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Awesome Music / Mario Kart

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For over 30 years, the Mario Kart series has attracted players of all ages with its easy-to-understand game mechanics, its creative and varied course design, and of course, its consistently excellent music. Hey, it's a Mario series, what did you expect?

Mario Kart 8 has its own page here, which also encompasses its Updated Re-release, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

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    Super Mario Kart 
  • The lively Mario Circuit theme is an excellent opener for the game, and indeed the entire Mario Kart series. It even got remixed for Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
  • Mario Kart courses are generally cheery and lighthearted, but even as early as the first game, Ghost Valley demonstrates that that's not always the case. Its music, an even creepier remix of the Ghost House theme from Super Mario World, goes a long way towards setting the mood.
  • Bowser Castle's music is also derived from Super Mario World, being a remix of Bowser's intro and boss theme from that game. It makes the track sound truly threatening as you race through the course.
  • The music for Koopa Beach has a very relaxing tropical island vibe to it. Both Koopa Beach courses in this game kicked off the franchise's longstanding reputation for making great beach stages and great music to accompany them.
  • Vanilla Lake's theme embodies the jolly feel of a snow level. Of course, for other people, this theme takes on a different meaning entirely.
  • Rainbow Road is the only course in the game to get completely unique music, and it really helps to set the stage for the game's grand finale: a multicoloured track IN SPACE! It may be a 16-bit composition that sounds rather blocky nowadays, but it still remains firmly Vindicated by History.
  • The original battle theme is hectic and also funky, giving off a mid 80s-early 90s vibe. It received an excellent remix in Wii and another in 8 Deluxe, the latter of which was later reused in Tour.

    Mario Kart 64 
  • Trophy Presentations, used when you finish a Grand Prix in 3rd place or better, embodies the triumph one may feel when winning a race. Its tune originated in the previous game, and was brought back in Super Circuit. The track would later get remixed and/or modified in later games (e.g. a calypso remix for Double Dash!!, a modified version in DS, a majestic remix in Wii, an up-beat modified version in 7, and a glorious, epic, and flourishing remix in 8).
  • No Trophy For You! starts off identically to "Trophy Presentations", but then gradually goes slower and darker as your character drives away deprived of a trophy, and then the band dies out as they promptly get blown the hell up by a Bomb Kart. It drives home the fact that you've failed, and makes fun of your failure via a short jingle playing at the GP results.
  • The main raceway theme follows in the footsteps of the "Mario Circuit" theme from Super Mario Kart by firing up the player for the hours of racing fun (and/or frustration!) with an upbeat, energetic tune. It also plays on Wario Stadium, for some reason. Like the original Mario Circuit, it received a remix in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
  • Another incredibly catchy tune is Moo Moo Farm/Yoshi Valley. It fits the rural setting of the former and the sheer confusion brought on by the latter.
  • Koopa Troopa Beach has a really upbeat, tropical flavor and a super catchy steel drum melody.
  • The Kalimari Desert theme is a pleasant arrangement of the Super Mario Bros. 3 Grass Land map theme, dotted sporadically throughout with a flute playing the Epic Riff from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly's main theme.
  • Toad's Turnpike might be That One Level, and a pretty straightforward one, but its music is especially relaxing without the other noises in the background.
  • The smooth, laid-back Frappe Snowland/Sherbet Land theme goes very well with the ice courses. It even returned for DS and Wii, mostly unremixed.
  • The very infectiously catchy Choco Mountain/Block Fort/Double Deck music is one of the best themes in the whole series, period.
  • Bowser's Castle is one of the most unsettling pieces in the game, with its ominous choir, imposing percussion, and overall dark vibe that fits this version of the course very well. It's especially intense when you get to the final lap. Both renditions returned in Mario Kart Wii unremixed.
  • Banshee Boardwalk's theme isn't really music so much as it is dark and spooky ambiance that almost borders on Nightmare Fuel.
  • And now, the grand finale... Rainbow Road has a gloriously otherworldly feel to it, and not only conveys a real sense of finality and achievement to the player, it also sounds beautiful. No wonder why this is both one of the most liked themes and courses in the entire franchise.
  • The credits theme is nothing short of tear-jerkingly beautiful. It even contains shades of the game's Rainbow Road theme.

    Mario Kart: Super Circuit 
  • The title screen song may sound cheesy, but it's still incredibly catchy. The unlockable nighttime version is even better.
  • The menu music is so catchy, you may find yourself sitting at the menu for longer than necessary just to listen to it.
  • The relaxing tropical sounds of the music for Shy Guy Beach and Cheep-Cheep Island continue the trend of nice beach themes... and also take a lot of the sting out of the frustration the stage hazards can cause.
  • This time around, Bowser Castle's music is a stripped-back, faster-paced reimagining of Bowser's boss fight theme from Super Mario 64. It's cool, it's catchy, and it invokes a real sense of urgency and desperation that you rarely get in Mario games.
  • What's a Mario Kart game without a track that comes packed with Nightmare Fuel? Picking up from where Ghost Valley and Banshee Boardwalk left off, the music used for Boo Lake and Broken Pier is sure to instill a sense of dread in players for more reasons than one.
  • Cheese Land may be an odd concept for a stage, but the sheer energy of the music is infectious.
  • Sky Garden has an appropriately easy-going soundtrack for a garden level in the clouds. It's so good that it got not one, but two very different, yet equally great remixes in early 2022, which you can find in the Mario Kart Tour folder and on the Mario Kart 8 subpage, respectively.
  • There's a real sense of adventure to the Sunset Wilds stage music. It brings to mind images of heroic cowboys and sheriffs saving the day.
  • The music track for Ribbon Road is just plain fun.
  • Yoshi Desert is also plain fun, courtesy of its Arabian-inspired theme. Yoshi's iconic sound effect from the older games is also thrown in there for good measure.
  • The Rainbow Road music begins a trend of including a Musical Nod to a previous Rainbow Road (in this case, Super Mario Kart's) before moving on to something entirely new. It's arguably one of the most exciting Rainbow Road themes in the series.

    Mario Kart: Double Dash!! 
  • Once you listen to the title screen's music, you'll know you're in for one of the wackiest and most insane Mario Kart games of all time!
  • Appropriately for one of the more chaotic games in the franchise, the main circuit theme (heard in Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi Circuits) is one of the series' most energetic music tracks. It even returned in Mario Kart Wii unremixed!
  • Peach Beach/Daisy Cruiser drives home the concept of beach levels with a laid-back, summery melody. And like the main circuit theme, it returned in Mario Kart Wii unremixed.
  • Baby Park creates an appropriately fairground-like atmosphere for the course it accompanies.
  • The music for the Tilt-a-Kart battle stage is mostly the same as Baby Park's, but it opens with a Musical Nod to the first few notes of the famous Mario theme.
  • Dry Dry Desert, with its suitably Egyptian-sounding theme, ends the game's Mushroom Cup with a bang.
  • The theme for Mushroom City and Mushroom Bridge is a really good and jazzy piece that fits the tone of a big-city like course.
  • Waluigi Stadium/Wario Colosseum is a suitably brassy, upbeat theme for tracks bearing the names of the Mario Brothers' "evil opposites". This one also returned in Mario Kart Wii unremixed.
  • Sherbet Land, like its Mario Kart 64 namesake, is ideal music for an ice course. It's catchy, wintry, and fun.
  • DK Mountain/Dino Dino Jungle is fast-paced and fits both levels' jungle atmosphere excellently. This was the last of four themes to return in Mario Kart Wii unremixed.
  • The theme for both Bowser's Castle and Luigi's Mansion fits their atmosphere to a tee, with dark, creepy choirs and scary organs playing throughout. All in all, it's awesome.
  • Double Dash!! has one of the Mario Kart series' most popular Rainbow Road music tracks, which includes a Musical Nod to the Super Mario Kart version in the introduction and to the Mario Kart 64 version in the second half. This version was awesome enough to get into Brawl without being remixed at all.
  • The boisterous music for the game's battle stages (excluding Luigi's Mansion and Tilt-A-Kart) encapsulate the anything-goes mayhem of the multiplayer battle modes.
  • Reaching the end credits rewards the player with an amazing jazz piano rendition of the main theme.

    Mario Kart DS 
  • The title screen manages to entice from the very moment you turn on the game. It even has a small excerpt of Double Dash!!'s theme.
  • The theme for Figure-8 Circuit/Mario Circuit opens up with an exciting riff, and continues on with an energetic melody.
  • Luigi's Mansion has an appropriately spooky theme for a race through and around the titular haunted house.
  • The laid-back Delfino Square music was so awesome, it got into Mario Kart Wii without a remix.
  • Waluigi Pinball's music (also used for this game's version of Wario Stadium) dials up the excitement and energy for a wild journey up and down a pinball table. The music is surprisingly catchy and well made, and it's very chaotic and unpredictable, like Waluigi himself. The icing on the cake: the sound effects on the Waluigi Pinball course (item box roulette, Lakitu displaying the lap number cards, passing another driver or taking the lead, etc.) are rendered in mock 8-bit sound. The Brawl remix is completely awesome, even sampling the original version at points.
  • The electronic soundtrack of Shroom Ridge is both fun and surprisingly uplifting.
  • The fiddle-led music for DK Pass is surprisingly easy-going for the chaos that so often occurs on snow courses.
  • Unlike in Super Mario 64, Tick Tock Clock gets its own unique music here, and it's great. It opens by imitating a ticking clock; however, the two ticking hands play at slightly different speeds, and get further and further out of sync with each other to segue into an almost urgent music track befitting the often hectic races through the giant clock.
  • Airship Fortress follows the Mario games' long tradition of awesome music for airship levels.
  • Bowser Castle has an appropriately sinister atmosphere for the obligatory journey through the twists and traps of the titular castle, containing creepy guitars, wailing choirs and dark bass riffs. Also, the main riff of the theme is almost identical to the main riff of Airship Fortress.
  • The game keeps the trend of awesome Rainbow Road music going with yet another piece of music that conveys a real sense of achievement at having made it to this, the last track in the game. (It's also longer than it might first seem; the main tune actually plays twice before wrapping around, but with subtle differences the second time.) It later got a Musical Nod in the themes for Rainbow Road in Wii and 8.
  • Time to go back in time! Mario Kart DS has the distinction of being the first game in the franchise to bring back retro tracks,note  allowing us to hear remixes of our favorite courses from previous games again.
    • SNES Mario Circuit 1 is back with a vengeance and, while not sounding as blocky as the original, is good to hear again.
    • GBA Peach Circuit/GBA Luigi Circuit updates the groovy original with an even groovier bassline.
    • GCN Luigi Circuit/GCN Yoshi Circuit brings back the lively and just plain fun "circuit" theme from Double Dash!!, and it still sounds great (even if it is compressed via the DS soundfont).
    • Despite the lack of harmonica, N64 Choco Mountain manages to sound just as good as in the original. Especially the part with the steel drum.
    • GCN Mushroom Bridge also manages to sound good, considering the slightly worse soundband for the DS compared to the GameCube.
    • N64 Banshee Boardwalk manages to maintain the original's nightmare-fueling vibe, and arguably outdoes the original thanks to the improved music effects.
    • The game's remix of GBA Sky Garden gives new life to the ethereal Super Circuit course.
  • The game's battle theme is a jolly beat to encourage players to have a go at one another.
  • True to form, the end credits music is top-notch, being rather nostalgic and laid-back this time. However, players who prove their mastery of the game by winning every single gold trophy in Grand Prix Mode are rewarded with this alternate credits theme. It sounds exactly the same at first, but after about a minute, it suddenly takes off for a suitably triumphant finale.

    Mario Kart Arcade GP series 

    Mario Kart Wii 
  • The main menu music is widely regarded as one of the series' best, with fast-paced drums, a groovy bass beat, and simple piano melodies at the beginning. As you progress through the options, more and more melodies fade in, resulting in an exciting tune that makes you eager to start racing.
  • The first course, Luigi Circuit, introduces the game's very catchy "main circuit" theme, which is guaranteed to get you pumped up for hours of high-speed fun. It also serves as the theme for this game's version of Mario Circuit.
  • The fiddle-led Moo Moo Meadows is the perfect music for the game's farm stage.
  • Mushroom Gorge sounds very Celtic-like, frantic, and dynamic for a Mario Kart track that's also frantic and dynamic.
  • The music for Toad's Factory is written in an extremely infectious, brass-heavy jazz style reminiscent of the second segment of Powerhouse, a song itself associated with factories in old cartoons. A bass guitar is featured at the end of "Toad's Factory", but the player is unlikely to hear it because the song is glitched to restart upon exiting the factory. The inside version of the track has rhythmic clapping slapped onto it to make it even more catchy.
  • The generally chaotic drives through Coconut Mall are set to an appropriately boisterous and upbeat music track. It even goes well in time while racing! The catchy tune in the beginning symbolises the moment when entering the mall, while the jazzy riff at the middle symbolises going through the mall and its shops itself, and the ending with the accordions symbolise the moment you need to stop shopping and go home. No, really!
  • DK Summit/DK's Snowboard Cross has a truly majestic theme, with electronic instruments and a fast-paced attitude that goes well with the extreme sports theming of the course.
  • The music for Daisy Circuit is an incredibly catchy and fun remix of the main circuit theme, ideally suited for a Monte Carlo-esque street circuit.
  • Koopa Cape has a very energetic and catchy stage theme, with three different versions depending on where you are on the track: The starting area uses wacky beats, driving through the rapids replaces them with funky beats, and the underwater section of the track plays calm, serene beats.
  • Maple Treeway has a suitably laid-back feel for a race through the treetops. Especially when the second half kicks in.
  • Dry Dry Ruins sounds like it would fit right in in a Paper Mario battle, and transitions into a sparser, more mysterious mix when you enter the ruins proper.
  • As frustrating as weaving through traffic on Moonview Highway often proves, it has some of the best music in the game, complete with an alternate, jazzier mix for when you're driving through the city section. For added awesome, try listening to both versions combined!
  • There's yet another deliciously sinister-sounding theme for Bowser's Castle, complete with a Musical Nod to the castle theme from Super Mario Bros. at the very beginning. It has the brutality and maliciousness of the other Bowser themes, but it seems to also display feelings of sadness and anger, representing a not usually seen side of Bowser: the lonely side. It also comes with two Variable Mixes: one for the interior of the castle with more complex percussion than the version played outside and one for the rippling hallway section that's just downright trippy.
  • The Rainbow Road music delivers a sense of both awe and finality yet again, this time complete with a Musical Nod to both the Mario Kart DS Rainbow Road music and the Good Egg Galaxy stage music from Super Mario Galaxy. It's quite possibly the most magical-sounding Rainbow Road in the entire Mario Kart series.
  • As for the remixed retro tracks...
    • SNES Ghost Valley 2 manages to sound just as horrifying as the original, if not more so.
    • 64's main circuit theme returns for N64 Mario Raceway with a new remix. It still manages to hold its own as an exciting theme.
    • GBA Shy Guy Beach's theme has been updated with better instrumentation, but it's still similar enough to the original to invoke a sense of nostalgia even among players who have never played Super Circuit before.
    • If you thought the DS remix of Super Circuit's Bowser Castle theme sounded underwhelming (likely due to the piano), you'll be thrilled to hear that Wii's rendition of it for GBA Bowser Castle 3 sounds much closer to the original, while being more adrenaline-pumping than ever before. The final lap amplifies it even further.
    • As in DS, the "Mario Circuit" theme from Super Mario Kart makes a welcome return for SNES Mario Circuit 3. Unlike the DS version, this remix retains more of the original's blockier feel, making for a more nostalgic-sounding track.
  • Thwomp Desert has just the right balance of mystery and energy for a desert-based battle track.
  • SNES Battle Course 4 gets an excellent remix for Mario Kart Wii.
  • DS Twilight House gets a funky DJ-styled remix of the DS Battle Mode theme.
  • The Galaxy Colosseum/Galaxy Arena battle stage was only ever used for online tournaments which have long since been discontinued, which is a shame, since its music was quite good. It trends towards the mysterious end of the scale, as befits a space-based battle course.
  • The credits theme caps off the game brilliantly by starting off soothing and relaxing to wind down from the race, and then suddenly speeding up to celebrate your victory.

    Mario Kart 7 

    Mario Kart Tour 
  • Tokyo Blur is a vibrant and energetic band track that takes cues from Toad Circuit, with some lamenting that the course is too short for the song.
  • Vancouver Velocity boasts a stylish techno melody and incredibly danceable beats fitting its colorful wintry aesthetic.
  • The remastered theme for GBA Sunset Wilds now feels like something right out of a Western movie.
  • Berlin Byways starts off sounding like a Dubstep track that you'd hear at a rave... before transitioning to Classical Music of all things. The very concept seems crazy on paper, but not only is the end result not a complete disaster, it's commonly agreed to be one of the highlights of Tour's soundtrack.
  • Ninja Hideaway is an awesome mixture of techno rock and traditional Japanese instruments, and it does a great job of reminding you just how cool ninjas really are.
  • Sydney Sprint seriously rivals Berlin Byways for the title of "best music in the game". It has an upbeat, coastal vibe and a saxophone solo so incredible, words simply cannot do it justice. The kicker? It's all done in MIDI. That's right, not a single live instrument to be heard, and it still sounds nearly as good as most of 8's music!
  • Singapore Speedway's theme is so celebratory and high-energy, it's practically a party in and of itself! The version that plays in the Chinatown section of the course changes the instrumentation to sound more traditionally Asian, with surprisingly groovy results.
  • GBA Sky Garden gets an amazingly energetic techno remix. As soon as you hear that pounding beat, you'll just want to get up and dance to it!
  • Piranha Plant Cove's music has an air of mystery to it while still being adventurous and upbeat. It also has a 6/4 time signature, making it one of the only Mario Kart courses to have music that's not written in 4/4.
  • Rome Avanti is downright beautiful, sounding as if "Bella Notte" were made into a fast-paced, jaunty race tune, complementing the track's gorgeous night aesthetic.
  • Madrid Drive takes the sounds of flamenco and turns them into a high-octane song that'll make you want to move as fast as a charging bull. This song has two variations — the first one plays in the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, and truly captures the passion of the crowd in the stadium as you drive through it. The second variation, which plays in the Prado Museum, has a calm atmosphere that gives off a refreshing feeling.

Alternative Title(s): Super Mario Kart, Mario Kart 64, Mario Kart Super Circuit, Mario Kart Double Dash, Mario Kart DS, Mario Kart Arcade GP, Mario Kart Wii, Mario Kart 7, Mario Kart Tour

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