326 
28 
Download MP3 
The tune comes from Nintendo's Super Mario Bros, first released in 1985 for the Nintendo Entertainment System, with music composed by Koji Kondo. In the game it plays when Mario loses a life, before play resumes, making it one of the most repeated sounds for anyone who grew up with the console. As gameplay clips, fail compilations and reaction videos spread online, the short jingle moved beyond gaming and became a universal cue for a mistake. Its brevity and instant recognition keep it useful for creators who need a clear, nostalgic fail sound without explanation.
About this sound
The short descending jingle that plays when the player loses a life in Super Mario Bros, often used in videos and memes to mark a fail or game over moment.
The familiar lose-a-life jingle from Super Mario Bros is a brief, descending series of notes that instantly signals failure in the classic platform game. Composed in a simple chiptune style, it drops in pitch and slows slightly at the end, creating a small, comic sense of defeat rather than real tension. Players hear it the moment Mario is hit or falls, just before the level restarts, so it has become shorthand for a mistake, a missed jump, or a bad decision. Even outside the game, the tune triggers nostalgia and a knowing laugh, because almost everyone recognises the sound of losing a turn.
