Pickle

Part 2 of my favorite Super Mario music is here! I hope you enjoyed yesterday's romp into NES land. Like in part 1 only original game music is counted here that means no remixes or remakes. 16 & 64 bit ho!

Super Mario World - The Evil King Koopa Hearing this reminds me of playing SMW when I was a kid and the adrenaline rush I would get upon reaching Koopa. It didn't matter if I slugged it out through the game map proper, or used the Star Road to get there the rush would always be the same. As I got further and further into the fight my heart would beat faster, I would get pins and needles, and my arms would feel like they were made out of Jell-O! Then when the pressure has reached its apex and my body can't take the rush anymore Mario let's the final mechakoopa fly, and our little mechanical friend connects with his target causing the clown ship to turn and dump out its prize. I would breathe a sigh of relief and my body would relax. Danger is over as Princess Toadstool floats down daintily to meet our hero. It may not seem like much to you but this game gave me one of my first adrenaline rush experiences at a kid and I will always be reminded of it from this song.





Super Mario Land 2: The 6 Golden Coins - Star Maze This song is one of the first songs that caused my child brain to pay attention to music and critically listen. I remember hearing it and being soothed, knowing that it was more than just a creative background track for a game. To me it was an accurate representation of the calming whimsy that outer space can offer one's imagination. Star Maze is one of the first tracks from a video game to get an emotional reaction out of me, every time. It would make me stop and think about the emotions that were flooding me at the time. I knew from the first time hearing it that it was a special track which would remain near heart for the rest of my life.



Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island - Flower Garden This song always struck me as walking through a park on a gorgeous day in the height of spring. The structure of the song is what made this my favorite out of an amazing soundtrack. It does a great job of making you imagine a crayon drawn world revolving around critters and baby Mario.



Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars - Beware the Forests Mushrooms This is one of my favorite games of the SNES and of ALL time. I had such a blast playing this game that I was genuinely upset when it was over. Of an amazing soundtrack it was hard to choose just one song as my all time favorite, but I knew it would be this track. To me it does a great job of conveying the feeling of wandering a forest and the mystery inside. I always, always think of a cloudy or rainy day in mid spring in 96 when I hear this. How it was a time in my life where I was on the threshold of a life changing event. ( I was about to graduate elementary school and progress to middle school where I gained more responsibility and start to become my own person.) It also helped that this was my favorite part of the game when Mario is trying to help the citizens of Rose Town. It is a bit difficult to put into words exactly how this song makes me feel and where else in time it takes me, so you will just have to give it a listen for yourself. (side note: my least favorite part of the game is trying to climb those damn vines to get to Nimbus land!)



Super Mario 64 - Dire,Dire Docks An amazing game. Nintendo hit the nail on the head in Mario's first foray into true 3D. This song is along the lines of Star Maze in the sense of how it made me feel about my emotions. Being a young teenager at the time of it's release I was able to think a bit deeper into the emotions that Dire, Dire Docks conjures up. Some of those emotions were peacefulness, love (which I was starting to learn more about from my own experiences at the time), enjoying life and everything that being an early teenager had to offer, and good times with friends. The calming phrases and soothing melodies would make me think about sitting outside on a spring or summer night and look to the horizon and think about where my life was at that particular moment. Or floating in a pool during the summer of my middle school years looking up at the sky and watching the clouds and sun dance from under the water.


That's my list! I know what you are thinking, "Wow! What a giant dork!" All I am trying to do is convey the importance that video game music has on my life and why. Hopefully, I didn't just ramble on pointlessly and was able to reach someone. Possibly, even cause someone to stop and think about where these songs take them. Also I would like to thank YouTube user SilvaGunner for their amazing collection of video game music.