List of references in music

Due to the popularity of the Mario franchise, the games have been referenced numerous times in popular songs.

Perfume
A$AP Ferg's debut mixtape includes this song, with the line, "And I click like Donkey Kong when I hit this long".

Young Nigga Living
The instrumental to this track from their debut album incorporates a sound clip of Yoshi dying from Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island.

Nintendo Game
The song features references to actions commonly used in Nintendo games, featuring the line, "All the trash talk is getting old, I'd rather try my hand at Rainbow Road".

The title of Alestorm's sixth studio album, , is inspired by the Donkey Kong franchise. One of the album's tracks is a cover of "Pirate Scorn" from the Donkey Kong Country television series. Additionally, the album's poster features several references to the Donkey Kong franchise, such as an eponymous Crystal Coconut from Donkey Kong 64, the skeletal remains of a gorilla wearing a tie, a floating DK Coin, and several Klomps from Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, as well as generic Donkey Kong motifs such as bananas and barrels, including a TNT Barrel.

I Hate Mario Kart Wii
From Alex Day's 117% Complete single, Alex Day describes his hatred for Mario Kart Wii and explains what happens as the race he is playing is progressing. The song can be listened to here.

Super Mario Bros.
A remake of the Super Mario Bros. 3 theme by Taller Para Niños.

Can't Leave Rap Alone
This song, by underground rapper, Apathy, features the line "I'm like Donkey Kong, I got you niggas dodgin' my barrels".

STUPID
The song "STUPID" by Ashnikko, featuring, features Ashnikko saying the line, "I'm sweet, then I'm sour, I'm big boss Bowser".

Lark On My Go-Kart
Asther Roth raps, "Mario Kart skills are outrageous," in this song from his second album.

What's Going On? Why?
In the music video for South Korean boy band B1A4's Japanese single ''What's Going On? Why?, member Gongchan's set is directly based on the Super Mario'' series.

France Freestyle
On the song "France Freestyle" by Baby Keem, from his second mixtape, Die For My Bitch, he says the line "beat the box like Bowser".

I'm On Everything
The song, by hip-hop duo, Bad Meets Evil (composed of and ), references Mario in the line "Me and visions on 'shrooms, call us the Mario Brothers".

Ashley
On the song "Ashley", featuring singer, Big Sean in the second verse says the following lines: "It's been weird since I went out west and did an album with no I.D and ain't came back since". This was followed by a sample of Mario grunting from Super Mario 64.

Jump Out the Window
Big Sean has a line in the first verse in the song in which he recalls, "Remember when you used to though and hit the Mario Kart / And you always picked the princess."

Bowser's Mixtape and Bowser's Castle
In 2021, the band Belmont released a mixtape titled Bowser's Mixtape after the first song in the tracklisting, "Bowser's Castle". The song was later included in the 2022 single release of "Parasitic", which was comprised of three different songs, "Bowser's Castle" being one of them.

It's On Like Donkey Kong
The song title mentions Donkey Kong's name, and the phrase itself is repeated throughout the chorus.

War of Hormone
The song features the coin and power-up sound effects from Super Mario Bros..

Do the Donkey Kong
The song debuted in the 1982 album, . The song was later released as a single in May 1982. The song is based the Donkey Kong arcade game and features many of the game's sound effects as well as some of the in-game music.

Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah
Later in the song, the New Super Mario Bros. theme can be heard.

I Like It
During one of the verses, Cardi B sings "'Bout my coins like Mario!"

Rapper Chamillionaire's nick name is Koopa or King Koopa, and occasionally in songs he introduces himself as such.

Game Gonna Cost a Fee
In Chamillionaire's "Game Gonna Cost a Fee" it is mentioned that "I ride with bananas and shells like Mario and Luigi", "bananas" and "shells" referring (respectively) to banana clips and shotgun shells.

All Day Long
The song "All Day Long" from Chance the Rapper's debut studio album, , has the line "But that boy advance gotta be bigger than Diddy Kong".

Boys
On the song "Boys" by Charli XCX, a modified version of the Super Mario Bros. coin effect sound is looped throughout the track's instrumental.

American Royalty
Childish Gambino has a line in this song that states he has "balls like Bowser".

Eat Your Vegetables
The instrumental to this song samples "Aquatic Ambience," the music for the underwater levels in Donkey Kong Country.

Roll
This rap song features the line "Donkey Kong in the flesh like the ape loose".

Super Brooklyn
The song samples the underground and overworld song from Super Mario Bros. and various sound effects from the game, such as the jump, lose a life, jump, or sliding down the flag sound effects. It is never officially released due to the unlicensed use of the music, though it is an underground hit in 1999 and led to a deal by Rawkus Records.

Rainbow in the Dark
Kool A.D.'s verse includes the line, "Like Don King playing Donkey Kong Country at his cousin's house".

On his performance during The Game Awards 2015, the Canadian artist included remixed versions of The Evil King Bowser and Haunted House BGM from Super Mario World.

Envy Me
Florida rapper includes the line "I'm shroomed out my mental like Mario Bros." in this song.

SPACEGHOSTPUSSY (RIP YAMS)
This diss track by Denzel Curry features a guest verse from who says the line: "Princess Peach jewelry my bitch".

Pyro (2019 Leak)
In this track from his collaboration EP with producer Kenny Beats, he says the line "Fire flows like I'm red and white Mario" in reference to Mario's Fire Mario ability from the original Super Mario Bros..

E-ER
DJ Scheme is a hip hop producer, and member of the hip hop collective. His debut album, FAMILY, features this song which features, Danny Towers and. Ski Mask the Slump God's verse features the lines, "On the patio fucking Princess's peach, Mario / Yellow Louis V overalls on me, look like Wario".

6 God
The instrumental to this song samples the "Haunted Chase" track from Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest.

Touch Fuzzy, Get Dizzy
The song's title references the level of the same name from Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island.

Despicable (Freestyle)
In "Despicable" (Freestyle) rap by Eminem (which was originally a song by Drake), Eminem mentions the lines "the game I just about conquered it like Donkey Kong".

In the official music video, a scene displays a TV screen playing the original Super Mario Bros., albeit modified to avoid copyright.

Tone Deaf
In this song exclusive to the deluxe edition of the album Music To Be Murdered By, Eminem says in the first verse, "Stuck inside of a Mario Kart race duckin' saw blades". Additionally, in the official lyric video, silhouettes of Eminem driving in Mario Kart-like vehicles are displayed on screen when said line is rapped.

Mario Bros vs Wright Bros.
Youtube channel, Epic Rap Battles of History, created a video rap battle with Mario and Luigi battling the Wright Bros. Princess Peach and Donkey Kong are mentioned once each, with a line stating: "Your princess is in our castle now, yeah she's gone, cause stayed up all night playing ''Donkey Kong".

Rocketeer
One line in the middle of "Rocketeer" is "We're on some next level, Super Mario."

Yoshi
The thirteenth song off Fetty Wap's second major studio album is titled "Yoshi", after the Mario character.

The Results Are In
This song contains a sample of Yoshi saying his name, after the line "No chain on, gold teeth, blowing Yoshi".

I Am Not Your Gameboy
The song is told from a Game Boy's point of view asking the listener not to insert games such as Tetris, Donkey Kong, Super Mario and other Game Boy games.

Down With The King
"Down With The King" has been described by the band members as "about Donkey Kong", and its lyrics reference the game mechanics of Super Mario Bros.

The Seduction
Towards the end, there is the line "I've got to find the princess, she's in another castle".

Mario & Link
"Mario & Link" uses sound effects from various video games, including Mario games, and directly samples Peach's dialogue from the end of Super Mario 64. It begins with the lines: "Hello there, uh, it's Frank and this song is dedicated to Mario and Link due to their undying perseverance which I'm not sure I should do the same of... Mario's never getting some and Link's never getting some so why should princesses love me?"

Birdo
The song "Birdo" off Horse the Band's third album,  is loosely based off Birdo, and features electronic 8-bit sounds with an electric guitar. The song's inspiration and real meaning is mostly about the vocalist's distaste for eggs, and his traumatic childhood.

Now I Gotta Wet 'Cha
The first line of the song is "It's on like Donkey Kong."

Movie Star
The song "Movie Star" featuring contains the line, "You know we get that bourbon out the barrel, Diddy Kong".

Daddy's Little Girl
Artist J. Cole says, in the song, "You lost to lookin' for a savior, I ain't Mario".

Trouble
In this song, he says the lines, "I'm Koopa, I never been the Mario type / No saving hoes".

'95 South
The song "'95 South" (stylized "9 5 . s o u t h") contains the line: "Could put a M right on your head, you Luigi brother now". The line is a play on words referring to placing a million-dollar (M) bounty on someone's life (their head), and him alluding that to the M on Mario's cap.

ES Tales
The song's instrumental has a Super Mario Bros. coin sound effect used throughout.

Ignorance is Bliss
From the album White Knuckle Scorin', the song is narrated by Bowser, speaking to Princess Toadstool.

One of the lines said by rapper Pitbull is "And watch a chick get Donkey Konged."

Kenan Vs. Kel
On his sophomore album, , JPEGMAFIA raps the following two lines in a verse: "I'm dressin' up like I'm Prince Peach / And if you sendin' in Marios to defend me".

From My Window
This song by the late Juice Wrld features the line "Mario Luigi, my bros 'til the bitter end".

Sick Beat
The song's backing track is based around a sample of the "Star Select" jingle from Super Mario 64.

Reborn
On the and  collaboration project, Kanye West includes the line in this song, "All of you Mario, it's all a game."

Lucky Guy
A song by South Korean singer Kim Hyun-joong, his songs often contain various sound effects from the Super Mario series, including Jumping, Coins, and even the 1-Up sound.

Video Games
KJ-52's Christian-themed rap song contains various game references and sound effects. KJ-52 raps about how "I was down to one life and I didn't have another / but now I'm super like the Mario Brothers."

Mario sa Amerika
This Filipino rap song is about Mario going to the United States, to the tune of the Ground Theme of Super Mario Bros.

Syntax Era
One of the lyrics is "I'm Donkey Kong, fat freak the notes".

Fredhammer
One of the sound effects used in the song is Tanooki Mario shouting "Tanooki!" from Mario Kart 8.

Timing is Everything
One of the first lines of track 7 on Canadian musician Lights' 2011 album Siberia is "In the interim, the princess was in another castle."

Lemme Freak
The song's instrumental includes a sample of a Koopa Shell being kicked from the original Super Mario Bros.

No Worries
On this song, Lil Wayne states in the the second verse: "Let me see that Donkey Kong".

RunRunning
On his debut mixtape, this particular song from rapper Lil Yachty features the instrumental to the Super Mario 64 file select screen, with coin sound effects edited in throughout.

What It's Like in Japan
"What It's Like in Japan" featured on the album "Very Tiny Songs", describes Japan (from where Mario was created) in a manner clearly modeled after a typical Super Mario Bros. level, featuring sound effects from the game and having its last line (That's what it's like when you go to Japan). The end is sung to the tune of Super Mario Bros. 's Game Over theme.

Super Mario World
The song's title is the same as the Super Nintendo Entertainment System game Super Mario World.

Wordplay
In the second verse, Logic says, "That Super Mario flow, I always get the 1-Up".

I Don't Give A Honk
Andy Samberg claims "We all know we're born with one hundred honks," to which Jorma Taccone adds, "But people throw them away like they were Donkey Konks."

Spur of the Movement
One of the lines is "We play Mario Brothers, we eat the 'shroom and get power."

Blue Slide Park
This track from rapper Mac Miller's debut album of the same name includes the line: "We just tryna go bananas like it's Donkey Kong".

Aerosol Can
One of the lines on the middle of the song is "Make yourself bigger like mushroom, Mario Kart."

Hoe Cakes
The song includes the following line: "Own his own throne, the boss like King Koopa".

Thank You Mario But Our Princess in Another Castle
The song is sung from the perspective of Toad after being rescued by Mario. Inspired by the infamous line that is the song's title, Toad sings about the horrible time he had while being kidnapped.

The NESkimos is a band that plays metal versions of music from Nintendo games, including Super Mario Bros. 3.

Restart
In the song's music video, a Super Star appears during the final few measures of the bridge.

Hey Mario
From the 2013 album "Brighter", the songs talks about why Mario should stop rescuing Princess Peach. Games and sub-series like Mario Kart, Dr. Mario and Super Mario Galaxy are mentioned as well. The coin sound effect is also used in some lines.

Roommates
In one line, the song mentions Mario Kart by saying, "We made an art out of Mario Kart, we're smart gents."

Shoot My Shot
In one line, the song mentions Mario and Bowser by saying, "Hotter than Bowser, this ain't super Mario."

Better Than It Ever Could Be
The song contains some notes from the ending theme of Super Mario Bros. 2.

Rock N Roll
The song "Rock N Roll" featuring artists, and, has rapper Pusha T saying the lines, "I been gettin' at these coins as I'm breakin' down the brick / Make the jump to each level, Super Mario exists".

"Almost Unreal" by Roxette was featured in the Super Mario Bros. film as the first song in the credits. There are two versions of the music video, one with references to the film and one without. The former includes images from the film and several minor references, including one of the king's Mushrooms and several warnings of de-evolution. The video ends with the main character being De-Evolved into a lizard, which crawls out of his clothes. The scene of the lizard is cut out of the latter version of the video, along with the De-Evolution warning. In both videos the main character plays a video game, progressing through levels as the video continues.

Princess Peach
Canadian R&B singer Ruth B. included a song titled "Princess Peach" in her sophomore album, Moments in Between.

Break the Bank
The beat to "Break the Bank" by Schoolboy Q is produced by musician, who included a sample of Toad screaming from Mario Kart 64, slowed and faded, and played throughout the song.

Cha Cha
The song "Cha Cha" by Shelly FKA DRAM (artist formerly known as DRAM) has an instrumental that samples the Star Road theme from Super Mario World, and uses the staple coin effects throughout.

Bowser
Ski Mask the Slump God has a song titled "Bowser", featuring deceased rapper, from the mixtape "Members Only, Vol. 3". The song features various pop culture references, including video games and television cartoons, but features no additional references to Mario outside from the song name.

Merlin's Staff
The song "Merlin's Staff" from his mixtape, Sin City The Mixtape, contains the lines "On the go like Mario, drive in a kart" and "Kickstand, stick-shift, Peach colored kart".

The song "Nuketown" from the album  contains the line, "Ate a Mario mushroom quick, uh-huh".

The Bidness
One of the lyrics is "Half dog, half gorilla, bitch Donkey Kong".

Supah Mario
Supah Mario is the stage name for DeMario Priester, a hip hop music producer who has produced instrumentals to tracks for big name artists including Drake,, , and others.

Super Mario Bros. 3
A song by the Mexican group, only the last line in the song actually refers to Super Mario Bros. 3. Song was later covered by band, Allison.

Praise
The official music video contains many references to various video games, and at one point, French DJ Tchami goes through a map and enters a level which are both heavily based on Super Mario World.

Honky Tonk Badonkadonk
The country song makes a reference to Donkey Kong when Trace Adkins says "She's got it goin' on like Donkey Kong."

Hijack
The song makes a reference to Bowser when the rapper says "Motherfucking beast bitch call me King Koopa."

Karma
This song from Waka Flocka Flame's debut album, "" contains the line, "Ran up on his car, had him eating shells like Mario Go-Kart".

Yung Lean is a Swedish rapper whose lyrics frequently reference video games. His music video to "Hurt" features video game related graphics and footage, such as including gameplay from Super Smash Bros. Melee. Some of his songs reference Mario, and two songs directly reference Mario in the title: "Yoshi City" and another titled "Princess Daisy".

Mario related references in his songs include the following:


 * "In Tokyo, playing Mario" from Hurt
 * "I'm Wario, when I'm in Mario Kart" in Kyoto
 * "Super Mario everyday" in 5th Element