"Ground Theme" (though most commonly and simply known as the "Super Mario Bros. theme"[1]) is the main theme of the cult classic game Super Mario Bros.[2] It was composed by Koji Kondo,[3] who would end up composing most of the sequels' soundtrack as well; as for most of its compositions, Kondo's idea behind it was to create a song that people could listen in loop without being tired of it. It plays during the overworld levels, which compose more than half of the levels in the game.
The track immediately became the main theme of the series and Mario's leitmotif, being rearranged and reused literally dozens of time for the numerous sequels and spin-off games of the Mario franchise, though usually only used for secret areas and nostalgia levels. Some of its more famous variations include the "Title Theme" of Super Mario 64, "Secret Course" in Super Mario Sunshine which is an a cappella rendition, a calm piano rendition played on the stage "Mushroomy Kingdom" in the Super Smash Bros. series, or the infamous "Do The Mario"[4] ending song from the The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!
The theme is arguably one the most famous video game melody of all time, known all around the world even by non-gamers. It is conversely one of the song with the most covers ever made. Although it was originally made with the Famicom 5 tracks chiptune set, the theme is nowadays commonly associated with saxophones, xylophones, and pianos.
