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9. Delfino Plaza
Super Mario Sunshine
Ah yes, it’s vacation time. Feel the ocean breeze as you lounge around on the beach and ward off the giant paint monsters. The Delfino Plaza theme from Super Mario Sunshine really feels like the perfect tropical music. It has the upbeat string music that usual beach songs have with just a bit of accordion thrown in for some Italian flair. After all, Mario is Italian and many locales on Isle Delfino have Italian names. And then when Yoshi shows up, his signature percussion kicks in, making the song even more upbeat (around the minute-and-a-half mark in the video above). Delfino Plaza also pretty much defines the entire soundtrack of Super Mario Sunshine, as many level themes are variations on the music of the hub world.
I’ve always thought Super Mario Sunshine was a much better game than many gave it credit for. It’s hard to shine (geddit?) when you’re living in the shadow of Super Mario 64, but regardless of your opinion of Mario’s first GameCube outing, you’ve got to admit that the soundtrack has a nice sound and a good thematic consistency to it.
Great list, Kyle! I’m a little sad to see that this wasn’t on the list, though! ;) (or the Bowser’s Lava Lair version from Super Mario Galaxy 2!)
Couldn’t agree more about Wind Garden, though. Easily the best Mario song ever composed. Hearing Super Mario 64‘s Main Theme in Super Mario Galaxy 2 was also one of my favourite moments in the entire game, so I’m very pleased to see that at number three too! :)
(PS: is it weird that I’m also quite partial to the Mario Paint theme? Probably…)
Hmm, got to say i didnt like your list that much, i tought it will be just super mario (main series) music. But, i have to agree with you on the number one spot. For music lovers that particular track is just mind blowing. Gusty garden is my favourite levwl of the galaxy series, and i think that the music is the main reason why i keep coming back for more. Hands down the greatest mario theme ever.
Why would you list other Mario games besides the main Mario titles? Mario Kart and RPG outings shouldn’t be lumped in also. You could seriously have a top ten list from just Galaxy 1 and 2, so this list is very short sighted.
I wanted to go for variety here, otherwise it could have just ended up as a Top Ten overworld theme list! I also couldn’t forget about the RPGs which are near and dear to me and have great music that is even better than the main series at some points.