A musical Super Mario 64 nugget

In an Iwata Asks column released today for Super Mario All-Stars, it was explained that the “Slider” and Bob-omb Battlefield songs from Super Mario 64 actually contain the same melodies. To be honest, it’s a bit difficult to detect, but the last few seconds of the video below should help you see the similarity. I wasn’t aware of this, so perhaps I’m somewhat oblivious!

Mahito Yokota: I’m a real game music fanatic. I love Mario music, and I think fans will like this selection, too.
Satoru Iwata: Can you give me a specific example?
Yokota: For example, “Slider” from Mario 64.
Iwata: Oh, that song! It certainly is catchy!
Yokota: I really like that song. I didn’t work for Nintendo when the N64 came out, but it’s a dear song to me. I had my wife listen to it saying, “This is a great song!” I didn’t notice at first, but it’s an arrangement of the aboveground background music for Super Mario 64. Iwata: Which did you make first, Kondo-san?
Koji Kondo: The aboveground BGM (background music).
Yokota: Oh, really? When I listened closely, the melodies were the same for “Slider” and the aboveground BGM. As a gamer playing the N64, I was impressed at how big a change an arrangement could make.

Also, although it wasn’t mentioned in the Iwata Asks article, the Snow Mountain song is the same as well. You can check out the full interview here.