Koji Kondo – JC Cawley

Kong’s T’day Tune #2

J.C. Cawley — Tue, 23 Apr 2019 16:39:50 +0000

I’ve put together a list of 60 tunes that have stuck with me through the years, inspired by Jeffrey Canam (@GrahfMetal)’s Twitter rundown of his top 100 favourite video game tracks. I’ve attempted to limit myself to a couple songs per game, but there are exceptions.

I’ll post them here and on Twitter every Tuesday and Thursday using the hashtag #KongsTdayTunes.

#2

Epic tune from an epic game. I remember flipping to the Dark World for the first time and realizing that this was going to be an amazing experience. My dog sings this song to herself when she’s on her evening patrols.

Track: “Dark World Theme” (YouTube Link)
Game: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES, 1991)
Composer: Koji Kondo

Kong’s T’day Tune #16

J.C. Cawley — Tue, 05 Mar 2019 17:10:52 +0000

I’ll post them here and on Twitter every Tuesday and Thursday using the hashtag #KongsTdayTunes.

#16

This is the oldest song on the whole list, and probably the first piece of video game music with which I ever fell in love. It’s a cliche among kids of my generation that we constantly heard this song in our heads while adventuring in the woods around our neighbourhoods.

Track: “Title Theme” (YouTube Link)
Game: The Legend of Zelda (NES, 1986)
Composer: Koji Kondo

Kong’s T’day Tune #33

J.C. Cawley — Thu, 03 Jan 2019 14:27:55 +0000

I’ll post them here and on Twitter every Tuesday and Thursday using the hashtag #KongsTdayTunes.

#33

Like many of the tunes in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, this track shows the power of pure melody. The game had to give players simple little ditties they could play, so it was important that they have short, memorable sequences. This is my favourite of those. It’s got a kind of whimsical tone, and the accordion backing part is another stroke of genius.

Shoutout to Smash Bros. for making great use of this track, too.

Track: “Song of Storms” (YouTube Link)
Game: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64, 1998)
Composer: Koji Kondo

Kong’s T’day Tune #51

J.C. Cawley — Thu, 01 Nov 2018 16:49:28 +0000

I’ll post them here and on Twitter every Tuesday and Thursday using the hashtag #KongsTdayTunes.

#51

Overworld week continues! Super Mario Bros. 2 gets a lot of flak, but it’s a great game. The playable characters all feel dynamic, the new mechanics are fun and well-integrated, and the music is solid. There should be no question that this game belongs in the main series, regardless of its origins or how it got there.

I have great memories of playing the hell out of this game over at my friend Todd’s house. He was way better at it than I was. We were used to playing the original Super Mario Bros., Wrecking Crew, and Gyromite, so a game as fluid and colourful as this one blew us away. This tune had the same impact on the audio front.

Track: “Overworld Theme” (YouTube Link)
Game: Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES, 1988)
Composer: Koji Kondo

Kong’s T’day Tune #52

J.C. Cawley — Tue, 30 Oct 2018 16:16:45 +0000

I’ll post them here and on Twitter every Tuesday and Thursday using the hashtag #KongsTdayTunes.

#52

It’s overworld week! Super Mario World‘s main theme is a solid tune that cycles through a few melodies. It’s dynamic and manages to be memorable without being annoyingly repetitive. The fact that it’s build to incorporate Yoshi’s optional bongo elements on the fly makes it even more impressive.

I sing this song to my dog.

Track: “Overworld Theme” (YouTube Link)
Game: Super Mario World (SNES, 1990)
Composer: Koji Kondo