Koji Kondo (近藤 浩治 Kondō Kōji, born August 13, 1960) is a Japanese composer … Read Full Bio ↴Koji Kondo (近藤 浩治 Kondō Kōji, born August 13, 1960) is a Japanese composer and musician best known for his scores for various video games produced by Nintendo.
Kondo was born in Nagoya, Japan. He took to music at an early age, writing simple tunes for fun even as a small child. At seventeen, he decided to pursue music professionally. He undertook classical training, and he learned to play several instruments.
In the 1980s, Kondo learned that a company called Nintendo was seeking musicians to compose music for its new video game system, the Famicom (Nintendo Entertainment System outside Japan). Kondo had never considered writing video game music before, but he decided to give the company a chance. He was hired in 1983.
Kondo found himself in a totally different environment at Nintendo. Suddenly, he was limited to only four "instruments" (two monophonic pulse channels, a monophonic triangle wave channel which could be used as a bass, and a noise channel used for percussion) due to limitations of the system's sound chip. Though he and Nintendo's technicians eventually discovered a way to add a fifth channel (normally reserved for SFX), his music was still severely limited on the system.
Kondo has stayed with Nintendo through various consoles, including the Super Famicom (Super Nintendo outside Japan), the Nintendo 64, the Nintendo GameCube and most recently the Nintendo Wii. These latter systems have vastly improved Nintendo's audio capabilities, and Kondo today composes music with CD quality sound.
Koji Kondo attended the world-premiere of PLAY! A Video Game Symphony at the Rosemont Theater in Rosemont, IL in May of 2006. His music from the Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda series was performed by a full symphony orchestra. This event drew nearly 4000 attendees.
Considered by many to be the "John Williams" of the digital entertainment world, Koji Kondo is acclaimed the world over thanks to his unique partnership crafting the most recognizable themes and soundtracks with industry giant Nintendo (and to his credit, a creatively fluent partnership with Shigeru Miyamoto). Fans and critics alike cite as his greatest talent being his ability to craft melodies that while catchy and pleasant upon first listen, remain enjoyable even when looped over long periods of time and played through inferior sound equipment. His songs are certainly memorable; the title theme song to Super Mario Brothers retains its iconic status 20 years after its initial release. Not unknown in the musical community, Mr. Kondo can count talent such as Paul McCartney among his fans. Kondo's music has been cited as being as integral to the Nintendo style as the game design of Shigeru Miyamoto.
Conversely, this familiarity is also the cause of most criticism of Kondo's work. Over nearly 20 years in video game music, his style has changed very little. The themes of Super Mario Bros. in 1985 are little different from those of Super Mario Sunshine in 2002, although the earlier game sounds more primitive due to technology constraints. This need for sameness over the years is something of a two-edged sword for Kondo; when he has tried something different, as in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, some criticized him for abandoning the themes and styles they had grown to enjoy (although others found this to be some of his best work).
"Super Mario Bros. Theme" has been on Billboard Magazine's Hot Ringtones chart for over 90 weeks, where it also hit #1.
Koji Kondo's work shows at least three major influences: Latin music, jazz music, and classical music (mainly ragtime and march music), often with a strong cinematic flair. Latin is particularly evident in his bouncy themes throughout the Mario series, such as the soundtrack to Super Mario Bros. 3. The happy main theme has a slow, samba-like rhythm. The second theme offers a more upbeat, ragtime-like style. Bowser's theme would not sound out of place being played by a Mexican mariachi band. This influence also shows up in his more recent works, such as the Gerudo Valley theme from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, a song with a certain stereotypical Andalusian flair.
Kondo's more jazz-influenced pieces also come from a wide variety of projects. One of the earliest examples of this is his minimalist underground theme from Super Mario Bros., and Saria's theme from Ocarina of Time sounds almost Dixieland in places. All of this is hardly surprising; Kondo lists Henry Mancini as one of his most admired influences.
Kondo was trained as a classical musician, and this shows in his more ambitious projects, such as the soundtracks to the Zelda series. These pieces are distinctively cinematic, reminiscent of John Williams' work on Star Wars or Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The title theme to The Legend of Zelda is grandiose for all its low fidelity. Several of Mr. Kondo's themes have been famously recorded with full orchestral backing, with several tours of his work featured highly in concerts presented around the world.
Kondo's work is also highly influenced by Eastern Asian music, which might not be surprising given his country of birth. His songs are predominantly melody-based with little supporting harmony, which is in keeping with the Asian tradition. This makes him somewhat unique among the most popular video game composers, as his counterparts such as Nobuo Uematsu and Koichi Sugiyama produce more Western-sounding compositions for their games.
Kondo was born in Nagoya, Japan. He took to music at an early age, writing simple tunes for fun even as a small child. At seventeen, he decided to pursue music professionally. He undertook classical training, and he learned to play several instruments.
In the 1980s, Kondo learned that a company called Nintendo was seeking musicians to compose music for its new video game system, the Famicom (Nintendo Entertainment System outside Japan). Kondo had never considered writing video game music before, but he decided to give the company a chance. He was hired in 1983.
Kondo found himself in a totally different environment at Nintendo. Suddenly, he was limited to only four "instruments" (two monophonic pulse channels, a monophonic triangle wave channel which could be used as a bass, and a noise channel used for percussion) due to limitations of the system's sound chip. Though he and Nintendo's technicians eventually discovered a way to add a fifth channel (normally reserved for SFX), his music was still severely limited on the system.
Kondo has stayed with Nintendo through various consoles, including the Super Famicom (Super Nintendo outside Japan), the Nintendo 64, the Nintendo GameCube and most recently the Nintendo Wii. These latter systems have vastly improved Nintendo's audio capabilities, and Kondo today composes music with CD quality sound.
Koji Kondo attended the world-premiere of PLAY! A Video Game Symphony at the Rosemont Theater in Rosemont, IL in May of 2006. His music from the Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda series was performed by a full symphony orchestra. This event drew nearly 4000 attendees.
Considered by many to be the "John Williams" of the digital entertainment world, Koji Kondo is acclaimed the world over thanks to his unique partnership crafting the most recognizable themes and soundtracks with industry giant Nintendo (and to his credit, a creatively fluent partnership with Shigeru Miyamoto). Fans and critics alike cite as his greatest talent being his ability to craft melodies that while catchy and pleasant upon first listen, remain enjoyable even when looped over long periods of time and played through inferior sound equipment. His songs are certainly memorable; the title theme song to Super Mario Brothers retains its iconic status 20 years after its initial release. Not unknown in the musical community, Mr. Kondo can count talent such as Paul McCartney among his fans. Kondo's music has been cited as being as integral to the Nintendo style as the game design of Shigeru Miyamoto.
Conversely, this familiarity is also the cause of most criticism of Kondo's work. Over nearly 20 years in video game music, his style has changed very little. The themes of Super Mario Bros. in 1985 are little different from those of Super Mario Sunshine in 2002, although the earlier game sounds more primitive due to technology constraints. This need for sameness over the years is something of a two-edged sword for Kondo; when he has tried something different, as in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, some criticized him for abandoning the themes and styles they had grown to enjoy (although others found this to be some of his best work).
"Super Mario Bros. Theme" has been on Billboard Magazine's Hot Ringtones chart for over 90 weeks, where it also hit #1.
Koji Kondo's work shows at least three major influences: Latin music, jazz music, and classical music (mainly ragtime and march music), often with a strong cinematic flair. Latin is particularly evident in his bouncy themes throughout the Mario series, such as the soundtrack to Super Mario Bros. 3. The happy main theme has a slow, samba-like rhythm. The second theme offers a more upbeat, ragtime-like style. Bowser's theme would not sound out of place being played by a Mexican mariachi band. This influence also shows up in his more recent works, such as the Gerudo Valley theme from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, a song with a certain stereotypical Andalusian flair.
Kondo's more jazz-influenced pieces also come from a wide variety of projects. One of the earliest examples of this is his minimalist underground theme from Super Mario Bros., and Saria's theme from Ocarina of Time sounds almost Dixieland in places. All of this is hardly surprising; Kondo lists Henry Mancini as one of his most admired influences.
Kondo was trained as a classical musician, and this shows in his more ambitious projects, such as the soundtracks to the Zelda series. These pieces are distinctively cinematic, reminiscent of John Williams' work on Star Wars or Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The title theme to The Legend of Zelda is grandiose for all its low fidelity. Several of Mr. Kondo's themes have been famously recorded with full orchestral backing, with several tours of his work featured highly in concerts presented around the world.
Kondo's work is also highly influenced by Eastern Asian music, which might not be surprising given his country of birth. His songs are predominantly melody-based with little supporting harmony, which is in keeping with the Asian tradition. This makes him somewhat unique among the most popular video game composers, as his counterparts such as Nobuo Uematsu and Koichi Sugiyama produce more Western-sounding compositions for their games.
Last Day
近藤浩治 Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'Last Day' by these artists:
AdrianXpression Can't forget my best friend Can't forget my best friend Can'…
Aimee Allen What I did to build it You just broke it down What…
AnGry Sirens sound - the war has just begun All armed -…
Ari Herstand If you knew this was your last day what would…
Bexey This could be my last day, I better live it. …
Brick SWE Watch the light, fall from the sky see the clouds assemble T…
Brownside It was a hot late night when I remember kicking…
BTOB Alright baby I'm so lonely 내가 하고 싶은 말은 말이야 I…
BTOB(비투비) [Ilhoon] Alright baby I’m so lonely Naega hago sipeun mareun…
Cavo A million miles away, from where you are How did I…
Charlie Loop So used to ride with them I'm getting so used I'm…
Charlie Row Campo Yeah I′m In A 63 Bouncin' To A Beat Los Angeles County Where…
D At Sea When our love fails and the lust is dead I'll send…
Dawn of Destiny So much frustration So much disappointment So many complai…
Day One The Kacky season's ending soon So let's all gather 'round W…
DJ Tuniziano & The Notorious B.I.G. Can I live 'til my last day Hittin' honies that be…
Eternal Last day of your life, it goes In a second; shadows…
Extra Curricular They say there ain't no time for laughing. We headed for…
F.O.D. This is the last day of our acquaintance I will meet…
Forrest Del One king to rule them all Shawty checking with that attitude…
Frontside S.C.H.C 无端白事改老师花名齐心吃午饭然后诈病 我们 多么自我 常欠功课 年轻吧高处掟水弹谁抽屉里如垃圾站 我们的杰作荒诞放肆为了…
gothurted (Got a gun to my head, keep my eyes closed) (Everybody…
H-ico aka DA FUNKYLOOPER Let no more light, fade from our eyes Slowly losing sight In…
Her Name In Blood Lock the door in our day That′s leads to a brand…
I-BIZ Can I live 'til my last day Hittin' honies that be…
IC3PEAK & Grimes Я не ем и я не сплю Вою ночью на луну Жду…
InDistress Open your eyes and see the dawn Maybe we'll see it…
Jay-Z f/ Kanye West i woke up next to you with everything and your brown eyes...…
Joe Budden Look, look These niggas lied to me way back, Said this was…
Joe Budden feat. Juicy J & Lloyd Banks Look, look These niggas lied to me way back, Said this was…
Joe Budden | www.AudioCastle.net These niggas lied to me way back Said this was where…
Juicy J feat. Joe Budden & Lloyd Banks Look, look These niggas lied to me way back Said this was…
K-NOZ DAY LAST DAY 鏡に向いてる おまえの顔が まともに見れずに ふてくされるふり そむけた眼のはしで 夢みてる …
Krezip Sunday, getting up late, hearing Bob sing Everything’s gonna…
Krystal Tears Many nights I prayed I don't wanna die today Now I have…
L.S.D. I'm waking up I got a bottle of dreams I change…
Lil' Kim [Chorus: repeat 2X] When it's my last day, then it's my…
Lil' Kim (ShadyBlock.com) When it's my last day, then it's my last day But…
Little Brother [Phonte:] You know... I'm dedicate this back to the days W…
love-sadKid Rav & exociety The Book of Revelation got my whole mind racin', got…
Lox Ft. Notorious B.i.g Can I live 'til my last day Hittin' honies that be…
maretu 描きたい想いをひとつ 翳したい無邪気をひとつ 探した未来は、酷くえぐいようで今日も敗退 伝えたい思想のよろけ 生まれたい…
Mechanical Light I saw you last night walking down the street And…
Moses Teedra I pray that the sun shines in the windows Like…
Mr. E Nigma Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sund…
Murder Inc. III Я не ем и я не сплю Вою ночью на луну Жду…
Notirious B.I.G. Can I live 'til my last day Hittin' honies that be…
Notorious B.I.G. Can I live 'til my last day Hittin' honies that be…
Notorious B.I.G. & The Lox Can I live 'til my last day Hittin' honies that be…
Picky Last day Thinking 'bout the faces I'd see from a stage The p…
Plamenev Across dusty roads he followed his track, At an easy pace…
Quarterfly You've got your mind all made up. You say you wanna…
R.A.T Ucci Khan: For a moment to breath I use to fein…
S.P.A.D. I'm waking up I got a bottle of dreams I change…
Silver Sun This is the last day of your life Not in 3D Instead…
SO-CHO pistons I jumped in, felt so good It was cold, watching my…
Switch 3 You've just been given twenty-four hours to live, What would…
Teedra Moses I Pray that the sun shines in the windows Like…
The BossHoss we wanna leave tomorrow behind no regrets, no rewind time …
The Lox Can I live 'til my last day Hittin' honies that be…
The Notorious B.I.G Feat. The Lox Can I live 'til my last day Hittin' honies that be…
The Notorious B.I.G. Can I live 'til my last day Hittin' honies that be…
The Notroious B.I.G. Can I live 'til my last day Hittin' honies that be…
Thomas Why is all this so confusing? I find it so…
Two Friends & Josie Dunne Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh,…
Two-M & X-Stylez And all this piña colada That we drinking up ain't gon…
Unida He was just hiding 'Side of the road Take with the fly…
W.A.V.A.W. Bring the energy Gotta bring the energy, Ahh Bring the energ…
W.C. Beck 无端白事改老师花名齐心吃午饭然后诈病 我们 多么自我 常欠功课 年轻吧高处掟水弹谁抽屉里如垃圾站 我们的杰作荒诞放肆为了…
Walter TV Polly wants a cracker I′m watchin' TV to do I chased you…
X-Stylez & Two-M And all this piña colada That we drinking up ain't gon…
Yeat Yeah, woah man, every song I talk my shit You better…
We have lyrics for these tracks by 近藤浩治:
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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The Zephirionh
Best track of the video, Thank you !
katsu_don
No problem.
Jorge Saenz
i paired this with the clock town bells and it feels complete
Locus Corvus wed
No more games... its the finale day...
Link: BITE ZA DUSTO
LaZy Chief
lmfao how does he have hero's shield in the moon, what happened to the mirror shield 😂
Strikadelic
The person who recorded it probably skipped to the end to get the footage quicker I suppose.
Strikadelic
At 0:40 I like to imagine there’s a
Dududududududududududududududu lol