The Nokia Tune comes from Gran Vals, a guitar piece composed in 1902 by Spanish guitarist Francisco Tárrega. Nokia adopted a short excerpt as a ringtone in the 1990s, and it soon became the company's signature sound, heard from millions of handsets around the world. As phones changed, the melody survived as a cultural shorthand for the early mobile era, shared in memes, videos and remixes. Its simplicity and instant recognition keep it useful for jokes about old technology, outdated habits and a time before smartphones.