Mario Kart 8 Title Screen
| "Mario Kart 8 Title Screen" | |
|---|---|
| "Mario Kart 8 Title Screen" in Mario Kart 8 | |
 Image from Nintendo Music | |
| Composed by: Atsuko Asahi[1] | |
| Genre | Jazz fusion |
| First appearance | Mario Kart 8 (2014) |
| Latest appearance | Mario Kart World (2025) |
- “I started working on this one with the intention of creating a track where you could really feel of the live performances. I had the idea that a group of musicians had somehow all come together for an amazing one-night only session. I do hope that comes across in the music.”
- —Liner notes in the Mario Kart 8 Original Soundtrack
"Mario Kart 8 Title Screen",[2] also known simply as "Mario Kart 8",[1] is a musical theme in Mario Kart 8 composed by Atsuko Asahi, where it, as the name implies, plays on the title screen of the game. It is structured similarly to "Mario Kart 7 Title Screen": an A section that uses repetition and call-and-response, a B section that uses long synthesizer notes, and an arrangement of "Super Mario Kart Title Screen". Unlike "Mario Kart 7 Title Screen", however, this theme fully arranges the original version of the theme, and arranges only the last six notes of the elongated version from Mario Kart 64. A shorter version that skips the intro plays when entering the title screen from a previous menu.
History[edit]
Mario Kart series[edit]
Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe[edit]
|
It has been requested that more audio and/or video files related to this section be uploaded. Specifics: "Mario Kart 8 Title Screen" sections of "Spectating" and "Staff Credits" Please upload music, sound effects, voice clips, or any videos for this section. See the help page for help getting started. |
- “We were aiming to express that impatient feeling you get when you just want to get back out on the track and start racing. Listen out for the bass line here.”
- —Liner notes for "Spectating" in the Mario Kart 8 Original Soundtrack
Mario Kart 8 marks the first appearance of "Mario Kart 8 Title Screen". It also features three additional arrangements of the theme:
The theme that plays when spectating players online, likewise titled "Spectating" on the Nintendo Music app, incorporates the motif of "Mario Kart 8 Title Screen" in its bassline approximately 28 seconds in. This arrangement was arranged by Yasuaki Iwata.
The theme that plays during the cutscene reviewing the races and players' placements after each Grand Prix, titled "Current Standings" on the Nintendo Music app, incorporates a brief arrangement of "Mario Kart 8 Title Screen". This arrangement was arranged by Ryo Nagamatsu.
The theme that plays during the staff credits, likewise titled "Staff Credits" on the Nintendo Music app, is a medley of various themes in the game, including "Mario Kart 8 Title Screen". This arrangement was also arranged by Ryo Nagamatsu.
The original theme and its arrangements are included in the Mario Kart 8 Original Soundtrack, and return in the Nintendo Switch port, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, for the same purposes.
Spectating Mario Kart Tour[edit]
In Mario Kart Tour, "Current Standings" plays when clearing every cup in a tour.
Mario Kart World[edit]
|
|
It has been requested that at least one audio and/or video file related to this section be uploaded. Specifics: All arrangements Please upload music, sound effects, voice clips, or any videos for this section. See the help page for help getting started. |
Mario Kart World features two full arrangements of "Mario Kart 8 Title Screen", both of which can play in Free Roam. They are titled "Mario Kart 8 (Jazz Fusion Ver. 1)" and "Mario Kart 8 (Jazz Fusion Ver. 2)" in the game's pause menu. "Mario Kart 8 (Jazz Fusion Ver. 1)" can also play on the route from Crown City to Peach Stadium and any VS Race route.
An arrangement of "Rainbow Road" from Mario Kart 8 incorporates part of the bassline from the intro of "Mario Kart 8 Title Screen". It can also play in any VS Race route and Free Roam, and is titled "Rainbow Road" in the game's pause menu.
As with other arrangements of themes from Mario Kart 8, the source game listed in the pause menu is Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
Paper Mario: Color Splash[edit]
In Paper Mario: Color Splash, "Mario Kart 8 Title Screen" plays when Luigi appears in his kart before he drives Mario and Huey on Rainbow Road to Black Bowser's Castle.
Other appearances[edit]
Super Mario Bros. 30th Anniversary Live[edit]
|
|
It has been requested that at least one audio and/or video file related to this section be uploaded. Specifics: The arrangement Please upload music, sound effects, voice clips, or any videos for this section. See the help page for help getting started. |
The "Super Mario Bros. 30th Anniversary Live" concert series featured a live big band medley arrangement by the Super Mario Big Band of several themes from the Mario Kart series, including "Mario Kart 8 Title Screen".
Super Nintendo World[edit]
|
|
It has been requested that at least one audio and/or video file related to this section be uploaded. Specifics: The arrangement Please upload music, sound effects, voice clips, or any videos for this section. See the help page for help getting started. |
At the Super Nintendo World theme park, an arrangement of the first six notes of "Mario Kart 8 Title Screen" are incorporated into an arrangement of "Luigi Raceway", which plays in Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge.
Gallery[edit]
Image for "Spectating" from Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on Nintendo Music
Image for "Current Standings" from Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on Nintendo Music
Image for "Staff Credits" from Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on Nintendo Music
List of Super Mario appearances[edit]
Games[edit]
| Work | System | Year | Type | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mario Kart 8 | Wii U | 2014 | Original | "Mario Kart 8 Title Screen"[2] | Atsuko Asahi[1] |
| Arrangement | "Spectating"[2] | Yasuaki Iwata[1] | |||
| "Current Standings"[2] | Ryo Nagamatsu[1] | ||||
| "Staff Credits"[2] | |||||
| Paper Mario: Color Splash | 2016 | Original | Atsuko Asahi[1] | ||
| Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | Nintendo Switch | 2017 | "Mario Kart 8 Title Screen"[2] | ||
| Past arrangement (Mario Kart 8) | "Spectating"[2] | Yasuaki Iwata[1] | |||
| "Current Standings"[2] | Ryo Nagamatsu[1] | ||||
| "Staff Credits"[2] | |||||
| Mario Kart Tour | iOS, Android | 2019 | |||
| Mario Kart World | Nintendo Switch 2 | 2025 | Arrangement | "Mario Kart 8 (Jazz Fusion Ver. 1)"[3] | |
| "Mario Kart 8 (Jazz Fusion Ver. 2)"[3] | |||||
| "Rainbow Road"[3] |
Albums[edit]
| Work | Year | Type | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mario Kart 8 Original Soundtrack | 2015 | Original | "Mario Kart 8" | Atsuko Asahi |
| Past arrangement (Mario Kart 8) | "Spectating" | Yasuaki Iwata | ||
| "Current Standings" | Ryo Nagamatsu | |||
| "Staff Credits" |
Live performances[edit]
| Event | Year | Location | Type | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super Mario Bros. 30th Anniversary Live | 2015 | Osaka International Convention Center, Osaka, Japan and Tokyo International Forum, Tokyo, Japan[4] | Arrangement | Super Mario Special Band[4] |
Other media[edit]
| Work | Year | Type | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super Nintendo World | 2021 | Arrangement | Dani Donadi[5] | |
| Nintendo Music | 2024 | Original | "Mario Kart 8 Title Screen" | Atsuko Asahi[1] |
| Past arrangement (Mario Kart 8) | "Spectating" | Yasuaki Iwata[1] | ||
| "Current Standings" | Ryo Nagamatsu[1] | |||
| "Staff Credits" |
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | マリオカート８ タイトル[2] Mario Kāto 8 taitoru |
Mario Kart 8 title | |
| Chinese (simplified) | 马力欧卡丁车8 标题[2] Mǎlì'ōu kǎdīngchē 8 biāotí |
Mario Kart 8 Title | |
| Chinese (traditional) | 瑪利歐賽車8 標題[2] Mǎlì'ōu sàichē 8 biāotí |
Mario Kart 8 Title | |
| Dutch | Mario Kart 8 Title Screen[2] | - | |
| French | Mario Kart 8 (écran titre)[2] | Mario Kart 8 (title screen) | |
| German | Mario Kart 8 (Titelbildschirm)[2] | Mario Kart 8 (title screen) | |
| Italian | Mario Kart 8 (schermo del titolo)[2] | Mario Kart 8 (title screen) | |
| Korean | Mario Kart 8 타이틀[2] Mario Kart 8 Taiteul |
Mario Kart 8 Title | |
| Portuguese (NOA) | Mario Kart 8 (tela de título)[2] | Mario Kart 8 (title screen) | |
| Portuguese (NOE) | Mario Kart 8 Title Screen[2] | - | |
| Russian | Mario Kart 8 (начальный экран)[2] Mario Kart 8 (nachal'nyy ekran) |
Mario Kart 8 (title screen) | |
| Spanish | Mario Kart 8 (pantalla del título)[2] | Mario Kart 8 (title screen) |
Notes[edit]
- On the Nintendo Music app, "Mario Kart 8 Title Screen" is labeled as "Selects", classifying it as one "of the very best tracks from the Nintendo Music library", originating from Mario Kart 8. "Mario Kart 8 Title Screen" shares this title with "Mario Kart Stadium" and "Rainbow Road".
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Mario Kart 8 Original Soundtrack
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Nintendo Music
- ^ a b c Mario Kart World pause menu
- ^ a b Seedhouse, Alex (July 1, 2015). Super Mario 30th Anniversary Live concerts announced for Japan. Nintendo Insider. Retrieved December 10, 2025.
- ^ Dani Donadi. Profile. Linkedin. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
