I'm a bit late but if you want to follow my Twitter then here's the link! twitter.com/thomasgdocs ALSO if you're wondering why I didn't actually play the original version of Green Green, only the Japanese ones, it's because I didn't want to get copyright claimed lol - if you want to hear the very first version of the song then a quick search on RUclips should bring it up!!
The theme for a character from chrono trigger, the robot character, it’s oddly close to another American song. I think it was the now infamous Rick roll song.
There's just a section on the Wikipedia page that says "The song may have also served as an inspiration for the Super Mario World Overworld theme by Koji Kondo.[8]" and the reference link literally takes you to this video. The page was also just made on June 18th, lol. People got working QUICK Edit: So in the couple days or so after I posted my original comment, the section I referenced that was linked to this video has been taken out. I am sad on the internet. Edit 2: Yo, the reference is back.
Here's a fun one: the Japanese artist who invented the stereotypical manga/anime art style (big eyes, small or no nose, etc) used to work in the USA, drawing comics for Disney. Specifically, Scrooge McDuck comics. (Big eyes, no nose...)
Green is also the colour of youth in Japanese culture(Think spring time, new growth, etc) which might explain why a Japanese musician might have leaped at the opportunity to cover green green for his music show aimed at children and maybe why it resonated enough to last in the Japanese zeitgeist to this day.
I remember when I discovered that Saria's Song from Zelda sounds extremely similar to Gustav Holst The Planets Jupiter the Bringer of Jollity. Super fun but also kinda weird.
Oh! I know exactly what you're talking about. I like to point out the Star Wars bits in the Planets series, but I'll have to show the supposed LoZ bit.
I’d say it’s crazy, that kids love a song about Dad disappearing from their lives, but there’s an English children’s song about London Bridge burning down. Edit: Alright. Seems like every Nursery Rhyme has messed up origins.
You haven't heard brazillian nursery rhymes.. One is saying you should sleep or else a crocodile witch is gonna kidnap you, meanwhile your mom is at the farm and your dad is at work
What actually happened was tragic, (I wasn’t invested I just saw a comment on this) somehow on the bridge, when someone was on it, it would trap the person and use them a sacrifice for the bridge?? I’m so sorry if I’m wrong, I’m not sure if this is true or not
Ring Around the Rosey originated in the the Spanish flu pandemic in the 1900s. People at the time thought that carrying posey petals in your pocket would keep the flu away, and "Ashes, ashes. We all fall down," is about people dying.
@@koentjoep3683 might consider reading the number one book in history, the book that created your civilization, the book that undergirds every book in history
@@JamieAllen1977 that's high praise. It is also undeserved. While the Bible is an important piece of literary and religious history, it is not the cornerstone of civilisation. It is also not a book but a compilation of books
i was humming the mario song in class one day and my teacher asked me why i was humming such a old pop song. then i told him its from mario. his answer was no no i dont mean that one
People get REALLY mad when a song is discovered to contain pieces of another song without attribution, but speaking as a former amateur composer, it is very hard to avoid bits and pieces of songs you've heard creeping into your work without you even realizing it.
@@gregpenismith8884 hooktheory is pretty well-known among musicians. But I do agree with you in general that with any links, if you're not sure of the source, you should be careful. In this case, a Google search on the domain name is a good idea if you're not familiar with the site.
@@FireFish5000 He literally showed examples of newer people still singing it. He never stated outright it was still super popular but I think it was hinted at.
Now that he says that no songs are more memorable, than children songs, I am inspired to make a melody of sorts, and make it based on the baby shark tune
Came for the Mario trivia, stayed for the interesting story of how an forgotten american pop song became a popular Japanese children's song. I love seeing how art can go on a journey, be repurposed, and take on new life. I hope someone fills out the English Wikipedia page for Green, Green so that people who still remember it from the 60s can learn about the journey it went on.
The song was never "forgotten". Not to those of us who were alive back then. Young folks seem to think that if something isn't prevalent on the internet, it must be "forgotten" or "lost" or "unknown". 🤣
I mean, it was on Name That Tune. Think about that. Use some logic. It was well-known and remembered enough years later to be on a game show. 🤦 And the video game came out a short time after that game show, so... logic... do some thinking, all you young'uns...
I was *positive* this was going to be about how the hook to Tatsuro Yamashita's "Morning Glory" is an uncanny match to Mario's Invicibility Theme. Maybe another video!
he's mentioned that in a previous video before! i'm guessing it would be difficult to extend that one factoid into a whole video; this one just happened to have a much larger story at play
Yeah agreed with the commenter above me, having listened a lot to Morning Glory it's a lot more in tune with Zelda's Fairy Fountain theme. What you might be referencing is Piper's "Summer Breeze" (also this was from the same video the first commentor recommended to look up), they share the same starting notes with the Invincibility theme!
I'm probably nearly double your age, definitely been playing games since before you were born, but your videos, information, and narration are all amazing. Top notch stuff, I really appreciate your work.
The New Christy Minstrels actually have some awesome covers of some iconic songs like "This Land is Your Land" and "Cotton Fields". They also do "Today" but it doesn't really hold a candle to the original John Denver version.
I remember reading somewhere that a song with 7 identical notes to another can be deemed a copyright infringement, so it's funny that it only has 6! 😂 That being said, pop music sounds familiar to each other all the time, so I'm not surprised!
Try "Prestige Production" by Neil Richardson then listen to the Dark World Theme from Zelda A Link to the Past Also try "Watermelon Man" by Herbie Hancock then listen to the Forest Temple Theme from Zelda Ocarina Of Time
@Sarabakesthebiscuits :} he's just saying that bit is similar, and kondo is known for this kind of incorporation into his tracks, not "Oh ThEsE tRaCkS ArE IdEnTiCaL!!!!1!!!11" Get of ya high horse abt it
@@alfiegordon9013 and you, while closer, also missed the level reverence, seriously, how did you both go through this and not realize the song and first level of a kirby game has the same title?
When he said "Green Green" I was reminded of one of the songs my Mom (who grew up in the 60's) played in the car when I was a kid. I thought "surely its not the same song" and then I saw the lyrics at 5:33 and went "yeah its the song." I honestly hadn't connected the two songs (maybe the tempo or instrumental of the version I listened to was different...) so hearing it here is a surprise- especially hearing that it was popular in Japan!
yeah back in 6th form when I had to get the bus to college for hours and hours every day, I listened to A LOT of Mrs Green Apple on my journeys lol - it was nice to be able to mention them in a video!!
@@CrispCrustacean I really want to find the full video for the mentioned clip in this video that starts at 7:04, but I've failed. At the very least, I did find a audio recording of the same band's cover (sounds like it was recorded off the TV though) on the Japanese side of YT: ruclips.net/video/KZWi1VM9NNA/видео.html I really hope someone finds the full clip of the Mrs. GREEN APPLE performance and links it though, I love it. Edit: Just found a TV recording after more digging (ruclips.net/video/j5O_Y-sh6sM/видео.html), but it's not the same quality at all (recorded manually off TV screen).
My sister and I used to literally sing along while playing the game. I've always just assumed it was on purpose. It's funny how different perspectives can be sometimes... I see a lot of people here saying they'd never noticed before, but I never would have thought to mention it because it seemed so obvious :-)
2½ years late, algorithm brought me here, etc. I've almost always heard the Green Green lyrics in my head when hearing this particular Mario tune. I'm not quite old enough to remember the 60s (born late 70s), but my dad, born in the 1940s, has a habit of singing old songs to himself, usually a line or two, or a chorus, and Green Green is one of those. When I saw the lyrics scrolling by around 5:40 it confirmed it was the same song. I think that, like me, people have definitely noticed but not bothered to report it, thinking that it must have been well known or at least noticed already.
Someone from Japan hearing an old hit from the US doesn't sound impossible at all. The guy is a composer, and therefore loved music. People buy, sell, and trade their media all the time, and people travel the world. The idea that a song that was once popular in a country that is known for its entertainment industry finding it's way to Japan is not at all far fetched.
right ? especially when large amount of NES songs “remixed” 70/80s american rock songs lol. Even here he mentions how Mario 1 sampled Deep Purple which would’ve been like a decade old at that time so why is it hard to believe Kondo loving 70s rock music wouldn’t love 60s rock music
A similar thing happened with Dead or Alive (the band who made the You Spin Me Round song) and Scatman John, except they also managed to achieve success in their home countries and aren't entirely forgotten there.
Actually, I know "Green, Green" well, and it has been played regularly on an Oldies station here in Austria up to a few years ago. I also heard it on the US station 3DSJ. I still didn't recognize the song because in the game it's being played much faster and in a shuffle rhythm, compared to the 8-beat rhythm of the original English version.
There’s also the whole cultural mess post-Hiroshima. The USA occupied the country for 10-15 years and tried to completely change the culture so they had no interest in an emperor ever again. This was through the ‘50s and Japan was heavily influenced both by “American Dream” propaganda and the Greaser counterculture, which these days is more likely to be associated with Japan than the USA
@@thesquishedelf1301 Yeah, but what I meant was that everyone keeps talking about the fact it's so far away but if they would think about it they would realize it isn't.
Japan is 6000km away from the US. Not close at all. It was influenced because the US invaded and occupied Japan for a decade. They deliberately Americanised Japan to make them compatable with the west, so that America would have an ally in the east that could act as a buffer against the rising communist China. It is the same thing that they did with Germany, turned into a buffer state between the west and the USSR. The middle east is about the same distance away as Japan is. The Pacific ocean is enormous. People underestimate how large it really is. Every continent on earth put together fits inside it plus extra room. It might look like it's next to the US on a mercator projection but it really isn't.
This is fantastic to learn about. My earliest memories were playing Super Mario World and that song has been an influence on me all my life as well. Really awesome that it has a rich history across time and the world.
I'm sure there's already been a Japanese video on this topic! But it was completely unknown to us in the West. Makes you wonder what other cool things like this are unknown just because nobody realized who speaks English lol
I wonder how many songwriters think to themselves, "Damn! This song that I just completed is a Hit!" Only to later realise that they'd subconsciously added melodic motifs from some obscure song they had heard somewhere before/it was by chance that it ended up sounding similar. No one owns riffs but you only have a limited amount of patterns that are bound to repeat. For example, when I first heard Miley Cyrus' "Party in the USA," on the riff on the word "Yeah," (the notes are the 6°- 5° - 3°- 2°- 3°- 5°- 3° scale degree notes), I immediately picked up that it is the same melodic motif in Mariah's song "Loverboy," on the last words of the first line of the verses of the song, for example: "I got myself a lover Who knows what I *like* " The riff on the word *like* is identical to that riff in Miley's song. (I'm not debating which came first, nor if it was a deliberate copy or not; just highlighting how similar melodic phrases can end up in different songs) There are a limited number of notes in a fixed scale/key and so similar patterns are bound to occur sooner or later... The longer the melodic phrase, the less likely it will be repeated exactly in another song entirely by chance, but it can still happen.
Man, I grew up with this song and never made the connection (I grew up in Japan)! I actually didn't know the song was that old. Really cool to hear about this. Great video
Never knew the Mario theme was inspired by T-Square. Overall this video was incredibly interesting, insane to me that an obscure 60's song from the US would end up becoming that popular on the other side of the world, I bet a lot of people in Japan aren't even aware of the original
Have you ever watched the video of the levan polka? A song so popular every few years they change the lyrics to make it modern and the last version of it was more popular here in the US than its own country.
"YA SEE LUIGI, DAD LEFT TO FIGHT IN THE WAR! HE CAME BACK, BUT NOT REALLY. I REMEMBER WHEN MAMA LUIGI SAID TO HIM 'WHO REALLY DIED THAT DAY, AND WHO CAME BACK?'"
This reminds me of when I made a short story, and accidentally named one of the characters with the exact name of a friend's D&D character. I didn't even know it. So for a while I was paranoid that I was stealing people's ideas and it made it difficult for me to do things. But now I realize that's just how things work. And that's why I think copyright is a bit of a problem more than sometimes.
Very fun video. I remember hearing green, green, as a child, and thinking it was Mario until the song continued. One that always stuck out to me as well, was Bomb Jack 1984, using the Bealtes song "Lady Madonna" as the game's main theme.
I think most fans of Hotel Mario probably knows this but the theme of the intro is basically the same that one of the songs used in one of the old Little Women's movie adaptations so it's not an independent phenomena. Art in general is built over the accomplishment of others that came before so, it makes me think how many music that is iconic today was derivate from something else.
@@liamvachon8782 Yup! Various songs were sung by sung by a child choir or in a childish tone while a panning birds-eye view of the town went by. It'll never replace ZZZ for me, but it was certainly interesting
Koji Kondo is for sure in my top 10 composers of all time. Man is a genius. He's able to draw influnces from so many places, and make them fit cohesively into a game. He also kind of has his own feel to his music. In newer Nintendo games, where Kondo doesn't do the music, it's done in his style. A few decades down the road, he will have had a huge influence on music as a whole, especially instrumental stuff.
I lived in Japan for a year when I was 8/9 years old to live with family and we'd start each day at school singing a song out of a songbook. I remember singing green green with the class and that was only 7 years ago. Had no idea it was an old American pop song until today
Stumbling across this story is wild, because it somehow manages to be like a cross-section of a lot of my interests. I almost immediately realized when the song was named what it was, since in a video from Todd in the Shadows on Barry McGuire, he mentions Barry being in the New Christie Minstrels and the song shown is Green Green. And then when you get to Mrs. Green Apple singing it, I immediately flash back to the anime Fire Force where their song Inferno is used as an opening.
Great video. I had heard Green Green many times growing up on one of those Readers Digest folk/oldies compilation albums from the 70s, but I had never made the connection to SMW probably due to the differences in the melodic rhythm. Very interesting to learn about the Japanese connection to that song.
@@liamallerdice6118 you're not being a grammar nazi, you're just not really making any valid point. Because to say one song "sounds like" another has nothing to do with which song came first. He didn't say either song came first, he said they sound alike. It would be different and you would have a point if he had said that it sounded like Route 209 was inspired by 21 Guns, but that's not what he said.
Oh yeah, also worth nothing that 21 Guns is very heavily inspired by ELO's Telephone Line, so both of those songs definitely sound similar to Route 209. Telephone Line obviously came first since it is from 1976.
I noticed the similarity a few months ago and wondered if there was a connection. Glad to see it answered! (My dad is of an age to have heard the original Green, Green and was humming it while visiting. I instantly recognized the tune as what plays when you meet Yoshi.)
i discovered this song from an ending sequence in Nichijou to find out it was originally in english. between this and 1961's Stand By Me, think I'm starting to discover a love for 1960s american pop
Not surprising. It's like how Clock Town's theme reminds me of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" or how Glitter Gulch Mine has the "Shave and Haircut" ditty in it
Im pretty sure that is part of the reason why his music is so catchy. Even when he remixed a pop tune he put his own flavor and syncapation in it to give it the spice everyone loves
Yeah, so, I made that connection when the game was on display for playing at target when it came out. I think I’d heard my mom sing it before, and recognized it. Didn’t think it was a big deal at the time. Lots of music comes from other music. You should hear the tunes John Williams used to create the music from Star Wars.
When I hear green greens, I think of Kirby’s green greens. It was a course in The Kirby series and the main h to theme for Kirby In Smash. I think it’s funny how it’s a Mario related song with the name of a Kirby world!
I always wondered why the song Life Is Beautiful from Deadly Premonition sounded so much like the SMW overworld theme. I assumed that DP's composer cribbed from Kondo's work, but now I suppose they both borrowed from the same source.
I watched a youtube video a few years ago about this. Quite a few Mario songs are copies. Ironic, when Nintendo are so quick to throw the copyright book at anyone who posts their IP online
Taking inspiration from is not the same thing as plagiarism. Most people who claim these are copies have little to know knowledge of music composition to realize they are not copies.
@@bromothymol I've been trying to figure out how people distinguish between inspiration and plagiarism. I think Kondo coming forward and being honest with the work he referenced points to it being inspiration, because he's giving credit to the original artists and respectful to their work rather than claiming full ownership. Then there's John Williams, who has "composed" tracks for films that can be so similar to the works of classics that it's hard for people to distinguish some of them between the original and "John William's version." Not only that, but I've never heard of him giving any credit to Stravinsky or any of the other composers he lifted ideas from, and considering that he and his employers have made millions of dollars off of this music, I'm inclined to call him a plagiarist that's profiting off the works of classical legends.
@@bromothymol LOL pretentious much? You don't need " knowledge of music composition" to know a track is a copy or even parts of it. This is the very definition of "reject the evidence of your eyes and ears": the final most essential command, big brother. Whether you believe the intent is tribute or to plagiarize is up to you, but considering the song was popular in Japan, anyone could've called Kondo out a long time ago, but if someone put parts of a well known song like Jingle Bells into their song, why even bother? It's obvious.
@@testerwulf3357 Are you talking about OTHER video games or RUclips videos which feature Nintendo content? Because I'm pretty sure Nintendo has never done the former.
I meant to make a video about this a few years back, but there's an 80s hip-hop song that has the 'Green, Green' theme during a synth solo, but it sounds like it has even more to the song that SMW picked up.
I first heard Green Green in Nichijou in one of the endings (Easy enough to RUclips Search Nichijou Green Green!), it always stuck out to me, I eventually found the original version, noticed it reminded me of something, and the RUclips comments were talking about it sounding like Mario's Overworld theme. Anyway, I find it funny that a more obscure Japanese Anime led me to discover an obscure American Song.
1:32 "No I'm sorry it's actually 'Green Greens' from Kirby's Dream Land!" WAIT!- So did Deadly Premonition get it from Super Mario World or Green Green???
I just found your channel and I am really enjoying your content and the uniqueness of your documentaries you're not just rehashing the same subjects that you can get on a million other videos on RUclips about retro gaming. That said I also heard rumor that it was not uncommon back in the day for video game music composers to steal songs similar to what was popular at the time and put them as music to video games
It is slightly more similar to the American version than the Japanese version in terms of notes and rhythm. Neither version is very close to SMW as a whole, as the similarities quickly disappear after only one measure. But in that first measure, the American version contains one melody difference compared to SMW, and the Japanese version contains two. We should note that the chord progressions are not actually the same as is claimed in this video.
I'm a bit late but if you want to follow my Twitter then here's the link! twitter.com/thomasgdocs
ALSO if you're wondering why I didn't actually play the original version of Green Green, only the Japanese ones, it's because I didn't want to get copyright claimed lol - if you want to hear the very first version of the song then a quick search on RUclips should bring it up!!
E
Late for what
darn
i thought the pin would be from max himself
the beginning of bowser's galaxy generator from smg2 sounds like the beginning of his world from sonic 06
You could get some theory help from mat pat from game theory
In Japan, we learn the song Green Green in elementary school. I think most Japanese people know this song. The lyrics are really sad.
Oohh that makes sense why it was used in smw
It makes sense since it’s kinda part of culture
Reminds me of the classical music from City Connection which is basically known in Japan as the "I ran over a cat" song.
@@Mageman17 _i ran over a cat_
_he died like something bad_
Mario is a father confirmed.
Do you also learn a song 森へ行きましょう?
Koji’s talent combined with influence from other songs are all part of what makes Mario music amazing
Fine chime
Exactly, without it we wouldn't have the iconic songs
Leave Kim nobody cares about you
imagine if you were verified lol
Thank you for your input kim
My mom sang "Green green" all the time growing up. I'm surprised it's apparently more obscure in the USA than it was for me.
Same! Big nostalgia bomb when I saw that I recognized the lyrics!
Doop doop da dooby doop
Da doop doop doop doop doooooo doop
did you tell her it was similar to the mario world overworld theme?
Wait... 666 Likes? Lemme fix that
The theme for a character from chrono trigger, the robot character, it’s oddly close to another American song. I think it was the now infamous Rick roll song.
I love how "Green, Green" now has a Wikipedia page...
There's just a section on the Wikipedia page that says "The song may have also served as an inspiration for the Super Mario World Overworld theme by Koji Kondo.[8]" and the reference link literally takes you to this video. The page was also just made on June 18th, lol. People got working QUICK
Edit: So in the couple days or so after I posted my original comment, the section I referenced that was linked to this video has been taken out. I am sad on the internet.
Edit 2: Yo, the reference is back.
@@autumnschenck9282 f
@Coen Merriman Order is restored in the Wikiverse.
@@autumnschenck9282 Its usually, i write a few Wikipedia pages that weren't existing just from watching an video.
@@autumnschenck9282 martin madrazo X mario party deluxe collaboration would be great. Yoopy'the'poopy
I’m gonna make a prediction. The song Green, Green is now gonna blow up because people are gonna be looking it up
I predict that this man is right
It's one of my favourite songs to play in smash
Say cheese for the documentary !!
CHEESE
@@shamvrooms cheese
The cultural exchange between japan and the united states is fascinating.
Are nuclear bombs considered to be a 'cultural artifact'?
@@InventorZahran I’d say more as a symbol of a much more successful future Japan, we did rebuild their economy after the fact after all..
Here's a fun one: the Japanese artist who invented the stereotypical manga/anime art style (big eyes, small or no nose, etc) used to work in the USA, drawing comics for Disney. Specifically, Scrooge McDuck comics. (Big eyes, no nose...)
@@InventorZahran If Japan wasn't nuked, we wouldn't have modern anime.
I remember singing an irish song in elementary school about a bog or something and it had the same melody as super mario world.
@@Flufficatious i think thats the one
bog
@@Flufficatious are you Irish too?
Hey ho the rattlin' bog, the bog down in the valley'o, hey ho the rattlin bog the bog down in the valley'!
🤔
it sounds like mario
its named like kirby
this was pretty much destined for nintendo
My brain definitely went "Kirby" with Smash's announcer voice, when the word Green, Green is uttered
Edit: Oh, and looped
Kirby is the ultimate SUCCubus
Named like Kirby because... The phone goes "Green Green" and you "Pink" it up?
@@andrewgoss1682 not sure what does pink up mean, but great pun, good sir
@@SuussyBakka no no no no no no
Green is also the colour of youth in Japanese culture(Think spring time, new growth, etc) which might explain why a Japanese musician might have leaped at the opportunity to cover green green for his music show aimed at children and maybe why it resonated enough to last in the Japanese zeitgeist to this day.
1:17 the word “and” syncs perfectly and it terrifies me
Same
I'm going to have to sleep tonight knowing this now....
@@kempacaliber5273 you’re welcome
She is mouthing "Jack, name that tune" because its her choice to answer or pass it off to Jack.
You can sleep easy now
@@kempacaliber5273 same 😣
The New Christy Minstrels: Hey, I’ve seen this one
Koji Kondo: What do you mean, you’ve seen this? It’s brand new
Nice back to the future reference
hey koji you know that new sound you're looking for? well listen to this!
@@Catanlord27 what's a rerun?
Ronald Reagan! The actor? Then who's vice-president, Jerry Lewis? I suppose Jane Wyman is the First Lady!
@@rachaelh5060 you will know when you're older
I remember when I discovered that Saria's Song from Zelda sounds extremely similar to Gustav Holst The Planets Jupiter the Bringer of Jollity. Super fun but also kinda weird.
I have to check that.i love the Planets.
So I just checked out that song, and you're right--it does sound a lot like Saria's Song!
Oh! I know exactly what you're talking about. I like to point out the Star Wars bits in the Planets series, but I'll have to show the supposed LoZ bit.
i know this comment is super old, but bowsers theme in super mario galaxy is inspired by mars from the planets as well :)
I’d say it’s crazy, that kids love a song about Dad disappearing from their lives, but there’s an English children’s song about London Bridge burning down.
Edit: Alright. Seems like every Nursery Rhyme has messed up origins.
You haven't heard brazillian nursery rhymes..
One is saying you should sleep or else a crocodile witch is gonna kidnap you, meanwhile your mom is at the farm and your dad is at work
What actually happened was tragic, (I wasn’t invested I just saw a comment on this) somehow on the bridge, when someone was on it, it would trap the person and use them a sacrifice for the bridge?? I’m so sorry if I’m wrong, I’m not sure if this is true or not
@@max_punch me who has insomnia: well, guess I'll die
theres a rhyme in my city about a murderer
Ring Around the Rosey originated in the the Spanish flu pandemic in the 1900s. People at the time thought that carrying posey petals in your pocket would keep the flu away, and "Ashes, ashes. We all fall down," is about people dying.
Ah yes, "Green Green". My favorite Kirby music.
Ah yes, Green Green, my favorite Grass of Home
Yes…..!!!!
Indeed
THATS WHAT I WAS THINKINGG
If this song is ubiquitous in Japan as it seems, then it probably is the origin of that name in Kirby too.
“The bad thing about living in this time is that the most things are already invented” ~my art teacher
"What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun." -Ecclesiastes 1:9
the ancient bible said that......... isn't it lovely? "There is nothing new?"
@@JamieAllen1977 I’m sorry I never actually read the Bible so I didn’t know 😅
@@koentjoep3683 might consider reading the number one book in history, the book that created your civilization, the book that undergirds every book in history
@@JamieAllen1977 that's high praise. It is also undeserved. While the Bible is an important piece of literary and religious history, it is not the cornerstone of civilisation. It is also not a book but a compilation of books
When's the SiIvaGunner rip coming out?
EDIT: They're fast: ruclips.net/video/_9QEDh0-P5Y/видео.html
Whenever one of the team finds this video
Knowing them, they already made it
@@EEE-ro5px true
let me sit on the toilet and I'll let you know
WOAH
i was humming the mario song in class one day and my teacher asked me why i was humming such a old pop song. then i told him its from mario. his answer was no no i dont mean that one
Proof?
@@frenchfry7631 memory?
@@frenchfry7631 ur mom
@@frenchfry7631 ur mom
@@frenchfry7631 ur mom
People get REALLY mad when a song is discovered to contain pieces of another song without attribution, but speaking as a former amateur composer, it is very hard to avoid bits and pieces of songs you've heard creeping into your work without you even realizing it.
He basically just accidentally wrote green green’s vocal melody with a swing to it haha
Yes, " accidentally "...
@@communityband1 cool story. No one should be clicking links in a comment section. That's a great way to get a virus.
@@gregpenismith8884 hooktheory is pretty well-known among musicians. But I do agree with you in general that with any links, if you're not sure of the source, you should be careful. In this case, a Google search on the domain name is a good idea if you're not familiar with the site.
I highly doubt its an accident. Green Green is far more popular than he let on. It's still being sung today and featured on modern children tv shows.
@@FireFish5000 He literally showed examples of newer people still singing it. He never stated outright it was still super popular but I think it was hinted at.
I like to write my own songs, and it actually happens quite a lot where I'll be writing a song I think is great, only to realise it already exists lol
so many times i'll think i've come up with a unique new melody only to realize that it's two trucks by lemon demon or something
@@celumbral9334 Friday night funkin ain't good pal (nevermind I am back to Friday night funkin I LOVE IT)
@@frenchfry7631 bahahahahahahahahahahahaha
@@frenchfry7631 I’m having a hard time deciding whether or not this is a joke
@@frenchfry7631 i don't even play friday funking night what
Now that he says that no songs are more memorable, than children songs, I am inspired to make a melody of sorts, and make it based on the baby shark tune
Came for the Mario trivia, stayed for the interesting story of how an forgotten american pop song became a popular Japanese children's song. I love seeing how art can go on a journey, be repurposed, and take on new life. I hope someone fills out the English Wikipedia page for Green, Green so that people who still remember it from the 60s can learn about the journey it went on.
The song was never "forgotten". Not to those of us who were alive back then. Young folks seem to think that if something isn't prevalent on the internet, it must be "forgotten" or "lost" or "unknown". 🤣
I mean, it was on Name That Tune. Think about that. Use some logic. It was well-known and remembered enough years later to be on a game show. 🤦 And the video game came out a short time after that game show, so... logic... do some thinking, all you young'uns...
@@stephencoldbear alright chill grandpa
Improper grammar you said AN forgotten instead of A forgotten.
@@stephencoldbear "If it's not on wikipedia then it didn't exist", says people younger than 28
I was *positive* this was going to be about how the hook to Tatsuro Yamashita's "Morning Glory" is an uncanny match to Mario's Invicibility Theme.
Maybe another video!
He has a video with it, and I tried to link it, but the spam filter ate it. Look up "This 80s song inspired Mario's music"
he's mentioned that in a previous video before! i'm guessing it would be difficult to extend that one factoid into a whole video; this one just happened to have a much larger story at play
That's not Mario's invincibility/starman theme, that one was a different song. You must be talking about Zelda's fairy fountain theme.
Yeah agreed with the commenter above me, having listened a lot to Morning Glory it's a lot more in tune with Zelda's Fairy Fountain theme. What you might be referencing is Piper's "Summer Breeze" (also this was from the same video the first commentor recommended to look up), they share the same starting notes with the Invincibility theme!
I'm probably nearly double your age, definitely been playing games since before you were born, but your videos, information, and narration are all amazing.
Top notch stuff, I really appreciate your work.
Honestly, I love learning little bits of history on old pop culture, so hearing about it in Japan is just great.
ikr?! its so interesting for some reason :D
@@kizetherz yea
Yeah absolutely
watch this: siiva's gonna make a rip of green green
and it is already out with the title "Overworld Theme (Original Version) - Super Mario World" lmao
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand... it's gone.
@@Isadriendir its back i think
The New Christy Minstrels actually have some awesome covers of some iconic songs like "This Land is Your Land" and "Cotton Fields". They also do "Today" but it doesn't really hold a candle to the original John Denver version.
There is also a music that has a part resembling the Super Star theme ...
What's the Buzz? From Jesus Christ Superstar, right?
@@Jammythewerewolf THAT'S NOT WHAT I HAD IN MIND BUT IT WORKS TOO !
piper-summer breeze
you should listen to the album its good
I remember some mariachi song that sounds like it.
You mean the can-can in Super Mario Land?
I remember reading somewhere that a song with 7 identical notes to another can be deemed a copyright infringement, so it's funny that it only has 6! 😂
That being said, pop music sounds familiar to each other all the time, so I'm not surprised!
lobbyists: write that down, write that down!
(Cough) autotune
@@helpkirbyhasagun_2047 pop music four chord structures, cough.
A lawyer out there already copyrighted every single possible melodies, he really only did that to protect music creators
That and in the 40s-60s people had been re-recording songs without the original artists permission (before the term covers came to be).
I love your use of ace attorney music, and the quality of the videos in general. Keep it up!
Here’s another comparison: listen to “Material Girl” by Madonna, then listen to the Battle Stadium Theme from Mario Kart 8.
Try "Prestige Production" by Neil Richardson then listen to the Dark World Theme from Zelda A Link to the Past
Also try "Watermelon Man" by Herbie Hancock then listen to the Forest Temple Theme from Zelda Ocarina Of Time
I love that song. Should've noticed that ^^;
I wonder if the title of the song also inspired the similarly titled "Green Greens" from Kirby....
@Sarabakesthebiscuits :} he's just saying that bit is similar, and kondo is known for this kind of incorporation into his tracks, not "Oh ThEsE tRaCkS ArE IdEnTiCaL!!!!1!!!11"
Get of ya high horse abt it
@Sarabakesthebiscuits :} you're just being pedantic
I know ur weakness. its (P.BALL)
@Sarabakesthebiscuits :} you couldn't get the joke about a level in kirby literally being called green greens.
@@alfiegordon9013 and you, while closer, also missed the level reverence, seriously, how did you both go through this and not realize the song and first level of a kirby game has the same title?
5:31 the way I jumped to check if I heard correctly and this was really an Ace Attorney OST (it is : "Logic and trick")
Nice I remember this song from an old CD my mom used to play back when I was a toddler. Didn’t know it had that big of an influence.
Btw, it wasn't the english version.
When he said "Green Green" I was reminded of one of the songs my Mom (who grew up in the 60's) played in the car when I was a kid. I thought "surely its not the same song" and then I saw the lyrics at 5:33 and went "yeah its the song." I honestly hadn't connected the two songs (maybe the tempo or instrumental of the version I listened to was different...) so hearing it here is a surprise- especially hearing that it was popular in Japan!
Season 2 of the anime _Nichijou_ used a different ED for every episode. “Green, Green” was used for Episode 8.
7:04
That cover was an actual BOP ngl
yeah back in 6th form when I had to get the bus to college for hours and hours every day, I listened to A LOT of Mrs Green Apple on my journeys lol - it was nice to be able to mention them in a video!!
@@ThomasGameDocs so good music af
If anyone can find a link to that cover, share it!
Hee hee
@@CrispCrustacean I really want to find the full video for the mentioned clip in this video that starts at 7:04, but I've failed. At the very least, I did find a audio recording of the same band's cover (sounds like it was recorded off the TV though) on the Japanese side of YT: ruclips.net/video/KZWi1VM9NNA/видео.html
I really hope someone finds the full clip of the Mrs. GREEN APPLE performance and links it though, I love it.
Edit: Just found a TV recording after more digging (ruclips.net/video/j5O_Y-sh6sM/видео.html), but it's not the same quality at all (recorded manually off TV screen).
My sister and I used to literally sing along while playing the game. I've always just assumed it was on purpose. It's funny how different perspectives can be sometimes... I see a lot of people here saying they'd never noticed before, but I never would have thought to mention it because it seemed so obvious :-)
I was today years old when I first consciously realized Overworld is _not_ Green Green. Go figure.
2½ years late, algorithm brought me here, etc.
I've almost always heard the Green Green lyrics in my head when hearing this particular Mario tune. I'm not quite old enough to remember the 60s (born late 70s), but my dad, born in the 1940s, has a habit of singing old songs to himself, usually a line or two, or a chorus, and Green Green is one of those. When I saw the lyrics scrolling by around 5:40 it confirmed it was the same song.
I think that, like me, people have definitely noticed but not bothered to report it, thinking that it must have been well known or at least noticed already.
Someone from Japan hearing an old hit from the US doesn't sound impossible at all. The guy is a composer, and therefore loved music. People buy, sell, and trade their media all the time, and people travel the world. The idea that a song that was once popular in a country that is known for its entertainment industry finding it's way to Japan is not at all far fetched.
i know right, it wasn't the 1930's
right ? especially when large amount of NES songs “remixed” 70/80s american rock songs lol. Even here he mentions how Mario 1 sampled Deep Purple which would’ve been like a decade old at that time so why is it hard to believe Kondo loving 70s rock music wouldn’t love 60s rock music
A similar thing happened with Dead or Alive (the band who made the You Spin Me Round song) and Scatman John, except they also managed to achieve success in their home countries and aren't entirely forgotten there.
Actually, I know "Green, Green" well, and it has been played regularly on an Oldies station here in Austria up to a few years ago. I also heard it on the US station 3DSJ. I still didn't recognize the song because in the game it's being played much faster and in a shuffle rhythm, compared to the 8-beat rhythm of the original English version.
its really beautiful how music can constantly stem from other music through minor inspirations like 7 notes
When you realize that Japan is very close to the USA, you realize just how much it makes sense that he got influenced by it.
There’s also the whole cultural mess post-Hiroshima. The USA occupied the country for 10-15 years and tried to completely change the culture so they had no interest in an emperor ever again. This was through the ‘50s and Japan was heavily influenced both by “American Dream” propaganda and the Greaser counterculture, which these days is more likely to be associated with Japan than the USA
@@thesquishedelf1301 Yeah, but what I meant was that everyone keeps talking about the fact it's so far away but if they would think about it they would realize it isn't.
Japan is 6000km away from the US. Not close at all. It was influenced because the US invaded and occupied Japan for a decade. They deliberately Americanised Japan to make them compatable with the west, so that America would have an ally in the east that could act as a buffer against the rising communist China. It is the same thing that they did with Germany, turned into a buffer state between the west and the USSR.
The middle east is about the same distance away as Japan is. The Pacific ocean is enormous. People underestimate how large it really is. Every continent on earth put together fits inside it plus extra room. It might look like it's next to the US on a mercator projection but it really isn't.
@@ub3rfr3nzy94 still closer than many ppl think it is
That’s crazy.
This is fantastic to learn about. My earliest memories were playing Super Mario World and that song has been an influence on me all my life as well. Really awesome that it has a rich history across time and the world.
I'm sure there's already been a Japanese video on this topic! But it was completely unknown to us in the West. Makes you wonder what other cool things like this are unknown just because nobody realized who speaks English lol
Look into kaizo mario
And funny enough, the first world in Kirby is called Green Greens
Yea that name is too spot on to be just a coincidence.
@@ccricers shut up
I hate kirby
@@aidonbrintley2392 You shut up! nobody asked you.
@@aidonbrintley2392
The fuck you say (loads glock with malicious intent)
I wonder how many songwriters think to themselves, "Damn! This song that I just completed is a Hit!"
Only to later realise that they'd subconsciously added melodic motifs from some obscure song they had heard somewhere before/it was by chance that it ended up sounding similar.
No one owns riffs but you only have a limited amount of patterns that are bound to repeat.
For example, when I first heard Miley Cyrus' "Party in the USA," on the riff on the word "Yeah," (the notes are the 6°- 5° - 3°- 2°- 3°- 5°- 3° scale degree notes), I immediately picked up that it is the same melodic motif in Mariah's song "Loverboy," on the last words of the first line of the verses of the song, for example:
"I got myself a lover
Who knows what I *like* "
The riff on the word *like* is identical to that riff in Miley's song.
(I'm not debating which came first, nor if it was a deliberate copy or not; just highlighting how similar melodic phrases can end up in different songs)
There are a limited number of notes in a fixed scale/key and so similar patterns are bound to occur sooner or later... The longer the melodic phrase, the less likely it will be repeated exactly in another song entirely by chance, but it can still happen.
Man, I grew up with this song and never made the connection (I grew up in Japan)! I actually didn't know the song was that old. Really cool to hear about this. Great video
They gotta teach like this in schools man. You got me invested from start to finish. 👏👏👏
Already do in Japan's, heh
After listening to Green Green, I have to say it's actually quite a good song. Thanks for this!
3:46 Literally sound like the Band performance in Super mario Odyssey
Never knew the Mario theme was inspired by T-Square. Overall this video was incredibly interesting, insane to me that an obscure 60's song from the US would end up becoming that popular on the other side of the world, I bet a lot of people in Japan aren't even aware of the original
Have you ever watched the video of the levan polka? A song so popular every few years they change the lyrics to make it modern and the last version of it was more popular here in the US than its own country.
It’s also said that the Underground theme was heavily inspired by a song from an album Lee Ritenour was featured in… ‘but “Let’s not talk about it”😉
"YA SEE LUIGI, DAD LEFT TO FIGHT IN THE WAR! HE CAME BACK, BUT NOT REALLY. I REMEMBER WHEN MAMA LUIGI SAID TO HIM 'WHO REALLY DIED THAT DAY, AND WHO CAME BACK?'"
In 11th grade i read A Streetcar Named desire and that polka song that plays sounded like the mario world title theme to me
This reminds me of when I made a short story, and accidentally named one of the characters with the exact name of a friend's D&D character. I didn't even know it.
So for a while I was paranoid that I was stealing people's ideas and it made it difficult for me to do things.
But now I realize that's just how things work. And that's why I think copyright is a bit of a problem more than sometimes.
the idea that any idea is original is completely unoriginal
@@everlight5733 and the act of accusing someone of being unoriginal is also very much unoriginal... hahah
@@everlight5733 and the act of accusing someone of being unoriginal is also very much unoriginal... hahah
Intellectual property only serves as a hindrance.
I don't think you understand what copyright is. Whatever you need to justify your piracy though! Just be like me and don't care.
Koji Kondo has the same age as Gibson's SG (Les Paul at the time). Two music legends.
Very fun video. I remember hearing green, green, as a child, and thinking it was Mario until the song continued. One that always stuck out to me as well, was Bomb Jack 1984, using the Bealtes song "Lady Madonna" as the game's main theme.
I think most fans of Hotel Mario probably knows this but the theme of the intro is basically the same that one of the songs used in one of the old Little Women's movie adaptations so it's not an independent phenomena. Art in general is built over the accomplishment of others that came before so, it makes me think how many music that is iconic today was derivate from something else.
Hotel Mario fans?
@@Unkown-il9oz They meant the intro of Hotel Mario. Little Women by Max Steiner sounds the same as the intro.
@@Unkown-il9oz A.K.A RUclips Poopsters
The SMW overworld theme was also inspired by Dave Seville's Witch Doctor
I first heard Green, Green as one of those songs they played at the end of Nichijou's second half of episodes
Same
Same here
wait, they did that?
@@liamvachon8782 Yup! Various songs were sung by sung by a child choir or in a childish tone while a panning birds-eye view of the town went by. It'll never replace ZZZ for me, but it was certainly interesting
I completely forgot that it was an outro
Koji Kondo is for sure in my top 10 composers of all time. Man is a genius. He's able to draw influnces from so many places, and make them fit cohesively into a game. He also kind of has his own feel to his music. In newer Nintendo games, where Kondo doesn't do the music, it's done in his style. A few decades down the road, he will have had a huge influence on music as a whole, especially instrumental stuff.
haha doctor who nerd lmfao
@@thasmin I made this account in like 7th grade, and I do not have the heart to change it.
@@americantimelord8720 now you're in 9th grade
Man… you’re an amazing person… oh, and thanks for the video by the way!
I had actually heard of the Japanese version of this before, it was an ending song for an anime, Nichijou My Ordinary Life.
Nichijou!
Ay I love that series.
I lived in Japan for a year when I was 8/9 years old to live with family and we'd start each day at school singing a song out of a songbook. I remember singing green green with the class and that was only 7 years ago. Had no idea it was an old American pop song until today
Stumbling across this story is wild, because it somehow manages to be like a cross-section of a lot of my interests. I almost immediately realized when the song was named what it was, since in a video from Todd in the Shadows on Barry McGuire, he mentions Barry being in the New Christie Minstrels and the song shown is Green Green. And then when you get to Mrs. Green Apple singing it, I immediately flash back to the anime Fire Force where their song Inferno is used as an opening.
Great video. I had heard Green Green many times growing up on one of those Readers Digest folk/oldies compilation albums from the 70s, but I had never made the connection to SMW probably due to the differences in the melodic rhythm. Very interesting to learn about the Japanese connection to that song.
Remembers me about how the "Route 209" Theme from pokemon diamond and pearl sounds like "21 guns"
@@liamallerdice6118 you're not being a grammar nazi, you're just not really making any valid point. Because to say one song "sounds like" another has nothing to do with which song came first. He didn't say either song came first, he said they sound alike. It would be different and you would have a point if he had said that it sounded like Route 209 was inspired by 21 Guns, but that's not what he said.
Oh yeah, also worth nothing that 21 Guns is very heavily inspired by ELO's Telephone Line, so both of those songs definitely sound similar to Route 209. Telephone Line obviously came first since it is from 1976.
@@ninja_tony it also sounds similar to All the Young Dudes by Mott the Hoople from 1972
Don't forget Sowing the Seeds of Love by Tears for Fears
A summer place theme also sounds like a mario song to me...
“I don’t have access to your webcam.”
lmao ofc you d-
“Yet.”
…i suddenly feel very threatened
I noticed the similarity a few months ago and wondered if there was a connection. Glad to see it answered!
(My dad is of an age to have heard the original Green, Green and was humming it while visiting. I instantly recognized the tune as what plays when you meet Yoshi.)
i discovered this song from an ending sequence in Nichijou to find out it was originally in english. between this and 1961's Stand By Me, think I'm starting to discover a love for 1960s american pop
Not surprising. It's like how Clock Town's theme reminds me of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" or how Glitter Gulch Mine has the "Shave and Haircut" ditty in it
On a similar note, Zelda's Lullaby also sounds a lot like "Concerto For Philodendron & Pothos" By Mort Garson
The Pipe Maze theme from Mario 3 is also very similar to “Baby’s Tears Blues” off the same album
Im pretty sure that is part of the reason why his music is so catchy. Even when he remixed a pop tune he put his own flavor and syncapation in it to give it the spice everyone loves
:0 I remember hearing that music before, (not “Green, Green”) and I didn’t know it was related to Super Mario World. So interesting!
Max where you at b. Thank you for the cool video idea, and thank you Thomas for the cool video.
i'm here!! thank you!!
Yeah, so, I made that connection when the game was on display for playing at target when it came out. I think I’d heard my mom sing it before, and recognized it. Didn’t think it was a big deal at the time. Lots of music comes from other music. You should hear the tunes John Williams used to create the music from Star Wars.
It's so incredibly interesting how these musical motifs keep reappearing throughout the decades!
When I hear green greens, I think of Kirby’s green greens. It was a course in The Kirby series and the main h to theme for Kirby In Smash. I think it’s funny how it’s a Mario related song with the name of a Kirby world!
soop
*vibes to the amazing digital circus main theme*
I always wondered why the song Life Is Beautiful from Deadly Premonition sounded so much like the SMW overworld theme. I assumed that DP's composer cribbed from Kondo's work, but now I suppose they both borrowed from the same source.
I watched a youtube video a few years ago about this.
Quite a few Mario songs are copies.
Ironic, when Nintendo are so quick to throw the copyright book at anyone who posts their IP online
Taking inspiration from is not the same thing as plagiarism. Most people who claim these are copies have little to know knowledge of music composition to realize they are not copies.
@@bromothymol
I've been trying to figure out how people distinguish between inspiration and plagiarism. I think Kondo coming forward and being honest with the work he referenced points to it being inspiration, because he's giving credit to the original artists and respectful to their work rather than claiming full ownership.
Then there's John Williams, who has "composed" tracks for films that can be so similar to the works of classics that it's hard for people to distinguish some of them between the original and "John William's version." Not only that, but I've never heard of him giving any credit to Stravinsky or any of the other composers he lifted ideas from, and considering that he and his employers have made millions of dollars off of this music, I'm inclined to call him a plagiarist that's profiting off the works of classical legends.
@@bromothymol And the things Nintendo copyright strikes people for aren't copies either..they were inspired from their franchises.
@@bromothymol LOL pretentious much? You don't need " knowledge of music composition" to know a track is a copy or even parts of it. This is the very definition of "reject the evidence of your eyes and ears": the final most essential command, big brother. Whether you believe the intent is tribute or to plagiarize is up to you, but considering the song was popular in Japan, anyone could've called Kondo out a long time ago, but if someone put parts of a well known song like Jingle Bells into their song, why even bother? It's obvious.
@@testerwulf3357 Are you talking about OTHER video games or RUclips videos which feature Nintendo content? Because I'm pretty sure Nintendo has never done the former.
I meant to make a video about this a few years back, but there's an 80s hip-hop song that has the 'Green, Green' theme during a synth solo, but it sounds like it has even more to the song that SMW picked up.
I legit was playing the overworld song a few hours ago at school on piano. I did not expect this. This was nice. :)
If you wanna skip ahead, go to 8:15 for the direct comparison.
Thank
shout out to my man max for the help, but this was a great video!! please keep it up!!
"How could an American song have so much influence on Japanese design?"
Jojo fans: actually...
I initially read this as "Joji fans" and was somewhat confused
Lmao
Hey.
Hirohiko Araki: Nigerundayo!
What?
That is so cool! Truly, you're the one to find out these things.
I first heard Green Green in Nichijou in one of the endings (Easy enough to RUclips Search Nichijou Green Green!), it always stuck out to me, I eventually found the original version, noticed it reminded me of something, and the RUclips comments were talking about it sounding like Mario's Overworld theme. Anyway, I find it funny that a more obscure Japanese Anime led me to discover an obscure American Song.
1:32 "No I'm sorry it's actually 'Green Greens' from Kirby's Dream Land!"
WAIT!- So did Deadly Premonition get it from Super Mario World or Green Green???
Asking the real question
Oh wow! There’s another song that sounds like a Mario song. I though Let’s not talk about it by friendship was the only one.
I just found your channel and I am really enjoying your content and the uniqueness of your documentaries you're not just rehashing the same subjects that you can get on a million other videos on RUclips about retro gaming.
That said I also heard rumor that it was not uncommon back in the day for video game music composers to steal songs similar to what was popular at the time and put them as music to video games
Weird, it sounds a lot more like the English version than the Japanese version
It doesn't imo, only the piano segment on name that tune does. ruclips.net/video/PfxgbsXeTdE/видео.html
@@alex.thedeadite ah okay.
It is slightly more similar to the American version than the Japanese version in terms of notes and rhythm. Neither version is very close to SMW as a whole, as the similarities quickly disappear after only one measure. But in that first measure, the American version contains one melody difference compared to SMW, and the Japanese version contains two. We should note that the chord progressions are not actually the same as is claimed in this video.
They used the theme from “it’s a summer place” (or at least it’s called something like that) for a Mario kart wii track “shy guy beach”
You are GREAT! I love these vidz. You knew this info back in 2019?!!!
9:39 “and for all the people who are not Max”
THAT'S ME, THAT'S ME :D
THAT ALSO ME
SAME!!!
OMG I HAVE BEEN MENTIONED IN A TGD VIDEO! WOOOO!
Maybe change the title to The pop song that inspired Nintendo. I think it’s disrespectful to Kondo
ya it wasnt copied
You have a Twitter acount. WOW! I am so proud of you!
"I'm looking forward to seeing you then. Not literally. I do not have access to your webcam, YET"
😳