To find all 3 songs in The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, you’ll have to speak to different NPCs. Each song is useful for different reasons, but all will come in handy both for mandatory and optional objectives.
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How to Get the Ballad of the Wind Fish
To learn the Ballad of the Wind Fish, you’ll need to speak to Marin after getting the Ocarina. The earliest you can do this is after you get Marin’s help to awaken the sleeping walrus south of Animal Village.
After Marin sings for the walrus, she will head to Animal Village to perform for the villagers. If you have the Ocarina at this point, you can speak to Marin to learn the Ballad of the Wind Fish.
However, if you don’t have the Ocarina at this point, fear not! You can get the Ballad of the Wind Fish later. To do so, simply speak to Marin in Mabe Village after you rescue her on the Tal Tal Mountain Range.
What the Ballad of the Wind Fish Does
The main use of this song is to crack open the Wind Fish’s Egg to get into the final area of the game.
However, there is another use for this song. If you head back to the spot where Marin woke the sleeping walrus, you can play the song on your Ocarina to get a Secret Seashell. Simply stand in the spot where the walrus was once sleeping and play the Ballad of the Wind Fish. This will cause the walrus to appear in the water to the south and give you a Secret Seashell.
How to Get the Frog’s Song of Soul
To get this song, you’ll need to solve the signpost puzzle in the south of Ukuku Prairie (the area west of Pothole Field). Furthermore, you’ll need to pay Mamu the frog 300 Rupees before they will teach it to you. To reach the signpost field, you’ll need to use Hookshot that you get from Level 6 – Face Shrine. The Hookshot will let you cross the gap between the Telephone Booth in Ukuku Prairie and the signpost field.
How to Solve the Signpost Field Puzzle
In order to solve this puzzle, you’ll need to follow the directions of each signpost. While the rules are clear, the game will try to trick you in a manner of ways. To avoid getting duped, be sure to follow each signpost’s direction in a straight line.
After you’ve read all the signposts in the correct order, a staircase will appear in the center of the signpost field. This will lead you to the lair of Mamu the frog, who you can pay 300 Rupees to learn the Frog’s Song of Soul. Just keep in mind that you need to have the Ocarina to learn it—like with all songs in Link’s Awakening.
What the Frog’s Song of Soul Does
This song is primarily used to give life to unliving things. This is a broad way to say that it can raise the dead and bring stones to life. However, despite the functions seeming to be powerful, you’ll only need the Frog’s Song of Soul a couple of times.
The first time you’ll need this song is when you resurrect the dead rooster underneath the statue in Mabe Village. Push the statue to the side with help from the Powerful Bracelet (the upgraded version of the Power Bracelet that you get from Level 6 – Face Shrine). After that, descend the hidden staircase and play the Frog’s Song of Soul near the skeleton of the rooster.
The next time you’ll need this song is to awaken the beast guarding the entrance to Level 8 – Turtle Rock. The stone dragon at the entrance will only come to life after you play the Frog’s Song of Soul in front of it. Following your performance, you’ll need to fight the mighty fiend to clear the way into the dungeon.
How to Get Manbo’s Mambo
For this optional song, you’ll need to seek out the singing fish Manbo south of the Tal Tal Mountain Range. To find Manbo’s cave, head west from the entrance of Level 4 – Angler’s Tunnel. Doing so will bring you to a cave entrance adorned with 2 fish. Within, Manbo will be hanging out with some smaller fish.
All you need to do is speak to Manbo and they will teach you their song. The only real requirement is to have the Flippers (found in Level 4 – Angler’s Tunnel), as they will allow you to swim and reach Manbo’s cave. Besides that, you just need the Ocarina so that Manbo can actually teach you the song on an instrument.
What Manbo’s Mambo Does
Playing Manbo’s Mambo outside will let you fast travel to any Warp Point. Furthermore, the first time you do so, you’ll activate the Warp Point near Crazy Tracy’s house. The latter function will give you quick and easy access to Secret Medicine.
If you play Manbo’s Mambo while inside a dungeon, it will bring you back to that dungeon’s entrance. For the larger dungeons in the game, this can be an efficient way to navigate without needing to use the minor warp points that spawn when you defeat a dungeon’s main mini-boss.
Where to Get the Ocarina
The Ocarina is found within the Dream Shrine in Mabe Village. You’ll need the Power Bracelet from Level 2 – Bottle Grotto in order to enter it. Once you do, you’ll need to sleep in the bed inside the gray structure. This will transport you to a small pseudo-dungeon housing the Ocarina and a chest full of Rupees.
It is recommended to get the Ocarina after you get the Pegasus Boots from Level 3 – Key Cavern. Dashing with the Pegasus Boots will let you get past the cracked floor tiles and Arm Mimic enemies much easier than many other methods.
There aren’t any repercussions for getting the Ocarina late in the game. However, doing so sooner rather than later is more efficient. As such, you’ll be able to get the Secret Seashell from the walrus and learn Manbo’s Mambo earlier.
