Jump Up, Super Star!
"Jump Up, Super Star!" (referred to as "NDC Festival" in-game) is the theme song of Super Mario Odyssey. It is sung by Pauline during the mission "A Traditional Festival!". The song was also used in gameplay footage of Super Mario Odyssey during E3 2017, and is heard in the 100th episode of The Cat Mario Show.
The song uses an upbeat, big-band jazz style, and is most notable for being the first song from the Super Mario series to feature lyrics, something almost never heard in songs from Mario games. The song has Pauline detailing an adventure across the worlds of Super Mario Odyssey, referring to herself as Mario's "1UP girl." The lyrics are also printed on the inside of the game case for all regions. A Japanese version of the song has its own lyrics, unique to the international version.[1] It can be played from a boombox in the Metro Kingdom and Mushroom Kingdom.
This song was performed by the Super Mario Players and was sung by Kate Higgins (credited as Kate Davis[2]) in English and songwriter Aimi Mukohara[3] in Japanese. It was composed by Naoto Kubo[4], the original lyrics were written by Nobuyoshi Suzuki[5] and the English lyrics were written by Rob Tunstall. The full version was released worldwide on October 20, 2017, on the iTunes Store, while the short version was downloadable for free until January 31, 2018.[6]
The "NDC Festival" version of the song also appears in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and can be played in any Super Mario-series stage. For the New Donk City Hall stage, two separate tracks exist in My Music: "Jump Up, Super Star!" and "Jump Up, Super Star! (Full Band Performance)." If the former is selected, only the drums are heard as only the drummer appears in the plaza, while Pauline and the rest of the Super Mario Players randomly appear throughout the match. Passing by them recruits them to perform their part in the song and appear in the plaza. If the latter is selected, the song plays as is, and the performers are absent from the stage. The song also plays in Mario's character trailer.
"Jump Up, Super Star!" plays in the trailer announcing Pauline and other characters appearing as DLC for Mario Tennis Aces in 2019 during Pauline's segment.
Development
Nobuyoshi Suzuki, the sound designer of Super Mario Odyssey, wrote the first draft of the lyrics in Japanese. According to Yoshiaki Koizumi, they had a discussion on whether using words such as "1UP" would be good. They sent all of the documents they had to the localization members to create the final lyrics, due to English being a more global language, as Koizumi stated.[5] This resulted in a back-and-forth between localization members and the Japanese developers as they struggled to keep the Mario references as subtle as possible.[7] He also indicated in an AMA on reddit that the song had been created as a direct result of their developing the character of Pauline.[8]
The English version was the first to be recorded[9] with voice actress Kate Higgins providing the vocals. According to herself, Cup of Tea Productions, Inc. was in charge of the voice acting. When asked if she was interested in doing the voice, she agreed and auditioned for the role by sending samples of her voice to Nintendo of Japan, and was ultimately selected for the role. Weeks before the recording session, Nintendo of Japan sent her a demo sung by an unknown Japanese singer and a lead sheet, with the music already recorded. Several people from Japan and America were present in the final recording.[10]
For the Japanese version, the Nintendo Sound Team had already some candidates, but after listening to her YouTube videos, songwriter Aimi Mukohara was chosen to do the vocals. All the Nintendo Sound Team was present at the moment of recording. This was the first time Aimi was involved with the music of any video game.[9]
Lyrics
English
Here we go, off the rails
Don't you know it's time to raise our sails?
It's freedom like you never knewDon't need bags, or a pass
Say the word, I'll be there in a flash
You could say my hat is off to youOh, we can zoom
All the way to the moon
From this great wide wacky world
Jump with me, grab coins with me
Oh yeah!It's time to jump up in the air (Jump up in the air)
Jump up, don't be scared (Jump up, don't be scared)
Jump up and your cares will soar away
And if the dark clouds start to swirl (Dark clouds start to swirl)
Don't fear, don't shed a tear, 'cause
I'll be your 1UP girlSo let's all jump up super high (Jump up super high)
High up in the sky (High up in the sky)
There's no power-up like dancing
You know that you're my superstar (You're my superstar)
No one else can take me this far
I'm flipping the switch
Get ready for this
Oh, let's do the odysseyOdyssey, ya see! (×7)
Odyssey, odyssey!Spin the wheel, take a chance
Every journey starts a new romance
A new world's calling out to you
Take a turn, off the path
Find a new addition to the cast
You know that any captain needs a crewTake it in stride
As you move side to side
They're just different points of view
Jump with me, grab coins with me
Oh yeah!Come on and jump up in the air (Jump up in the air)
Jump without a care (Jump without a care)
Jump up 'cause you know that I'll be there
And if you find you're short on joy (Find you're short on joy)
Don't fret, just don't forget that
You're still our 1UP boySo go on straighten up your cap (Straighten up your cap)
Let your toes begin to tap (Toes begin to tap)
This rhythm is a power 'shroom
Don't forget you're the superstar (You're the superstar)
No one else can make it this far
Put a comb through that 'stache
Now you've got panache
Oh, let's do the odysseyIt's time to jump up in the air (Jump up in the air)
Jump up, don't be scared (Jump up, don't be scared)
Jump up and your cares will soar away
And if the dark clouds start to swirl (Dark clouds start to swirl)
Don't fear, don't shed a tear, 'cause
I'll be your 1UP girlNow listen, all you boys and girls (All you boys and girls)
All around the world (All around the world)
Don't be afraid to get up and move
You know that we're all superstars (We're all superstars)
We're the ones who made it this far
Put a smile on that face
There's no time to waste
So, let's do the odyssey
Japanese
| Japanese script[9] | Romanization | Translation |
|---|---|---|
|
旅のサイン 投げたコイン 世界の灯りの数ほど愛を歌えば 一緒に夢を見て（夢を見て） 皆でハイジャンプして（ハイジャンプして） オデッセイ、でっせい！ （×7） 濡れたほほが 窓を照らす 差し込む光の中 独りで悩んで （悩んで） みんなに「Hi、おはよう」（Hi、おはよう） みんなでシュビドゥビバ （シュビドゥビバ） 一緒にハイジャンプして（ハイジャンプして） |
Tabi no sain Nageta koin Sekai no akari no kazu hodo ai o utaeba Issho ni yume o mite (yume o mite) Mina de hai janpu shite (hai janpu shite) Odessei, dessei! (×7) Nureta hoho ga Mado o terasu Sashikomu hikari no naka Hitori de nayande (nayande) Minna ni "Hi, ohayō" (Hi, ohayō) Minna de shubidubiba (shubidubiba) Issho ni hai janpu shite (hai janpu shite)
|
The symbol of a voyage, I flipped a coin, If you sing as many love songs as the lights in this world Dreaming together (dream together), [Let's] jump up high (jump up high), Odyssey, dyssey! (×7) If our blushed tears, On the window, In the radiant light, Even when you suffer alone (suffer alone), You say to everyone: "Hi, good morning" (Hi, good morning) [Let's] shooby doo be wop (shooby doo be wop), [Let's] jump up high (jump up high), |
1 - 「女神がキスをした」 (Megami ga kisu o shita) is a common way in Japan to say that the universe is on one's side, meaning things will go in the right direction.
2 - While the literal translation is "touch," the verb is referring to the act of grabbing coins as the coin sound effect implies, so another possible translation could be "grab."
Media
Name in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | Jump Up, Super Star! ～オデッセイでっせい～[?] Jump Up, Super Star! ～Odyssey, ya see～ |
Jump Up, Super Star! ～Odyssey, ya see～ |
Trivia
- The theme of 25m from Donkey Kong can be heard during the part where Pauline repeats the lyrics "Odyssey, ya see". In addition, the sound effect played when Mario jumps over a barrel in the game can be heard at the end of the aforementioned riff.[11]
- Also, when Pauline sings "Odyssey, ya see" in the objective "A Traditional Festival!" in the game, she mimics her main sprite animations from her first game, Donkey Kong.
- "Jump Up, Super Star!" makes an appearance as one of the songs in the Nintendo Switch installment of Bandai Namco's Taiko no Tatsujin series, Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum 'n' Fun!, as well as in the Taiko no Tatsujin arcade game.
External links
- Official Japanese page of the song
- Jump Up, Super Star! on the US iTunes Store
- Jump Up, Super Star! - Super Mario Odyssey Musical on YouTube
References
- ^ Japanese version of the song
- ^ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kate_Higgins
- ^ https://www.joysound.com/web/s/karaoke/contents/video/mario_odyssey
- ^ The metadata of the short version downloads/ stream and of the iTunes release
- ^ a b https://www.famitsu.com/news/201710/25144749.html?page=2
- ^ Official Japanese page of Jump Up, Super Star!. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
- ^ https://nintendotreehouse.tumblr.com/post/167703261242/localizing-jump-up-super-star
- ^ https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoSwitch/comments/6h9s6l/hi_im_mr_koizumi_producer_of_super_mario_odyssey/diwmhy5/
- ^ a b c Email response from Aimi Mukohara on June 22, 2018
- ^ http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2017/10/27/kate-higgins-on-playing-pauline-and-recording-quot-jump-up-superstar-quot-for-super-mario-odyssey.aspx
- ^ https://youtube.com/watch?v=nEYx56R66fc
