The popular theme song from the first Super Mario Bros. game has earned the distinction of being saved in the US Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry, making the Mario franchise history as the first video game track to do so. While the Mario franchise has long been a powerhouse for Nintendo and the gaming industry, it has recently started breaking more widely recognized records. During its debut weekend, the Super Mario Bros. movie broke box office records for an animated film, and sales are still going strong.
But now, the Mario franchise has achieved a new, probably more critical, milestone. The Super Mario Bros. theme was selected as one of the 25 recordings to be included and preserved within the National Recording Registry this year by the US Library of Congress, according to a blog update from the academic organization.
The National Recording Registry adds more than twenty recordings or musical compositions to its library each year, all chosen for their significance and lengthy history in American culture. The Mario Bros. theme is the first piece of video game music to be archived, despite the fact that this Registry has been around since 2002.
The Super Mario Bros. theme is the first video game audio to be added to the National Recording Registry, making history.
The announcement was also made by the Library of Congress on Twitter, with the following caption: “A video game theme music, likely the most well-known in history, is also a first for the Registry. The Koji Kondo-penned Super Mario Bros. theme contributed to the game’s legendarium and demonstrated the Nintendo sound chip’s prodigious melodic intricacy.
Koji Kondo responded to the news by saying, “Having this music preserved alongside so many other classic songs is such a great honor,” Kondo spoke with the Library of Congress through an interpreter. I find that hard to believe.
Congress librarian Carla Hayden discussed the significance of this choice and offered some information about the selection procedure for the Registry. “The National Recording Registry preserves our history through recorded sound and reflects our nation’s diverse culture,” Hayden said.”The National Library is happy to contribute to the long-term preservation of these recordings. We invite suggestions from the public for the following songs, talks, podcasts, or recorded sounds that should be kept. This year, the public submitted more than 1,100 suggestions for recordings to be added to the list.
One of the 625 audio items that will soon be added to the Registry is the Super Mario Bros. theme. With this ground-breaking accomplishment, the way is open for the addition of more enduring video game soundtracks and scores in the years to come. Could the next song be from The Legend of Zelda? A reference to Call of Duty? Which scores will be next recognized in this manner remains to be seen.
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