The iconic “Super Mario Bros.” theme, composed by Koji Kondo, has become the first video game song added to the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry this year.
The theme was inducted as one of 25 songs, including Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You,” Madonna’s “Like a Virgin,” The Four Seasons’ “Sherry,” John Lennon’s “Imagine,” John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” Jimmy Buffet’s “Margaritaville” and the Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This).”
In response to the honor, Kondo told the Library of Congress, “Having this music preserved alongside so many other classic songs is such a great honor. It’s actually a little bit difficult to believe.”
Originally released in 1985, the theme has become a ubiquitous part of pop culture, appearing in various Mario games and the recently released hit film “The Super Mario Bros. Movie.” Kondo only used a small keyboard to compose the track and was inspired by the 1984 song “Sister Marian” by T-Square.
Kondo, 61, still works at Nintendo and has composed other video game tracks, including the theme song for “The Legend of Zelda.”
