# The Rainbow Road Song > The Rainbow Road Song is a 2008 viral music video by Mark Kump, set to Mario Kart: Double Dash music, whose earnest lyrics about his late uncle spawned the meme that Rainbow Road is where people go when they die. The "Rainbow Road" Song is a viral music video uploaded to YouTube in 2008, featuring singer Mark Kump performing an original tribute song set to the background music of Rainbow Road from *Mario Kart: Double Dash!!*[2]. Written in memory of Kump's recently deceased uncle Walter, the earnest yet absurd lyrics spawned an internet inside joke that Rainbow Road is where people go when they die[3]. The video generated dozens of remixes and YouTube Poop edits throughout the late 2000s and 2010s[4]. ## Origin Rainbow Road first appeared as the final course of the Special Cup in *Super Mario Kart*, released for the SNES on September 1, 1992 in North America[1]. The course became a signature element of every subsequent *Mario Kart* game, known for its extreme difficulty, lack of guardrails, and rainbow-colored floating track set against deep space backdrops[1]. On February 20, 2008, the YouTube account RhymesWithStomach uploaded a video titled "Rainbow Road" in which Mark Kump sings to the Rainbow Road audio track from *Mario Kart: Double Dash!!*[4]. According to multiple sources, the song was written as a tribute to Kump's "beloved uncle Walter," who had recently passed away[3]. The full lyrics open with the now-iconic lines: "It's called a road, it's called a Rainbow Road / It is a road that you go"[2]. - **Platform:** YouTube - **Creator:** Mark Kump (singer/songwriter), RhymesWithStomach (YouTube uploader) - **Date:** 2008 ## Overview The "Rainbow Road" Song is a fan-made tribute video featuring Mark Kump singing original lyrics over the Rainbow Road background music from *Mario Kart: Double Dash!!*, the fourth installment in Nintendo's kart racing series released on the GameCube in 2003[6]. The song blends genuine grief with surreal humor, as Kump sings about Rainbow Road being "a road that you go when you die" while referencing Princess Peach, Mario, and Toad[3]. The tonal whiplash between a sincere memorial for a dead uncle and a Mario Kart level gave the video its distinctive comedic quality, making it a staple of early YouTube remix culture. ## How It Spread The video quickly gained traction in YouTube's early meme ecosystem. The song's repetitive structure and the unexpected emotional sincerity of its premise made it prime material for remixing[4]. YouTube Poop creators latched onto the video, producing numerous edits that distorted, rearranged, and recontextualized the lyrics[4]. The most lasting cultural contribution was the internet inside joke that Rainbow Road is the afterlife. This concept spread beyond the original video and became a recurring reference in gaming communities[2]. When former Nintendo president Satoru Iwata died on July 11, 2015, and a rainbow was spotted over Nintendo's headquarters in Kyoto, the joke took on unexpected poignancy as fans shared images of the rainbow alongside references to the song's core idea that Rainbow Road is "where you go when you die"[2]. The song also gained coverage from gaming music blogs. Original Sound Version featured an article praising the track, writing: "I don't know what exactly it is, but I haven't been able to stop listening to and singing along with Mark Kump's YouTube video tribute Rainbow Road"[3]. ## How to Use The "Rainbow Road" Song is typically referenced in two ways: 1. **Direct quoting** — People quote or sing the lyrics ("It's called a road, it's called a Rainbow Road") in gaming discussions, especially when playing any *Mario Kart* game's Rainbow Road course. 2. **Afterlife joke** — When a beloved figure (particularly in gaming or internet culture) dies, fans sometimes reference Rainbow Road as their destination, drawing on the song's central lyric that it's "a road that you go when you die"[2]. ## Cultural Impact The "Rainbow Road" Song sits at an interesting intersection of gaming nostalgia and early YouTube culture. While modest in view counts compared to later viral hits, its influence on internet humor around death and video games proved durable. The Satoru Iwata rainbow incident in 2015 demonstrated how deeply the "Rainbow Road as afterlife" joke had embedded itself in Nintendo fan culture[2]. Rainbow Road itself, independent of the song, has appeared across numerous Nintendo properties and other media. The course featured in *Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS* as a playable stage[1] and appeared in *The Super Mario Bros. Movie*[1]. The *Mario Kart* series has sold over 189 million copies worldwide, making Rainbow Road one of the most recognized course designs in gaming history[5]. ## Fun Facts - The song is set to the background music specifically from *Mario Kart: Double Dash!!*, the 2003 GameCube entry that introduced two-rider karts and character-specific special items[6]. - The full lyrics mention Princess Peach, Mario, and Toad by name, placing them as fellow travelers on Rainbow Road[3]. - Rainbow Road courses typically feature few or no guardrails and are set in deep space or Earth's atmosphere, making them among the most punishing tracks in each *Mario Kart* game[1]. - *Mario Kart: Double Dash!!* sold around 7 million copies worldwide, making it the second best-selling GameCube game behind *Super Smash Bros. Melee*[6]. - The uploader's YouTube handle, RhymesWithStomach, does not in fact rhyme with stomach. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is the "Rainbow Road" Song? It's a viral YouTube music video from 2008 featuring Mark Kump singing an original tribute song over the Rainbow Road background music from *Mario Kart: Double Dash!!*[4]. ### Where did the "Rainbow Road" Song come from? The video was uploaded on February 20, 2008, by the YouTube account RhymesWithStomach[4]. ### What does the "Rainbow Road" Song mean? The song was written as a tribute to Mark Kump's deceased uncle Walter, using the Mario Kart level as a metaphor for the afterlife[2][3]. ### How do you use the "Rainbow Road" Song meme? People typically quote the lyrics when playing Mario Kart's Rainbow Road or reference the "where you go when you die" joke when someone passes away, especially in gaming communities[2]. ### Is the "Rainbow Road" Song still popular? The song is a classic piece of early YouTube meme culture. While active remixing has slowed, the "Rainbow Road as afterlife" joke still surfaces in gaming communities, most notably after Satoru Iwata's death in 2015[2]. ### What game is the "Rainbow Road" Song based on? The background music comes from *Mario Kart: Double Dash!!*, released for the Nintendo GameCube in 2003[4][6]. ### Who is Mark Kump? Mark Kump is the singer and songwriter of the "Rainbow Road" Song, who wrote the track as a tribute to his uncle Walter[3]. ### What happened when Satoru Iwata died? When Nintendo's president Satoru Iwata passed away in July 2015, a rainbow appeared over Nintendo's headquarters in Kyoto. Fans connected this to the song's lyrics about Rainbow Road being where you go when you die[2]. ### What are the lyrics to the "Rainbow Road" Song? The song opens with "It's called a road, it's called a Rainbow Road / It is a road that you go" and features the recurring line "It's where you go when you die"[3]. ### When did Rainbow Road first appear in Mario Kart? Rainbow Road debuted as the final course of the Special Cup in *Super Mario Kart* on the SNES, released September 1, 1992 in North America[1]. ## References 1. [Rainbow Road - Super Mario Wiki, the Mario encyclopedia]() 2. [Mark Kump – Rainbow Road Lyrics | Genius Lyrics]() 3. [Original Sound Version It's called a road, it's called a Rainbow Road]() 4. [The "Rainbow Road" Song - Know Your Meme]() 5. [List of unofficial Mario media]() 6. [Nintendo]() 7. [Mario Kart]() 8. [Mario Kart: Double Dash]() 9. [GameCube]() 10. [Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Wikipedia]() 11. [Mario Kart: Double Dash - Wikipedia]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/the-rainbow-road-song Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library