Sabrina Carpenter’s chart-topping hit “Espresso” has captured fans’ attention beyond its catchy lyrics and rhythmic beat, sparking widespread speculation about a surprising musical connection to video game history. The song, which prominently features the lyric “switch it up like Nintendo,” has become the center of a musical detective case that has captivated both pop music enthusiasts and gaming aficionados across social media platforms.
Music mystery meets gaming history as fans dissect Carpenter’s “Espresso” for its potential Zelda inspiration.
The theory, which gained significant traction through TikTok, suggests that composers of “Espresso” deliberately incorporated melodic elements from “Zelda’s Lullaby,” an iconic theme from Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda franchise. Content creators Morgan Brook and Kyle James Alm have been particularly vocal proponents, creating side-by-side comparisons that highlight similar note progressions and rhythmic patterns between the two compositions, particularly in the song’s introduction and chorus sections.
Musical analysts examining both pieces note several shared characteristics, including comparable ascending melodic figures that follow similar contours. However, significant differences in timing, key signatures, and note arrangements have led some experts to question whether the resemblance constitutes deliberate interpolation or mere coincidence.
Neither Carpenter nor her production team has officially confirmed any intentional borrowing from the video game soundtrack.
The debate has flourished particularly on TikTok, where users have created numerous videos demonstrating the alleged similarities through piano covers and vocal performances. These comparisons have generated substantial engagement, effectively creating a cultural crossover moment between contemporary pop and classic gaming communities. The viral discourse surrounding these musical parallels has helped propel “Espresso” to 2.3 billion streams since its April 2023 release.
Those supporting the interpolation theory point to the contextual evidence of the Nintendo reference in lyrics, suggesting the melodic similarity represents a clever Easter egg for gaming-savvy listeners. Skeptics counter that the musical differences are substantial enough to indicate coincidental resemblance rather than intentional sampling.
The absence of formal credits to Nintendo or Zelda composers in the song’s documentation further complicates definitive conclusions about whether this musical parallel represents deliberate homage or fan-created connection. Production analysis reveals that the main beat incorporates several Splice samples that may have influenced the final composition.