N64 Rainbow Road (theme)
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"N64 Rainbow Road"[1] is the theme from Mario Kart 64 for the course of the same name. 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
"N64 Rainbow Road" debuted in Mario Kart 64 for the Rainbow Road course, originally titled simply "Rainbow Road" in the Mario Kart 64 Race Tracks soundtrack album. 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]
 Rainbow Road - The arrangement heard in Mario Kart 64 | File info |
Arrangements
F-Zero X
F-Zero X features a rock arrangement of "N64 Rainbow Road", titled "Rainbow Road" in the Nintendo Sound Selection Vol.2: Loud Music album, that can be heard in the Rainbow Road course, itself based on the Rainbow Road course from Mario Kart 64.
| Rainbow Road - The arrangement heard in F-Zero X | File info |
Mario Kart series
Mario Kart: Super Circuit
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!!
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. 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 titled "Rainbow Road - Mario Kart: Double Dash!!", where it can be played on any Super Smash Bros.-series and Super Mario-series stage.
| Rainbow Road - Mario Kart: Double Dash!! - The arrangement heard in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! | File info |
Mario Kart DS
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
The theme heard on 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 titled "Rainbow Road - Mario Kart 7", where it can be played on any Super Smash Bros.-series and Super Mario-series stage.
The arrangement of 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
Mario Kart 8 features Template:Classic-link 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.
The arrangements of "N64 Rainbow Road" and "Rainbow Road" both 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, retitled "Rainbow Road - Mario Kart 8", where it can be played on any Super Smash Bros.-series and Super Mario-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
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe sees the return of Mario Kart 7's Rainbow Road, now titled Template:Classic-link, 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
In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, a brief arrangement of "N64 Rainbow Road" can be heard in the theme that plays on the World 9 map.
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS includes a medley arrangement of "Rainbow Road" from Mario Kart 7, Mario Kart DS, and Mario Kart: Super Circuit 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.
The 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 Super Mario-series stage.
Paper Mario: Color Splash
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. The 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
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
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.
List of Super Mario appearances
| Work | Year | Type | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mario Kart 64 | 1996 | Arrangement | "Rainbow Road"[3] | Kenta Nagata |
| F-Zero X | 2000 | Arrangement | "Rainbow Road"[4] | Taro Bando[4] |
| Mario Kart: Super Circuit | 2001 | Arrangement | ||
| Mario Kart: Double Dash!! | 2003 | Arrangement | "Rainbow Road - Mario Kart: Double Dash!!" | Shinobu Nagata |
| Mario Kart DS | 2005 | Arrangement | Shinobu Nagata | |
| New Super Mario Bros. Wii | 2009 | Arrangement | ||
| Mario Kart 7 | 2011 | Arrangement | "Rainbow Road - Mario Kart 7" | |
| Mario Kart 8 | 2014 | Arrangement | "Rainbow Road"[1] | Shiho Fujii |
| "N64 Rainbow Road"[1] | Ryo Nagamatsu | |||
| Super Smash Bros. for 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 | 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 | 2016 | Arrangement | "Rainbow Road" | |
| Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | 2017 | Past arrangement (Mario Kart 8) | "Rainbow Road" | Shiho Fujii |
| "N64 Rainbow Road" | Ryo Nagamatsu | |||
| 2022 | Arrangement | |||
| Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | 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 | 2019 | Past arrangement (Mario Kart 7) | ||
| Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit | 2020 | Past arrangement (Mario Kart 8) | "N64 Rainbow Road" | Ryo Nagamatsu |
| Super Nintendo World | 2021 | Arrangement |
Soundtracks
| Work | Year | Type | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mario Kart 64 Race Tracks | 1997 | Arrangement | "Rainbow Road" | Kenta Nagata |
| Mario Kart 64 Original Soundtrack | 1997 | Arrangement | 「レインボーロード」 (Reinbō Rōdo) | Kenta Nagata |
| Mario Kart 64: Greatest Hits Soundtrack | 1997 | Arrangement | "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 | Arrangement | 「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 |
References
- ^ a b c Mario Kart 8 Original Soundtrack
- ^ a b c d e f g 8-bit Music Theory (March 20, 2018). "The Musical Evolution of Rainbow Road". YouTube. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
- ^ Mario Kart 64 Race Tracks
- ^ a b Nintendo Sound Selection Vol.2: Loud Music
