N64 Rainbow Road (theme)
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| "N64 Rainbow Road" | |
|---|---|
The source quality version of "Rainbow Road" in Mario Kart 64 from Nintendo Sound Selection Vol.3: B-Side Music The compressed version as heard in-game | |
| Composed by: Kenta Nagata | |
| Key | E major, A major |
| First appearance | Mario Kart 64 (1996) |
| Latest appearance | Super Nintendo World (2021) |
"N64 Rainbow Road"[1] is the theme from Mario Kart 64 for the course of the same name, composed by Kenta Nagata. The theme and elements from it have been integrated into the themes of almost every Rainbow Road course in the mainline Mario Kart series since Mario Kart 64's debut, missing only in Mario Kart Wii.[2]
Composition[edit]
"Rainbow Road", as originally titled in the Mario Kart 64 Race Tracks soundtrack album, debuted in Mario Kart 64 for the Rainbow Road course. It is a dramatic arrangement in key of E major divided into two main sections with a static chugging bassline and triadic chord. The theme repeatedly features an extended I - ♭VII - I chord progression, which has gone on to be established as a recurring motif in "Rainbow Road" themes throughout the Mario Kart series.
The theme also shares some elements with "SNES Rainbow Road". Like the Super Mario Kart theme, "N64 Rainbow Road" begins with a Isus chord to I chord progression. Also like "SNES Rainbow Road", the melody of the theme is based on jumping and walking between the 1st and 5th notes of the chord.[2]
Arrangements[edit]
Mario Kart series[edit]
Mario Kart: Super Circuit[edit]
The theme heard on Mario Kart: Super Circuit's iteration of Rainbow Road features the I - ♭VII - I chord progression motif in the key of D major throughout the theme. However, this version is much funkier, and the chord progression occurs much quicker, than the Mario Kart 64 original.[2]
 Rainbow Road - The arrangement heard in Mario Kart: Super Circuit | File info |
Mario Kart: Double Dash!![edit]
The last section of the theme for Mario Kart: Double Dash!!'s Rainbow Road features a direct quote from the second section of "N64 Rainbow Road", now in the key of C major. Additionally, this arrangement has a very similar overall tone to the Mario Kart 64 original and features the extended I - ♭VII - I chord progression motif throughout.[2]
This arrangement returns in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, titled "Rainbow Road (Mario Kart: Double Dash!!)", where it can be played on the Mario Circuit stage, and in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, now formatted as "Rainbow Road - Mario Kart: Double Dash!!", where it can be played on any Super Smash Bros.- and Mario Kart-series stage.
| Rainbow Road - Mario Kart: Double Dash!! - The arrangement heard in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! | File info |
Mario Kart DS[edit]
The theme for Rainbow Road in Mario Kart DS once again features the I - ♭VII - I chord progression motif from "N64 Rainbow Road", this time in the key of D major. This version also includes a slightly modified I - ♭VI - ♭VII - I chord progression.[2]
| Rainbow Road - The arrangement heard in Mario Kart DS | File info |
Mario Kart 7[edit]
The theme heard in the Mario Kart 7 iteration of Rainbow Road sees the return of the chugging bassline from the original "N64 Rainbow Road". Similar to Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, the second section of this theme features a direct quote from "N64 Rainbow Road", this time in the key of E major.[2]
When the player drives on the moon section of Rainbow Road, a softer, more ethereal arrangement of the course's theme can be heard.
Mario Kart 7's "Rainbow Road" also returns in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, titled "Rainbow Road (Mario Kart 7)", where it can be played on the Rainbow Road stage, in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, where it can be played on the Mario Circuit stage, and in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, now formatted as "Rainbow Road - Mario Kart 7", where it can be played on any Super Smash Bros.- and Mario Kart-series stage.
Mario Kart 7's "Rainbow Road" is also reused in Mario Kart Tour for the same course with its introduction in the 2019 Holiday Tour.
| Rainbow Road - Mario Kart 7 - The arrangement heard in Mario Kart 7 | File info |
| Rainbow Road - Mario Kart 7 - The version of the arrangement heard on the moon in Mario Kart 7 | File info |
Mario Kart 8[edit]
Mario Kart 8 features N64 Rainbow Road as a retro course along with a new arrangement of the course's theme, retitled "N64 Rainbow Road" in the game's original soundtrack. This arrangement is more orchestral than the original version and prominently uses trumpets for the theme's main melody.
The theme heard in the Mario Kart 8 iteration of Rainbow Road, titled simply "Rainbow Road" in the original soundtrack, once again utilizes the I - ♭VII - I chord progression motif. Every phrase of the first section of the theme begins with a I - ♭VII progression. However, this motif is made more subtle by the tonic bass pedal and the fact that the ♭VII chord doesn't resolve back to the I chord immediately afterward.[2]
Like other courses in Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, additional percussion is added to all of these arrangements when the player is in first place during the race.
All of these arrangements return in the base game of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Mario Kart 8's "Rainbow Road" also returns in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, titled "Rainbow Road (Mario Kart 8)", where it can be played on the Mario Circuit stage, and in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, now formatted as "Rainbow Road - Mario Kart 8", where it can be played on any Super Smash Bros.- and Mario Kart-series stage.
This arrangement of "N64 Rainbow Road" is reused in the Rainbow Road course in Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit.
| N64 Rainbow Road - The arrangement heard in Mario Kart 8 | File info |
| N64 Rainbow Road - The version of arrangement heard while in first place in Mario Kart 8 | File info |
| Rainbow Road - The arrangement heard in Mario Kart 8 | File info |
| Rainbow Road - The version of arrangement heard while in first place in Mario Kart 8 | File info |
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe[edit]
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe sees the return of Mario Kart 7's Rainbow Road, now titled 3DS Rainbow Road, along with a new arrangement of the course's theme in Wave 3 of the Booster Course Pass DLC, once again featuring a direct quote from "N64 Rainbow Road". The arrangement includes the standard version heard in the majority of the course as well as the ethereal arrangement heard in the moon section. Additional percussion is also added to both of these arrangements when the player is in first place during the race.
| 3DS Rainbow Road - The arrangement heard in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | File info |
| 3DS Rainbow Road - The version of the arrangement heard on the moon in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | File info |
| 3DS Rainbow Road - The version of the arrangement heard while in first place in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | File info |
| 3DS Rainbow Road - The version of the arrangement heard while on the moon and in first place in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | File info |
New Super Mario Bros. Wii[edit]
In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, a brief quote from "N64 Rainbow Road" can be heard in the theme that plays on the World 9 map.
| World 9 - The "N64 Rainbow Road" section of the track heard in New Super Mario Bros. Wii | File info 0:13 |
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS[edit]
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS includes a medley arrangement of the "Rainbow Road" themes from Mario Kart 7, Mario Kart DS, and Mario Kart: Super Circuit aptly titled "Rainbow Road Medley". It can be played on the Rainbow Road stage. The first section of this arrangement includes the excerpt of "N64 Rainbow Road" heard in Mario Kart 7.
This arrangement returns in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, where it can be played on the Mario Circuit stage, and in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, where it can be played on any Super Smash Bros.-series and Mario Kart-series stage.
| Rainbow Road Medley - The "N64 Rainbow Road" section of the track heard in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS | File info 0:29 |
Paper Mario: Color Splash[edit]
In Paper Mario: Color Splash, an arrangement of "N64 Rainbow Road" can be heard when Luigi drives Mario and Huey on Rainbow Road to Black Bowser's Castle. This arrangement is titled simply "Rainbow Road" in the Prisma Museum.
| Rainbow Road - The arrangement heard in Paper Mario: Color Splash | File info |
Super Nintendo World[edit]
An arrangement of "N64 Rainbow Road" plays during the Rainbow Road section of the Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge attraction in the Super Nintendo World theme park area.
Other arrangements[edit]
Mario Kart 64 on Club Circuit[edit]
A funk arrangement of "N64 Rainbow Road" simply named "rainbow" is included in the album Mario Kart 64 on Club Circuit. The arrangement is arranged and performed by the Dance-Matics and mixes funk instrumentation with samples from the original arrangement as well as game sound effects and character voice samples.
| rainbow - The arrangement heard in Mario Kart 64 on Club Circuit | File info 0:29 |
F-Zero X[edit]
F-Zero X features a rock arrangement of the theme, titled simply "Rainbow Road" in the Nintendo Sound Selection Vol.2: Loud Music album, that can be heard in the Rainbow Road course when using the Nintendo 64DD, itself based on the Rainbow Road course from Mario Kart 64.
| Rainbow Road - The arrangement heard in F-Zero X | File info |
List of Super Mario appearances[edit]
Games[edit]
| Work | System | Year | Type | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mario Kart 64 | Nintendo 64 | 1996 | Original | "Rainbow Road"[3] | Kenta Nagata |
| Mario Kart: Super Circuit | Game Boy Advance | 2001 | Arrangement | ||
| Mario Kart: Double Dash!! | Nintendo GameCube | 2003 | Arrangement | Shinobu Nagata | |
| Mario Kart DS | Nintendo DS | 2005 | Arrangement | Shinobu Nagata | |
| Super Smash Bros. Brawl | Wii | 2008 | Past arrangement (Mario Kart: Double Dash!!) | "Rainbow Road (Mario Kart: Double Dash!!)" | Shinobu Nagata |
| New Super Mario Bros. Wii | Wii | 2009 | Arrangement | ||
| Mario Kart 7 | Nintendo 3DS | 2011 | Arrangement | ||
| Mario Kart 8 | Wii U | 2014 | Arrangement | "Rainbow Road"[1] | Shiho Fujii |
| "N64 Rainbow Road"[1] | Ryo Nagamatsu | ||||
| Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS | Nintendo 3DS | 2014 | Arrangement | "Rainbow Road Medley" | Ryo Watanabe |
| Past arrangement (Mario Kart 7) | "Rainbow Road (Mario Kart 7)" | ||||
| Super Smash Bros. for Wii U | Wii U | 2014 | Past arrangement (Mario Kart: Double Dash!!) | "Rainbow Road (Mario Kart: Double Dash!!)" | Shinobu Nagata |
| Past arrangement (Mario Kart 8) | "Rainbow Road (Mario Kart 8)" | Shiho Fujii | |||
| Past arrangement (Mario Kart 7) | "Rainbow Road (Mario Kart 7)" | ||||
| Past arrangement (Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS) | "Rainbow Road Medley" | Ryo Watanabe | |||
| Paper Mario: Color Splash | Wii U | 2016 | Arrangement | "Rainbow Road" | |
| Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | Nintendo Switch | 2017 | Past arrangement (Mario Kart 8) | "Rainbow Road"[1] | Shiho Fujii |
| "N64 Rainbow Road"[1] | Ryo Nagamatsu | ||||
| 20221 | Arrangement | ||||
| Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | Nintendo Switch | 2018 | Past arrangement (Mario Kart: Double Dash!!) | "Rainbow Road - Mario Kart: Double Dash!!" | Shinobu Nagata |
| Past arrangement (Mario Kart 7) | "Rainbow Road - Mario Kart 7" | ||||
| Past arrangement (Mario Kart 8) | "Rainbow Road - Mario Kart 8" | ||||
| Past arrangement (Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS) | "Rainbow Road Medley" | Ryo Watanabe | |||
| Mario Kart Tour | Android, iOS | 20192 | Past arrangement (Mario Kart 7) | ||
| Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit | Nintendo Switch | 2020 | Past arrangement (Mario Kart 8) | Ryo Nagamatsu |
1 - Added in Wave 3 of the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass on December 7, 2022
2 - Added in the 2019 Holiday Tour on December 17, 2019
Albums[edit]
| Work | Year | Type | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mario Kart 64 Race Tracks | 1997 | Original | "Rainbow Road" | Kenta Nagata |
| Mario Kart 64 Original Soundtrack | 1997 | Original | 「レインボーロード」 (Reinbō Rōdo) | Kenta Nagata |
| Mario Kart 64: Greatest Hits Soundtrack | 1997 | Original | "Rainbow Road" | Kenta Nagata |
| Mario Kart 64 on Club Circuit | 1997 | Arrangement | "rainbow" | Dance-Matics |
| Nintendo Sound Selection Vol.2: Loud Music | 2004 | Past arrangement (F-Zero X) | "Rainbow Road" | Taro Bando |
| Nintendo Sound Selection Vol.3: B-Side Music | 2005 | Original | 「レインボーロード」 (Reinbō Rōdo) | Kenta Nagata |
| Mario Kart 8 Original Soundtrack | 2015 | Arrangement | "Rainbow Road" | Shiho Fujii |
| "N64 Rainbow Road" | Ryo Nagamatsu |
Other media[edit]
| Work | Year | Type | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super Nintendo World | 2021 | Arrangement |
