And it’s with that very notion that I present to you this clip from the 1985 film Clue, with gentle encouragement to listen to the music that plays at the exact moment the eight main characters split up to explore the mansion.
Above is the main theme from the beta version of Luigi's Mansion, Nintendo’s 2001 title that had Luigi cautiously sneaking around a spooky mansion. (For comparison's sake, here’s the final version of the theme.) He was looking for ghosts, not murderers like the Clue kids were, but I think the music sounds strikingly similar, especially considering the context. (The Luigi’s Mansion soundtrack consists almost entirely of different variations on that same melody. If there’s one where the instrumentation sounds more like the Clue soundtrack, I’m all ears.) I’m not saying “OMG ripoff,” of course. After all, what other musical cues would you consider for a scene in which characters explore a spooky mansion on a dark and stormy night? I just enjoy this little similarity between two pop culture entities that I wouldn’t have linked before, and I'm curious to know if anyone else hears the resemblance.
Myself, I don’t think I could watch this part of Clue now and not think of Luigi’s Mansion. All this via a tweet by Brad O'Farrell that sparked my interest.
Also of note: Guile’s Street Fighter II theme and The Square’s 1984 track “Travelers” (via), and the Super Mario Bros. 2 overworld theme and this version of “Smoke Rings.”
Video games and pop music, previously:
- Decisive Battle (of Final Fantasy Musical Trivia)
- Serge Gainsbourg and Final Fantasy VII
- The Wizards & Warriors II theme and Prokofiev’s “Montagues and Capulets”
- The Pixies do the theme from NARC
- Final Fantasy (the artist, not the game) and the star maze song from Super Mario Land 2
- Janet Jackson and Legend of Mana
- The ice music from Donkey Kong Country 2 and a Vangelis track
- Scissor Sisters and Mega Man, maybe kind of sorta
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