Jump Up, Super Star!

"Jump Up, Super Star!" (referred to as "NDC Festival" in-game) is the theme song of Super Mario Odyssey. It is sung by Pauline during the mission "A Traditional Festival!" The song was also used in the E3 2017 trailer for the game.

The song uses an upbeat, big-band jazz style and is most notable for being the first song from the Super Mario series to feature lyrics, something rarely heard in songs from Mario games. The song has Pauline detailing an adventure across the worlds of Super Mario Odyssey, referring to herself as Mario's "1UP girl." It can be played from a boombox in the Metro Kingdom and Mushroom Kingdom. The lyrics are also printed on the inside of the game case for all regions. A Japanese version of the song has its own lyrics which differ from the international version.

The song is performed by the Super Mario Players and sung by Kate Higgins (credited as Kate Davis ) in English and songwriter Aimi Mukohara in Japanese. It is composed by Naoto Kubo. The original lyrics are written by Nobuyoshi Suzuki, and the English lyrics are written by Rob Tunstall. The full version was released worldwide on October 20, 2017, on the, while the short version was downloadable for free until January 31, 2018. The song is also included in the Super Mario Odyssey Original Soundtrack.

Development
Nobuyoshi Suzuki, the sound designer of Super Mario Odyssey, wrote the first draft of the lyrics in Japanese. According to Yoshiaki Koizumi, they had a discussion on whether using words such as "1UP" would be good. They sent all of the documents they had to the localization members to create the final lyrics, due to English being a more global language, as Koizumi stated. This resulted in a back-and-forth between localization members and the Japanese developers as they struggled to keep the Mario references as subtle as possible. He also indicated in an AMA on reddit that the song had been created as a direct result of their developing the character of Pauline.

The English version was the first to be recorded with voice actress Kate Higgins providing the vocals. According to herself, Cup of Tea Productions, Inc. was in charge of the voice acting. When asked if she was interested in doing the voice, she agreed and auditioned for the role by sending samples of her voice to Nintendo of Japan, and was ultimately selected for the role. Weeks before the recording session, Nintendo of Japan sent her a demo sung by an unknown Japanese singer and a lead sheet, with the music already recorded. Several people from Japan and America were present in the final recording.

For the Japanese version, the Nintendo Sound Team had already some candidates, but after listening to her YouTube videos, songwriter Aimi Mukohara was chosen to do the vocals. All the Nintendo Sound Team was present at the moment of recording. This is the first time Aimi was involved with the music of any video game.

English
Here we go, off the rails Don't you know it's time to raise our sails? It's freedom like you never knew

Don't need bags, or a pass Say the word I'll be there in a flash You could say my hat is off to you

Oh we can zoom All the way to the moon From this great wide wacky world Jump with me, grab coins with me Oh yeah!

It's time to jump up in the air (Jump up in the air) Jump up, don't be scared (Jump up, don't be scared) Jump up and your cares will soar away And if the dark clouds start to swirl (Dark clouds start to swirl) Don't fear, don't shed a tear, 'cause I'll be your 1UP girl

So let's all jump up super high (Jump up super high) High up in the sky (High up in the sky) There's no power-up like dancing You know that you're my superstar (You're my superstar) No one else can take me this far I'm flipping the switch Get ready for this Oh, let's do the odyssey

Odyssey, ya see! (×7) Odyssey, odyssey!

Spin the wheel, take a chance Every journey starts a new romance A new world's calling out to you

Take a turn, off the path Find a new addition to the cast You know that any captain needs a crew

Take it in stride As you move side to side They're just different points of view Jump with me, grab coins with me Oh yeah!

Come on and jump up in the air (Jump up in the air) Jump without a care (Jump without a care) Jump up 'cause you know that I'll be there And if you find you're short on joy (Find you're short on joy) Don't fret, just don't forget that You're still our 1UP boy

So go on straighten up your cap (Straighten up your cap) Let your toes begin to tap (Toes begin to tap) This rhythm is a power 'shroom Don't forget you're the superstar (You're the superstar) No one else could make it this far Put a comb through that 'stache Now you've got panache Oh, let's do the odyssey

It's time to jump up in the air (Jump up in the air) Jump up, don't be scared (Jump up, don't be scared) Jump up and your cares will soar away And if the dark clouds start to swirl (Dark clouds start to swirl) Don't fear, don't shed a tear, 'cause I'll be your 1UP girl

Now listen all you boys and girls (All you boys and girls) All around the world (All around the world) Don't be afraid to get up and move You know that we're all superstars (We're all superstars) We're the ones who made it this far Put a smile on that face There's no time to waste So, let's do the odyssey

Other appearances

 * "Jump Up, Super Star!" is heard in the 100th episode of The Cat Mario Show.


 * The first six verses of "Jump Up, Super Star!" play over the "Super Mario Odyssey: Around the World" ("Super Mario Odyssey: World Trekking" in Europe and Oceania) Nintendo 3DS HOME Menu theme.


 * The "NDC Festival" version of the song appears in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and can be played in any Super Mario-series stage. For the New Donk City Hall stage, two separate tracks exist in My Music: "Jump Up, Super Star!" and "Jump Up, Super Star! (Full Band Performance)." If the former is selected, only the drums are heard as only the drummer appears in the plaza, while Pauline and the rest of the band members randomly appear throughout the match. Passing by them recruits them to perform their part in the song and appear in the plaza. If the latter is selected, the song plays as is, and the performers are absent from the stage. The song also plays in Mario's character trailer.


 * "Jump Up, Super Star!" plays when Pauline uses her Special Shot in Mario Tennis Aces. It was also played in the trailer announcing her and other characters appearing as DLC characters in 2019.


 * "Jump Up, Super Star!" has also made appearances outside of the Mario franchise. It makes an appearance as one of the songs in the Nintendo Switch installment of Bandai Namco's, , as well as in the Taiko no Tatsujin arcade game. In Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training for Nintendo Switch, if the player achieves a rank of "Walking Speed" and taps on the walking figure multiple times, it whistles the first three lines of the chorus.


 * In Mario Kart Tour, Pauline makes references to the song in some of her voice lines.


 * In an update for  released on March 26, 2020, a new rhythm mode was added. Along with original songs, music tracks from other games can be played, including "Jump Up, Super Star!"

Trivia

 * The theme of 25m from Donkey Kong can be heard during the part where Pauline repeats the lyrics "Odyssey, ya see". In addition, the sound effect played when Mario jumps over a barrel in the game can be heard at the end of the aforementioned riff.
 * Also, when Pauline sings "Odyssey, ya see" in the objective "A Traditional Festival!" in the game, she mimics her main sprite animations from her first game, Donkey Kong.