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The US Library of Congress has today announced the 25 tracks that will be added to its National Recording Registry as “defining sounds of the nation’s history and culture”. For the first time ever, one of these tracks comes from a video game, and it is none other than Koji Kondo’s iconic theme from 1985’s Super Mario Bros. that is leading the way (thanks, Gizmodo).
Joining the likes of Madonna’s ‘Like a Virgin’ and Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want for Christmas is You’ in the class of 2023, the Super Mario Bros. theme’s inclusion is a huge stepping stone for video game music. In its announcement tweet (below) the Library of Congress stated that the track was “probably the most recognisable in history”, and we struggle to disagree.
Speaking about the honour as part of the announcement, Kondo said he had a feeling back in 1985 that “this game might be something that could turn into a series and continue for a long time.”
“Having this music preserved alongside so many other classic songs is such a great honor. It’s actually a little bit difficult to believe.”
As the first track from a video game to be added to the register, we can’t help but wonder what others may follow in future years. Of course, Kondo has also been behind a multitude of other iconic tracks from the Mario and Zelda series, but with the Mario theme being a gold standard, it seems to be a pretty good place to start.
With this latest honour, it looks like Kondo’s track is redefining the effect of video game music all over again.
What piece of video game music would you like to see considered next? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.