The Super Mario Bros theme will be the first piece of video game music to be preserved in the Library of Congress.
Since 2002, the Library has been maintaining the United States National Recording Registry, a list of sound recordings that are “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States”.
Every year, 25 pieces of music are selected to be added to the National Recording Registry, which means they will be preserved in the Library of Congress.
This year, Koji Kondo‘s main theme for Super Mario Bros is one of the 25 chosen, marking the first time a piece of video game music has been added to the Registry.
Other sound recordings chosen for inclusion this year include ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon, ‘Stairway to Heaven’ by Led Zeppelin, ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads’ by John Denver, ‘Like a Virgin’ by Madonna, ‘All I Want for Christmas is You’ by Mariah Carey and ‘Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)’ by Eurythmics.
While the national library already has a vast sound collection of nearly four million items, the recordings selected for the Registry – of which there are now a total of 625 – are considered so important that they must be permanently preserved.
The accessibility issues surrounding Nintendo soundtracks is inadvertently fueling music piracy, rather than preventing it“These recording are not necessarily selected as the ‘best’ recordings of all time, but rather as works of enduring importance to American culture and, hence, in need of permanent preservation by either the Library of Congress or another qualified institution,” the Library of Congress explains.
Partly inspired by ‘Sister Marian’ by Japanese jazz fusion band T-Square, the Super Mario Bros theme is one of the most iconic pieces of video game music ever created.
Wow, it looks like video game music has come a long way. Would you say it’s as respected as regular music now, GD? I think in some cases, it can be even better 😄
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