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Argh, Matey! These piratey themes are better than a bottle of rum!

Pirates. Those dastardly sea dogs, those thieving scoundrels, those plundering treasure seekers! You gotta' love 'em, right? Pirates have appeared all throughout video games, often with unique piratey themes accompanying them. Today we look at eight awesome pirate themes from games. They range from goofy to catchy to very awesome! So get out your wooden leg, hook, eye patch, or whatever you have, and enjoy some piratey music! Aaaargh!!!

Jib Jig from Donkey Kong Country 2/Composed by Dave Wise

We're starting things off with a classic and simple, yet very good pirate theme. Dave Wise never disappoints. In the first game, he gives us a great jungle feel; in the second game, it's mostly about pirates. And this song fits pirates perfectly! The simple melody, the wind and rain in the background, and the overall feel are all piratey goodness.

Pirates Ahoy! from Final Fantasy V/Composed by Nobuo Uematsu

Another classic. Pirates were a big part of Final Fantasy V, one of the main characters being one, in fact (Faris, who you discover is a very manly woman!). This is Faris's theme really, and it's pretty sweet (sweet in a piratey rum sort of way). It's an adventurous theme with a twinge of mystery; you gotta' love those booming drums too! This one makes you want to hoist the sails and lift the anchor and set out on the high seas for adventure.

Sailor Island from Skies of Arcadia/Composed by Yutaka Minobe and Tatsuyuki Maeda

Skies of Arcadia is all about pirates--air pirates, that is. So there's a lot of piratey themes, but I decided to do this one because it's a little different. It sounds more Italian than anything, and that's why I love it! Sailor Island is a place where pirates can relax and enjoy themselves, and this song fits that feeling to a sailor's tattoo (that makes no sense, I know). I love the accordion! Skies of Arcadia has a great soundtrack overall.

LeChuck's Theme from The Secret of Monkey Island/Composed by Michael Land and Patrick Mundy

The Secret of Monkey Island has a great soundtrack, and it's all very piratey. I love LeChuck's theme. It's a very dastardly theme, if you know what I mean. Honestly, I could put any theme from the game here, as all the music is good and piratey. Perhaps more than any game, SoMI is a pirate game, so it gets special mention here. Good on you, mate!

Pirate Lagoon from Diddy Kong Racing/Composed by Dave Wise

We come to another Dave Wise song. This is one of my favorite songs ever! It's so catchy and upbeat. It plays during Pirate Lagoon and Treasure Cove, two water-based levels. DKR is one of the most challenging racers out there, but it's also one of the most fun, and the awesome music is one of the reasons for that. With music like this, you feel like you're really racing in style. The piano, bongo drums, and organ all mesh together to bring something so fun. It's more fun than a barrel of monkeys!

Sunken Ship from Super Mario RPG/Composed by Yoko Shimomura, Koji Kondo, and Nobuo Uematsu

Unlike the previous theme, this song is very dark and mysterious, which fits the creepy atmosphere of the sunken ship perfectly. We had to have atleast one theme on here that wasn't adventurous or catchy. The noise of the ship creaking only adds to the already eery feel. The Super Mario RPG soundtrack is probably the only one to be composed by these three amazing composers together. However, I do believe Shimomura did the majority of the soundtrack. Stellar job, m'lady!

Dragon Roost Island from The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker/Composed by Kenta Nagata, Hajime Wakai, Toru Minegishi, and Koji Kondo

You knew I was going to do something from this game, right? After all, Wind Waker is all about sailing, pirates, and adventure on the high seas. My favorite theme from the game is Dragon Roost Island. Wow! Such pizzaz and personality! Such style and life! It has a Spanish Pirate feel to it, which is different, but awesome nonetheless. It's energetic, yet enjoyable; boisterous, yet relaxing. Truly amazing stuff.

Pirate Ocean from Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz/Composed by Yuri Fukuda, Takashi Nagasaka, and Hideki Naganuma

Of all the themes on here, this one best captures that piratey feel. You wouldn't expect that from Super Monkey Ball! Yet this song has it all: awesome organ, mysterious feel, adventurous tone, and voices which lend it some spookiness. Wow! This one is truly a masterpiece! I never get tired of hearing it, it's so great! Argh, matey, that's some good tunage right there!