Gradius arcade game bootup sequence, featuring “Morning Music.” The Konami “Bubble System” hardware on which some versions of Gradius ran used a type of magnetic “bubble memory” that required a warmup period (literally — it needed to warm up to around 40-50°C, according to Wikipedia) before becoming operational.

Because Konami is (was?) wonderful, the machine used this time to play a little tune while a countdown elapsed. I think it’s lovely, but how much do you think Japanese arcade operators hate “Morning Music?” I bet it’s a lot. I know how I feel about the DDR 3rd Mix intro music after working in an arcade for just a couple of months.

tags / arcade / konami / morning music / gradius