Underwater BGM (Super Mario Bros.)
This article needs improvement. Specifically:
| "Underwater BGM" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| "Underwater BGM" in Super Mario Bros. | |||
 Image from Nintendo Music | |||
| Composed by: Koji Kondo | |||
| Genre | Waltz | ||
| Key | C major | ||
| BPM | 225 | ||
| Time signature | 3 4 | ||
| First appearance | Super Mario Bros. (1985) | ||
| Latest appearance | Hello, Luigi! Hello, Peach! (2026) | ||
| |||
| |||
- “Many Marios became squid bait after being lulled into a false sense of security by a Blooper's graceful waltz. The lovely music doesn't help.”
- —American English trophy description for Blooper, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS
"Underwater BGM",[1] also known as "Underwater Theme"[2] or "Underwater Background Music",[3] is a musical theme composed by Koji Kondo for Super Mario Bros., where it plays in the underwater sections of World 2-2, World 7-2, and World 8-4. This theme is written in the key of C major with a waltzlike 3
4 time signature. Subsequent arrangements of "Underwater BGM" have often been used as the title screen theme in various games, particularly remakes.
Reuses[edit]
The following list does not include ports or remakes of Super Mario Bros.
| Game | Description |
|---|---|
| Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels | The entire soundtrack from Super Mario Bros. is reused, including "Underwater BGM". |
| Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii) | "Underwater BGM" is playable in the gallery. |
| Mario Clock | "Underwater BGM" is available as one of three choices of alarm music, represented by a sprite of a Cheep-Cheep from Super Mario Bros. |
| StreetPass Mii Plaza | In StreetPass Fishing/Ultimate Angler, "Underwater BGM" plays after successfully catching a Cheep Cheep or Blooper. It is absent from the sound test. |
| Super Mario Maker / Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS / Super Mario Maker 2 | "Underwater BGM" plays during underwater-themed levels in the Super Mario Bros. style. |
| Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo | "Underwater BGM" can be set as an alarm when using the Super Mario Bros. theme. |
Arrangements[edit]
Super Mario series[edit]
Super Mario Bros. Special[edit]
An arrangement of "Underwater BGM" plays in underwater levels in Super Mario Bros. Special. Like other tracks in the game, its tempo fluctuates depending on how many entities are on-screen.
Super Mario Bros. 2[edit]
In Super Mario Bros. 2, an arrangement with extra notes plays on the title screen, the first of several title themes to be based on "Underwater BGM". It is titled "Title BGM" on Nintendo Music.
 Title BGM - The title theme from Super Mario Bros. 2 | File info 0:29 |
Super Mario World[edit]
The soundtrack for Super Mario World includes a saxophone arrangement by Soichi Noriki and performed by the Mario World Band, titled "Shining Coral".
Super Mario All-Stars[edit]
In addition to updated arrangements for underwater levels in Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels and the title screen in Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario All-Stars features three new arrangements that play on the title screens for the other three games that did not previously feature title screen music. Unlike the NES version, it does not directly loop at the intro.
A sped-up version of the underwater level arrangement is reused for the World-e level Classic World 2-2 in Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3.
| Title BGM (Super Mario Bros.) - The title theme for the Super Mario All-Stars version of Super Mario Bros. | File info 0:30 |
| Underwater BGM (Super Mario Bros.) - The arrangement used in the Super Mario All-Stars version of Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels | File info 0:30 |
| Title BGM (Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels) - The title theme for the Super Mario All-Stars version of Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels | File info 0:30 |
| Title BGM (Super Mario Bros. 2) - The title theme for the Super Mario All-Stars version of Super Mario Bros. 2 | File info 0:30 |
| Title BGM (Super Mario Bros. 3) - The title theme for the Super Mario All-Stars version of Super Mario Bros. 3 | File info 0:30 |
Super Mario Bros. Deluxe[edit]
In Super Mario Bros. Deluxe, in addition to ports of the original underwater levels using the original soundtrack, the Super Mario Bros. for Super Players title features a rearrangement with more prominence on the spacing echo effect of the main tune.
Super Mario Advance[edit]
Like in Super Mario All-Stars, an arrangement of "Underwater BGM" plays on Super Mario Advance's title screen.
| Title - The title theme from Super Mario Advance | File info 0:30 |
Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2[edit]
In Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2, an arrangement of "Underwater BGM"'s first half plays at the beginning of the prologue. A full arrangement plays on the title screen, using the same percussion that is added to the music when riding Yoshi in the game.
Super Mario Sunshine[edit]
An arrangement plays in Super Mario Sunshine's attract mode. It is titled "Opening Demo" in the Nintendo Music app and the official Super Mario Sunshine Original Soundtrack album.
| Opening Demo - The arrangement heard in Super Mario Sunshine | File info 0:30 |
Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3[edit]
Reflecting the game's tone as well as the prologue's music style, a music box arrangement plays on the title screen for Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3.
| Title screen | File info 0:30 |
Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3[edit]
An uptempo, jazz-styled arrangement plays on the title screen for Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3, using a different melody for the second half.
| Title screen | File info 0:30 |
Super Mario 64 DS[edit]
In Super Mario 64 DS, a slow, music box arrangement plays in the minigame Loves Me...?. It is reused in the New Super Mario Bros. version of the minigame. On the Nintendo Music app, the theme is named "Loves Me...", based on the minigame's title, though missing the question mark at the end.
| Loves Me... | File info 0:30 |
Super Mario Maker[edit]
In Super Mario Maker, in addition to "Underwater BGM" reappearing as the default background music of the Underwater course theme in the Super Mario Bros. game style, the music for editing such a course in the Course Maker is an ambient orchestral arrangement with an original countermelody, using eight tracks that fade in and out randomly to create a dynamic mix. This returns in Super Mario Maker 2.
| Underwater Theme (Edit) | File info 0:30 |
Super Mario Maker 2[edit]
In Super Mario Maker 2, a music box arrangement of "Underwater BGM" plays on the underwater theme at night in the Super Mario Bros. style.
| Underwater Theme (Night) | File info 0:30 |
Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyūshutsu Dai Sakusen![edit]
In Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyūshutsu Dai Sakusen!, there exists a faithful arrangement known as "水色のワルツ" (roughly The Light Blue Waltz in English) that features a viola in the melody and a pipe organ for accompaniment. The second and third bars of the theme are also worked into a brief countermelody in "カメ・一族の陰謀" (roughly The Koopas' Scheme in English).
The Super Mario Bros. Super Show![edit]
In The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, various arrangements of "Underwater BGM" can occasionally be heard within the episodes.
Luigi's Mansion[edit]
In Luigi's Mansion, the theme, titled "Melody Pianissima's Piano Performance (Underwater BGM)" in the Nintendo Music app, appears as one of the two songs Melody Pianissima can quiz Luigi over, along with "Athletic BGM" from Super Mario Bros. 3. When she plays it, she asks Luigi what he thinks the composer had in mind, with "water" being the correct answer.
| Melody Pianissima's Piano Performance (Underwater BGM) | File info 0:12 |
Super Smash Bros. series[edit]
Super Smash Bros. Melee[edit]
- Main article: Rainbow Cruise (theme)
In Super Smash Bros. Melee, an orchestral medley arrangement of "Slider" from Super Mario 64 and "Underwater BGM" arranged by Shogo Sakai plays in the Rainbow Cruise stage. It is likewise titled "Rainbow Cruise" in the game's sound test.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl[edit]
Another arrangement by Sakai is featured in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, where it is split into three distinct sections: the first uses the original theme, the second is an orchestrated arrangement, and the third is a bluegrass arrangement. The song can play in the World 1-2 version of the Mushroomy Kingdom stage, and returns in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U where it can play in the Mushroom Kingdom U and Super Mario Maker stages, and in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate where it can play in any Super Mario-franchise stage.
| Underwater Theme (Super Mario Bros.) | File info 0:30 |
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U[edit]
In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, an orchestrated arrangement is featured in "Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels Medley", which can play on Mushroom Kingdom U and Super Mario Maker and was arranged by Bandai Namco composer Katsuro Tajima. The song returns in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, where it can play in any Super Smash Bros. and Super Mario franchise-stage.
Donkey Konga 3[edit]
| Super Mario Bros. Suichū BGM | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Artist | Koji Kondo | |||||
| Game(s) | Donkey Konga 3 | |||||
| Length | 1:45 | |||||
| ||||||
A direct port of the original song from Super Mario Bros. is included as a playable song in Donkey Konga 3, referred to as "Super Mario Bros. Suichū BGM". After two loops of the song, the "Hurry Up!" jingle plays, after which the song plays again for two more loops at double the speed.
Mario Party 5[edit]
In Mario Party 5, an arrangement titled "In Calm Water" plays in the mini-game Submarathon.
| In Calm Water | File info 0:30 |
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door[edit]
In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, an arrangement of "Underwater BGM" plays in Bowser's second intermission level. When Princess Peach takes a shower on the X-Naut Fortress, she can hum the first seven notes of the theme.
| Peach Hums 2 | File info 0:05 |
| Super Bowser Bros. - Underwater (GameCube version) | File info |
| Super Bowser Bros. - Underwater (Nintendo Switch version) | File info |
Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix[edit]
In Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix, the song "Blooper Bop" is an arrangement of "Underwater BGM". This arrangement also samples the first part of the original theme halfway through.
| Blooper Bop | File info 0:30 |
Mario Hoops 3-on-3[edit]
In Mario Hoops 3-on-3, an arrangement of "Underwater BGM" by Square Enix composer Masayoshi Soken plays in Bloocheep Sea.
| Bloocheep Ocean | File info 0:30 |
Art Style: PiCTOBiTS[edit]
An arrangement of "Underwater BGM" by chiptune band YMCK is featured in Art Style: PiCTOBiTS under the name "Super Mario Bros. Part 3". An arranged excerpt of the first bar is also featured in the game's credits.
Mario & Sonic series[edit]
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games[edit]
In the Nintendo DS version of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, the second part of the Mario Medley for the Ultimate Figure Skating event is an arrangement of "Underwater BGM".
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games[edit]
A new arrangement of "Underwater BGM" is featured in Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, which returns in Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games and Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. It is titled "Underwater Theme: Super Mario Bros." in the game's sound test.
| Underwater Theme: Super Mario Bros. - The arrangement heard in Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games | File info 0:30 |
Mario Sports Mix[edit]
In Mario Sports Mix, three arrangements of "Underwater BGM", titled "Classic Ocean", "Bloocheep Ocean" and "Punk Ocean", are available as songs in Harmony Hustle. All three songs also incorporate "Underwater BGM" from Super Mario Bros. 3.
Mario Golf: World Tour[edit]
In Mario Golf: World Tour, an arrangement plays in Cheep Cheep Lagoon.
| Cheep Cheep Lagoon - The arrangement heard in Mario Golf: World Tour | File info 0:30 |
WarioWare Gold[edit]
In WarioWare Gold, a slower-tempo version of one of "Underwater BGM"'s Course Maker tracks in Super Mario Maker plays in the Super Mario Maker microgame in levels taking place underwater.
Illumination film series[edit]
The Super Mario Bros. Movie[edit]
In The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which was scored by Brian Tyler, the first three notes after the introduction of "Underwater BGM" can be faintly heard in the track "Welcome to the Mushroom Kingdom" as Mario passes a Toad carrying a plastic fish bag containing a Cheep Cheep in the Mushroom Kingdom's town. A more direct arrangement plays in the credits theme "Level Complete" alongside arrangements of other Super Mario themes.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie[edit]
In the soundtrack of