Why Does This Paper Mario Boss Theme Go So Hard?

[@Wheat_Thinn]

Man ??????? really has the coolest theme in the game

[@flyforce16]

Doo_liss

[@georgejones5019]

Tubbablubba is up there for the first game.

[@jumpmanhammerman1311]

Every single boss theme in the remake is fire now that they’ve improved the dragons’ original theme but yeah, ???????’s might just be the best

[@Newbie_hiblitz]

DooPliss*

[@Skeloperch]

@@Newbie_hiblitzRumPlestiltskin.

[@FreezerKing]

In the remake, they add the nice visual detail of the bell ringing as the battle starts

[@adora_was_taken]

i'm a first time player and it made me think he'd turn me or my partner into a pig lol

[@FreezerKing]

@@adora_was_taken Hope you are enjoying or enjoyed the game!

[@adora_was_taken]

@@FreezerKing i LOVE it!! totally get the hype now. about to face the final boss i think (in the room with the three question mark blocks and a save point) so that'll be super fun.

[@FreezerKing]

@@adora_was_taken The final boss is quite the event! Good luck, fight hard

[@adora_was_taken]

@@FreezerKing thanks, i will!!

[@themothreborn]

Pa_er Mario really has great music, I love a silly/cree_y vibe

[@vithormoraes]

HAH

[@LegendryHeropon]

I a__reciate that reference

[@Anaklusmos42]

Not this joke again, _lease ! I'm just joking. Actually it's a good meme. As much as the Beldam s_eech bubble, in my o_inion

[@udgeyjudge4289]

I really appreciate that only the lowercase p's are missing, 10/10 comment

[@Nicl-As-05]

King of Skill reference!!!

[@Ridley_1992]

I love all of the Murphy bros. games.

[@adora_was_taken]

you mean the marty-o bros.? love those guys

[@NickOleksiakMusic]

I like to imagine in a parallel universe Nintendo designed two red-haired freckled Murphy Brothers back in 1983 and that the Mario Bros. are only a small gag used in TTYD.

[@jimmygarza8896]

I thought they were the Gonzales Brothers?

[@Newbie_hiblitz]

uhh what was his name again im not hip with whats new

[@chronicchronicling-jb8zz]

​@@Newbie_hiblitzNo doubt about it, his name is Luigi.

[@Neopolis3]

Yeah, it's a _retty cool theme, it's s_ooky but _leasant to listen to

[@andrewzaharias1858]

Doo_liss stole our letter _

[@assaaddandashi7396]

@@andrewzaharias1858we will have to imProvise by using a caPital P instead of a lowercase P to talk

[@unknownbunny9888]

​@andrewzaharias1858 and not just the letter _ the _ronunciation too!

[@andrewzaharias1858]

@@unknownbunny9888 damn.

[@BuckBlaziken]

I like the idea of a character who is near invincible to all damage from a specific person once they take the person’s identity away from them… but that invincibility disappears as soon as you have knowledge of what that character’s true name is. Hence why Doopliss freaks out when Mario says his name correctly. It’s a really unique concept imo

[@jasonreed7522]

Its basically the same thing as learning a devil's "true name" to get power over it.

[@tlozfreak888]

The concept of "true names" is pretty old, but fell out of favor in modern times. See rumplestiltskin as an example. Doopliss just adds in the identity stealing element.

[@Zeldon567]

It's like online bullies/trolls/etc. Without their anonymity they're much more vulnerable and subject to the consequences of their actions.

[@ZXMany]

Such an interesting story, love how this was tied back to that bouncy circus rhythm. The use of chromatics is so fun in this theme

[@poochythedog]

Wise Boss Theme

[@Nicl-As-05]

Hi ZXMany!👋

[@poledra4153]

There's no "p" in this comment

[@ChasetheYTcheetah]

Backs_ace, backs_ace! Forget we even said that last sentence!

[@hAboyd]

Wise Doo_liss Anyways, Hi ZXMany!

[@Symphing12]

That chromatic fall at the end of the opening section also gets used in Super Paper Mario's Merlee’s Mansion as the main theme. I played TTYD after Super Paper Mario and noticed it the first time I fought Dooplis.

[@jarrellfamily1422]

Doo_lis

[@georgebarstad4025]

Hey Symphing, this is TTYD cha_ter4 so I fixed your comment for ya😀 "The chromatic fall at the end of the o_ening section also gets used in su_er Pa_er Mario's Merlee's mansion as the main theme. I _layed TTYD after Su_er Pa_er Mario."

[@Symphing12]

@@georgebarstad4025 but I already talked to the parrot

[@georgebarstad4025]

@@Symphing12 oh all good then

[@twiddle10000]

They have different rhythms and end differently, but the beginning being the same is still really cool

[@vendel8007]

This one has got to be my favourite theme from the game. I think the composers really managed to portrait the bosses in their music in this game, Doopliss with his creepy circus music, Magnus von Grapple with his militaristic march or Macho Grubba with his eerie music that just screams "wtf is going on" Also would be interesting to see a video about the themes from the remake as they even extended some of them (Magnus von Grapple being one of my favourites)

[@Anaklusmos42]

I actually disliked it, when I was young. It took some time to grow on me, but boy do I love this theme now

[@SiGeTVee]

I almost prefer all the remake songs/arrangements over the original. Ms. Mowz' theme was something I couldn't stand in the GameCube original but the Switch version makes it more tolerable. Don't even get me started on the Punies theme...

[@NickOleksiakMusic]

Never have I clicked so quickly on a video!! Doopliss' battle theme is one of the tracks that inspired me to pursue composing!

[@Moneyboi]

Who’s theme?

[@Kirbyfan7209]

Who is doopliss?

[@NickOleksiakMusic]

Oh sorry, I meant Doo_liss. Slight typo.

[@bulbaa2241]

​@NickOleksiakMusic I thought you were talking about DooPliss but who would ever have a name as bad as that one am I right

[@random_jae5886]

​@bulbaa2241 Wrongamundo little nobody! Who'd name their kid THAT?

[@purplenerdsplushie]

i love this chaPter its a shame its so short, it has some of my favorite characters in the whole game i love vivian and dooPliss so much

[@elplaceholder]

But is it short? It had a fake ending

[@robertmorgan5979]

I’m so happy Paper Mario is getting this resurgence of popularity again! This theme in particular is one that I’ve listened to for years and years, and the remake definitely does it justice!

[@Snoosha]

I use the nostalgic tunes badge (so switch remake), but idk what the new version sounds like

[@Snoosha]

Nvm I listened to the remake, but the older version is so much more iconic

[@Harry777]

PLEASE DO MORE 😭 The remastered music needs to be studied, just like you did for Pokemon RBY to GSC!

[@danielgrotz6599]

Mind-blowing: the "creepy church organ music" effect of jumping down to a lower note and back up isn't really creepy in itself, it just invokes Bach's Toccata and fugue in d minor, which is the Hallmark piece of creepy organ music (along with the boellmann toccata). BUT why does Bach do that motion in the piece so much? It has been proposed, and I think it is correct, that the Bach toccata and fugue in d minor (whose origins we know nothing about) was originally a violin piece and only survives now as an arrangement for organ . In violin music it's a really common technique to jump down to a lower note like that, especially one on an open string. The technique is called bariolage and you can hear it, for example, in the prelude to Bach's e major partita. There's more evidence, btw, than just this, that the toccata and fugue in d was originally for another instrument (e.g., it's just about the only Bach organ piece that plays just one note at a time for substantial length). Anyway, really cool that this effect of "creepy church organ music" may really just be an accidental offspring of violin bariolage.

[@RealityRogue]

The way composers like this play with chromaticism and notes that shouldnt go together but DO feels like musical witchcraft. They brewed the most devious concoction to come up with this amazing sounding song.

[@bazzfromthebackground3696]

Getting a free history lesson on "Enter the Gladiators." That was some interesting segway.

[@bmac4]

The original work of Sekigawa and Tsujiyoko was genuinely excellent for this game, so glad the remake has allowed more people to enjoy this game with either version of its OST

[@boone99999]

the bells being off-key is the scariest part of this song.

[@ak47dragunov]

I absolutely love the transcriptions you post on screen with these tunes. Have been trying to put together a guitar arrangement of this theme for ages but was never able to suss out some of the more buried synth parts, especially since the sound the composer used is very muffled and percussive

[@henke37]

Protip: rip the notedata out of the game files.

[@BandClarinet3]

@@henke37do explain, I’m also interested, but i thought GameCube TTYD was streamed and the switch remake would be as well.

[@joaonitro5149]

theyre both streamed idk what this guys talking about​@@BandClarinet3

[@FFfan100100]

This is legit one of my favorite boss themes of all time.

[@n8with8s]

This is in my top three behind the Earthbound final boss theme and J-E-N-O-V-A from FFVII

[@arieljason6713]

I know right? It's so good AHHH

[@DN-theone]

Doo_liss battle theme is _erfect!

[@RhapsodyAfternoon]

that Entrance of the Gladiators history lesson was so cool! love learning how intertwined instruments and composition are in their evolutions.

[@RacingSnails64]

My personal favorite boss theme in the game is Cortez, but Doo_liss is a close second.

[@PiraticOctopus]

Cortez is also a banger for sure. And a fantastic boss design.

[@Tulip_bip]

i love how cortez is spooky looking in his fight, but then after he becomes friendly his floating head just looks so silly lmao

[@bane2201]

but what about (remake spoiler) yourself?

[@rileywern9619]

I've legit been trying to find sheet music for this for years and damn. Now I just gotta practice! Love the breakdown

[@jblen]

Dude ??????? Theme is one of my favourite pieces of game music ever, its such a bop

[@scylla1772]

This song defined me as a child, i loved the high energy spooky circus vibe, same as (later) Dimentio

[@StoryTeller796]

6:39 he is the whole circus.

[@PiraticOctopus]

Accurate

[@jackyjack121]

I would love if you did a video on some of the remake music! Maybe about a comparison between the old and the new, what they changed, what they kept, etc. I think that would be super fun!

[@PiraticOctopus]

That sheet with a bunch of Doopliss concept art makes it even better, I think. It’s like a weird family tree including a shinigami and a couple of clowns in there and I love how you can hear that in the final product.

[@rhapsodyaria]

One little detail I've always liked about this song is, if I'm hearing it correctly, the melody the really high, almost chime-like synth plays during the last section of the song (heard around 11:39 in this video) is introduced as the transitional line into the organ section earlier in the piece (heard around 4:58 in this video). And I _love_ that way of introducing a concept earlier as just an embellishment, and then proceeding to expand on it in a later section.

[@magtea3836]

11:10 I really like how you kept looping the part until you were done explaining how awesome the finale was going to be so you didn’t spoil it

[@andredelacerdasantos4439]

Dang I just beat him yesterday and was thinking how in the world does this theme manage to hit so damn hard!! He's incredible in every design aspect, really

[@gaberahamlincoln7358]

I know this is a video about the music theory, but I also want to give a shoutout to the arrangement. The original TTYD soundtrack has such a modern/contemporary feeling with its electronic-inspired soundtrack, which matches the technological theme of the game. My favorite part of this boss theme is that - among the videogamey synths and the carnival/cathedral organ and church bell combo - the percussive sting is so distinctly electronica and announces itself so boldly that it gives the whole song a modern flair.

[@steellemonstudios]

Great timing! My wife just beat this boss last night (on the Switch, and yes, the remake is really cool). Masterful video. The “Entrance of the Gladiators” story cracked me up, too.

[@owlyus]

What a spooky goof

[@RacingSnails64]

I love his design so much. Especially when he sits in his big boy chair.

[@devstark]

one of my favorite games and one of my favorite channels!! wonderful way to start the day

[@Sector_VII]

This is such an incredible video! The "spookiness" of this boss theme is right up my alley. Thank you yet again for doing such an amazing deep dive into the music. GREAT CONTENT!

[@SophisticatedGoat222]

This is my favourite boss theme from the original game, and it's honestly amazing they found a way to improve it in the remake. The added section is great, and the harpsichord and spooky flairs in the "Impostor Mario" version make it even better.

[@A_Doguin_approaches]

Your videos always give me a greater appreciation for the source songs that you cover. This song was always a favorite of mine and I'm glad to see it get the meaningful analysis it deserves.

[@ExSharkV]

There's just something so musically pleasing about the section discussed starting at 10:34. The way the percussion line, bell chimes and synth line work together is just so satisfying to listen to.

[@Mena-Frog]

I've been waiting for this since you made the Chromatic Paper Mario Music Episode. Totally worth the wait! :D One of my favorite boss themes.

[@WolfsbaneGL]

I've always been of the opinion that this piece is the perfect fit for the the chapter and character with which it is associated. You do a fantastic job of explaining exactly why that is.

[@ludwigvannormayenn8657]

this anlysis is so greatly done and this track is such an awesome piece thank you a lot for this video :D

[@Spartan3457]

That _atreon ad at the end was hilarious, I'm glad I didn't ski_ it.

[@phantomninja6079]

I've been looping this for years bro. It was always my favorite song in the soundtrack.

[@Morgformer]

If you look at the conce_t art for collecting all the shines in twilight town you can actually see that a lot his early designs were much much more clown themed so it's awesome to see it still came through in the music!

[@brunovleals]

And all of this in a great climax in this chapter of the game, maybe the most iconic from paper mario series ever

[@WowItsBow]

I've been eagerly awaiting another Paper Mario video from you and this video did not disappoint, as always fantastic analysis and video! Was so excited when I saw it was based entirely on Doo_liss's theme and their chapter. Can't wait for more Paper Mario videos!

[@privacee1845]

Emerson Lake and Palmer was a huge influence on alot of the JVGM composers, this song is just another example.

[@randallrogers4270]

Fantastic video, thanks for covering this theme! I think it would be great to see a piano roll at the bottom of the screen for videos like this, to help with the approachability of folks like me who cant yet read sheet

[@henrique88t]

I can't even fathom how amazing one's ears must be to be able to grasp all of this from listening to the song...

[@loool72]

I wonder how people feel on the remake's music because it is a pretty stark difference to the original Gamecube game. The instrumentation is much more big band and rock-esque, and personally, I am not one to complain about such a sound normally. But especially on tracks like Rogueport Town I feel the remake downright fails to capture the strangeness and lurking darkness that the original synthesizers were designed to convey by forcing the track into a sound that is wayyy too bright and bustling. But I dunno, I'd love to hear y'alls thoughts!

[@loool72]

ALSO: I wanted to add that this is not how I feel about every remade song!! Songs like Shadow Queen are METALLL

[@JoseViktor4099]

On general, its one of the best received soundtracks of the remake for what I've seen. I personally prefer the second fight variation , but thats on me. Overall, this game takes a more OK instrumentation, that can make some soundtrack a bit hit or miss, for instance, I have more or less the same though on Rogeport as you, but other zones like the Sewers are better on the remake for me just because they are also aware of Rogeport sewers as an ancient city too. The best part of the remake instrumentation, for me, are the news variations and soundtracks. They did such wonderful job with those compositions, and really adds very well to the situations.

[@Moegivesmelife]

I kinda miss the "texture" of the original game's digital instruments at points, but the more I've played the remake and listened to the new soundtrack, the more I've come to like it. I really love the adaptiveness and use of leitmotifs in the remade soundtrack. I think chapter 3 has been the hardest pill to swallow for me. The Glitzville theme has a completely different vibe now, which my nostalgia-filled brain can't accept. I feel like the Macho Grubba battle theme remake lost too much of the original's creepyness. The Rawk Hawk battle theme is barely recognizable. For the songs that I didn't like in the remake, it usually boils down to the remade version being too "loud" and obscuring the melody in some way. For me, melody is always the most important part of a song, so it's unfortunate when I feel like I can't really hear it in the song.

[@SiGeTVee]

I actually prefer the rereleases' version of the track in almost every scenario as I prefer the live instrumentation of certain tracks in most cases. I understand Glitzville's use of the er-hu might not really be the first thing that comes to mind in a rearrangement, but once you enter the Glitz Pit lockers it becomes clear they're referencing a certain Bruce Lee movie, which to me, actually kind of works... As for the synthesizers, the original GameCube tracks were a bit of a hit or miss in that regard: I simply could not vibe with the Ms. Mowz theme and felt the melody was just all over the place, and the instrumentation with the Punies would make my head hurt after a while. I get what they were going for immitating the "texture" of Pikmin's own soundtrack in those scenarios, but just hearing the newer versions make them much, much more pleasing to the ears than in the original (especially when the tracks loop). Not to mention the Switch version also introduces brand new tracks (or perhaps they were planned but never got into the final GameCube release) for each of the partner characters. Having a dynamically mixing track and multiple variations of the same boss theme (some get as many as 3 variations) depending on which encounter put the remake above the original for me IMO.

[@SiGeTVee]

I also wanted to add I love the extended portions of the rearranged track. I think Doopliss' theme is one such example where I think this video should've also gone over it as well, but considering it was produced well before the release of the game (as the video itself states), I hope there's a followup video covering TTYD Switch's music rearrangement choices...and the added Doopliss chord progression in the Switch version.

[@wanderingrandomer]

This was always my favourite chapter, and I'm very excited to reach it in the remake. I'm on chapter 3, currently

[@CometMedal]

Man, this is easily one of my favorite battle themes in the game. Such a treat to have it laid out like this and its secret complexities revealed! Thanks, 8-Bit Music Theory!

[@othervinny]

I hope you're enjoying the Switch remake as much as I am. I really love all of the new arrangements of these great tunes - would love to see more videos about this game in the future

[@teodouble]

Thank you so much for covering this! This and Petal Meadows are some of my favorite tunes from this video game! I absolutely love this song!

[@DaniloakaOlinad]

I literally replayed this whole chapter in the hd remake this morning lol. Couldn't hear the music at the time tho, so this is a welcome background during work lol

[@MoonlightMuseum]

This is by far my favorite song in the game, and the re-make of it is just...-chefs kiss-

[@Rubbly]

That Circus Atmosphere section was a really great comparison! Hearing how they both have that part going down and back up just a little bit. Great breakdown for a great song! Just beat this section in the remake and was listening to the two versions sort of side-by-side!

[@justaguy12345]

I would love to see a video on the music of Shadow Queen (Part 2). I'm sure it uses some of the same techniques but boy does that song ever hit and it's so unique.

[@JoshuaKoh]

One video closer to my dream of 8bMT covering every PM:TTYD song. :D

[@zacharywong483]

Fantastic analysis and choice of video topic!

[@LunaSaint]

Rare that music compels me to dance, but the organ section in this one is so wild that I can't help it! I love the chaotic dance up and down the scale.

[@Seafor-v4l]

The paper mario series having banger soundtracks for absolutely no reason:

[@treyverret]

U don't know how long I've waited for this dude.

[@Iffondrel]

This is my FAVORITE theme! Like it's lived in my head rent free for *checks notes TWENTY FREAKING YEARS I love Doo_liss!

[@forte8910]

Great analysis! I would love to hear your impressions of the Shadow Sirens / Three Shadows battle theme. Both the original and remake versions have so much character to them.

[@End_Productions]

Doopliss was the only thing about the game I had extensive knowledge of. I'm a sucker for doppelganger bosses. When I heard the remake of this song it was so good I decided to buy the game.

[@ohdee8570]

Great video. Probably my favorite battle theme from any game.

[@peachyyyangieee]

As both a graduated music major and a video game lover, AND this being my favorite chapter, im SO happy i found your channel ❤❤

[@bcpeters1457]

Perfect timing! Just beat this section yesterday!

[@Lez_DoIt]

The reason I love this fight the most is because in the first game, he was, well, what he IS, was a normal enemy in the first game, which is why I like it because I've always been a fan of "basic enemy from previous game is now a sick ass boss"

[@c2HitsButtons]

not me bobbin my head every single time you cut to the theme at full volume lol

[@terracottaterror7141]

Please do more TTYD music theory! I'm obsessed with the game music in general, and especially the remakes boss themes

[@SuperCrazf]

Hope this means we’ll get an analysis of the remake music

[@GoldenAce17]

Hell yeah got here less than 2 minutes ago and under 5 comments! Love everything you do man keep it up! you're fantastic!

[@alexhasbacon3356]

Man I love that music theory vindicates my complete love for this battle theme

[@AtZ-2424]

It's funny how you made this video cuz just the other day I revisited this song remembering how well written it was!

[@RoyalDrummr]

Gimme 13 minutes! 8BMT just uploaded!

[@Zreniec]

banger video by a banger channel on a banger music of a banger game, what more can anyone ask for?

[@Khae.]

Nice little text edit at the end! :D

[@thevorace]

Doolis has such a great theme song

[@Steve_Rosenberg]

3:11 CHROMATIC LICC!!!!!!! You just earned yourself a subscribe from me with that one!!!!!

[@illkeyLive]

1:10 without further adoopliss

[@Gamecliparchives]

I can't wait to fight him in the remake, it's gonna be just _erfect listening to the theme during game_lay.

[@allister-malister9179]

Originally doopliss’s concept art was more clown-like, so that can explain the circus feel. However I feel like he still emphasizes that with his party hat and goofy halloween-y design, the organ, bell and ghost chorus also make sense cause you fight him in a church.

[@wiiblewobble]

11:51 my favorite _art. When everything dro_s away you can almost imagine Doo_liss or the bell dro__ing towards you.

[@TeriyakiTakeout]

THANK YOU he has such an amazing theme. I love this game so much.

[@Soraligh]

Something I like a lot about this song is how synthetic the drums sound, especially compared to something like the Hooktail theme. It sounds like samples from a drum machine. The drum fills in parts like 10:30 sound really mechanical.

[@wantcookie]

"i hope [the remake] lives up to my wildly unrealistic expectations" boy howdy, how's a full remaster of the soundtrack plus evolving and variant tracks treating you? :3

[@cats9994]

AS WELL AS MAKING VIVIAN EXPLICITLY TRANS That was my (i thought) unrealistic expectation

[@themodernshoe2466]

The organ section is so sick

[@WereDictionary]

I like how they managed to cram Doopliss's entire character arc into his boss theme. He starts off clowning around but once you confront him and kick his teeth in, thats when he starts taking you seriously. The organs kick in and you are left scrambling back to Twilight Town, unsure of how to proceed. Then you get Vivian and learn his secret and as you confront him again, the music goes back to clowning - except that this time, the tables have turned and Doopliss gets to be the clownee for once instead of the clowner.

[@ShockMicro]

Doopliss's theme is probably my favorite boss theme in the game. It's interesting to have heard it in the remake first- it's still got all the same sweet bits, it's just a bit more banger with the new instrumentation. The remake in general does a lot of interesting things- I think they knew people would complain no matter how good they did, and there would inevitably be something lost when translating the music into a new style, so they filled that in with something *new*. Themes for the different sublevels of each area, new battle themes for each chapter, *progressive music for the Thousand-Year Door's room*, it's hard not to appreciate the effort they put in. While I can see people liking the original theme better without progression, the new one is outright angelic by the end!

[@Shy_Doodles]

This song got a whole new section in the remake-

[@tagtra290]

would love to watch your analysis of the other ttyd bosses' themes!

[@givemeoats]

This guy music theorys

[@FSAPOJake]

This was my favorite boss theme in the game as a kid.

[@Oldney]

This video is erfect in every ossible way. a er Mario is my favorite game series and soundtrack of all time; I lay the 64 and GC games at least once a year.

[@B0ssguy]

the remake adds a new section to the end!

[@BeefinOut]

I didn't think I'd like the remixed OST in the remake, but I actually ended up really digging it. Shout out to the new secret superboss's absolutely wild theme