image

The Library of Congress is where you’ll find, among other things, the National Recording Registry. This Registry “preserves our history through recorded sound and reflects our nation’s diverse culture,” according to the Library of Congress. Today, the Library revealed a new round of inductees for the National Recording Registry, and for the firs time ever, a videogame song has made the cut.

The Library of Congress has revealed that the Ground Theme from Super Mario Bros., aka the game’s main theme, is now officially part of the National Recording Registry. This marks the very first time the National Recording Registry has inducted a song from a videogame!

Wondering what the National Recording Registry listing for Super Mario Bros.’ Ground Theme has to say? You can see the full blurb below.

Perhaps the most recogizable video game theme in history, Koji Kondo’s main motif for the 1985 Nintendo classic, Super Mario Bros., helped establish the game’s legendary status and proved that the five-channel Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) sound chip was capable of vast musical complexity and creativity. The game’s main theme, or “Ground Theme,” is a jaunty, Latin-influenced melody that provides the perfect accompaniment to Mario and Luigi’s side scrolling hijinks. Kondo’s score laid the groundwork for an entire generation of chiptune musicians and has been performed by orchestras around the globe, befitting its status as one of the most beloved musical compositions of the last 40 years.

[NWR]

Add Comment

Comments (2)

kuribo

12M ago

A deserved entry. I’d also advocate for the Legend of Zelda theme.


kingbroly

12M ago

Next up, the Tetris theme