An analysis of the Wii Sports theme song by Kazumi Totaka

I will be taking a closer look into the first section (~30 seconds) of the Wii Sports theme song by Kazumi Totaka:

As a quick intro, this piece is the title theme song for Wii Sports, the Wii's initial flagship game. This is probably one of the first songs people hear upon turning on the Wii. Yet, even today, this piece brings nostalgia to many who owned a Wii in their childhood. How does Totaka ingrain this piece in our heads? I want to answer that question in this post; specifically, I want to analyze how Totaka makes the opening motif so catchy and iconic of Wii Sports.

We immediately start off with the infamous motif:

This is harmonized with IV moving to I, which creates a plagal cadence on the very first measure. This abrupt opening pre-loads this theme into our heads, which will be repeated countless times later in the piece.

From measures 5-12 (0:06 - 0:21), Totaka uses a variety of methods to slowly build energy, which makes the resolution in measures 11-12 that much more cathartic.  First, these eight bars  form a rough parallel period. Measures 5-6 and 9-10 use a similar rising pattern with the same half - half - dotted eighth - dotted eighth - eighth - dotted eighth rhythm. The parallel period structure makes us feel "at home" in measures 11-12.

Secondly, we can see that the harmonic progression in the first four measures end with a vii6, instead of the traditional half cadence or incomplete authentic cadence:

(in B major, soprano is a Bb clarinet)

This doesn't feel very resolved at all. It is finally resolved when we follow a Isus2 - ii - II progression in measure 12, where we actually end on a major II chord.

In addition:

• Totaka uses a continuously rising bass line from measures 5-7 and 8-11, which gives a sense of rising urgency.
• Totaka harmonizes very little in the first four of these eight measures (0:06 - 0:13), but brings in additional voices at measure 9 (0:14) to provide more energy.
• The percussion lead-in (0:05 - 0:06) moves from eighth notes to sixteenths to thirty-seconds.

This all finally leads up to measures 11 and 12, where -- surprise, that beginning motif comes in to capture all of the building energy and end the parallel period. I argue that because it is the motif that ends the slowly building tension, it becomes more memorable to us.

The end of the 8-measure phrase, which returns to the original motif

Furthermore, although measure 12 is not the climax, it sets up a sequence of repeated variations of this motif, which ultimately lead to the climax later in the piece. In measures 12 - 16 (0:21-29), Totaka repeats the phrase, leaping down to a low F# instead of the high F#, then repeats the whole phrase shifted up an octave. These variations really make the motif central to the piece.

This motif aside, Totaka effectively creates a playful, bouncy mood (which is exactly what you want from a video game title song!). I think he accomplishes this using three main techniques. First, the dotted eighth - dotted eighth - eighth rhythm (3 + 3 + 2) creates syncopation that keeps the audience off-balance and excited. Second, although most of the piece contains no leaps, there are many instances of leaps from tonic to dominant, both leaping up and down. These sudden jumps down a fourth or up a fifth are a core part of the piece and help create a playful mood. Finally, Totaka uses a total of nine key changes throughout the piece, and uses them to present the motif in many different contexts. One instance of this is between measures 16 and 17 (0:30), where he modulates up a half step to pump some more energy into the piece.

Using a variety of techniques presented in this post, Totaka does a great job making the Wii Sports theme song a fun, catchy, and nostalgic piece that our generation will remember for years.