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 | ||
| Time signature | Common time | ||
| First appearance | Mario Kart 8 (2014) | ||
| Latest appearance | Mario Kart World (2025) | ||
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- “I started working on this one with the intention of creating a track where you could really feel of[sic] 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 as simply "Mario Kart 8",[1] is a musical theme composed by Atsuko Asahi for Mario Kart 8, where it plays in the game's title screen. 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 returning to the title screen from another menu. Another version with a shorter intro was featured in the Mario Kart 8 Direct.
History[edit]
Mario Kart series[edit]
Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe[edit]
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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". The game also features four additional arrangements of the theme, all of which return for the same purposes in the Nintendo Switch port, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and are also included in the official Mario Kart 8 Original Soundtrack album.
The theme that plays when spectating players online incorporates the motif of "Mario Kart 8 Title Screen" in its bassline approximately 28 seconds in. It is titled "Spectating" on the Nintendo Music app and the Mario Kart 8 Original Soundtrack album, and was arranged by Yasuaki Iwata.
A loose arrangement of the first six notes of "Mario Kart 8 Title Screen" plays when beginning a race in Grand Prix or VS Race. It is titled "Starting Grid (Grand Prix / VS Race)" on the Nintendo Music app.
The theme that plays during the cutscene reviewing the races and players' placements after finishing a cup in Grand Prix incorporates a brief arrangement of "Mario Kart 8 Title Screen". It is titled "Current Standings" on the Nintendo Music app and the Mario Kart 8 Original Soundtrack album, and was arranged by Ryo Nagamatsu.
The theme that plays during the staff credits is a medley of various themes in the game, including "Mario Kart 8 Title Screen". It is likewise titled "Staff Credits" on the Nintendo Music app and the Mario Kart 8 Original Soundtrack album, and was arranged by Ryo Nagamatsu.
 Starting Grid (Grand Prix / VS Race) - The arrangement heard in Mario Kart 8 | File info 0:02 |
| Current Standings - The arrangement heard in Mario Kart 8 | File info 0:30 |
Mario Kart Tour[edit]
In Mario Kart Tour, "Current Standings" plays when clearing every cup in a tour.
Mario Kart World[edit]
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It has been requested that at least one audio and/or video file related to this section be uploaded. Specifics: Remaining 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": a jazz fusion arrangement titled "Mario Kart 8 (Jazz Fusion Ver. 1)" and a jazz-funk arrangement titled "Mario Kart 8 (Jazz Fusion Ver. 2)". Both arrangements can play in Free Roam, with the first version playing during the day, and the second version playing during nighttime. The first version can also play on the route from Crown City to Peach Stadium in the Shell Cup and on any VS Race route.
An arrangement of the bassline from the intro of "Mario Kart 8 Title Screen" is incorporated into the game's arrangement of "Rainbow Road" from Mario Kart 8, which can play in Free Roam during the day and on any VS Race route during nighttime.
As with other arrangements of themes from Mario Kart 8, the source game listed in the pause menu is Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
| Mario Kart 8 (Jazz Fusion Ver. 1) - The arrangement heard in Mario Kart World | File info 0:30 |
Paper Mario: Color Splash[edit]
In Paper Mario: Color Splash, the version of "Mario Kart 8 Title Screen" with the shorter intro from the Mario Kart 8 Direct 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]
The "Super Mario Bros. 30th Anniversary Live" concert series featured a live big band jazz medley arrangement of "Mario Circuit" from Super Mario Kart, "Waluigi Pinball" from Mario Kart DS, "Mario Kart 7 Title Screen" from Mario Kart 7, "Luigi Raceway" and "Rainbow Road" from Mario Kart 64, "Rainbow Road" from Mario Kart Wii, and "Mario Kart 8 Title Screen" from Mario Kart 8.
Super Nintendo World[edit]
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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]
"Mario Kart 8 Title Screen" being performed, as shown in the Mario Kart 8 Direct.
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 |
| Arrangement | "Spectating"[2] | Yasuaki Iwata | |||
| "Starting Grid (Grand Prix / VS Race)"[2] | |||||
| "Current Standings"[2] | Ryo Nagamatsu | ||||
| "Staff Credits"[2] | |||||
| Paper Mario: Color Splash | Wii U | 2016 | Original | Atsuko Asahi | |
| Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | Nintendo Switch | 2017 | Original | "Mario Kart 8 Title Screen"[2] | Atsuko Asahi |
| Past arrangement (Mario Kart 8) | "Spectating"[2] | Yasuaki Iwata | |||
| "Starting Grid (Grand Prix / VS Race)"[2] | |||||
| "Current Standings"[2] | Ryo Nagamatsu | ||||
| "Staff Credits"[2] | |||||
| Mario Kart Tour | iOS, Android | 2019 | Past arrangement (Mario Kart 8) | Ryo Nagamatsu | |
| 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 | Arrangement | Super Mario Special Band |
Other media[edit]
| Work | Year | Type | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super Nintendo World | 2021 | Arrangement | Dani Donadi[4] | |
| Nintendo Music | 2024 | Original | "Mario Kart 8 Title Screen" | Atsuko Asahi |
| Past arrangement (Mario Kart 8) | "Spectating" | Yasuaki Iwata | ||
| "Starting Grid (Grand Prix / VS Race)" | ||||
| "Current Standings" | Ryo Nagamatsu | |||
| "Staff Credits" |
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Note(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | マリオカート８ タイトル Mario Kāto 8 taitoru |
Mario Kart 8 title | [2] | |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 马力欧卡丁车8 标题 Mǎlì'ōu kǎdīngchē 8 biāotí |
Mario Kart 8 Title | [2] | |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 瑪利歐賽車8 標題 Mǎlì'ōu sàichē 8 biāotí |
Mario Kart 8 Title | [2] | |
| Dutch | Mario Kart 8 Title Screen | - | [2] | |
| French | Mario Kart 8 (écran titre) | Mario Kart 8 (title screen) | [2] | |
| German | Mario Kart 8 (Titelbildschirm) | Mario Kart 8 (title screen) | [2] | |
| Italian | Mario Kart 8 (schermo del titolo) | Mario Kart 8 (title screen) | [2] | |
| Korean | Mario Kart 8 타이틀 Mario Kart 8 Taiteul |
Mario Kart 8 Title | [2] | |
| Portuguese (Brazilian) | Mario Kart 8 (tela de título) | Mario Kart 8 (title screen) | [2] | |
| Portuguese (European) | Mario Kart 8 Title Screen | - | [2] | |
| Russian | Mario Kart 8 (начальный экран) Mario Kart 8 (nachal'nyy ekran) |
Mario Kart 8 (title screen) | [2] | |
| Spanish | Mario Kart 8 (pantalla del título) | Mario Kart 8 (title screen) | [2] |
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".
