date: September 13, 1985
Genres: Action roleplaying
Composer: Koji Kondo

MY FAVORITE TRACKS

(The full list of tracks are linked by playlist below... and I highly recommend some good headphones to best enjoy all of the subtle elements of the music!)

Overworld Theme

(Length: 3:00) I'd wager this is the most recognizable video game music track in existence. Fight me.

Underground Theme

(Length: 3:00) Did those moving wheels of fire get you a lot as a kid? Me, too. And then once I learned how to get past them, it was the lava. 

Underwater Theme

(Length: 3:00) This always sounded like happy carnival music to me, the kind you'd hear from a carousel. 

Star Theme

(Length: 3:00) Yes, this is incredibly repetitive, but it makes you happy to hear it, doesn't it? That thrill of getting a star and zooming through a bunch of the level is always something to cheer about!

Ending Theme

(Length: 3:00) Confession: I never heard this track until I was an adult. 

That is most of the music from the game, so I encourage you to check out the myriad of OC Remixes and covers out there that take these simple melodies and make masterpieces (or disasters you can't help but listen to). 

You can listen to the full soundtrack on YouTube:

Super Mario Bros OST

WHY DO I RECOMMEND IT?

This is the epitome of classic video game music. If you don't want to listen to this, then I don't know what to do with you! The older chiptune style of music might not float your boat, but it's always good to see where things started in order to appreciate how far they've come -- and that is especially true with video game music!

THE COMPOSER: KOJI KONDO

Koji is 59 and has been working at Nintendo since leaving university. It was the only company he applied to! If you have played or watched anything by Nintendo, he probably either composed the music or was an advisor on the sound since he was the first person they hired that actually specialized in music composition. His works speak for themselves!