TV Themes You’re not Ashamed to Love: Part One
A TV theme song should never be some thirty-second theme tune you fast-forward on Sky+ because you’re sick of hearing it for the 100th time. It should be a full-length track, that makes the viewers think, ‘Wow! I’ve discovered a great show and a great tune’, and then make them download it and unashamedly have it on their iPod.
A theme song should make you feel the way you did when you first watched the show you loved, whether it is serenity with the friends in your life, or the belief that you’re powerful enough that you could go and catch ‘em all.
Enough hints, let’s get down to Part One of the list…
Pokémon
‘Pokémon Theme Song’ by Jason Paige
Pokémon is cool. Anyone who tells you otherwise probably had sex when they were twelve and caught every STI by the time they were sixteen. By the time I was sixteen, I had caught every Pokémon on Blue. Fuck. Yeah.
From the opening powerchord of the original opening theme, you feel powerful. Like a ten year old kid who leaves home, abandoning his single mother and camps out every night with a fit redhead in tiny denim shorts and a crop-top who you still don’t want to fuck because Pokémon are way cooler than sex!
Pokémon dominated lives, and I had to wait until I got to university before I could safely express my love for the show again. And every time I hear this theme, I still want to be the very best, like no one ever was!
And you can always recognise a true fanPokénerd if they also know every word to the second verse. Goose bumps. Literal goose bumps.
Scrubs
‘Superman’ by Lazlo Blane
Scrubs is a show that tells the incredible nine year journey of a young doctor, from intern to attending during his time at Sacred Heart Hospital. As viewers, we are let into the life of John ‘JD’ Dorian, as we witness his struggle for a successful love life, the deaths of his loved ones and overall watch his friendships blossom – moments in life everybody experiences and treasures forever.
Therefore, it’s no surprise many people could also relate to the lyrics of Blane’s title track, ‘Superman’. ‘You’ve crossed the finish line, won the race but lost your mind. Was it worth it after all?’ Relatable lyrics like these, combined with a mellow, Folky sound, can make anyone take a step back, take a deep breath, and observe the good things in their lives, reminding themselves, ‘I’m no superman’.
Unpopular covers of the song include the version they used for series nine… I mean, c’mon!
The Powerpuff Girls
‘The Powerpuff Girls (End Theme)’ by Bis
‘Blossom, commander and the leader. Bubbles, she is the joy and the laughter. Buttercup, she’s the toughest fighter. Powerpuffs save the day!’ Three girls that prove playing with chemicals can result in great things. Including a headbangingly catchy theme song.
If you know a guy, between the ages of 17 and 28 who says that he watched Cartoon Network and didn’t watch The Powerpuff Girls, he’s lying. Three tiny girls who could kick the crap out of monsters and criminals? Awesome! And what the fuck was that Him guy/girl all about?!
The reason this theme is so good, is because it’s as badass as the show! There’s even a video online of Christian Bale singing the song in an interview. See, even Batman loves it.
Friends
‘I’ll be There for You’ by The Rembrandts
Friendsis possibly the greatest sitcom of all time. Everyone has a favourite Friend, moment, relationship, joke, episode – whatever! But the fans also love one thing united, and that’s the theme song.
Like Scrubs, Friends was a show that showcased laughter within all the key moments in life, as six friends began their “adult” journeys in the greatest city in the world, New York City. And as the show became utterly addictive to global audiences, as did the opening pop-rock theme tune by the duo, The Rembrandts.
The theme was such a hit, that upon its release in 1995, it managed to break into the top 10 in seven countries, and has since gone to become one of the most recognisable TV themes of all time – I bet no one told The Rembrandts that life was gunna be this way… *ClapClapClapClap*.
WWE RAW
‘Across the Nation’ by The Union Underground
Between the years of 2002 and 2006, the largest professional wrestling company in the world, WWE, was using this theme for its flagship show of Monday Night RAW.
It was a time when viewing figures for the WWE were at their highest. Many huge names were still competing, like Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Kurt Angle, The Undertaker, Kane – names that teenage boys and unattractive fat men absolutely adored. And it was also a time where the content seemed completely unrestricted; we’re talking fit divas in bra and panties matches.
The WWE has always had a correlation with great Metal/Punk Rock music, and The Union Underground’s ‘Across the Nation’ might just be its greatest choice. The track’s heavy chords, rhythmic drumming and intense vocals mirrored the chair-swinging, choke slamming attitude of the WWE perfectly.
Breaking Bad
‘Breaking Bad Theme’ by Dave Porter
Is Breaking Bad the best TV show of all time? I won’t say no.
I certainly remember exactly where I was and how I felt when I first heard the full version of the opening theme used in the penultimate episode of the show in ‘Granite State’. The tracks sliding guitar riffs and echoing percussion drill through you, just when you realise Walter White’s transformation into Heisenberg is finally complete. Another moment of speechlessness and goose bumps.
The eerie theme features no lyrics, and yet still makes what composer, Dave Porter, describes as a ‘thematic statement that encompassed the show’. Put simply, it’s one minute and thirteen seconds of audio that can change your mood in an instant.
Part Two of this feature will be up later in the week, and not to give anything away, but, ‘Go, go Power Rangers!’
And if there are any themes you want to see, leave a comment below.
