The Super Mario Bros. Movie had box-office success in large part due to its musical soundtrack, which gave its characters and plot more depth and emotional connection than the viewers might have otherwise had. Involving actor and musician Jack Black was a a big part of this success. Some have even suggested that Black’s involvement is the only reason that the movie has done so well. The musically-talented comedic actor is able, in his own unique way, to extract the raw emotion of a character and translate it into lyrical and musical prose, making a scene unforgettable.
The power ballad “Peaches” sung by Black’s villainous character Bowser quickly won the hearts of listeners and made the Billboard Hot 100. Co-written and performed by Black, this success of scaling the charts marked for him a new achievement, although his movie fans already know that Black has notable musical talent which has often been showcased in his previous films. According to Variety, “Peaches” is eligible for an Oscars nomination for Best Original Song. There must be something to this catchy tune.
“As we were trying to get the point across of Bowser’s feelings for Peach, it seemed more fun, funny and sweet if we had him sing a song about it,” director Aaron Horvath explained. “Jack Black is an incredible singer and musician, so we spent a night writing the song and sent the demo to Jack,” he explained. “A couple days later, Jack sent us back a finished track. He had added his own twist on it and his pianist played an original music track for it. We were blown away.”
In the video game movie, Jack Black’s character belts out a love song to his adored Princess Peach while accompanying himself on the piano. If you’re like me, the “ear worm” of the chorus lyrics, “Peaches, Peaches, Peaches, Peaches, Peaches” can wiggle its way in and become irksome, but thankfully the song’s beautiful melody and chord progression override the repetitive lyrics. Overall, the song has a smooth, jazzy syncopated rhythm. It is playful and silly yet beautiful and romantic. Naturally, it is an easy song to cover on the piano and has received many requests for tutorials on how to play this iconic video game movie song on the piano.