Koji Kondo’s Unlikely Source for Musical Creativity

The main themes of video game music often stick with us long after we’re done playing. Who can forget the classic Super Mario theme, or the overworld theme from the original The Legend of Zelda? Koji Kondo, renowned composer of these and many more original and memorable video game themes, recently revealed in an interview conducted by Polygon where the ideas come to him:

“When I’m thinking of the main theme — the melody and the main theme of any game, I don’t really come up with those at work,” said Kondo. “For some reason, they don’t come to me when i’m in the office!”

Usually, I’ll be in the bathtub, I’m it’s like ‘oh, there it is!’ Or i’ll be sleeping, and the melody is in my head. Or even, you know, I’ll be walking down the hallway in my house, suddenly the music pops into my head. It really doesn’t happen at work, it’s always somewhere outside of the office.”

Sometimes the best ideas, including some of the most iconic musical themes, come from very unlikely places. I’m partial to Hyrule‘s overworld theme from A Link Between Worlds. It’s my favorite version of the classic overworld theme from the original game. But what about you? What are some of your favorite musical themes that Koji Kondo has composed?

Source: Polygon