'Super Mario Bros.' Theme Song Added to Congress’ National Recording Registry

The Super Mario Bros. theme song has been added to the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry. The selection marks the first time in history a video game song has been inducted into the registry.

The iconic track has appeared in Super Mario Bros. titles throughout the past four decades. Composed by Koji Kondo, who joined Nintendo as the first hire to specialize in music composition, the song marked his first major score. The Japanese composer would go on to work on several other projects for Nintendo, notably composing the recognizable theme for The Legend of Zelda. Kondo continues to collaborate on the Super Mario Bros. franchise, most recently working on the Super Mario Bros. movie.

The Library of Congress refers to the Super Mario Bros. theme as “probably the most recognizable” video game song in history. The song is one of 25 added to the library this year, bringing the total count to 625 songs overall.

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden noted that the registry “preserves our history through recorded sound and reflects our nation’s diverse culture.”

A video game theme song, probably the most recognizable in history, is also a first for the #NatRecRegistry. The Super Mario Bros. theme by Koji Kondo helped establish the game’s legendary status & proved that the Nintendo sound chip was capable of vast musical complexity. pic.twitter.com/RHPaXV1WLs

— Library of Congress (@librarycongress) April 12, 2023

In other gaming news, EA has shared the final Star Wars Jedi: Survivor gameplay trailer.