It’s the Arrangement of ‘Meta Knight’s Revenge’ 1996 Kirby Super Star
Kirby has been a beloved character for a good long while. What comes as a surprise though is that one of the Kirby musical tracks has been nominated for a Grammy this year, for best arrangement. Well, not quite Kirby. Let us explain.
Those who are familiar with YouTube may have already seen remixes and recreation of beloved fan-favorite tracks for various games in the past, everything from having songs played on a harp, to having them recreated on such things as rubber chickens or vacuum cleaners. This has been done with Kirby songs in the past, as well as other Nintendo games, such as The Legend of Zelda. There have even been music arrangements for titles such as Assassin’s Creed, Final Fantasy, and Skyrim.
The big deal though is that this is the third time that video game music, much less an arrangement, has been nominated for the Grammy Awards. The first video game nominated was for  Best Instrumental Arrangement with Vocalist in 2010, for Baba Yetu in Civilisation IV, which won. The second was for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media with Journey in 2013, which sadly lost to Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Currently, this cover of the Meta Knight’s Revenge has been nominated for the ‘Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella’ category, and was arranged by Charlie Rosen and Jake Silverman, and the track was performed by The 8-Bit Big Band featuring Button Masher. And honestly, even listening to the song thirty seconds in, it’s a great thing that this track from Kirby Super Star was acknowledged for all to see, and hear. It’s catchy and fun, with a great jazz twist.
Game music isn’t often acknowledged in the Grammy sphere, so it is a pleasant surprise when it is acknowledged. And, too, it’s been a while since there was a video game track nominated in the Grammys, despite some beautiful music tracks that players know and love. Music, as well as sound, can make or break the experience, and even if Kirby’s track doesn’t win, maybe people will remember that game music, even if they are recreated by fans, is not to be underestimated.
The full list of Grammy nominations can be found on the Grammy Website, while the music nominated is in the YouTube link above. For those who want to play Kirby Super Star, that can currently be found in the Nintendo Online Store.