A list of what I feel are the top 50 best NES songs. I tried to be as objective as possible, with no prejudice toward any type of game or musical style. I check for 10 things: melody, harmony, rhythm, dynamics, production, development, narrative, sophistication, exuberance, and scale. After listening intently to nearly every NES soundtrack imaginable, this is the list I came up with. It was revised several times. It's original incarnation had 10 songs that were gradually replaced, and many of the songs were re-ordered.
Note: I did not include pieces that use expansion chips (so no Akumajou Densetsu, Gimmick, Madara, Lagrange Point, FDS tracks, etc); this is a 2A03 only list. I felt like it would have been too much on the side of "apples and oranges" with expansion chip pieces dominating the list.
50. Batman Returns --- Gotham Plaza
Outrageously funky beat composed to perfection. Great funk devices are all over the place, such as brush stroked grace notes, prolonged seventh chords, intermittent triplets, and pronounced phrases treading a blues scale at different ranges of the keyboard. The breakdown has a melody that pauses at unusual times to allow the high arpeggiated riff to assert itself in a profound way, as if it jams unique motifs in between the lead melody's breaths. They unify amazingly at the end before being blown apart by a slow rhythm killing phrase that restarts the piece. It restarts in a way that makes the song feel more vast than it actually is.
49. Akumojou Special: Boku Dracula kun --- Hop and Step Above the Clouds
Well structured piece imbued with great transitions, response phrases, and pickup motifs. The melody contrasts the beat spectacularly to generate a nice polyrhythm, and it has a perfect balance of staccato and legato textures. End section is noted for having a square lead that takes over the song's main beat while the rhythm section drums up another.
48. Solomon's Key --- Room
It sounds like a trio of Israelites are jamming in a room to illustrate a tapestry of emotions, such as perplexity, frustration, bravery, and triumph. There are pronounced melodies in the lead-in and conclusion, and complex intensifying runs in the introduction and breakdown. The arpeggiated bassline delivering a clever chord progression is equally emotional and original.
47. Contra --- Alien Lair
Ingeniously structured string of terrifying phrases that jump out at the listener at unexpected times. Each group of gruesomely textured phrases contrasts the last like a different monster from a different planet. It's incredible that it loops in just over 20 seconds.
46. Time Lord --- Castle Harman
Medieval serenade with a touch of surrealism. Technical precision from beautiful pizzicato lutes and harrowing flute leads carefully stitch together a heroic tale. The tender gallop in the middle of the piece is strikingly contrasted by a couple of loud gobstopping pitch slides. Huge amount of variation in repetitive sections allow sophisticated passages full of reflection, especially toward the end of the piece as it rides off into the darkness from which it was born.
45. Shadow of the Ninja --- Stage 2
Super cool ninja action music with incredibly well done build ups and releases, at times using extreme outbursts from the square channels. In this progressively turbulent piece, the percussion from the noise channel enhances the tension of melody at key times, especially in the final section of the song where snares seem to be spraying fills on every measure.
44. Final Fantasy II --- Battle Theme 2
Depicting an assortment of unnerving emotions, this piece is littered with intimidating melodies, decrescendos, and unsuspecting escalations. Because the musical phrases change pace and texture every few measures, it has a very theatrical feel to it, like someone playing a piano to emulate the sporadic scenes of a tempest. The harmony is well polished, and the triangle bass flawlessly integrates with the pounding squares without feeling like a distraction.
43. Starship Hector --- History 1
Busy but balanced song that does its best to use every element of music to deliver its confidently pleasant narrative, consisting of numerous timely echoes, fades, rests, rhythms, and responding counterpoint motions. After an onslaught of joyous phrases, tension starts to rise toward the middle of the piece, with phrases that progressively reflect minor tones. Even after what seems to be the climactic moment of the song (the echoing phrases plunging in a minor key), the carefree conclusion deals the song's negativity a fatal blow, pulling off another climax with a surprising development that is more illustrious than the listener would expect, halting the song at its end to pause for a moment of pure happiness.
42. Over Horizon --- Stage 2
Aggressive song full of fiery melodies, thrilling cadences and amazing percussion hits. In the first part of the piece, a fearful voice is enflamed by the crackles of the supporting square channel's hectic counterpoint. Meanwhile, the triangle wave seamlessly ties percussive hits into the beat alongside the noise channel while pumping sixteenth notes into its bassline. The noise channel itself has impressive drumwork full of spraying snares that really stand out. A different set of voiced leads in the second half calms the piece to give the listener a chance to soak in the song's intense emotion rather than be continuously bombarded by it.
41. Bionic Commando --- Albatross Tower
Resembling an overture for a 20th Century a war film, this piece is blasting with anger, fear, and struggle in a fight for good versus evil. It has great transition devices, and the droning tenor triangle constantly adds a creepy dissonance to each harmonization of the leads despite coming from a different instrument. The second half of the song is a higher pitched variation of the first half. The lead prematurely disrupts it with its falsetto, boiling into an epic climax.
40. Blaster Master --- Ending
Comforting "farewell" song full of high spirits with a genial melody and delicately crafted harmony. In the meditative introduction, the melody from the squares and the triangle bassline are providing two beautiful voices together here, and their partial harmonization in the responding phrases lock further emotion into the piece. When the response is called a second time, it is a lengthy variation that serves as a transition to the song's main event. The first part of the main event kicks off its chief theme with a couple of harmonic variations. The chord progression is really well designed below the repeating phrases, surprising the listener with augmented grace while they expect cliche ear candy, and it continues to do so for the rest of the piece. After a differently textured lead voice kicks in over arpeggios, the song is nearing full throttle and its emotion is brimming by the time the main theme returns, and its underlying arpeggios fire off periodic high notes that are amazingly pleasant and unexpected. At a slightly higher volume, the second voice concludes the song after the main theme's reprise with a melody that convinces the harmony and rhythm to land safely.
39. Erik the Viking --- Peace in the Harbour
Entirely atmospheric piece depicting a placid beach scene. The lead melody is mostly composed of sound effects, such as bird calls and sea waves. These serve as responses to soft bends from the squares that quickly warp across several octaves. These play over fragmented chords in the form of eighth notes from the supporting square. These soft staccato notes alternate duty cycles on each note, and chant over a humming bassline with a subtle vibrato. The lead in the final part of the piece plays long delicate notes hovering over the harmony.
38. Jurassic Park --- Level 1
Catchy song with a well developed beat. The popping rhythm is immediately enticing from the start, and evolves with some atmospheric devices thrown in as it matures, including tom hit linked with the triangle early on, and quiet phrases from the lead square that has its pitch, volume, and instrumentation heavily manipulated. After a rapid slide with rapid tremolo from the square, the song shifts into full gear. When its chief melody kicks in from the lead square, every other sound channel is extravagantly contributing to the beat, most notably the supporting square interchanging thudding bass hits with arp hits. The lead melody tapers off excellently and leaves room for the listener to appreciate its primal beat for a few measures.
37. TMNT 3: The Manhattan Project --- Bridge of Danger
With air tight performance from a distinct electrical lead, this piece executes quick pitch bends and tremendous variation in texture to augment its funky melody and street fighting theme. It is nonchalantly woven with outstanding response hooks, staggering request phrases, transitions that fade into rapid firing tom fills, and a dense polyrhythm.
36. Mega Man 2 --- Metal Man
This song is built with the idea of a heroic melody gradually overtaking the song's mechanical polyphony. The buzzy lead at the song's introduction fights off a masterwork of counterpoint, whipping it down as it approaches the cadence; by the third act, the lead melody is echoing off the walls of the stage at full force. Riddled with momentous fills, riffs, and transitions, it was carefully constructed with many subliminal effects that quietly jumpstart its responding phrases.
35. Maniac Mansion --- Bernard's Theme
Electronic rock song with lots of well constructed dissonance. It has counterpoint in the form of ambient noises, splattered over a square riff doing a deep robotic voice, and under a very catchy triangle lead. A calm ambient section fit for a rocket scientist takes over in the third part of the song and gives much needed space for the listener.
34. Snake's Revenge --- Jungle Infiltration
Awesome riff, excellent narrative, and a Hollywood level production. Every channel is working hard and is as thick as jungle brush. Melody and counterpoint take over fantastically in the bridge.
33. Pictionary --- Mini Game #2
A progressive rock star jam flush with thick drums, a warping bassline and bizarre melodic runs from otherworldly instruments. A superbly catty electric guitar solo toward the end caps off the piece.
32. Castlevania 2 --- Silence of the Daylight
Town music with phenomenal counterpoint and atmosphere. Stuffed with elaborate response motifs that also act as pickups for the next phrase to keep the listener on edge, every sound channel is singing along and straddling one another at choice times, emulating a busy town scene. In stunning fashion, the song's main groove breaks at its peak and recovers by confidently asserting its climactic phrase. The two concluding statements at the end mirror each other ironically with different levels of energy and emotion, setting the tone to regroup the piece so it can once again recursively explore its own established environment.
31. Dragon Fighter --- Into the Depth
Clearly an invigorating escapade into a deep unknown. The opening bars instantly hype the listener, reiterating with more musical layers to a brilliantly effect. There are many lucid echo effects throughout to convey several ideas of vastness and darkness, especially from the squares and triangles in the lead-in segment. The bass and drums are less static and more pertinent than one would initially perceive, enhancing particular melodic strings at the beginning and end of certain measures. The melody oscillates with struggle beautifully in the final segment before being stabilized definitively by the final cadence.
30. Captain Tsubasa II --- Before the Final Match
Somber beat drenched with leads that endure exhaustion and anxiety. Fantastic build-up and counterpoint in the opening half, enclosed by a pair of unique electric slides. The agonizing leads in the song's looping segment have arguably the greatest use of two squares playing the same note on the NES.
29. TMNT 2: The Arcade Game --- Technodrome
Gripping transitions, intense variations and surprisingly disruptive melodic developments pronounce a theme of having to pull through a challenging situation. Heroic phrases such as those containing the soundtrack's signature leitmotif, contrast lavishly with ones that sound dissonant and dangerous to give a commanding sense of an ongoing fight.
28. Double Dragon II --- Shadow Boss
Empowering fight theme heralding a climactic final encounter. Without doing anything fancy, the composer shows a mastery of using harmonic intervals throughout the piece, texturing notes with major, minor and neutral chords at perfect times to communicate a specific train of emotions. The pain derived from the song's minor key is communicated as a confident strength, and the narrative is clear: the hero is focused, determined and winning. The second half of the song is in a major key, marked by a repeated staccato motif with variant harmonies that serve as intensifying cheers. Afterward, the song's excitement regroups back into the seriousness of battle before it celebrates too early.
27. Marusa no Onna --- Don't You Say Good-Bye
Monologue that captures the enduring spirit of accepting that some profound and beautiful things can't be attained. The overpowering leads with vibrato and reverb, slow tempo, descending chords, volume fades on drums, and unbound jazzy melodies eloquently illustrate a melancholy expression in a place of happiness. The main section with long drawn out brass notes, being responded by the fast paced meanders of high reaching notes augment this notion beautifully, as do the perpetual tradeoffs of highs and lows in the bassline.
26. Shatterhand --- Area A
Supercharged heavy metal theme geared at full throttle with volatile leads and a hyperactive rhythm section. The first part of the introduction, bulging with shrieks overlapping low-register thuds, is balanced by a reassuring response phrase in a more stable time signature. Brilliant counterpoint devices uplift the end of the introduction and the start of the chorus. The three bouncy chord strokes and ensuing pitch slides that resolve the repeated statement in the chorus act as heaving breaths that propel the piece toward its release sections: a brief verse in the middle, and a lengthier verse toward the end that stabilizes the energy of the piece before it reignites with its introduction.
25.Tantei Jinguuji Saburou: Toki no Sugiyuku Mamani --- Staff Credits
More laid back than a hippy in Hawaii, it's so lax that it needs tense phrases to relieve itself of its mellowness. It has a particularly delightful production unlike anything else on the NES, rich with fading triplets, note rolls, pitch bends, and a vivid drumset that accents the leads at opportune times. Brilliant transition from Part A to Part B.
24. Batman --- Streets of Desolation
Stellar drum fills and shocking response phrases work together like thunder and lightning here, charged by a rich melancholy lead over a furious blood-pumping bassline. There's remarkable transitions between the song's two emotive sections at the middle and end. The theme of using vigilante rage to overcome depressive decay overflows exuberantly throughout the entire piece.
23. Bionic Commando --- Enemy Base
Adventurous military theme with a bombastic melody that leads to a well executed over-the-top conclusion. Stupendous harmonics, polyphony and chord progressions in the middle and end sections, interluded by two poetic versions of a heroic theme.
22. Bandit Kings of Ancient China --- Ending
Really well written piece with two beautiful voices intertwining with each other, with a pleasant airy quality in the leads. The triangle bass also offers very competent harmony. It feels like a modern pop music love song. Great build up that kicks into full gear in the third act.
21. Mega Man 5 --- Gravity Man
Decidedly jazzy ode to science and discovery full of intricate harmonics and electro-ambient devices. The narrative reflects the excitement one gets from diligence while in the midst of a work of passion. The lead-in contains joyful requests and disciplined responses; the gracefully unsettling bridge is full of suspense and the promise of a breakthrough; the manic solo at the end, organically jammed with blue notes, triplets, and chromaticism, intelligently resolves into an upward rock n' roll guitar exclamation.
20. Rollergames --- Factory Maze
Dripping with semi-serious tones of suspense, focus, and excitement, this song is crammed with a diverse range of unique motions from every sound channel to deliver a very specific string of emotions. Before they start to meander off course, the casual lead-in melodies are slapped down unexpectedly by a turbulent cadence to immediately kick off the much more strenuous half of the song. The melodies and chords are very original in the elaborate breakdown that follows, and its climax bursts and settles with some jaw dropping phrases. The narrative of being on a morbid game show where the contestant is rollerskating across an obstacle course full of deadly stunts is well delivered here.
19. Overlord --- Title
This title work's immediate emotional presence never backs down due to an extraordinary development of its musical elements that are introduced every few measures. These include a chilling melody, an abnormally low triangle bassline, and an unusually well executed cloud of ambient arps that are rich in dynamics (these are usually annoying). It is an anthem to overcoming a dark situation that one is forced to live with. It is salvaged by a tinge of hope that gradually shines. In a surprising second verse, this hope springs into near invincibility as the piece nears its end.
18. Journey to Silius --- Stage 2
Dark, three-versed militant elegy in rondo form, armed with loud echoing leads, a thick bassline, and a momentous drumset capable of dealing huge fills. Introduced by a foreboding chorus with an ambient riff and a massive droning bassline, the leads vocalize extremely sad utterances that reverberate off the sky in each verse. They close with the drumset taking the lead as it plays a sensational solo, backdropped against a more fearful riff from the leads that fades in and out.
17. Magician --- Title
Masterful display of minimalism that uses extraordinary sound design to evolve itself dramatically, in both subtle and abrupt ways. The sweeping rhythm line from one of the squares introduced after a few measures in the piece drives the song and never lets up as new things are constantly introduced around it throughout the piece. These include a chord progression, meandering melodies, pitch bending notes, parallel harmonizations of its notes from other channels, slight changes in volume and echoes, and most notably, a shocking accompaniment from the triangle wave midway through that completely mutates the piece into a different dimension. The listener quickly forgets the preceding sections of the piece in way they forget preceding parts of a dream.
16. Adventures of Bayou Billy --- Jungle
Monumental duel between an electric guitar and a banjo, feeling much more rhythmic than melodic in an excellent way. The wild beat with bongos is easily among the best on the NES.
15. Castlevania 2 --- Bloody Tears
Haunting piece not reflecting darkness, but the blazing light of peaceful forests teeming with freakish abominations and monstrosities lurking among the oaks. The instrumentation from the leads are performed with a vocal precision to accent its heartbreaking narrative. With a flaming opening, weeping lead-in, and courageous resolution, it manages to be amazingly catchy, ambient, and emotional without ever tiring.
14. Mega Man 3 --- Title
Classic smooth jazz introduction sensationally erupts into a rock n' roll hit, instantly changing genres. The main loop is characterized by a head-banging lead, a haunting undermelody with sweltering textures, and a furiously galloping beat. You can hear the sweat flying off the instruments.
13. Yume Penguin Monogatari --- The Islands
Avalanching thread of extraordinarily colorful motifs that thrives to achieve a deeply comical narrative full of memorable passages and stimulating melodies. It is artfully unpredictable in nearly every respect, with just about every motif having its own instrumentation and rhythmic flair. It feels right out of "Pictures at an Exhibition", a lively portrayal of a jitterbugging subject that is delirious and intoxicated.
12. Treasure Master --- Worlds 3 & 5
Dreamscape of hypnotic melodies marked with sudden pauses and ambient sound effects. The frequent transitions are mindblowing, including a couple where a tune carefully fades out at the same time a completely different one fades in.
11. Metroid --- Mission Complete
Overwhelming victory celebration that is brilliantly revealed after its first few dark measures. It is followed by a victory march, a tender mid section and a jubilee of emotional fireworks before concluding with a gratifying salute to its listener.
10. Castlevania 3 --- Clockwork
Original baroque masterpiece in 8-bit. Beautiful melodies, counterpoint, and cadences maniacally populate the keyboard. Builds toward a thrilling, grandiose conclusion precipitated by a pulsating breakdown segment.
9. Captain Tsubasa II --- End Credits
Uplifting epilogue backed with an illustrious display of every part of music. It features lengthy sections with counterpoint warmly integrating with the melody, as well as a vibrant chorus, and a raving solo in the middle. Ends with the chorus floating up among the clouds to rest in the deep blue troposphere.
8. Ducktales --- The Moon
Catchy heartwarming tune gorgeously polished by its high-pitched astronaut riff. The dreamy opening is quickly exalted into unyielding happiness as the lead breaks into a glassy falsetto to join the riff way up in the stars. The main loop is properly balanced to keep it fresh, and its brimming with delight in the first half. The reflective lead in the second half of the main loop, charged by a slowly rising pitch bend, then launched by a super high arpeggio motif from the riff's instrument, is wisely allowed space for a harmonized solo, punctuated by more elegant prolonged notes. The riff beautifully kicks back in on the last really long note as a low pick up motif restarts the loop. It can easily be a tear jerker if the listener allows it.
7. Dragon Warrior III --- Staff Roll
Triumphant fanfare heralding victory. There are several distinct themes in the main segment of this piece that resemble classical music, rife with key modulations, counterpoint driven rhythms, and rubato in the cadences. The triangle wave links with the supporting square in many of the song's undulating arpeggios. A trumpeting section signals a halt to the prominent theme to introduce the song's final section, which is kicked off by the same introduction movement at the beginning. The horn sounding leads in the coda act as if they are about to end the song several times, meandering around with different chords, tempos and metric patterns before allowing the initial theme to return and end the piece with absolute finality.
6. Super Dodgeball --- Team USSR
Sports rock version of a traditional folk song, with several variations of it divided by a vivid Russian dance riff. One remarkable variation in the middle of this piece is awesomely accompanied by a gracefully high pitched counterpoint. There is a dense beat throughout from the noise, triangle and support square channels.
5. Silver Surfer --- Stage Theme 1
Outlandish jam that is able to improvise a symphony out of its whirlwind of psychedelic rainbow kangaroos and intergalactic space bananas. The introduction wastes absolutely no time developing its narrative, bursting up into a pair of long, sirening shouts before tumultuously squealing through the ceiling of its falsetto on a single note. A fast paced riff soon follows, shredding away in the lower registers as a foundation for ponderous tidal waves of towering phrases that inundate the middle of the piece. The elaborately zany solo near the end, charged by three preceding runs that stagger upward, ignites two psychotic phrases that are apparently sweeps racing up and down the keyboard, the second of which is easily the craziest noise in any NES song. It settles into a definitive phrase to restart the introduction.
4. Willow --- Ending
Cinematic jamboree of joyous musical movements including Bach-like passages, heroic marching themes, and moments evoking pastoral scenes. It exudes a theme of homesickness melting away to make room for an emotional homecoming event. As it nears its conclusion, there's a majestic passage that sounds like a thousand whistles, as if all the birds in the wilderness were singing the same melody and were all too far away from one another to be heard at the same time. A variation of the chief heroic theme ends the piece in romantic fashion with a vaulting progression ending loudly, followed by a delicate glimmering phrase after the loudness is silenced.
3. Mega Man 2 --- Dr. Wily Stage 1
The song opens up with immediate urgency and heroism as nearly every aspect of its musicality shoots off like a machine gun. The rapid melody with a tight harmony communicates a ferocious narrative on the side of good. It delivers a specific requesting phrase at the end of each statement to jumpstart the next. The phrase first reintroduces the initial statement for emphasis, then surprises the listener by kicking off the cool voice of the transition segment. The higher pitched transition sings a much more pensive and freeform melody, backed by periodic chirps from the triangle that way fly up into the same pitch level as the lead to blend with it and emphasize parts of it when it pauses to go back down to its bass level. The ensuing bridge segment with two sections of different tremolo voices cleverly has the song's initial melody playing underneath it as a harmonic device. At this point the song has become a fugue reiterating its introduced intensity, a perfect backdrop for a faltering lead that is rescued by an empowering one. The transition segment, once again heralded in by the signature requesting phrase, repeats itself one last time before the conclusion. There is nothing flashy about the song's finale. It is sung by the same wise voice that was at the song's introduction, announcing the pitfalls of its presented challenge and the power of overcoming them. The triangle gets notably involved in this section's cadences, resetting the song at its conclusion poetically with one, then two, then three notes from its bassline in a successive manner.
2. Solstice --- Title
Three minute masterwork of progressive rock delivered with the grandiosity of a symphony. It is notorious for it's quiet opening exploding into an atomic blast of arpeggiated chords, but the genius part of this are the responding phrases, especially the one that continues after the arpeggios settle. It transistions into an unrelenting renaissance faire jam. Just when it sounds like the song is about to end midway through, it transitions once again with another gentle fanfare lead interrupted by blasting outer space music. From then on, an even more elaborate jam tenderly takes over. It conludes with a series of prolonged trills that are responded by three stabbing notes.
1. Dragon Warrior IV --- Finale
A massive final movement expressing feelings of catharsis, lasting nearly 10 minutes. It has the feel of a major Romantic Classical piece, complete with questioning sections full of heartache that bloom patiently toward serene outbursts, like they do in a Chopin Ballade. Stacked between a calm introduction and momentous coda is a main theme that repeats itself 4 times, each time divided by three distinct interludes. The first of these interludes is particularly well written, with wildly different phrases sewn together to pronounce jubilation, slowing down on its last one with a ritardando to reintroduce the main theme. The triangle waves arpeggiate beautifully with the squares at times, a hallmark of this soundtrack, but here it is taken to its pinnacle in the start of the second half of the main theme, when the melody is laced over it without any sense of struggle. Even with limited production, not a second of it bores or irritates, entrancing the listener into it's depths and heights.