February 12th, 2009 | Audio Stuff, EarthBound, Uncommon Knowledge

NOTE! If you are here about the EarthBound NOT on Virtual Console news, please see this more-detailed page instead.

A lot of music in EarthBound is similar to or based on real-life tunes. Someday I hope to make a big giant article or list or something showing all of this, but for now, here are a few of my favorites :D

Moonside

First is Moonside’s music. I always loved those weird sounds in the background, it really added to the feel of the place.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Little did I know that that sound was actually a sample taken from Ric Ocasek’s song, Keep on Laughin’:

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Incidentally, you can download the full song here.


Jackie’s Cafe

I always felt that the music in Jackie’s Cafe was really strange. But it sounded familiar, too. I could never put my finger on it, but then after a MOTHER 1+2 interview with the game’s musicians, I was like, aha!

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There are at least two things of note in here. First, the Little Rascals song is mixed in. Here’s the Little Rascals song in case you’re not familiar with it:

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The Star Spangled Banner is in the Jackie Cafe music too! I never realized it for years. It’s one of those things that once you notice it, you can’t unnotice it, kind of like how the bushes and clouds in Super Mario Bros. 1 are the same :P Here’s the Jackie Cafe music with all the other channels turned off:

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Naming Screen

The beginning part where you name your characters includes a short sample from the Monty Python theme song played over and over at different speeds:

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If you can’t hear it, the sample used starts at about 3 seconds into the Monty Python clip.

Sky Runner

And the Sky Runner song bears a resemblance to the intro to Won’t Get Fooled Again, by The Who.

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There are a lot more things like this, and I’ll try to make a full list of them sometime. If you can think of any others, let me know :D

 

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92 Comments to EarthBound Music Similarities


TheFlint said on Feb. 12, 2009

So, maybe that is why that guy fellow said that most of the music in Earthbound weren’t original.

Very interesting thought!

Mato said on Feb. 12, 2009

Heh, I somehow doubt a guy of that intelligence and youth knew about this stuff that even we crazy fans are just discovering ;)

TheFlint said on Feb. 12, 2009

Yeah, actually. But it is kind of ironic

IWontGetOvertheDam said on Feb. 12, 2009

I had known about a few of these, but some are news to me. Very cool. :D

chicobo329 said on Feb. 12, 2009

I don’t suppose that all these (cool and interesting) samples are a reason why Earthbound’s VC release is delayed so much?

chicobo329 said on Feb. 12, 2009

Oh and also, that Ric Ocasek song sample you have up there also has sound effects from Atari’s Missile Command! Cool stuff X^D The Moonside track changes the sound effects though, lame!

darkhamsterlord said on Feb. 12, 2009

I’m surprised you didn’t mention the New Age Retro Hippie’s music and Johnny B. Goode.

MotherFTW said on Feb. 12, 2009

How can you forget the Hippie Song? :D

Mato said on Feb. 12, 2009

That one’s too easy, I decided to go for the lesser-known here ;)

It was annoying way back like 10 years ago, because kids would submit midis of that song, claiming it was the NARH song or a remix of it.

I wonder why people associate that song with New Age Retro Hippies though. It first plays when you fight Frank I think.

darkhamsterlord said on Feb. 12, 2009

I always associated it with New Age Retro Hippies because they’re slightly more awesome than Frank.

Poe said on Feb. 12, 2009

Doesn’t the hippie song also play for the hippies in EB zero? That’s probably why.

Sonicandtails said on Feb. 12, 2009

Oh man, I never even heard that sample for the naming screen, and that’s one of my favorite songs. Now I can’t unhear it. Same with the Jackie’s Cafe one too…

rayefrenzy said on Feb. 12, 2009

I SHAT BRICKS WHEN I HEARD THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER IN JACKIE’S CAFE.

OH GOD D: D:

Jupiter-x said on Feb. 12, 2009

I will never be able to un-hear what has been heard…. xD

I always used to think that monty python sample was supposed to be bustling city noise: car horns and what sounded like voice chatter. But it’s Monty Python… those sound designers were nuts.

Pimpshi said on Feb. 12, 2009

The bushes and the clouds are the same in Super Mario Bros?! :O

For some reason I can’t hear the Monty Python theme in the Naming Screen, but all of the other song similarities I couldn’t believe I had missed for so long! I thought I knew everything about the Jackie’s Cafe song, but the Little Rascals threw me for a curveball.

I guess I got lucky and recognized the Star Spangled Banner on my first playthrough — I guess it’s only fitting to stick it in there since the music used for that anthem is actually from an old drinking song. That’s some witty allusions for those developers to plant into Jackie’s “Cafe”. :)

Hlavco said on Feb. 12, 2009

How about the Beatles and the dungeon man loop?

JB2448 said on Feb. 12, 2009

I knew about the Star Spangled Banner in Jackie’s Cafe for a while, but I never knew about the Little Rascals Theme.

Anthony V said on Feb. 12, 2009

The Monty Python theme is actually “Liberty Bell March” by John Phillip Sousa. Regardless, I will never hear the song the same again.

Spitball Sparky said on Feb. 12, 2009

I associate it with Frank…I call it “Frank’s Music”

This is a cool little tidbit of musical info, though.

Spitball Sparky said on Feb. 12, 2009

Oh, also, the naming screen song plays in the credits for the American GameBoy Camera.

YAOMTC said on Feb. 12, 2009

!!!

Wow. I learn more about Earthbound every day from this blog.

Took me a while to be able to match up the sample from Monty Python, though. I had to put on my studio headphones and listen to it like five times over. If the room wasn’t so quiet I probably wouldn’t have been able to hear it. Man, who figured that one out?!

Darien said on Feb. 12, 2009

Hey, the “weak enemy” song sounds a lot like Tequila. Did you know that?

Sorry, couldn’t resist. :-P

ZeroShift said on Feb. 12, 2009

if you put Rockin’ K.K. in your cd player in AC, it sounds a lot like the hippie battle

Cpt. Obvious said on Feb. 12, 2009

Obvious comment is obvious (also unrelated to Earthbound): Mr Batty Twist’s intro is from Batman.

Also, Leder’s gymnopedie is in fact Satie’s.

And don’t get me started on Mr. and Lord Passion!

Mato said on Feb. 13, 2009

Pimpshi: see here and here

Zaxtur said on Feb. 13, 2009

The Monty Python theme song is “The Liberty Bell” by John Philip Sousa. I have it as a ring tone.

GoldenEevee said on Feb. 13, 2009

Intresting, I could never find the National Anthem when I tried to edit Jackies Cafe In the EB music Editor for my PK hack….

Also, I always knew some way or another that the naming screen music was a Monty Python reference……

And I never knew until today about the Moonside and Sky runner…..

Millhouse said on Feb. 13, 2009

This is amazing. I didn’t know about a lot of these. So that’s why Earthbound can’t get released on VC. I wish they’ll finally get licensing ready and release it already!

SoreThumb said on Feb. 13, 2009

Holy crap..

BTW, that song sounds great, excluding the whole trippy intro, too :O

NintenGodot said on Feb. 13, 2009

Stupid buggy browser, it messed up my comment! :O

“Silent Night (the Christmas song) and Bed and Breakfast from EarthBound/MOTHER2 (the music that plays when getting up in the hotel) are similar.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmAzdT7OvYY

Silent Night (on guitar, but still Silent Night XD)

http://starmen.net/mother2/music/028-%20Earthbound%20-%20Bed%20and%20Breakfast.mp3

Bed and Breakfast”

PriestessPaula said on Feb. 13, 2009

Mato said on Feb. 13, 2009
Pimpshi: see here and here

I shat bricks.

Bobby said on Feb. 13, 2009

A while ago I noticed a similarity between Dinosaur Jr’s Poledo and one of the songs that plays during the Giygas battle.

SillyStell said on Feb. 14, 2009

Interesting… I was listening to Pollyanna (none-lyrical version) and my mum said she had herd of it and began singing the intro a little accept instead of “I believe the morning sun” she sang “Maybe we could fall in love” I asked her if she remembered the name of the song or even the singer but she didn’t… shame I really wanna know now XD

Liam said on Feb. 14, 2009

In addition to the already mentioned Sgt. Pepper (reprise) drum loop in the Dungeon Man music, the scary music from the Cave of the Past is actually the intro of All You Need Is Love. Well, it’s La Marseillaise, the French national anthem, but the sample is taken from AYNIL which begins with the opening phrase of La Marseillaise.

Belasted said on Feb. 15, 2009

I’ve read most of your posts here from January 2008 to the present. This one is by far the most interesting. It is made all the more amazing because of the inclusion of the songs to hear in a way that is very conveniently user-friendly. From the bottom of my heart, from the depths of my loins, I encourage you to expand this as much as possible, as soon as possible. I’m just a random passerby, but I cannot stress my feelings on this enough to you.

Mato said on Feb. 15, 2009

Don’t worry, like I mentioned, I plan to make a much bigger list at some point. I posted these because I just happened to have the MP3s and links lying around, I’m gonna have to do some searching to find music for all the other stuff first.

Antman said on Feb. 16, 2009

I remember playing EB for the first time and after talking to the lady in Jackie’s cafe she says “sounds like they are singing take me out to the ball game” I actually paid attention and couldnt hear it, but I DID hear star spangled banner.

On a random note, maybe if paul McCartney loves earthbound he could take care of all the music copyright issues NOJ might have.

Mato said on Feb. 16, 2009

Actually, it’s NOA that has copyright issues, NCL/NOJ doesn’t see why stuff needs to be changed or doesn’t feel like investing the time to make the changes. So it’s NOA that most wants the issues fixed.

No Earthbound For You : Ghost Razor said on Feb. 16, 2009

[...] soundtrack for Earthbound does a lot of sampling of the work of other artists.  Now, mind you, it’s cranked down into a midi version, and [...]

Hongo said on Feb. 16, 2009

Am I the only one who finds that Jackie’s Cafe sounds sorta creepy? Like if you were in a dark room and that started playing? :D Especially with the Little Rascals theme.

CaptainKeeeta said on Feb. 16, 2009

The New Age Retro Hippie music sounds an awful lot like Johnny B. Goode.

Ziff said on Feb. 16, 2009

The store theme from Mother 2 owes a lot to a 1920s ragtime/blues number by the Dallas String Band called ‘Dallas Rag’ :http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&field-keywords=Dallas%20String%20Band%20Dallas%20Rag&page=1&url=search-alias%3Ddigital-music

Belasted said on Feb. 16, 2009

I don’t know quite how to explain this. I can’t find the music files to back it up, but I’ve always felt that part of the Dungeon melody from A Link to the Past was used, I THINK, in the zombie Threed theme. Dun dun dun dun, dun dun… Am I crazy?

[...] EarthBound Music Similarities [Earthbound Central, via Offworld] [...]

[...] E­art­h­Boun­d M­usic­ Sim­ilarit­ie­s [E­ar­th­bo­u­nd C­e­ntr­al­, via O­f­f­wo­r­l­d] [...]

[...] EarthBound Music Similarities [Earthbound Central, via Offworld] [...]

Cakexploder said on Feb. 17, 2009

This has been haunting me forever, and I just recently solved it: “Because I Love You” – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_WCzMax0Sc – is actually pretty strongly inspired by Beethoven’s Sonata no. 8 Pathetique – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klZYv-f9kCE. Not that they’d have any issues sampling that, though. I do believe it’s a few years past copyright protection!

[...] mayoría, directamente fusiladas de titanes de la industria musical como The Beatles o The Doors (aquí podéis comprobar algunas de las similitudes). Nintendo of America temía que, de publicarse el [...]

[...] EarthBound Music Similarities [Earthbound Central, via Offworld] [...]

Poe said on Feb. 17, 2009

Wow, lots of blogs are latching onto this post.

Itsnotmyfault said on Feb. 17, 2009

I thought I would add that the song played after drinking the cup of coffee in Saturn Valley bears a striking resemblance to a King Crimson song, The Court of the Crimson King. Hears a link to both songs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cJqFc-wRhw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSe_A3VQXso

Orange said on Feb. 17, 2009

Now I can’t unhear the monty python theme!! GAAH!

RunawayFiveFan69 said on Feb. 18, 2009

You know I’m ashamed to say it’s been several long years since I played through earthbound, and at the time I wasn’t a Beatles fan, but I’ve heard that the Tessie music is just the intro from Strawberry fields…must. . . find . . sample

Rusty said on Feb. 18, 2009

Im surprised no one has mentioned the cave of the past accessed from the lost underworld (where you learn Starstorm Omega) – the beginning of all you need is love by the beatles. not originally i know, but I’m sure thats what itoi intended

RunawayFiveFan69 said on Feb. 18, 2009

Yeah that Tessie/Strawberry fields thing turned out to be a bust, thank GOD for Youtube videos, although I did notice some similiarites in the Tessie horn music to the horn playing from “for no one,” and the ending fanfare sounded nigh identical to the end of “With a little help from my friends”

R7038XX said on Feb. 18, 2009

Unless we are planning to get the written permission (or something, too tired to thing) of everyone possibly needed to avoid a nintendo-music lawsuit, there’s really no point in going on with this now is there?

RunawayFiveFan69 said on Feb. 18, 2009

I’m assuming they avoided lawsuits the first time around, I say just release it and hope for the best!

Beavis Saves said on Feb. 18, 2009

I’ve got one for you: Finding Nemo samples Earthbound Zero.

The scene after Nemo is captured and Marlin is swimming in vain to try to catch up to the boat has a song that has opening notes exactly like a song from EBZ. I’m not sure exactly which song it was, as I haven’t played in a while, but I think it was the Poltergeist song.

Liam said on Feb. 19, 2009

I did mention it Rusty!

Some people don’t seem to understand the difference between samples and quotes. Sampling is when you take an actual bit of audio from somewhere, for example the drums from Sgt. Pepper or the horns from the start of All You Need Is Love. A quote is like the bit of Star Spangled Banner, it’s a piece of melody that is making an appearance. Not by having been taken from a recording but having been written in by the composer.

Charles Urich said on Feb. 19, 2009

Also the beginning of one of the Fight music songs is also the beginning to Trans Europe Express by Kraftwerk

Odaby Wilcox said on Feb. 20, 2009

The trumpet guy in Onette plays a bit of Dvorak’s New World Symphony, 2nd movement. I think his sprite is holding a sax, I don’t remember

QMT said on Feb. 20, 2009

Humouresque of a Little Dog is a pretty clean lift of Alice’s Restaurant.

Triangle said on Feb. 20, 2009

I’m not sure if this is like any Earthbound track… but it does ring a bell

http://www.imeem.com/people/cAoidiw/music/Sqokz0KJ/jah_shaka_eyes_of_the_lion/

I know there’s another reggae-like track, which is in one of the houses in Onett — but I’m Not relating that one to this song.. it’s either from somewhere else or nowhere at all

Sconner said on Feb. 22, 2009

OBJECTION: Animal crossing has similiar music as well.

Hendricks266 said on Feb. 23, 2009

I think for the Monty Python song, you mean 23 seconds instead of 3 seconds.

Sephy said on Mar. 6, 2009

As stated here before, don’t forget the beatles! In addition to being parts of the naming screen (defaults), there’s cave of the past (all you need is love) and dungeon man (sgt peppers).. plus a few more if I recall.

Mato said on Mar. 6, 2009

Sephy: Yeah, I actually went and covered things in more detail here.

Claus said on Mar. 11, 2009

I still wish that NOA would give more recognition to the series though.

Vile said on Mar. 20, 2009

Here’s another audio similarity:
Kraken’s song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D20dF5Ao1mE
Ships Ahoy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2d4DSANHOk

Triangle said on Apr. 2, 2009
Brandon said on Apr. 3, 2009

Wow, no wonder they can’t get Earthbound on the VC. Copyrights everywhere.

Simon Roberts said on May. 14, 2009
Mato said on May. 14, 2009

Heh, oh well.

Hambo said on May. 15, 2009

The Jackie’s café thing is new to me, thanks!
When I played Earthbound for the first time, and i was at the screen where you name the characters and stuff. While I was thinking of funny names for them i heard a very familiar theme in the background music. When i realised it was Monty Python’s Flying Circus theme i thought: Woa, this game must be awesome! (and it was, and is)
Another great one is the desert theme, it’s pretty much the same as the drums in Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band Reprise by the Beatles!

rogueofmv said on May. 17, 2009

Hehe. I always thought the Sky Runner theme was missing a “YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!”.

EarthBoundFan25 said on Jun. 23, 2009

Is there any download for this??? There should be, it would be cool!!!

D said on Jun. 25, 2009

@Vile

I don’t think that the Kraken’s song should be included in any similarity comparisons.

I’ve looked at the data for the song, as well as several midis, and the main lead for the Kraken’s theme is just a basic acid sequence where the music hits the same note but in a different octave in sequence. (C1 C2 C3, etc, E1 E2 E3) As someone who’s into electronica, I can tell anybody here that they’re going to be looking forever if they try to find a similarity for that song. Countless Acid, Trance, DnB, and Dance songs use the effect.

Andy V said on Jun. 28, 2009

@D

I agree. Also, it reminds me more of the Who song “905″.

Claus said on Jul. 6, 2009

I DO NOT hear any resemblence between the naming screen and that Monty Python song.

Tayaun said on Jul. 17, 2009

I can’t believe the New Age Retro Hippie song isn’t on hear. It sounds a bit like the song “Johnny Be Good”

Lollarcon said on Oct. 10, 2009

I was listening to Rush’s 2112 today and the intro reminded me of the beginning of Earthbound minus the cricket sounds.

JCC said on Oct. 25, 2009

Doing a run-through and noticed a bit of a similarity between the Summers theme:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FidFQjZJlUM
and San Tropez by Pink Floyd:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkRcwqxLEuk

Kommandant Dragmire said on Oct. 31, 2009

I kept hearing a similarity to the Winters Theme
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiGfjOLF_j0
and Sexy Sadie by the Beatles.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8vWSlOXMBE

The similarity is the bass riff at the very beginning of both songs, other than that nothing really but It really strikes me each time I hear the song.

Kommandant Dragmire said on Oct. 31, 2009

I kept hearing a similarity to the Winters Theme
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiGfjOLF_j0
and Sexy Sadie by the Beatles.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8vWSlOXMBE
The similarity is the bass riff at the very beginning of both songs, other than that nothing really but It really strikes me each time I hear the song.

Kommandant Dragmire said on Oct. 31, 2009

sorry for the double post (this making it a triple)

Billy Shears said on Nov. 20, 2009

hi usars

Billy Shears said on Nov. 20, 2009

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1 this is sgt dungeon

neonix said on Dec. 13, 2009

Bricks were indeed shat when noticing the Star-Spangled Banner.

menschmaschine5 said on Dec. 25, 2009

Most of those are real reaches I’d say. The ones that aren’t are the comparisons to the Star Spangled Banner, a public domain piece of music, and the Liberty Bell March (which you labeled as the Monty Python’s Flying Circus theme song), which is also public domain (otherwise the Pythons wouldn’t have used it, I’d imagine).

John Lennon said on Jan. 29, 2010

One of the reasons why Earthbound has songs that resemble The Beatles is because Itoi like The Beatles.
Summers sounds alot like Dear John. Also, Mother was named after Mother You Had Me. Go to this guys channle to see Earthbound and Beatles Similarites.

http://www.youtube.com/user/MotherYouHadMe#p/u/1/7RtXJjQ6flg


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