What would The Super Mario Bros. Movie be without this song? Diminished, that’s what! The Jack Black-penned tune, “Peaches,” which is not to be confused with the 1990s hit by The Presidents of the United States of America, was one of the most beloved tunes of the year.
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But how did the song, which was nominated for a Golden Globe this week for Best Original Song, come about and what was the inspiration behind its silly lyrics?
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Jack Black
In the 2023 animated film, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, the actor and musician Jack Black voices the character of Bowser, a ruthless villain trying to take over the Mushroom Kingdom (this is also the plot of the video game the movie is based on). But he has a softer side, too. Bowser is in love with Princess Peach, the daring but beautiful ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom.
When you employ a talent like Black, you’re not just getting a dynamic actor. You’re getting a musical artist, too. He, of course, is one-half of the hard-rocking Tenacious D. But while Black had been in tow for the movie for some time, it took almost a year for the makers of the film to spring the idea for a song on him.
The Song’s Origin Story
Written from Bowser’s perspective, the piano-driven song is an ode to his love, Princess Peach, as the title of the track indicates.
“There was no talk of singing until about halfway through the recording process,” Black told IGN earlier this year. “We already had a few sessions, I think we were like a year in when they first sprung it on me. They were like, ‘How would you feel about Bowser singing a song?’ So I said, let me hear what you got. They sent over this little song, and I just couldn’t deny that it was funny. I was like, ‘I get it, I see why you want Bowser to do this.’ Tickling the ivories and singing a love song to Peaches, it’s undeniable.
“I was like, ‘Is this really gonna be in the movie?’ And then by God, they put it in the movie, and I’m really stoked for people to see this new sensitive side of Bowser,” Black added.
The final product is rather undeniable. In the movie, Bowser, a big green turtle-like lizard, sits down at a piano and belts out the ode for the Princess, who, he sings, is “so cool.” Together, Bowser hopes, they will “rule.”
The Writers
For the track, Black worked with Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic (the movie’s directors), Eric Osmond (who provided vocals on the song’s original demo), and John Spiker, who is Black and Tenacious D’s piano writer. At first, Horvath was thinking of creating a metal-esque song for Black, more in line with the Tenacious D sound.
But the movie, which made hundreds of millions of dollars in just days upon its release, enjoyed a little sonic twist of fate. The song became a funny over-the-top piano ballad that elucidates Bowser’s love for Princess Peach.
Black sings,
Peach, you’re so cool
And with my star, we’re gonna rule
Peach, understand
I’m gonna love you ’til the very end
Then he sings her name over and over in the catchy chorus:
Peaches, Peaches
Peaches, Peaches, Peaches
The Response
While the song was a hit for both fans of the movie and of Black’s, it did get some criticism. Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com, derided the tune, saying, “How on Earth a film like this gets a rock talent like half of Tenacious D and doesn’t let him unleash a few clever Bowser tunes is one of this film’s many mysteries.” He also called it “Truly uninspired.”
The track, which hit No. 56 on the Billboard Hot 100, was Black’s first solo song to hit the charts. Check out the track’s two music videos below, one animated and one live-action. Combined they’ve garnered some 150 million views on YouTube, alone.
Photo by Presley Ann/Getty Images
