PipeProject:Music/Drafts/Mario Kart World soundtrack

(Based on this proposal draft by EvieMaybe (talk).)

Mario Kart World's soundtrack was composed by Atsuko Asahi, Maasa Miyoshi, Takuhiro Honda and Yutaro Takakuwa.

Things to mention:

• Any music-related credits
• The soundtrack uses a lot of heavy jazz fusion and big band elements, following in the direction Mario Kart 8 went in with its music, but is also a lot more varied in general style. This is most apparent in the route and Free Roam arrangements.
• Members of Dezolve and T-Square also contributed to the soundtrack.
• Anything relevant in the Ask the Developer interviews.
• The ♭7̂ - 1̂- ♭7̂ - 1̂ motif from "Title Theme", the "Super Mario Kart Title Screen" motif, and the 2̂-1̂-5̂-5̂ motif from "Staff Credits" from Mario Kart 64. Also the harmonica.

List of tracks

Main music

Things to mention:

• Intros, codas, and how they transition to and from the main tracks in each mode.
• Things that have changed from past Mario Kart entries (See Mario Kart World § Music_2).

"Title Theme"

"Title Theme"
Image from Nintendo Music
Composed by: Unknown
Genre	Blues
Key	F-sharp blues
Time signatures	4 4, 12 8
Quotes from "Super Mario Kart Title Screen (Super Mario Kart) "Mario Kart 64 Title Screen" (Mario Kart 64) "Mario Kart 7 Title Screen" (Mario Kart 7)

"Title Theme", also known as "Main Theme", is a blues-style composition with a call and response structure and a prominent ♭7̂ - 1̂- ♭7̂ - 1̂ motif, the latter of which is used as a recurring motif throughout the game. The main melody alternates between being played on strings, an electric guitar, harmonica, and combinations thereof. This theme also briefly arranges "Mario Kart 64 Title Screen" in its bridge section, based off of the arrangement in "Mario Kart 7 Title Screen", followed by "Super Mario Kart Title Screen". The track is cut short and transitions into a coda if the player enters Free Roam while the track plays. Similarly to "Mario Kart 8 Title Screen", the theme's intro is replaced by a brief drum break when returning to the title screen from the trophy screen.

An extended, looping version of this theme was heard in the Mario Kart World: Invitational 2025 live stream. It is titled "Title Theme (Loop)" in the Nintendo Music app.

A simple, harmonica arrangement of "Title Theme" is played upon starting the game for the first time. In the Nintendo Music app, it is then following by a version of "Title Theme" featuring a brief harmonica solo in the last section and the outro, which was used in the game's first trailer. The entire track is titled "Title Theme (Extended)".

"Mario Bros. Circuit (Intro)"

"Mario Bros. Circuit (Intro)"
Image from Nintendo Music
Composed by: Unknown
BPM	154
Time signature	4 4

"Mario Bros. Circuit (Intro)", also known as simply "Mario Bros. Circuit", plays when approaching the course from a route before reaching its finish line. It is a simple, transitional pastiche of "Mario Bros. Circuit", and features brief harmonica and piano licks.

"Mario Bros. Circuit"

"Mario Bros. Circuit"
Outro 4
Image from Nintendo Music
Composed by: Unknown
Genre	Boogie rock
Key	C Mixolydian
BPM	154
Time signature	4 4
Quotes from "Title Theme" (Mario Kart World)

"Mario Bros. Circuit" plays in its eponymous course during races and Highlight Reels. This theme prominently features an electric guitar and harmonica for the main melody, and strings for the harmony. It also incorporates quotes of "Title Theme"'s ♭7̂ - 1̂- ♭7̂ - 1̂ motif in its chorus section, but adapted to fit the chord progression. This theme features four possible codas in Knockout Tour.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Note(s)	Ref.
Japanese	マリオブラザーズサーキット Mario Burazāzu Sākitto	Mario Bros. Circuit
Spanish	Circuito Mario Bros.	Mario Bros. Circuit

"Crown City (Intro)"

"Crown City (Intro)"
Image from Nintendo Music
Composed by: Unknown
Genre	Jazz fusion
Key	E-flat major
BPM	128
Time signature	4 4 swing
Quotes from "Crown City" (Mario Kart World)

"Crown City (Intro)", also known as simply "Crown City", plays when approaching the course from a route before reaching its finish line. It is a simple, transitional pastiche of "Crown City", and features a repeated brass section melody followed by an improvised talk box melody.

"Crown City"

"Crown City"
Image from Nintendo Music
Composed by: Unknown
Genre	Jazz fusion
Key	E-flat major
BPM	128
Time signature	4 4 swing

"Crown City" plays in its eponymous course during races and Highlight Reels. This theme's melody prominently features a talk box, with call and response and brass sections. It also features saxophones and an electric piano. This theme features one possible coda in Knockout Tour.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Note(s)	Ref.
Spanish	Ciudad Corona	Crown City

"Whistlestop Summit (Intro)"

"Whistlestop Summit (Intro)"
Image from Nintendo Music
Composed by: Unknown
BPM	140

"Whistlestop Summit (Intro)", also known as simply "Whistlestop Summit", plays when approaching the course from a route before reaching its finish line. It is a simple, transitional pastiche of "Whistlestop Summit", and features a banjo and fiddle melody with backing accordion chords.

"Whistlestop Summit"

"Whistlestop Summit"
Outro 2
Image from Nintendo Music
Composed by: Unknown
Genre	Celtic rock
Key	D mixolydian, E-flat mixolydian
BPM	140
Time signature	2 4

"Whistlestop Summit" plays in its eponymous course during races and Highlight Reels. This theme prominently features a whistle, which plays at the intro accompanied by a fiddle, in the A section alongside an accordion, in the B section accompaning vocals and in call and response with a fiddle melody, and in the C section, which is a repeat of the intro melody but transposed one semitone higher. It also features acoustic guitars and a banjo.

This theme features two possible codas in Knockout Tour, one in D mixolydian, which plays on the first half of the theme, and one in E-flat mixolydian, which plays on the second half.

"DK Spaceport (Intro)"

"DK Spaceport (Intro)"
Image from Nintendo Music
Composed by: Takuhiro Honda
Genres	Jazz fusion, rock and roll
Key	B-flat major
BPM	174
Time signature	4 4

"DK Spaceport (Intro)", also known as simply "DK Spaceport", plays when approaching the course from a route before reaching its first finish line. It is a simple, transitional pastiche of "DK Spaceport", featuring improvised call and response melodies between a synth and tenor saxophone.

"DK Spaceport"

"DK Spaceport"
Image from Nintendo Music
Composed by: Takuhiro Honda
Genres	Jazz fusion, rock and roll
Key	B-flat major
BPM	174
Time signature	4 4
Quotes from "Game Start" (Donkey Kong) "Round 1 BGM" (Donkey Kong) "Round Start BGM" (Donkey Kong) "Round 1 and 2 Clear" (Donkey Kong)

"DK Spaceport (Intro)", also known as simply "DK Spaceport", plays when racing on the first section of the eponymous course and the third checkpoint of the Cherry Rally. It includes quotes and arrangements from several themes from Donkey Kong, namely "Round 1 BGM". It starts with an arrangement of "Round Start BGM" before transitioning to "Round 1 BGM with a focus on percussion and brass. A quieter, chiptune version of "Round 1 BGM", reminiscent of its original version in the arcade game, also makes brief appearances in the background.

In Knockout Tour, an arrangement of "Round 1 and 2 Clear" is used as this track's coda. If the players reach the area near the checkpoint when the theme is near the end, an extended version of that outro will play, featuring an arrangement of "Round Start BGM", similar to the one at the start of the main version before it.

"DK Spaceport (Lap 2)"

"DK Spaceport (Lap 2)"
Image from Nintendo Music
Composed by: Takuhiro Honda
Genres	Jazz fusion, rock and roll
Key	B-flat major
BPM	174
Time signature	4 4
Arrangement of "Round 1 BGM" (Donkey Kong)

"DK Spaceport (Lap 2)", also known as simply "DK Spaceport", plays plays when racing on the second section of the course. Compared to the first lap, this version is quieter, mainly featuring "Round 1 BGM" played on horn with synthesizers in the background. It continues in B-flat major like the beginning of the piece.

"DK Spaceport (Lap 3)"

"DK Spaceport (Lap 3)"
Image from Nintendo Music
Composed by: Takuhiro Honda
Genres	Jazz fusion, rock and roll
Key	D-flat minor
BPM	174
Time signature	4 4
Arrangement of "Round 1 BGM" (Donkey Kong)

"DK Spaceport (Lap 3)", also known as simply "DK Spaceport", plays plays when racing on the third section of the course. It is the second lap version with a piano melody added, accompanying the horn, and the key shifted up to D-flat minor.

"DK Spaceport (Lap 4)"

"DK Spaceport (Lap 4)"
Image from Nintendo Music
Composed by: Takuhiro Honda
Genres	Jazz fusion, rock and roll
Key	E minor
BPM	174
Time signature	4 4
Arrangement of "Round 1 BGM" (Donkey Kong)

"DK Spaceport (Lap 4)", also known as simply "DK Spaceport", plays plays when racing on the fourth section of the course. This version makes the horn from the previous two laps quieter, and plays an original melody on brass. The synth melody is now played on a piano. The key signature goes up another minor third to E.

"DK Spaceport (Lap 5)"

"DK Spaceport (Lap 5)"
Image from Nintendo Music
Composed by: Takuhiro Honda
Genres	Jazz fusion, rock and roll
Key	G major / G minor
BPM	174
Time signature	4 4
Arrangement of "Round 1 BGM" (Donkey Kong)

"DK Spaceport (Lap 5)", also known as simply "DK Spaceport", plays plays when racing on the fifth section of the course. Like the lap four version, this version plays an original melody with the melody of "Round 1 BGM" in the background, this time incorporating brass and electric instruments. The key signature goes up again to G major/minor.

"DK Spaceport (Final Lap)"

"DK Spaceport (Final Lap)"
Image from Nintendo Music
Composed by: Takuhiro Honda
Genre	Jazz fusion
Key	B-flat major
BPM	192
Time signature	4 4
Arrangement of "Hammer BGM" (Donkey Kong)

"DK Spaceport (Final Lap)", also known as simply "DK Spaceport", plays plays when racing on the final section of the course. This version, returning to B-flat major, is an arrangement of "Hammer BGM" from Donkey Kong; like the main version of "DK Spaceport", it is also played in a big band style with a focus on percussion and brass instruments, and has a faster tempo of 192 BPM. DK Spaceport is the third course in the series to play a different music track for its final lap rather than speeding up its original music, succeeding "Mount Wario" and "Big Blue" from Mario Kart 8. "Rainbow Road" also does the same. All of these courses are split into sections instead of laps.

"Rainbow Road (Finale)"

"Rainbow Road"
Composed by: Unknown
Arrangement of "Rainbow Road" (Mario Kart World)
Quotes from "Title Theme" (Mario Kart World) "Staff Credits" (Super Mario Kart)

The final lap of the track plays a more grandiose arrangement "Rainbow Road (Finale)", with a horn section harmonizing alongside the string section, and incorporates "Title Theme" in the B section and "Staff Credits" from Super Mario Kart at the end.

EWI

"Spectating"

"Spectating"
Image from Nintendo Music
Composed by: Unknown
Time signature	4 4
Quotes from "Title Theme" (Mario Kart World) "Spectating" (Mario Kart 8) "Wi-Fi Kansen-Chū/Gōsuto Ripurei" (Mario Kart Wii)

"Course Select"

"Course Select"
Image from Nintendo Music
Composed by: Unknown
Time signature	2 2 (with swung eighths)
Quotes from "Title Theme" (Mario Kart World)

"Opening (Mushroom Cup)"

"Opening (Mushroom Cup)"
Image from Nintendo Music
Composed by: Unknown
Arrangement of "Mario Bros. Circuit (Intro)" (Mario Kart World)
Quotes from "Whistlestop Summit (Intro)" (Mario Kart World) "Round 1 BGM" (Donkey Kong)

"Opening (Flower Cup)"

"Opening (Flower Cup)"
Image from Nintendo Music
Composed by: Unknown
Quotes from "Desert Hills (Intro)" (Mario Kart World) "Luigi Raceway" (Mario Kart 64) "Airship Fortress" (Mario Kart DS)

"Opening (Star Cup)"

"Opening (Star Cup)"
Image from Nintendo Music
Composed by: Unknown
Quotes from "Starview Peak (Intro)" (Mario Kart World) "Sky-High Sundae" (Mario Kart World) "Wario Shipyard" (Mario Kart World)

"Opening (Shell Cup)"

"Opening (Shell Cup)"
"Opening (Shell Cup)" in "Mario Kart World"
Image from Nintendo Music
Composed by: Unknown
Quotes from "Koopa Troopa Beach (Intro)" (Mario Kart World) "Faraway Oasis (Intro)" (Mario Kart World) "Crown City (Intro)" (Mario Kart World) "Peach Stadium" (Mario Kart World)

"Opening (Banana Cup)"

"Opening (Banana Cup)"
Image from Nintendo Music
Composed by: Unknown
Arrangement of "Peach Beach (Intro)" (Mario Kart World)

"Opening (Leaf Cup)"

"Opening (Leaf Cup)"