How This Melody Has Kept Going for 37 Years

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[@RyanLeach]

🎯 These Mario Music Style Swaps are Ridiculous kzbin.info/www/bejne/aYHSfHpue6-dpc0

[@matthewlawton9241]

Yeah I've never been able to tell if Koji Kondo is a musical genius or musically illiterate. The one thing you have to give him no matter what is there's not a derivative bone in his body. Dude's sense of chord progression and how he approaches arpeggios is entirely unique to him. I've known classically trained musicians who never achieved that.

[@Mrbenfixit]

please please please do more of these videos. I would especially love it if you went over all the different iterations of the starman theme

[@j2323j]

Don’t forget the rap song super Brooklyn

[@AndyWitmyer]

You skipped the quasi-hip hop-esque SMB3 remix, which is lowkey my favorite one 😢

[@kyle-silver]

I wonder if the different key of the Color Splash version has to do with the tuning of the Sitar they used. I can imagine the session musician they had in didn’t want to re-tune all 19 strings on their instrument!

[@OctagonalSquare]

Except you can still play in the right key, just up an octave. But that may have been too high

[@glompert7390]

@Brett nintendo has a very high budget for their games, it's likely it was actually a real sitar

[@msunflowers]

as a fellow many-stringed instrument player, when they near 20 strings tuning starts to become quite the task. you usually dont have to tune EVERY string because of shared pitches, but yeah you get really good at transposing simply to avoid tuning. its like losing a sense and having the others become enhanced ive had to quickly modulate to a different key IN THE MIDDLE OF A SONG PERFORMANCE on my lyre and tuning by ear was a nightmare... but also quite fun. the audience thought it was intentional ambient noise lol

[@kimballdenetso]

This instantly reminded me of the time I did a collab with a sitar player and ended up transposing to match the tuning of the sitar because we wanted to retain its character over other instruments

[@dhedarkhcustard]

Pretty sure a sitar has a completely different set of notes that what's usually found on a piano or what video games usually have, so I'm not surprised it's different. There's a video about this on KZbin where the musician had to modify his plugin code to get the correct notes to exist in it.

[@Dorafjol]

The 64 version (Hazy Maze Cave) is also in unison until the slap bass comes in.

[@RyanLeach]

nice

[@viniciusbertucci]

Hazy Maze Cave was the first level I thought... Interesting variations on that one.

[@cardinalhamneggs5253]

I really like the idea it invokes of someone walking stealthily. The first two sections are like someone walking on tiptoe in short increments before pausing, while the third is like someone wandering and stumbling around a large empty room in the dark.

[@masoncrowley2777]

That intensity I suppose is why it's used as interlude in Super Mario Galaxy

[@Reyn_the_Insane]

I just want a modern game to cover it in 3/4 time like it was intended

[@qwertious]

Maybe the Super Mario Maker 2 world edit theme when it's an underground level? They sync it to the 8-bit music so it would have to be 3/4

[@Emolga2225]

@@qwertious yes, it is like this, strangely good

[@Reyn_the_Insane]

Fingers crossed for Wonder to get it right

[@ppheard1254]

It's possible but unlikely

[@benjaminmargulies1853]

also technically c minor

[@CalebePriester]

BB King playing the piano and singing the line "nobody loves me, but my mother" was so random lol I was not expecting that at all.

[@matthewlawton9241]

It wasn't random at all. He was showing how that break down mirrors the type of chord changes typical to blues music. Go back and listen to that section, paying attention to the interval jumps during the change. Different styles, but the same background theory applied to each.

[@huhneat1076]

One thing i LOVE about them always* keeping the melody in the same key is in Mario Kart 8's Super Bell Subway. The regular version of the song is in F major. For the underground version, only the melody is kept the same, but in comes the underground melody in the bass, which roots that version in C Dorian instead. Delicious. Mario Kart 7's Piranha Plant Slide also has some references to it, but it's in G so it doesn't count

[@javarnanda2684]

And fun fact: The bass line from "Let's Not Talk About It" from 1979 album "Friendship"(Don Grusin, Lee Ritenour...) inspired the amazing Super Mario underground theme. Koji Kondo have a very good taste in music !

[@mr.beaverchair3622]

I think they may have borrowed that bass line in turn from Miles Davis' "Calypso Frelimo". Talk about a chain of greatness!

[@user-yx5sj1vm4q]

Yeah it's Miles.

[@Breakdafunklooseforever]

Glad you posted this so I didn't have to lol!

[@DJMA1685]

I would say the B-section of the main theme of Super Mario 64 (Bob-Omb Battlefield) is also a transformation of this theme. (it starts at 0:55 in the track)

[@LucasNicolau-ys4kk]

I just noticed it when playing Mario 3 in an GBA emulator, I had the speed set to 4x and noticed the underground theme was basically the same melody as that section in SM64

[@NicD]

Whoa... I kind of agree.

[@rotundmonibuv5103]

You know, I always thought this in the back of my mind, and this is the first time I'm finding someone else noticing it.

[@WeyounSix]

I looked it up, and the primary key of the Sitar is the key of D, so I reckon they changed the key of that one version due to the use of the sitar as the main melody.

[@RyanLeach]

makes sense

[@uffevonlauterbach]

The Underground Theme from Super Mario Bros. was inspired by the 1979 Let's Not Talk About It by Friendship. I've always loved the Underground Theme, but my favorite version is from Super Mario Bros. 3. It's like they took a hip hop approach with that one. Just the rhythm of the drum with the bass sounds so good.

[@urdnal]

Yes dude! A few years ago a few of us were at a friend's house, giving the NES mini a try. Playing Mario 3 when my friend got underground I noticed him and another guy just started bopping their heads in tune.

[@uffevonlauterbach]

@@urdnal That's such a good memory. In the early 90s, I was over at my aunt and uncle's house, but my cousin wasn't home. I was in their living room when I started playing Super Mario Bros. 3 for the first time. When I went into a pipe and heard the Underground Theme, I was just so amazed at by the juxtaposition, (a word I never knew at the time) because in the original Super Mario Bros., it made me think of a secretive location. 🤗

[@uffevonlauterbach]

It's definitely a secretive location. 🤫 That's how I felt about the first underground location in Super Mario Bros. The music was just so quiet and secretive, like I was sneaking through. 🤗

[@woomy2343]

I feel like over the years, this theme has sort of become a leitmotif, used to indicate that you're in a cave (or some other dark and/or eerie location), which gives it a great amount of utility in the arsenal of any musician that aims to use it.

[@beboy97]

Really loved this analysis on the Underground theme, I know zero on music theory but I feel like this helpful beginner knowledge for me, thank you! And I hope you can do more style swaps in the future!

[@spankowitzmusic]

"Any variation on silence is basically, not silence" -Ryan Leach, 2023

[@CVerse]

This video would’ve been perfect to mention the Mario movie score by Brian Tyler. There was at least three times I heard the theme in the film, once being where Tyler mixed Captain Toad’s intro with it as well

[@trevorgray3681]

There could be a whole video on the movie about all the musical references to different Nintendo games. I'm waiting for someone to do a video of every reference in the movie because I'm sure I missed some

[@joellim6988]

No

[@DarukaEon]

The bit about how it started as a 3/4 time signature, I think it changed to 4/4 because of the SMB3 version. The 3/4 version felt off-kilter and wonky and, like you said, added a bit of a groove later on.

[@Tsuchi]

the mario galaxy takes on this theme always stood out to me for being so fast paced and crazy when compared to the rest, usually they take it slow to evoke the feeling of a dark cave lurching around corners and turns but galaxy is just balls to the wall especially the cosmic mario races

[@Tsuchi]

cosmic mario is really cool itself actually because it uses both the overworld theme and the underground theme in unison and makes it work, crazy music in that game

[@elindis]

One variation I like is the Palace of Shadow theme from Thousand Year Door. When I first heard it as a kid, I didn’t recognize it! But at this point, I wonder how I didn’t. It makes the theme uncomfortable, and to my kid self’s ears, scary. Koji Kondo is so inspiring. Thanks for sharing this!

[@phineas81707]

Palace of Shadow weaves in some of Underground with SMW's Fortress. I think Fortress is the dominant theme in the track, which fits the ominous needs.

[@Supa_64]

You forgot that another iconic theme is the “invincibility star” theme. I think they only changed it like 2 times

[@mutecitymusic]

By far my favorite variation is Peach's Castle stage from SSB Melee where it's used as a bass line supporting the overworld theme. So cool that both the most iconic Mario themes work superimposed on each other. Good stuff!

[@dibenp]

7:32 That G9 chord was dope!

[@MomLAU]

Love this! My son is a big Mario fan, and I enjoy the games too (although I'd never even heard of some of these). Plus I like reading or hearing people analyzing music, so I enjoyed this video.

[@taqresu5865]

They actually added a new variation of the Underground them in the Super Mario Bros Movie. It's a very quiet subued track that plays near the beginning of the movie. And it does appropriately play underground.

[@bemasaberwyn55]

They use SO MUCH of the themes from that 1985 game repeated throughout the film. Underground is no exception

[@taqresu5865]

@@bemasaberwyn55 Indeed. I just pointed out the Underground theme in particular because that was example used in this video.

[@foursidekm]

I'm pretty sure they play it a few times in the movie

[@taqresu5865]

@@foursidekm I mostly remember 1 time.

[@foursidekm]

@@taqresu5865 on the top of my head I remember it playing in the sewers and the credits but also bowser plays it on the piano with kamek. I think it plays somewhere else too but I'm not 100% sure

[@judahawesome775]

I can’t believe it. This video actually made me remember all of the reasons why I love this little tune lol

[@beatziegraham6928]

I love the underground theme but I’m surprised that this song may be more iconic than the classic overworld theme. Also, another song with many versions in games is Green hill zone from sonic. Maybe you could do a video about the many versions of that song. From sonic 1, to sonic battle, to sunset hill from sonic advance 3, and even generations and mania. And how the song changes but still sounds similar.

[@istokipsy6289]

Including Advance 3 in your Green Hill remix list? Good taste.

[@tombailey1059]

I strongly suspect the inspiration for the memorable chromatic line was Frank Zappa's "Purple Lagoon/Approximate." It's on the Zappa in New York album.

[@s3xyn0sfera2]

6:29 this one is very Zappa

[@aspiradora56]

If I remember correctly there is a version of the underground theme on 5/4 . It was kind of jazzy and had 3 instruments. A piano, a drum and saxophone. It reminds me a lot of Take five but with the tune of the underground theme but I just can't remember where it is from. Edit: Found it. I was misremembering. It is from Super Mario Maker (the Wii U one). IIt had more instruments and was on 3/4 (although a 5/4 version would still be cool). The instruments slowly get added. I guess the thousands of hours my brother spent playing it really burned the songs in my memory. I would say its my favourite version of the underground theme. (Sorry for bad english)

[@TheDaringPastry1313]

They use this theme a few times in the new Mario Movie as well, including an in your face version where Bowser jams with Magikoopa (Kamek) on a piano.

[@hielkevanschaik6523]

The nsmbw w8 underground theme is the best of them all. The chill calm and atmosphere it has is great

[@Allaiya.]

Koji Kondo also wrote Zelda Ocarina’s songs. They’re all so catchy!

[@pmLite_]

i can’t believe i never noticed the underground theme was in Galaxy!

[@superlink3389]

My favorite version personally is from Origami King with its Graffiti Underground theme. It’s mostly the drums that make it so good!

[@AntifaareFascists-zv6xk]

This is great because the underground theme is the best song ever written.

[@commodoor6549]

You can't talk about the _Underground Theme_ without mentioning the Friendship (Lee Ritenour's group) song *_Let's Not Talk About it_* , which contains the exact the same motiff. The Friendship song was released in 1979, at least 4 years before Mario Brothers was released.

[@Envy_May]

funny coincidence to see this right now, i happened to be listening to Let's Not Talk About It by Friendship just earlier today

[@RyanLeach]

that almost made it into the script but ended up not being a right place/need for it

[@markghughes]

And I was just listening to 1-Up Mushroom! Run Away!

[@ericrakestraw664]

This theme sounds like a Spiro Gyra piece from the late 1970s, which I remember playing in my high school jazz band 30 years ago. I can't remember the name of the track, but it used the same three notes as the Mario Underground theme.

[@gdkey8025]

has Lee Ritenour on guitar

[@gdkey8025]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/kImYlpmVgKaNors

[@matheuspinheiro4796]

Was it Calypso Frelimo?

[@ericrakestraw664]

@@matheuspinheiro4796 NO.

[@Oxfordcolour]

My favourite rendition of this theme is Frienship's 'Lets not talk about it'.

[@EddieChamo]

I came to the comments to see if anyone mentions it

[@ItsFinigan]

LOVE this type of content. SUBBED. Nice work.

[@moxxy3565]

As somebody who's only played Mario games 64 and previous, the beat at 2:15 gives me shifting sands vibes

[@eaglescout1984]

What i find interesting is when they reused the underground theme for SMB3, not only did they switch it to 4/4, they added the drum part. And when they re-released the games on SNES, they used the SMB3 version for SMB3 AND SMB&SMBLL(SMB2). Almost as if they decided the SMB3 version was a vast improvement on the original.

[@Jordan-tu4ki]

I tried singing it in my head and i could only imagine it in 4/4 until you played the original.

[@AndyWitmyer]

No love for the Super Mario Bros 3 version? I know it's fairly similar to the original, but I love the cool syncopated hip hop-esque drum beat that even extends over the gap. Lowkey my favorite version!

[@chrlpolk]

Fun note: In the Gameboy Zelda game (the one with the sleeping whale) the underground sewer portions play a knockoff version of Mario’s underground theme, with similar gameplay.

[@BlastTheBat]

Link's Awakening

[@nathangarratt9091]

The Underground portion of the Ground Theme/Underground Theme from Smash 4 is my favorite

[@WhitePaintbrush]

Loved this video! Thanks for digging into this theme, all of this is super interesting.

[@xxandrewxx64]

Great video!

[@QuirkyKitsune]

So what you're saying is that the Underground Theme is Mario's equivalent of what Green Greens is to Kirby

[@verit4545]

SMB1 underground theme is like the Amen break of all mario series.

[@Anths_art]

Hazy Maze Cave is my favorite iteration of the underground theme

[@Psykel]

SMB3 has the best version with that funky, funky beat. 👌

[@AndyWitmyer]

Dude, I agree so much! It's got a nicely syncopated old school hip hop beat makes it awesome, imo. I was surprised that it wasn't mentioned, esp with it being the OG remix

[@FukiMakai]

Interesting analysis. My current favorite is the Super Mario Oddysey one, that is actually a remix of various previous remixes starting with the Super Mario Galaxy one (not the Cosmic Mario theme, that's actually a variation in Shadow Mario theme from Sunshine). I like the embellishments and the synth sounds. I really hoped that you included it.

[@benjaminmcclelland2464]

I always think of how similar this song sounds harmonically to calypso frelimo by miles davis

[@AwesomeJimJam]

great video !!!

[@Buki0300]

Good content!

[@pauljs75]

I'm kind of surprised the cover of the Mario music by Ulu hasn't been put into one of the games in some manner. It gives it a bit of funk.

[@JayKayWeb]

Very nice! However you overlooked the single most interesting version, the multi layered 3/4 rendition in Super Mario Maker editor! Go check it out. 😊

[@JayKayWeb]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jZm5ZnesnpZ_g6s

[@AndyWitmyer]

I love that version! It's so smooth and legitimately sophisticated sounding. He also forgot/ignored SMB3's (imo) underrated late hip hop beat remix

[@christophervaca7116]

"let's not talk about it" by Friendship

[@Drakeawake]

This is so cool. I love all these creative videos about Mario! Mario is legit the best video game franchise in video game history! Subbed!

[@constantspider]

Reasons why color splash is actually amazing

[@joeoquinn3125]

the permutations and variation remind me of the melodic language of frank zappa. shweet!

[@diegotz8]

Great content

[@NicD]

5:25 You're just gonna say "not that lick" and not play it?! ... *and I kinda love that*

[@Cristian-nn5jj]

explain?

[@NicD]

It's known as "The Lick", and Ryan only mentions it offhandedly. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lick

[@AWizardAndaMouse3432]

Listen to the new super Mario Bros DS theme for underground, and it also has that extra little bit in the form, if I’m not mistaken, it came out in 2006 before smash Bros brawl

[@OliyTC]

No mention of Superbell Subway and how it adds the bassline when you're in the tunnel?

[@FakeWage]

1:11 was the best part in my opinion, truly amazing

[@TheTheisson]

was hoping you would talk about the mario & sonic version. that one goes crazy.

[@Omnishredder]

6:17 is what would be gotten if you mashed it with the opening bombing Misson of final fantasy 7!

[@LevelUpWellness]

Love this! Clearly a good amount of effort went into it! However I want to make one small correction. You mention around 3:10 that this tune is the only one to not utilize the octave jump. However, there is one more outlier to my knowledge. In SM64, the music for hazy maze cave and wet dry world doesn’t jump the octave either. There is SO much Mario music out there so it’s totally understandable that one thing or so might fall under the radar. But your point still stands! The octave jump is in almost all versions of the tune. Enjoyed this a lot! Keep it up 😁

[@RyanLeach]

yes that's another great example. I think I say only one of the examples I analyzed, which was a set of around 15-20

[@nostalgia2996]

Mario Party 6 Endurance Alley Theme Also changes the Key to D

[@thesegacampgamerandwerecam7504]

0:38 I also remember it being made TWICE in Mario Party One! Yeah and Everyone says that Videogame Kills Friendships Edit: oh nvm he shares the Option House Theme but there another that plays in the Mini Games too and I think that plays in 4/4 Time but I'm not sure.....

[@woahaldo4906]

You forgot the jazzy version of Sticker Star,super underrated since i actually play it and i always here underground motos and leitmotifs

[@jtrevor99]

Super Mario RPG's rendition, which mixes several of the sections together so they play simultaneously (plus various echoes), is worth a mention: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jp3TiKiupMZjpNE

[@yellow1244]

I think the key change for that one underground theme made it more fitting. It might have been intended

[@RWL2012]

I think the version in SMB1 being in 3/4 was due to the lack of memory in the earlier cartridges.

[@christianhall2665]

SMB Wii does the gap perfectly with the koopa’s “Bop!”

[@CountMonsparkle]

My favorite rendition of this song is the Birdie Put from Mario Golf 64. Never has the song sounded this intense.

[@B0ssguy]

i gotta bring up magnet mania from mario vs donkey kong march of the minis, it seems like a standard 1-2 remaster but then it adds an entire b section that expands on the lick section and it's really good

[@kevintrang6447]

Underground theme is so underrated

[@CerealShip]

Dig it dig it dig it

[@kingtesttube4996]

2:09 Actually I think there is one in a key of E minor, in Graffiti Underground from The Origami King.

[@DanielDugovic]

If you mentioned "Inside the Ancient Pyramid" somehow I missed it.

[@metroidtheorist466]

I've always enjoyed the Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Smash Bros. Brawl versions.

[@TypingHazard]

6:55 - i don't think it's quite as ambiguous as all that, Abmin6 is a fair chord substitution for G7 (it's essentially a G7b9 or a G altered). It's a little less compelling without the 6 being involved but it's no worse than, like, a V chord with no 7, it still gets us there.

[@eksmad]

I am so sad you did not mention my favourite version from SM64!

[@poshko41]

Amazing video.

[@ghost_trip]

I was 2 minutes into this video when I realized that the Hazy Maze Cave was also utilizing the Underground Theme

[@i_make_beats]

Respect he put the actual notes in the thumbnail

[@lorienmyers7643]

1:58 For a while, I thought the soundtracks were in the key of F. Kind of like how Sweet Home Alabama is in the key of G, but it sounds like it's in the key of D.

[@mattshnoop]

Somehow I literally never noticed that Interlude from Mario Galaxy was the underground theme. Huh.

[@fatmario8244]

Wish you would talked about the New Super Mario Bros. series version and 3D world’s

[@ily_diciembre]

I love Delfino Aistrip

[@OdaKa]

My dude skipped over SMB3 in the "with a beat" montage... smh

[@aidanonbrawl7287]

awesome video, very interesting. Just subscribed

[@Messiah_Black]

I’m just proud that I was able to figure out what song it was based on reading the thumbnail 😂

[@B1UK]

There is one version in a different key. It plays before you awaken the first dino piranha egg in Mario galaxy 1.

[@Bluhm0702]

The sticker star version sounds like the underground volcano theme from New Super Mario Bros Wii

[@bostainc]

Do it with the castle theme of the super mario world, I would love to see you breaking it down

[@menaced.]

Koji kondo is an absolute genius

[@MechanicalRabbits]

For a company that loves to legally threaten every single living being for even the smallest things in defense of their intellectual property, they sure got a lot of mileage out of blatantly ripping off the melody from "Let's not talk about it" by the band Friendship.

[@TheMarioBrothers1985]

...what about the star?