ReMix:Super Mario Bros. "Me and Mario Down by the Schoolyard" 2:01

By FFmusic Dj, Geoffrey Taucer

Arranging the music of one song...

"Overworld BGM"

Primary Game: Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo , 1985, NES), music by Koji Kondo

Posted 2015-03-09, evaluated by djpretzel


Back from PAX East (thanks for coming out to our panel!) & ready to post up some new music! I'm a huge fan of Simon & Garfunkel as well as Paul Simon's solo work, so the mix title here was a tantalizing promise - SMB in the style of "Me and Julio"?? Genius! Jeremy & Haroon teamed up for this short-but-sweet effort and delivered the folk-rock goods, with acoustic guitar, mixed percussion, and whistling all very much in the style & spirit of that classic track, being applied to ANOTHER classic track, the SMB overworld theme; Geoffrey Taucer (Jeremy Waters) writes:

"Oh, man, I've been kicking the idea for this one around forever, but when Haroon and I finally got to actually recording it, we knocked out the entire track in four days. I sketched out the arrangement and played the guitars and percussion (which was also done on guitar); Haroon supplied some additional arrangement ideas, recorded the whistling, and handled all the production. He also did some significant splicing and timing correction on my playing, doing an admirable job of covering up my hopymelaninic arrhythmia."

FFmusic Dj (Haroon Piracha) adds:

"I volunteered to whistle and arranged some of the sections along with Jeremy, though it was mostly Jeremy's arrangement. My background is in audio engineering, so I mostly wanted to help Jeremy by setting up mic placements, recording everything, and cleaning takes so he could worry about the arrangement and less about engineering. Some of the instruments are stereo recorded while others were doubled for each channel. I also sequenced the monkey sounds. We had a difficult time finding the right monkey sound for that sequence, but we pulled it off. The monkey sound is suppose to encapsulate you and Mario monkeying around at the schoolyard. Oh, and when I recorded all the instruments, it was a beautiful day out. If you listen hard enough, you can hear the sun shining in the background."

Nice; the Simon track definitely has a sunny day, carefree vibe going on, and that's been captured here as well, plus the overworld BGM is pretty plucky & upbeat to begin with. Emunator concurs:

"Well, this is just fantastic! I wasn't familiar with the stylistic homage (before my time, I guess!) but Kristina pointed out the connection to me and it only intensified my love of your mix! Down to the little details, you guys nailed the task of converting the classic Mario theme into the style of Paul Simon. You can feel the heart and love that went into crafting this. This put a huge smile on my face, thanks for that guys!"

Alterations to timing and to a lesser extent progression both serve to fit the theme to the approach, and it all flows naturally. It's important that a piece like this be well-crafted but ALSO nonchalant - has to sound fun, not labored over, while still holding together. I think that's exactly what Jeremy & Haroon have accomplished, and I think it'll bring a smile to your face, too!

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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TheFireLegendGamerPro
on 2018-08-02 20:43:54

Now that's what I call a catchy song. It's full of joy and happiness! I love it!

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Pichu's Dad
on 2016-11-07 14:21:52
On March 19, 2015 at 6:01 AM, Jabadoterry said:

oh man! this is awesome, this inspires me to practice it on my Euphonium, and for those who don't know what that is, I encourage you to look it up ;)

I listened to this remix quite a few times, short, but catchy, and just wow! :D

I'm a huge fan of euphonium! Had a buddy in college that was great at it and he was the first to show me the Bob-omb Battlefield cover that got some attention back in '07/'08. Love it

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Necrox
on 2015-12-30 20:10:19

An example of simplicity when it works. Unique yet perfectly fitting to the source's style at the same style. I especially like the whistling.

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Chernabogue
on 2015-12-30 04:11:29

Wow! What a way to arrange a over-remixed track! The arrangement is super creative and excellent! Love the overall style. The whistling was a really cool addition. This remix put a smile on my face, pretty sure I'll come back to see one a few more times! :D Excellent job!

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VileOrc
on 2015-05-27 23:03:27

I just love listening to this song as I walk to the bus stop after work. I probably almost strut. Great job!!

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timaeus222
on 2015-04-03 04:57:01

This is a very fresh re-imagining of a classic theme. You really personalized it, despite the original's flow already being really good. Keep it up!

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Jabadoterry
on 2015-03-19 07:01:29

oh man! this is awesome, this inspires me to practice it on my Euphonium, and for those who don't know what that is, I encourage you to look it up ;)

I listened to this remix quite a few times, short, but catchy, and just wow! :D

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Crulex
on 2015-03-16 15:25:49

Pffthahaha! Oh that whistling into the monkey noises and back into the whistling! I just can't stop giggling over how happy this makes me feel! It's like the ultimate "back off, my day is sunshine and nothing can ruin it now!" song. I love the Me and Julio actually, so hearing a Mario take on it is magical. This is just begging to be used in a fun little animation. So good, guys, this is why I can't get enough of this site. :D

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WesternZypher
on 2015-03-13 14:54:08

I can totally see this as some kind of extended intro to Paul Simon's Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard. ~Happy go-lucky mix~:grin:

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evktalo
on 2015-03-13 07:28:15

This is fun and upbeat, all right! Great to hear more Taucer-guitar. I like how this sounds very natural to the source material, and is superficially pretty straightforward, but there's a lot of little differences with the rhythm of the melody et cetera. Well done, and sounds very effortless, very pleasant and easy to listen to!

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shadowg3
on 2015-03-11 08:45:49

Love the song!! A whole album of this!! pleeeease :)

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Yhoko
on 2015-03-10 04:40:23

Masterpieces like this one are the reason why I love OCR. Awesome work!

Yhoko

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CyberSkull
on 2015-03-09 22:23:28

This track is just sunny enough to make one forget about the horrors of walking mushrooms, turtle men and giant cannons of the Mushroom Kingdom wars.

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Black_Doom
on 2015-03-09 13:54:34

Oh God... It's actually very cool when some remixed-to-death tune gets a completly different spin. Love the sunny carefree atmosphere of this track. Awesome!

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Viking ZX
on 2015-03-09 13:51:50

Awesome. An excellent blend. Maybe at some point, we'll get a version with some lyrics? Just maybe?

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo , 1985, NES)
Music by Koji Kondo
Songs:
"Overworld BGM"

Tags (8)


Genre:
Folk
Mood:
Happy
Instrumentation:
Acoustic Guitar,Hand Drums,Whistling
Additional:
Origin > Collaboration
Time > 4/4 Time Signature
Time > Duration: Short

File Information


Name:
Super_Mario_Bros_Me_and_Mario_Down_by_the_Schoolyard_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
3,638,762 bytes
MD5:
670955bd0e5782528784d0fda477e360
Bitrate:
233Kbps
Duration:
2:01

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