Super Mario theme becomes first piece of game music inducted into Library of Congress
It's taken nearly 30 years for the track to make it
Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Want to add more newsletters?
Every Friday
GamesRadar+
Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.
Every Thursday
GTA 6 O'clock
Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.
Every Friday
Knowledge
From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.
Every Thursday
The Setup
Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.
Every Wednesday
Switch 2 Spotlight
Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.
Every Saturday
The Watchlist
Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.
Once a month
SFX
Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!
The 'Super Mario theme' has become the first piece of video game music to be inducted into the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry.
The Library of Congress just published their list of musical tracks and scores that would be inducted into the National Recording Registry for 2023, and among them is Koji Kondo's Super Mario theme. This is actually the very first time in history that a piece of music composed for a video game has made it into the Registry.
The Super Mario theme has been available for induction for a fair few years now, considering it was first composed and released in 1985. All a track needs to do to be eligible for induction into the National Recording Registry is exist for exactly 10 years, so the Super Mario theme has technically been eligible since 1995.
Anyone is able to nominate up to 50 recordings for induction in a single year, and the list is then put to the Librarian of Congress for consideration, after they've conferred with the Library's curators and "distinguished members of the National Recording Preservation Board. That's got to be one exclusive group.
Considering this, it probably isn't surprising that this is the first piece of video game music to ever be inducted into the National Recording Registry. There's got to be an overwhelming number of tracks suggested to the Library of Congress every year, which immediately stacks the scales against video game music.
The very elite list of tracks for 2023's induction include Aretha Franklin, David Bowie, A Tribe Called Quest, Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, B.B. King, and Louis Armstrong. Perhaps the Super Mario theme's induction can pave the way for other video game bangers in the near future.
Check out our new games 2023 guide for a look ahead at what the rest of the year holds for game releases.
Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.


