'Super Mario Bros.' Theme Becomes First Video Game Music To Get This Elite Honor
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It’s been quite the year for the “Super Mario Bros.” franchise.
The Library of Congress announced Wednesday that the theme song for Nintendo’s “Super Mario Bros.” series is joining the work of musical greats such as John Lennon, The Police and Led Zeppelin in the National Recording Registry.
Nintendo’s 1985 “Ground Theme” track that became the series’ main theme is the first video game music to make the cut, according to a press release.
The highly recognizable melody first appeared in the game upon its 1985 release on the Famicom and Nintendo Entertainment System consoles.
Composed by Koji Kondo, the song is among 25 recordings and albums recently selected for inclusion in the registry, which preserves recordings that are deemed culturally or historically important.
“Having this music preserved alongside so many other classic songs is such a great honor,” Kondo told the Library of Congress.
“It’s actually a little bit difficult to believe,” he added.
Last week, the “Super Mario Bros.” movie debuted in theaters, taking in $427 million worldwide to become the highest-grossing debut for a video game adaptation and beating out 2022’s “Sonic the Hedgehog 2.”
Internationally, the film — which features Kondo’s composition — also had second-biggest animated opening of all-time, behind only “Frozen 2,” Variety reports.
The National Recording Registry exists to “preserve our history through recorded sound” and “reflect our nation’s diverse culture,” Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said in a statement.
Each year, the registry selects 25 recordings worthy of preservation.
