Underwater Theme
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The "Underwater Theme" is a recurring musical theme composed by Koji Kondo, first heard in World 2-2 of Super Mario Bros. It was originally set in the key of C major, with the time signature of 3/4 that is mostly associated with waltz, playing at a tempo of 226 beats per minute. As it was "easy to imagine what it should be like," it was the first composition Kondo finished for the game.[1] The theme plays in every level and section set underwater in Super Mario Bros., with following rearrangements largely featuring as title screen music.
Reuses
The following list does not count ports and remakes (such as Super Mario Bros. Deluxe) of Super Mario Bros.
- Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels: This game reuses the soundtrack from Super Mario Bros.
- Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii): The Underwater Theme is playable in the gallery.
- Mario Clock: The theme is available as one of three choices of alarm music, represented by a sprite of a Cheep-Cheep from Super Mario Bros.
- StreetPass Mii Plaza: In StreetPass Fishing/Ultimate Angler, the theme plays after successfully catching a Cheep Cheep or Blooper. It is absent from the sound test.
- Super Mario Maker / Super Mario Maker 2: The Underwater Theme plays in Underwater-themed levels of the Super Mario Bros. style.
Arrangements
Super Mario series
Super Mario Bros. Special
An arrangement of the Underwater Theme plays in underwater levels in Super Mario Bros. Special, though unlike other themes in the game, its tempo is the same as in the original.
Super Mario Bros. 2
In Super Mario Bros. 2, an arrangement with extra notes plays on the title screen, the first of several title themes to be based on the Underwater Theme.
Super Mario World
The soundtrack for Super Mario World includes a saxophone arrangement by Soichi Noriki and performed by the Mario World Band, titled "Shining Coral".
Super Mario All-Stars
In addition to updated arrangements for underwater levels in Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels and the title screen in Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario All-Stars features two new arrangements that play on the title screens for the other three games that did not previously feature title screen music.
A sped-up version of the underwater level arrangement is reused for the World-e level Classic World 2-2 in Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3.
Super Mario Bros. Deluxe
In Super Mario Bros. Deluxe, in addition to ports of the original underwater levels using the original soundtrack, the Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels title features a rearrangement with more prominence on the spacing echo effect of the main tune.
Super Mario Advance
Like in Super Mario All-Stars, an arrangement of the Underwater Theme plays on Super Mario Advance's title screen.
Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2
In Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2, an arrangement of the Underwater Theme's first half plays at the beginning of the prologue. A full arrangement plays on the title screen, using the same percussion that is added to the music when riding Yoshi in the game.
Super Mario Sunshine
An arrangement plays in Super Mario Sunshine's attract mode.
Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3
Reflecting the game's tone as well as the prologue's music style, a music box arrangement plays on the title screen for Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3.
Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3
An uptempo, jazz-styled arrangement plays on the title screen for Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3, using a different melody for the second half.
Super Mario 64 DS
In Super Mario 64 DS, a slow, music box arrangement plays in the minigame Loves Me...?
Super Mario Maker
In Super Mario Maker, in addition to the Underwater Theme reappearing as the default background music of the Underwater course theme in the Super Mario Bros. game style, the music for editing such a course in the Course Maker is an original, more ambient arrangement, using eight tracks that fade in and out randomly to create a dynamic mix. This returns in Super Mario Maker 2.
Super Mario Maker 2
In Super Mario Maker 2, there is a music box arrangement that plays in the Underwater theme at night in the Super Mario Bros. style.
Luigi's Mansion
In Luigi's Mansion, the theme appears as one of the two songs Melody Pianissima can quiz Luigi over, along with the athletic theme from Super Mario Bros. 3. When she plays it, she asks Luigi what he thinks the composer had in mind, with "water" being the correct answer.
Mario Party 5
In Mario Party 5, an arrangement titled "In Calm Water" plays in the mini-game Submarathon.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, an arrangement of the Underwater Theme plays in Bowser's second intermission level.
Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix
In Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix, the song "Blooper Bop" is an arrangement of the Underwater Theme. This arrangement also samples the first part of the original theme halfway through.
Mario Hoops 3-on-3
In Mario Hoops 3-on-3, an arrangement of the Underwater Theme by Square Enix composer Masayoshi Soken plays in Bloocheep Sea.
Mario & Sonic series
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
In the Nintendo DS version of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, the second part of the Mario Medley for the Ultimate Figure Skating event is an arrangement of the Underwater Theme.
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games
A new arrangement of the Underwater Theme is featured in Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, which returns in Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games and Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Mario Golf: World Tour
In Mario Golf: World Tour, an arrangement plays in Cheep Cheep Lagoon.
Super Smash Bros. series
Super Smash Bros. Melee
In Super Smash Bros. Melee, the song for the Rainbow Cruise stage consists of an orchestrated arrangement of "Slider" from Super Mario 64 in the first half and the Underwater Theme in the second half. It was arranged by HAL Laboratory composer Shogo Sakai and returns in Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the same stage, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS as a song for Smash Run, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U for the Delfino Plaza stage, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for any Mario-series stage.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Another arrangement by Sakai is featured in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, where it is split into three distinct sections: The first uses the original theme, the second is an orchestrated arrangement, and the third is a bluegrass arrangement. The song plays in the World 1-2 version of the Mushroomy Kingdom stage, and returns in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U for the Mushroom Kingdom U and Super Mario Maker stages, and in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for any Mario-series stage.
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, an orchestrated arrangement is featured in "Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels Medley", which plays on Mushroom Kingdom U and Super Mario Maker and was arranged by Bandai Namco composer Katsuro Tajima. The song returns in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Appearances in other media
An arrangement of the Underwater Theme by chiptune band YMCK is featured in Pictobits under the name "Super Mario Bros. Part 3".
In Tekken Tag Tournament 2, a techno arrangement of the first half of the Underwater Theme plays in Mushroom Battles.
List of Mario appearances
| Work | Year | Type | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Super Mario Bros. | 1985 | Original | Koji Kondo |
| Super Mario Bros. Special | 1986 | Arrangement | |
| Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels | 1986 | Original | Koji Kondo |
| VS. Super Mario Bros. | 1986 | Original | Koji Kondo |
| Super Mario Bros. 2 | 1988 | Arrangement | Koji Kondo |
| Super Mario All-Stars | 1993 | Arrangement | Soyo Oka |
| Super Mario Bros. Deluxe | 1999 | Original | Koji Kondo |
| Arrangement | |||
| Super Mario Advance | 2001 | Arrangement | |
| Luigi's Mansion | 2001 | Arrangement | |
| Super Smash Bros. Melee | 2001 | Arrangement | Shogo Sakai |
| Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 | 2001 | Arrangement | |
| Super Mario Sunshine | 2002 | Arrangement | |
| Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 | 2002 | Arrangement | Taiju Suzuki |
| Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 | 2003 | Arrangement | Taiju Suzuki |
| Past arrangement (Super Mario All-Stars) | Soyo Oka | ||
| Mario Party 5 | 2003 | Arrangement | Aya Tanaka |
| Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door | 2004 | Arrangement | |
| Super Mario 64 DS | 2004 | Arrangement | Kenta Nagata |
| Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix | 2005 | Arrangement | |
| Mario Hoops 3-on-3 | 2006 | Arrangement | Masayoshi Soken |
| Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii) | 2007 | Original | Koji Kondo |
| Super Smash Bros. Brawl | 2008 | Arrangement | Shogo Sakai |
| Past arrangement (Super Smash Bros. Melee) | |||
| Mario Clock | 2009 | Original | Koji Kondo |
| Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (Nintendo DS) | 2009 | Arrangement | |
| Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games | 2011 | Arrangement | |
| Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games | 2013 | Past arrangement (Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games) | |
| NES Remix | 2013 | Original | Koji Kondo |
| NES Remix Pack | 2014 | Original | Koji Kondo |
| Mario Golf: World Tour | 2014 | Arrangement | Motoi Sakuraba |
| Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS | 2014 | Past arrangement (Super Smash Bros. Melee) | Shogo Sakai |
| Ultimate NES Remix | 2014 | Original | Koji Kondo |
| Super Smash Bros. for Wii U | 2014 | Arrangement | Katsuro Tajima |
| Past arrangement (Super Smash Bros. Brawl) | Shogo Sakai | ||
| Past arrangement (Super Smash Bros. Melee) | |||
| Super Mario Maker | 2015 | Original | Koji Kondo |
| Arrangement | |||
| Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games | 2016 | Past arrangement (Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games) | |
| Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS | 2016 | Original | Koji Kondo |
| Past arrangement (Super Mario Maker) | |||
| Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | 2018 | Past arrangement (Super Smash Bros. Melee) | Shogo Sakai |
| Past arrangement (Super Smash Bros. Brawl) | |||
| Past arrangement (Super Smash Bros. for Wii U) | Katsuro Tajima | ||
| Super Mario Maker 2 | 2019 | Original | Koji Kondo |
| Arrangement | |||
| Past arrangement (Super Mario Maker) |
References
- ^ Iwata Asks : Super Mario Bros. 25th Anniversary : To Save Memory. Nintendo. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
