There's a technical reason why you can't get Super Mario's music out of your head

Da-da da da-da-Da. You probably just read that to the tune of the Mario theme. And, apparently, there's quite a specific reason why, according to music theorist Andrew Schartmann. And he knows about this sort of thing, having written a book on it.

His theory is outlined in the PBS Game/Show video below but the crux of it, according to Schartmann, all comes down to the limitations and technical working of the SNES chip.

The original Nintendo composer Koji Kondo realised this and used it to his advantage when composing the music (which also had to be hard coded into the game, rather than recorded in a traditional sense). So, for example, the sound effect when you jump lasts exactly one beat, the fireball noise is an eighth note. In turn other aspects of the game synch with the music. So fish fins when underwater move in time with the tempo, as does the coin counter at the top of the screen which flashes like a metronome.

YouTube

Watch On

Seen something newsworthy? Tell us!

I'm GamesRadar's Managing Editor for guides. I also write reviews, previews and features, largely about horror, action adventure, FPS and open world games. I previously worked on Kotaku, and the Official PlayStation Magazine and website.