“Listen and Reflect Upon Yourself” — A Short Essay on 35 Years of the Legend of Zelda’s Music

11 min readFeb 21, 2021

Today is the 35th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda (“Zelda”) video game series.[1] I grew up enthralled with Zelda games and happily still play them to this day. Because it is arguably the most influential single vein of media in my life, I figured I would set aside a few hours on its anniversary to write a short tribute to my favorite part of the series — its music!

I must start by saying it is difficult to overstate the cultural “success” of Zelda’s music. The series’ most iconic melodies are instantly recognizable to gamers across East Asia, North America, and Europe,[2] the series is unanimously revered by the medium’s most famous commentators,[3] and the music is performed / reimagined nearly constantly in symphonic,[4] electronica,[5] and various other genre specific formats.[6][7][8] Because of the enormous scope of “Zelda music” as a subject matter, a complete summary would be impossible in a full book, much less a short essay. Accordingly, I am going to just accept my limitations and intentionally restrict my commentary to three topics: (a) Kōji Kondō; (b) Gameplay, Virtue, and Identity; and (c)Compositional Intertextuality.

Kōji Kondō

As incredible as it sounds, nearly all of Zelda’s thirty-five years of music stems from a single man — Kōji Kondō.[9] Despite lacking formal music education, Kondō was hired as Nintendo’s first “music composition specialist” employee when he was only twenty-three and has worked for the company ever since.[10] Kondō is responsible for the music behind several other Nintendo series (including Super Mario Brothers, Yoshi’s Island, and Star Fox) and is, by my humble estimation, second only to Shigeru Miyamoto as the most important creative force in the multi-billion dollar company’s history,

It is difficult to get into the nuts and bolts of what makes Kondō’s compositional style so iconic without wading into the oft-isolating waters of music theory. However, eschewing technicalities, I will make three general points:

(a) First, Kondō’s melodic style prioritizes memorability through simplicity, repetition, and rhythm. For instance, Zelda’s “Lost Woods” main theme revolves around a very simple three note rhythm repositioned across a very basic two chord progression.[11] Despite this simplicity, give “Lost Woods” a listen and just TRY to get it out of your head.[12]

(b) Second, Kondō is versatile and able to compose themes to fit every mood and location within Zelda’s famously expansive and varied worlds. The man is so multifaceted that music theorists have dissected nearly every dimension of his work, including what makes certain pieces just so “creepy,”[13] “timeless,”[14] or “adventurous.”[15]

(c) Third, though extremely commonplace today, Kondō pioneered dynamic changes in a game’s music to reflect the circumstances of the player in-game; e.g. speeding up the tempo of a song when your time is running out[16] or altering an arrangement to reflect a character’s new position; e.g. getting on / off Yoshi[17] or going underwater.[18]

Entire books have been written on Kondō’s brilliance and influence,[19] so I will not try to exhaust the subject here. Instead, I will leave you with the single best Kondō’s anecdote I know. In 1986 on the eve of publishing the original Zelda, Nintendo discovered the game’s intended main theme — Maurice Ravel’s “Bolero”[20] — was not yet part of the public domain. Facing obvious legal liability, Nintendo panicked and turned to Kondō for a miracle. In response, Kondō pulled an “all-nighter” and wrote, arranged, and programmed “The Legend of Zelda: Main Theme”[21] in less than a single day.[22] The game was shipped on time becoming an instant classic and Kondō’s overnight work has become one of the most iconic video game themes of all time.[23]

Gameplay, Virtue, and Identity

Zelda was one of the first series to embrace music as a mechanical and diegetic component of its games. That is, within Zelda games “music” is not just an audio track abstractly playing over the game’s events observable to only the player. Instead, music is a central component of the game’s events and is witnessed by the characters within. Link performs and experiences music within the logic of the game along with the player. For this reason, experiences with music within Zelda games is almost always central to the story and the player’s assumed identity within that story.

This centrality of music was, in part, a function of Kondō’s composition who specifically attempted to “integrate” his music into the “rhythm of the game” to avoid being merely “background noise.” However, most of the credit here goes to the developers who achieved this centrality by making music an active component of Zelda’s gameplay. Zelda games have an enormous breadth of activities attendant to adventure games. You run. You swing a sword. You smash pots. However, to me, the most special thing you “do” in a Zelda game is change the world for the better by learning and play music. Tapping buttons on a controller to play a few notes of a wholly imagined instrument may not sound profound but, to me, it feels that way. Link’s identity as a “silent protagonist” underscores this centrality. As he never technically speaks, a player’s performance of music through gameplay is often one of the player’s primary methods of expressing themselves through Link.

While there are literally hundreds of instances wherein “music is important” throughout the Zelda series, some of the most obvious broad categories are as follows.

(a) Music has “real” power. Perhaps the most important and consistent thesis Zelda presents is that music has real power. Music is not merely the material vibration of air molecules nor ornamentation to more important events. Instead, music has an explicitly magical capacity to shape and change reality in ways that impress profound and intimate meaning on the characters and player. More often than not, music’s “magic” is quasi-religious and roughly overlaps with the litany of common supernatural miracles; e.g. transformation of the body, healing of the sick, and resurrection of the dead.[24] Examples are numerous, but the most obvious ways in which “music has power” are as follows. In Zelda games music can: (i) reveal or grant access to important and often sacred locations;[25] (ii) restore, comfort, or revive the injured, dispossessed, and dead;[26] and (c)command time[27] and space.[28] As a general rule, Zelda exists in the “semi-real fantasy adventure” genre wherein natural laws exist and supernaturality requires some sort of explanation. In Zelda games, that explanation is simple “music” which is presumed to be inherently powerful.

(b) Musicality is part of a virtuous identity. Zelda is unambiguous that knowledge and mastery of music is essential to being a more complete hero. Zelda’s presents musicality as a type of virtue and frequently encourages music as method of self-reflection and improvement. Further, music is almost always one of the systems through which a Zelda player can “level up” their avatar, Link and growing in your musical powers is required to progress through the game.[29] Additionally, there is frequently an intimate relationship between a Zelda game’s characters’ identity and music. “Important” characters have specified leitmotifs and / or instruments associated with them; e.g. Sheik has a theme that incorporates her harp[30] and Kass’ theme features his iconic accordion.[31] It is difficult to imagine Zelda characters without their identifying themes and instruments. Further, the games want you to associate music with identity and often make solving puzzles or quests contingent on your ability to do so.[32]

(c) Artifacts and people that enable music are valuable. “Music” can often feel very abstract because, in the abstract, it is merely compositional information and, in material reality, it is the “invisible” movement of energy waves through air molecules. Accordingly, for a lot of people, it is hard to “picture” music and, in the heavily visual format of video games, picturing concepts is a pretty big deal! Zelda makes music more concrete by centering and elevating the material artifacts and people that make music possible. Some limited examples include: (i) the centrality of instruments as both tools and goals in almost literally every game;[33] (ii) the overrepresentation of musicians or composers as identities;[34][35][36] and (iii) songs and instruments being venerated as methods of mentorship or inter-generational cultural transmitters.[37][38]

It is hard to overstate just how intertwined music is to Zelda gameplay, so, I suppose I will end this section with a bizarre party game analogy. If challenged, I could comfortably explain the events of almost every title within the world’s best-selling video game franchises in one-hundred words or less[39] without reference to “music” or attendant concepts.[40] I could not do so for the vast majority of Zelda titles without being intentionally obtuse. Music is such an essential and central component of Zelda games that the series simply could not exist in a recognizable form without it.

Compositional Intertextuality

Like other mythopoetic texts, the Zelda series re-tells the same or similar stories with slight variations across the various individual titles.[41] Each Zelda game is, in abstract, about a courageous hero and a wise princess fighting to save a kingdom from a powerful villain. The series’ canon, while intentionally vague, goes so far as to explicitly state that the main characters are all reincarnated / interconnected versions of one another and they are fated to repeat their actions.[42] Thus, while details vary, the essential structure of the games remains remarkably similar with consistent plot points[43] reinforced by intentional geographic and cultural self-reference.[44]

Zelda’s music perfectly — and I really mean perfectly — captures this storytelling convention by constantly referencing, reimagining, and reincorporating the previous games’ musical material into new games. To again avoid too much music theory, I’ll use the analogy of an established touring band’s conflicting interests between playing “the hits” and “the new stuff.”[45] Zelda addressing this conflict by ensuring that each game’s “new stuff” is full of not only original material but also dense and consistent reference to “the hits.” Every new installation finds ways to “quote” or “rhyme” the beloved older material, normally in a way that teaches you something about the world you are exploring

Breath of the Wild — Zelda’s most recent installation — provides some particularly poignant examples which, for simplicities’ sake, all involve the same “trick” of hiding a familiar melody by slowing it down.[46]

(a) The “Temple of Time” theme within Breath of the Wild is a sparse and tumbling piano arrangement[47] who facially reflects a strong break from the series’ familiar church-hymnal associated with the sacred location.[48] However, if you speed up the new theme and listen carefully, you can hear that it is just a subtle reimagination of the previous hymnal’s melody in a new format.[49] This quotation / restructuring reflects the eternal and constant nature of the Temple of Time across is manifold manifestations.

(b) Similarly, behind “Horse Riding (Day)” theme’s rollicking main piano melody you can hear a faint string melody playing in the background.[50] On careful inspection, this “background melody” reveals itself as a slowed down version of Ocarina of Time’s iconic “Zelda’s Lullaby.”[51] Many people, including myself, suspect this reflects Link fondly daydreaming about Zelda as he carries on his many adventures.

(c) The “Rito Village”[52] theme had already established itself is one of the most iconic new melodies in the series. However, shortly after release, gamers discovered that if you speed this theme up, you will find the Windwaker’s much-beloved “Dragon Roost Island” theme[53] hidden within.[54][55] This melodic layering emphasizes the continuity of identity between the two locations across the two games.

From the Marvel Cinematic Universe,[56] Star Wars,[57] or Harry Potter,[58] the largest media projects of the twenty-first century have been obsessed with storytelling by intertextual reference. Audiences love “easter egg” moments as a reward for the dedication and attention. Well, I have got great news for you. If you like “oh, I know that!”[59] moments and have attentive ears, there is no corpus of work more rewarding than Zelda’s music.[60] The music within each new title almost always borrows heavily from the past to both evocate familiar themes or give the player subtle “just under the surface” information about the world they are exploring.

Conclusion

In Ocarina of Time, the mysterious character Sheik[61] guides Link through the game’s several dangerous dungeons. At the Water Temple, she gives Link this cryptic message.

“Time passes, people move… Like a river’s flow, it never ends.

A childish mind will turn to noble ambition. Young love will become deep affection. The clear water’s surface reflects growth.

Now listen to the Serenade of Water to reflect upon yourself.”

In the last thirty-five year, the Zelda series and I have grown up together. Throughout that time, these beautiful games motivated me to reflect on so many topics and grow as a person. Without Zelda and its music, I almost certainly would have not learned the importance of being a moral agent as a child, taught myself music theory as a teenager, nor started DJing video game music as an adult. Insofar as this essay has a purpose, it is to simply to share my love for the incredible legacy of Zelda music with any audience interested in learning about the same.

Thank you kindly for reading,

Scott Kane

[1] https://gamerant.com/legend-zelda-35th-anniversary/

[2] https://youtu.be/juICb7XcM9M

[3] https://www.game-grooves.com/blog/gg-asks-zelda

[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrpWBgB6oz8&ab_channel=krb

[5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4eH8tQORX8&ab_channel=Mikel

[6] https://youtu.be/9qhWc3eXOkQ

[7] Including a metal band called MASTERSWORD I saw in Chicago right before the pandemic hit! Nice people. Here’s a video from the performance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c67sZBf4Zr0&ab_channel=MasterSword

[8] https://youtu.be/pDH3g6rRjM8

[9] https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Koji_Kondo

[10] https://youtu.be/WbADp8j6XiA

[11] The secondary theme has much more complicated chord structure but we won’t discuss that here. :D If you want more information, check this breakdown out: https://youtu.be/m-Orh5jxQGE

[12] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ljqe4Nj7nBA&ab_channel=Nintendo-Reuploads

[13] https://youtu.be/HlNFaaW3sB0

[14] https://youtu.be/zydSe04G6KQ

[15] https://splice.com/blog/legend-of-zelda-overworld-harmony/

[16] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SV-8Zh-uED0&ab_channel=GilvaSunner

[17] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDnRAmPdHMg&ab_channel=Clem

[18] https://www.mariowiki.com/Dire,_Dire_Docks

[19] https://www.amazon.com/Kondos-Super-Mario-Bros-Soundtrack/dp/1628928530

[20] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r30D3SW4OVw&ab_channel=TheWickedNorth

[21] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5biIXoKAHo&feature=emb_logo&ab_channel=GuyKazama

[22] https://zelda-archive.fandom.com/wiki/The_Legend_of_Zelda_Theme

[23] https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2016/11/an_intriguing_tale_of_how_the_legend_of_zeldas_iconic_opening_song_almost_never_happened

[24] https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Miracle

[25] In Ocarina of Time, the “Song of Time” allows the hero to access the Sacred Realm and the Master Sword. In Skyward Sword, the primary use of the Goddess’s Harp is to open gateways to sacred places.

[26] Essentially the entirety of Majora’s Mask is counseling the grief stricken through various songs, especially the Song of Healing. Similarly, many “puzzles” located in a person’s intransigence are resolved by playing a specific song for them; e.g. you need to play “Saria’s Song” to cheer up Darunia and receive the Goron’s Bracelet in Ocarina of Time.

[27] In both Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask, the game’s central mechanic revolves around the use of music — the Song of Time, specifically — to travel across time.

[28] In the original Legend of Zelda, a magical flute allowed Link to “warp” between locations. Similar conventions have followed in several games, including Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask. Slightly differently, in The Wind Waker, the wind is itself a “conductible” natural force that aids movement.

[29] Your literal progression in “completing” several games — especially Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, and Skyward Sword — all involve learning specific songs which frequently are associated with virtuous attributes; e.g. healing, heroicism etc.

[30] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Yc7kp_ETGU&ab_channel=TektiteTriforce

[31] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrvZrBCR6-A&ab_channel=PeachesLamb

[32] E.g. to get past the giant Goron guarding Snowhead Temple in Majora’s Mask, you don’t play just any song but, instead, Goron’s Lullaby specifically because you can see he is a Goron and you want to calm him down.

[33] The best example is probably Link’s Awakening’s Instruments of the Siren, but, more generally see https://zelda.gamepedia.com/Instruments_of_the_Legend_of_Zelda_Series

[34] https://zelda.gamepedia.com/Composer_Brothers

[35] https://zelda.gamepedia.com/Kass

[36] https://zelda.gamepedia.com/Octavo

[37] https://zelda.gamepedia.com/Kass

[38] https://www.zeldadungeon.net/wiki/Medli%27s_Harp

[39] Roughly the length of this paragraph.

[40] https://www.wikiwand.com/en/List_of_best-selling_video_game_franchises

[41] Consider the broad analogy to the world’s diverse but similar “flood myths” which all re-tell a facially similar story of divine retribution for moral error through natural disaster. https://www.wikiwand.com/en/List_of_flood_myths

[42] No spoilers!

[43] https://www.twoguysplayingzelda.com/news/reds-ramblings-the-zelda-games-are-just-retellings-of-the-same-legend/

[44] https://youtu.be/KMqJcURtwI4

[45] https://youtu.be/2iPJqVVGxx8

[46] There are so many other examples like these within the series’ history. If you ask OR EVEN SUGGEST you are interested, I would be happy to provide more. For instance, almost all of the howling Twilight Princess references melodies from other games without specifically stating as much. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixf-_DZS1O8&ab_channel=Master0fHyrule

[47] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apgzJyE3Mq0&ab_channel=DystifyMusic

[48] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mc7BCZFP9Ww&ab_channel=TektiteTriforce

[49] https://youtu.be/XacS48dsDyg

[50] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I97A3w0-pG4&ab_channel=ThunderBlueHero

[51] https://youtu.be/3vPtkrTof74

[52] https://youtu.be/Kk4uGUrM868

[53] https://youtu.be/FkwhtdCW5rI

[54] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50TuRT7yuZg&ab_channel=OverpoweredGoron

[55] There is a great more compositionally dense write up on this here: https://www.zeldadungeon.net/musical-musings-check-out-the-not-so-hidden-motifs-of-rito-village/

[56] https://scriptmag.com/features/fragments-6-fit-intertextual-tightrope-marvel-cinematic-universe

[57] https://geekmom.com/2016/01/the-force-awakens-intertextual-winkingly-referential/

[58] https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1057%2F9780230523777_8