Editing Cave Stage

{{Infobox-Music
|track=<tabs>
<tab name="Kirby Super Star">
[[File:KSS Cocoa Cave Sample.oga]]
</tab>
<tab name="Kirby Air Ride">
"Stadium: Target Flight":
[[File:KAR Target Flight Sample.oga]]
"Top Ride: Metal":
[[File:KAR Metal Course Sample.oga]]
</tab>
<tab name="Kirby: Canvas Curse">
[[File:KCC Rift Ruin Sample.oga]]
</tab>
<tab name="Kirby Super Star Ultra">
[[File:Cave Stage KSSU.mp3]]
</tab>
<tab name="Kirby and the Rainbow Curse">
[[File:KRC Grievous Gondola Ride Sample.oga]]
</tab>
<tab name="Kirby: Right Back at Ya!">
[[File:Cave Stage KRBaY.mp3]]
</tab>
<tab name="Kirby’s Dream Collection Compilation Soundtrack">
[[File:KDCSE Electro Kirby Cave Stage section.mp3]]
</tab>
</tabs>
|caption=Various arrangements of the '''"Cave Stage"''' theme.
|game1=''[[Kirby Super Star]]'' (1996)
|lastgame=''[[Kirby: Planet Robobot]]'' (2016)
|game=<small>''[[Kirby Air Ride]]''<br>''[[Kirby: Canvas Curse]]''<br>''[[Kirby Super Star Ultra]]''<br>''[[Kirby and the Rainbow Curse]]''</small>
|composer=[[Jun Ishikawa]]<ref name=Ishikawa>''[[The Very Best of Kirby: 52 Hit Tracks]]''; while no specific credits are given, only Jun Ishikawa out of the two ''Kirby Super Star'' composers is credited for the tracks in the album.</ref>
}}
{{Distinguish|the theme from [[Kirby Super Star]]|"[[Underground Stage]]" from [[Kirby's Adventure]] or "[[Forest Stage|Cave/Rocky Area]]" from [[Kirby & The Amazing Mirror]]}}
'''"Cave Stage"'''{{foreignTitle}} is the theme that first played in the [[Cocoa Cave]] stage in ''[[Kirby Super Star]]''. It was initially composed by [[Jun Ishikawa]].<ref name=Ishikawa/> The theme has had a number of rearrangements, but not as many as other more notable tracks throughout the [[Kirby (series)|''Kirby'' series]].

==Composition==
[[File:KSS Cocoa Cave screenshot 02.png|thumb|200px|left|The slide in Cocoa Cave.]]
"Cave Stage" is a theme set in the C Mixolydian mode and 4/4. It starts with a four bar intro that mostly only has one long dissonant chord, an inverted diminished triad, being held up by a synth, alongside the piece's main percussion and bass pattern. At the end of the fourth bar, a rapid array of short notes play in preparation for the next section (a trait present before every section change of the track), that introduces the song's first main motif: it is eight bars long, with the first four bar featuring groups of a long note conserving momentum followed by a descending passage of short notes, while the last four bar consist mostly of spread out detached notes. This motif is repeated with a different instrument in a higher pitch and with some changes along the way; in particular, more notes are added to the second half. The percussion then switches the track to its second motif, this one only two bars long and more focused on rhythm, and consists of three groups of four chords played at a consistent interval in a progression from C to B-flat and back, a trait that would later become prominent in tracks such as "[[Stage: Comical]]", "[[Mini-Game (theme)|Mini-Game]]" or "[[Gorgeous-Go-Round]]". This motif is played twice in succession. Following are eight melody-less bars focused on the percussion and a quiet, chromatically descending bassline. The last four bars of this section feature additional percussion in their second halves. The second main motif is repeated twice again, followed by another eight bars of the same percussion section. The track then returns to the intro and loops.

==Game appearances==
===''Kirby Super Star'' / ''Kirby Super Star Ultra''===
"Cave Stage" made its first appearance in ''[[Kirby Super Star]]'', and naturally reappears in the remake ''[[Kirby Super Star Ultra]]''. It first appears in the [[Cocoa Cave]] stage in [[Dyna Blade (main game)|Dyna Blade]]. The theme also plays in the Planet [[Cavius]] stage in [[Milky Way Wishes]].

===''Kirby Air Ride''===
In ''[[Kirby Air Ride]]'', there are actually two distinct versions of "Cave Stage". The first is the version titled '''"Stadium: Target Flight"''', which is an orchestral rearrangement of the song which plays in the [[Target Flight]] [[Stadium]] mode in [[City Trial]]. The song is largely faithful to the original, but features an extra bit of melody at the end before looping.

The second track is a techno-based version of the song which plays in the [[Metal (course)|Metal]] course in [[Top Ride]]. This version is simply titled '''"Top Ride: Metal"''', and is arranged by Jun Ishikawa.<ref>''[[Kirby: Planet Robobot]]'' [[Jukebox]]</ref>

===''Kirby: Canvas Curse''===
A slow paced remix of "Cave Stage" plays in [[Rift Ruin]].

===''Kirby and the Rainbow Curse''===
A remix of "Cave Stage" plays in some parts of the [[Gondola Ride]] stage in [[Orange Woodland]]. This version is titled '''"Grievous Gondola Ride"'''.

===''Kirby: Planet Robobot''===
The "Metal" remix from ''Kirby Air Ride'' is reused in [[Patched Plains - Stage 6 EX]].

==Other appearances==
The original version of "Cave Stage" was included in the compilation album ''[[The Very Best of Kirby: 52 Hit Tracks]]''.

The theme is featured in the episode [[Born to Be Mild - Part II]] in the Japanese version of ''[[Kirby: Right Back at Ya!]]''. It is titled '''爆走！デデデス・レース''' ("Burn Rubber! Dedede's Race") on the album ''[[Kirby & The Amazing Mirror Sound Plus]]''.

Track 43 from the ''[[Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition Compilation Soundtrack]]'' titled "Electro Kirby" features a remix of the theme in the background at part 0:39-0:56.

==Names in other languages==
{{Names
|ja=洞窟ステージ
|jaR=Dōkutsu Sutēji
|jaM=Cave Stage
}}

{{ref}}

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{{Navbox-KSS/KSSU Music}}
{{Navbox-KAR Music}}
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{{Navbox-KatRC Music}}
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[[Category:Music in Kirby Super Star]]
[[Category:Music in Kirby: Right Back at Ya!]]
[[Category:Music in Kirby Air Ride]]
[[Category:Music in Kirby: Canvas Curse]]
[[Category:Music in Kirby Super Star Ultra]]
[[Category:Music in Kirby and the Rainbow Curse]]
[[Category:Music in Kirby: Planet Robobot]]