The momentum for Nintendo continues to go strong with the Super Mario Bros. franchise. With the release of the Super Mario Bros. Movie in theaters, everyone is having a lot of fun engaging with everything related to Mario. And now this includes the Library of Congress. Fans of Nintendo’s plumber will be happy to know that the original Super Mario Bros. theme music is getting some historic recognition.
The National Recording Registry is going to have the original Super Mario Bros. theme music added to their records, making it the very first video game music to be included among many other legendary audio tracks. In a recent blog post by the US Library of Congress, the group recognized the Super Mario Bros. theme as one of 25 recordings that will be included within their library of tracks preserved within the National Recording Registry.
Every year a new group of audio tracks is selected to be added to the collection in an attempt to preserve American sound-recorded heritage. The registry was first started back in 2000 after the government passed the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000. Often the tracks that get selected include many popular songs and ballads by various American music artists, such as Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” and Jimmy Buffett’s “Margaritaville” hit songs. Both of these are also being added to the library collection this year.
What makes the addition of the Super Mario Bros. Theme so unique is that it is the only video game track to ever be included since the National Recording Registry was founded. The iconic music was first composed by Koji Kondo for the original Super Mario Bros. game for the Nintendo Entertainment System back in 1985.
It went on to become one of the most iconic video game themes of all time, being remixed and referenced an endless amount of times. The theatrical release of the Super Mario Bros. Movie features a few different versions of the Super Mario Bros. theme that Nintendo fans will notice. To this day, the Super Mario Bros. theme music is one of the most easily recognizable tracks from a video game.
The blog for The National Recording Registry said about this year’s inclusions, highlighting the wide range of audio that span the 2023 class. “The 25 additions in the 2023 class span more than a century, from 1908 to 2012. They range from the first recordings of Mariachi music and early sounds of the Blues to radio journalism leading up to World War II, and iconic sounds from pop, country, rock, R&B, jazz, rap, and classical music. It also includes the first sounds of a video game to join the registry with the Super Mario Bros. theme.”
Are you happy to see the original Super Mario Bros. Theme music get recognized by the Library of Congress? What other video game music or themes should be considered for future inclusion in the National Recording Registry and why? Post your thoughts down below in the comment section and let us know what you think!
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