The US Library of Congress has selected Koji Kondo’s “Super Mario theme” to be a part of this year’s National Recording Registry, making it the first video game sound to be preserved within the project.
In a blog update by the research institution, the Nintendo game theme is among the 25 recordings that are “defining sounds of the nation’s history and culture that will join the Library’s 2023 class of the National Recording Registry,” announced Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden.
Every year starting in 2002, the National Recording Preservation Board (NRPB), along with the public, nominates a recording to be included in the National Recording Registry that will highlight the richness of “audio legacy and underscores the importance of assuring the long-term preservation of that legacy for future generations.”
Over the 600 recordings that the project has enshrined since its establishment in 2002, the nostalgic theme from Nintendo’s “Super Mario Bros.” is the first-ever music video sound to grace the selection. It will join this year’s addition including Mariah Carey’s 1994 hit Christmas song “All I Want For Christmas Is You” and Madonna’s 1984 hit album “Like a Virgin.”
“The National Recording Registry preserves our history through recorded sound and reflects our nation’s diverse culture, the national library is proud to help ensure these recordings are preserved for generations to come, and we welcome the public’s input on what songs, speeches, podcasts or recorded sounds we should preserve next. We received more than 1,100 public nominations this year for recordings to add to the registry,” Hayden wrote in the blog.
Koji Kondo, Nintendo’s music composer and music director, is behind the company’s numerous nostalgic game sounds including the Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda series.
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