What's a theme song that goes way harder than it needs to?

[u/-gradmania-]

[u/mrcamel79]

OG Xmen cartoon , Airwolf, Knight rider

[u/cptmonty → u/mrcamel79]

The Japanese release of X-Men has a different intro and it also goes hard

https://youtu.be/hi8BoDA3yIs?is=zm0Qtk7__LAZgMlx

[u/cubbyatx → u/mrcamel79]

No it needs to go that hard

[u/SleeplessPilot]

Duck Tales.

[u/TheHammer987 → u/SleeplessPilot]

Also, Darkwing Duck

[u/MagicPaul → u/TheHammer987]

"When there's trouble you call DW" is such a great rhyme.

[u/AtomicPlatypus45 → u/MagicPaul]

This little triplet influenced a lot of Lin Manuel Miranda's songwriting and future works. We probably wouldnt have gotten Hamilton or In The Heights if it wasn't for this.

[u/Blot_Upright → u/TheHammer987]

Let's get dangerous

[u/JosephCedar → u/TheHammer987]

I used to live with a roommate whose initials were DW. He played and referenced that song a lot.

If there's trouble you call DW.

[u/NocturnoOcculto → u/SleeplessPilot]

I was once working as a bartender in a casual but upscale restaurant. Entrees started around $30. On New Year’s Eve I was told to prepare 100 flutes of Champagne at 1145 pm. I said I would do it but I was gonna put on the DuckTales theme at midnight.

The diners fucking loved it. We did the midnight countdown and then I played the song and people were happily singing along.

That theme is a straight bop.

[u/Trep_xp → u/SleeplessPilot]

All those Disney ones. Duck Tales, Gummi Bears, Talespin, etc

[u/geesejugglingchamp → u/Trep_xp]

Chip 'n Dale was a bop too.

[u/smohyee → u/geesejugglingchamp]

Rescue rangers?

[u/QuixoticDon → u/smohyee]

When there's danger

[u/Conspicuously_Human → u/QuixoticDon]

No, no it never fails once they're involved, Somehow whatever's wrong gets solved!

There is no doubt that my inordinate rhyming skills are due to all these theme songs. 

Now this ish gonna be in my head for the rest of the day tho

[u/Salt_Being2908 → u/SleeplessPilot]

woohoo

[u/iymcool → u/SleeplessPilot]

Life is lika a hurricane!

[u/Krail → u/iymcool]

Here in

Duckburg

[u/mmmsoap → u/Krail]

Race cars, lasers, aeroplanes

It’s. A. Duck Blur.

[u/sub-merge → u/mmmsoap]

Might solve a mystery

[u/Saphira404 → u/sub-merge]

Or rewrite history!

[u/miph120 → u/Saphira404]

Duck Tales, WooOOoo

[u/carveoutapath → u/miph120]

Every day they’re out there making…

[u/GinjaNinja1027 → u/carveoutapath]

Duck Tales! WooOOoo

[u/JMurdock77 → u/SleeplessPilot]

Never even played the NES game, and its “Moon” theme is maximum nostalgia.

[u/Bullfinch88]

Oh my god the original Fireman Sam theme song for anyone reading the UK! I listened again as an adult after years and was just like HELL YEAH. The drum intro, the telecaster twang, the backing vocals, the suspended chords. The fact that the tune for the verse mimics the nee-naw of a fire engine siren. There's so much to unpack and enjoy. Whoever was given the brief to write the theme music for a rural Welsh firefighter very clearly LOVED working on it. Please go and give it another listen, because it absolutely fkn slaps 😂

[u/Wargizmo → u/Bullfinch88]

Thomas the tank engine is also one that has no business being so musically complex as it is - like there's all kinds of key changes and harmonic substitutions in there, including a diminished run that comes out of nowhere at the end, but it all works seamlessly. 

[u/Throwaway91847817 → u/Wargizmo]

All of the Thomas music is phenomenal. Luck Pickman does some great orchestral covers of most of it.

[u/Marilliana → u/Bullfinch88]

Absolute banger! He's always on the scene!

[u/PrincessSquishyBun]

There were so many in the 90s. TMNT, Street Sharks, Battletoads, Biker Mice from Mars, Wild West C.O.W Boys of Moo Mesa. Then there was the most extreme of the anthropomorphic mutant animal cartoons of the 90s, Extreme Dinosaurs.

Those other ones go hard, sure, but listening to Matt McGuire sing it you would believe that he *believes* in the Extreme Dinosaurs. Seriously, go listen to it if you don't remember it. It's wild.

[u/Not-a-Bot_1968 → u/PrincessSquishyBun]

X-Men animated series theme song, and I’ll also give a nod to essentially the entire soundtrack of the Transformers animated movie. 

[u/SmellGestapo → u/PrincessSquishyBun]

Darkwing Duck...let's get dangerous.

[u/friendlyspork → u/PrincessSquishyBun]

King Arthur and the Knights of Justice.

You kids want to know how we woke up for 7am Saturday morning cartoons? With fucking metal.

[u/gyattitude]

Arthur 👊

Every day when your walking down the street,
And everybody that you meet
Has an original point of view. 

And I say Hey- Hey!
What a wonderful kind of day
If we could learn to work and play, 
And get along with each other.

You gotta listen to your heart, 
Listen to the beat, 
Listen to the rhythm, 
The rhythm of the street.
Open up your eyes,
Open up your ears.
Get together and make things better
By working together.

It’s a simple message, 
and it comes from the heart.
Oh, believe in yourself,
for that’s the place to start.

[u/sotd1999 → u/gyattitude]

Did everyone else know that it was sung by Ziggy Marley, eldest son of Bob?

I had NO idea until recently.

[u/SleepingWillow1 → u/sotd1999]

lil kid me probably assumed it was THE Bob Marley, so finding out it was his son was a pleasant surprise

[u/shapeshifterotaku → u/gyattitude]

I could sing it. Holy hell, and it's been more then a 2 decades since I saw or even watched Arthur

[u/lordyeti → u/gyattitude]

I love the Chance the Rapper cover, and would play it all the time when I was working in schools. The kids all liked it too, and would ask me to put it on. 

[u/Tacomeouttothegame]

OG Pokemon

[u/tacowearsromans → u/Tacomeouttothegame]

My favorite fact about the Pokémon theme song is that it was written in common meter, which is also used by Emily Dickinson. So you can sing most of her poems exactly like the Pokemon theme song and it’s tonally jarring but incredibly funny.

[u/Dracorex13 → u/tacowearsromans]

I'm Nobody, who are you?

Are you Nobody too?

Dun dun dundun.

[u/ma2016 → u/tacowearsromans]

Because I could not stop for death

He kindly stopped for me 

dun dun dundun

Damn, that goes hard lol

[u/_echo_home_ → u/Tacomeouttothegame]

It's like they wanted to be the very best

[u/GoodRip420 → u/_echo_home_]

Like no one ever was DUN-DUN-DUNDUN

[u/Crookeye → u/GoodRip420]

To catch them is my real test

[u/re-roll → u/Crookeye]

To train them is my cause!

[u/Staav → u/re-roll]

I will travel across the land, searching far and wide...

[u/notanotherkrazychik → u/Staav]

Each pokemon, to understand, the power that's inside!

[u/Tenacious-Birria7830]

007 Goldeneye (from the game)

[u/Randomhero204 → u/Tenacious-Birria7830]

Yes but have you heard the pause menu music??

[u/PapaSnow → u/Randomhero204]

You mean this pause music?

https://youtube.com/shorts/0k23djFBHt8?si=jyONujjZF0GLSkEv

[u/Nosebluhd]

The Gummi Bears theme song (performed by the lead singer of Toto no less) always struck me as being sung in real awe at the majesty of the Gummi Bears.

[u/NiTenIchiRyu → u/Nosebluhd]

Did you know that he is the son of composer, John Williams of Star Wars/Indiana Jones/Superman fame?

[u/Nosebluhd → u/NiTenIchiRyu]

I did. In fact I was just thinking how good it must feel to be the son of composer, John Williams, but be known primarily as "the guy from Toto." Not that I'm a Toto superfan or anything, but that guy must feel good about that.

[u/Joshualevitard]

Red Dwarf, and If you dont know what i'm talking about go slap it on. Also, of course Duck Tales. Widelt agreed to be the best theme tune of all time

[u/serenerdy → u/Joshualevitard]

It’s cold outside

[u/Jaxxlack → u/serenerdy]

There's no kind'a atmosphere!

[u/LeroyBrown1 → u/Jaxxlack]

I'm all alone, more or less

[u/Joshualevitard → u/LeroyBrown1]

Let me fly, far away from here,

[u/teraka1970 → u/Joshualevitard]

fun fun fun

[u/TerryAshW → u/teraka1970]

in the sun, sun, sun

[u/BlackbirdDesignRI → u/TerryAshW]

I want to lie shipwrecked and comatose

[u/Cog_HS → u/BlackbirdDesignRI]

Drinking fresh mango juice

[u/BlackbirdDesignRI → u/Joshualevitard]

Not technically a theme song, but “Tongue Tied” from Red Dwarf is also a solid banger

[u/BlackbirdDesignRI → u/BlackbirdDesignRI]

Here it is in all its glory: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uufEBooS6Us&ra=m

[u/Bitter_Librarian8442]

Cowboy Bebop.

https://youtu.be/0hfOyOBHIq4?si=aK_5H57XMkk2cJwz

[u/DMala → u/Bitter_Librarian8442]

3... 2… 1… Let’s jam.

[u/graveybrains → u/DMala]

You aren't allowed to jam until you're ready to blow this scene. And you have everybody and the stuff together.

[u/gohmmhog → u/Bitter_Librarian8442]

Its wild to me this isnt a more common or upvoted answer. Absolutely killer intro.

[u/graveybrains → u/gohmmhog]

It's in a class by itself.

[u/UltraChip → u/Bitter_Librarian8442]

THANK YOU. I'm not even an anime guy and I still know Cowboy Bebop is the right answer here.

[u/Jaxxlack]

Thundercats!!! That piano and hihat pause build?!! 🤌

[u/valkinrik]

Power Rangers

[u/Funkycoldmedici → u/valkinrik]

I was too old to care about the show when it started, but the theme and the green ranger one are still in my workout playlist today.

[u/Reptilesblade → u/valkinrik]

Want to hear a really awesome Transformers take on it? It's awesome and how I discovered the Cybertronic Spree.

https://youtu.be/kJ-S5ssNMWc?is=sN25dR4lAGJ_cv9k

[u/Successful_Ad4565]

A Cruel Angel's Thesis from Neon Genesis Evangelion. Honestly, the whole anime has some brilliant bangers.

[u/ByDarwinsBeard → u/Successful_Ad4565]

Anime in general is kinda cheating for this question. Going hard for the OP is industry standard.

[u/Ghaleon32 → u/ByDarwinsBeard]

True, especially Cowboy bebop, that intro theme is perfect.

[u/SparxPrime]

The OG Power Rangers theme song went unnecessarily hard

[u/bokchoykn → u/SparxPrime]

Ron Wasserman was given one day to compose the theme song for Power Rangers and the only instruction was to use the word "Go." He completed the task in two and a half hours on a keyboard and the rest was history.

He also wrote the X-men theme song.

[u/Coleandy]

Fraggle rock 🤘

[u/babycoon48 → u/Coleandy]

Pepperjack love some Fraggle Rock.

[u/Vulpine_Games]

Only watched one season of Dr. Who but absolutely love the theme song and gets stuck in my head often

[u/99thLuftballon → u/Vulpine_Games]

It's interesting how many different arrangements they managed to make of such a weird piece of music.

My favourites are the Peter Davison and Sylvester McCoy themes, butI'm a sucker for synth music and I don't really like the more orchestral current arrangements.

[u/ToLiveInIt → u/Vulpine_Games]

Delia Derbyshire is a fascinating person.

[u/mehum → u/Vulpine_Games]

One of the earliest pieces of electronic music, interestingly enough.

[u/amitym → u/mehum]

I love the earliest version of the theme song, it's so bare-bones and just, like, here's this lone person amidst a world of "Be My Baby" and "Surfin' Safari" with a vision of some far-flung future of pulsing electronic music, and somehow her song brought the world she envisioned into being.

[u/AliceinChainsRules]

The pause menu in Golden Eye 64.

[u/nowherenoonenobody]

The only answer is. Golden Girls!!!!!!

[u/I-Really-Hate-Fish]

Gravity Falls. There's certain episodes my kid doesn't like solely because the theme song is shortened.

[u/DenSjoeken → u/I-Really-Hate-Fish]

My god that intro slaps HARD! It's a cool show, too, but the intro... fantastic!

[u/BriskandBeefyWind]

Whatever happened to predictability, the milkman, the paper boy, the evening tv…

[u/ultrahateful → u/BriskandBeefyWind]

Versus

🎶It’s a raaaare condition, this day and age, to read any good news on the newspaper page! 🎶

[u/greganada]

Buffy for sure

[u/Crazy_old_maurice_17 → u/greganada]

I was just thinking the theme song from Charmed.

[u/ConfidentArm3446]

Mash, Cheers

[u/NinjaJoe7]

Malcolm in the Middle

[u/Chilledlemming → u/NinjaJoe7]

They Might Be Giants also did the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse song. They have educational DVDs too. Loved watching them with my son when he was little.

[u/Rakebleed → u/NinjaJoe7]

yes no maybe
I don’t know

[u/shogi_x]

Swat Kats had absolutely no business going this hard.

Same for Real Adventures of Johnny Quest.

[u/grimtalontauren → u/shogi_x]

Swat Kats went harder than anyone seems to remember, both the theme song and the show.

[u/BingoBangBongos → u/shogi_x]

I love the premise of Swat Kats. Imagine the pitch for that.

PILOT EPISODE: A giant time wizard is attacking our heroes' home city, but instead of using super powers or a utility belt or super suit to defeat him, they take off in their custom fighter jet based off of the F-14 but with THREE engines from their junkyard hideout and launch an AGM at his face.

Our protagonists are also a dynamic duo of anthropomorphized cats.

[u/thehakujin82 → u/shogi_x]

I’m beside myself that Swat Cats wasn’t the #1 comment. We are among Philistines.

[u/captnkurt]

Too Many Cooks

[u/FruitPunchsaysWoof → u/captnkurt]

I was finally free, and now it is stuck in my head again, lol.

[u/BagOnuts → u/captnkurt]

🎵It takes a lot to make a stew…🎵

[u/Birdlawyer1000 → u/BagOnuts]

🎵Pinch of salt and laughter too! 🎵

[u/AeratedFeces → u/captnkurt]

The first time I saw that I had eaten 4 grams of mushrooms and it ruined my entire life.

[u/thegloper → u/captnkurt]

Too Many Cooks

[u/Dragon--Reborn → u/captnkurt]

Lars Von Trier as "Pie"

[u/sergeantbiggles]

Metalocalypse ☠️🤘

[u/MacabreMori113]

Gummi Bears SLAPS

[u/VWBug5000 → u/MacabreMori113]

Sung by Joseph Williams, son of the Star Wars composer, John Williams. He was also the lead singer for Toto.

[u/B15h73k → u/MacabreMori113]

🎵 bouncing here and there and everywhere 🎵

[u/Oblivion615]

Dandadan season 1

[u/DJKobuki]

Star trek The next Generation. We stand for the anthem in this house.

[u/fourthehardway → u/DJKobuki]

The TNG theme is actually from the first movie, Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)

[u/nabuachaem]

Trailer Park Boys

[u/dbe14 → u/nabuachaem]

Under-rated as fuck, simple and beautiful. Now fuck off, I got work to do.

[u/PunishedWolf4 → u/dbe14]

Frigg off Cyrus! You and that greasy song!

[u/Muttandcheese → u/nabuachaem]

Dee-hee-heecent!

[u/hotbutteredsole]

Sanford & Son

[u/nkhasselriis]

In between the lines there's a lot of obscurity I'm not inclined to resign to maturity If it's alright, then you're all wrong

Why bounce around to the same damn song?

You'd rather run when you can crawl

I know you know that I'm not tellin' the truth I know you know they just don't have any proof

Embrace the deception, learn how to bend Your worst inhibition's gonna psych you out in the end

[u/Free_Account9372 → u/nkhasselriis]

I've heard it both ways.

[u/philipjfrythefirst → u/Free_Account9372]

That’s messed up

[u/beastiebestie → u/nkhasselriis]

Yes! And every themed variation is great too. I'm rewatching and we never skip it.

[u/upright_29]

saw a-team opening credit theme - and my god it was the best one ever

[u/davismtd7]

Greatest American Hero...

[u/ScreenTricky4257 → u/davismtd7]

Believe it or not, George isn't at home...

[u/robotixonic → u/davismtd7]

The name of this song is “Believe It Or Not” and should be higher up on this list. It was played on the radio a lot in the early 80s, and peaked at number two on billboards hot 100 in 1981. Even now just remembering the song I know it’s gonna be playing in my head all day.

[u/shkeeno]

Futurama absolutely slaps

[u/Davesecurity]

Ulysses 31

[u/ATerribleUsername]

Metalocalypse. It goes hard because it’s metal, but it’s actually really fucking good, catchy and technical. All of Dethklok’s music is. Thanks Brendan Small.

[u/Octothorpe17 → u/ATerribleUsername]

DO YOU FOLKS LIKE COFFEE (learned how to sweep pick from learning that solo lol)

main intro goes hard too

[u/unmotivatedmage]

OG Teen Titans

[u/shapeshifterotaku → u/unmotivatedmage]

When there's trouble you know who to call!

(Teen titians)

From their tower then can see it all

(Teen Titans)

[u/ZoomBoy81]

The Transformers: The Movie hair metal theme song.

[u/ScreenTricky4257 → u/ZoomBoy81]

The Touch

It was also used in the final episode of the season that came out after the movie.

[u/obiferiousfunk]

Bojack Horseman. The opening theme is a masterpiece.

[u/LewHammer]

M.A.S.K!

For the uninitiated: https://youtu.be/o2Z1yLO9C-Q?feature=shared

[u/smirky_doc]

Malcolm in the middle

[u/TheHammer987]

The Jem and the Holograms theme song.

The actual song was her audition. She smashed it so hard they didn't even re record it, she nailed it out of the gate.

[u/soozeequeue]

Gummi bears

[u/Beekeeper_Dan]

Inspector Gadget, it’s a banger. Haunted my dreams for decades

[u/suspirio]

The Price is Right

[u/RogersGotYourFace]

Hot wheels let’s race.

Fall out boy are producing some great music on the kids tv scene

[u/mal_wash_jayne]

MASH theme song.

[u/thispartyrules]

Greatest American Hero

[u/Orisi]

I'd say Game of Thrones, but really it goes exactly as hard as it needs to. It's just that it needs to go really fucking hard and it does exactly that.

So hard that it's then reused just as much in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. But only when they need it to go really fucking hard.

[u/shogi_x → u/Orisi]

The latest rendition for House of the Dragon with heavier drums is pretty sick too

[u/brenkosaur]

Nobody seems to remember Mr Belvedere

[u/JackORoses]

Night Court

[u/Lullebatje]

Airwolf 🚁

[u/duffeldorf]

The ABC news theme from 1985-2005

[u/itspodly → u/duffeldorf]

Yes! And the wide world of sports cricket intro!!

[u/PartusLetum → u/duffeldorf]

ABC News Theme Pendulum Remix

[u/graveybrains → u/duffeldorf]

Which reminds me of the HBO feature presentation song: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=i1NKoMNy5bY&ra=m

[u/VonRothbart]

The theme song to The Jeffersons. Just because it's a theme song don't mean it's not true.

[u/re-roll → u/VonRothbart]

Well, we're moving on up
...to the East side

[u/Jai137]

Theme for Greatest American Hero

“Believe it or not, I’m walking on air…..”

[u/Holiday_Cat_7284]

The Raccoons

[u/Bustabusnow]

Spider and his amazing friends. It kicks

[u/Cardea81]

Black Sails. Fucking love that intro and love the art too. But it does match the show so maybe not harder than it "needs to".

[u/SatansBarber]

Men in Black, the animated series.

[u/DJCaldow]

Babylon 5. Every season an orchestral masterpiece.

[u/Pong1975]

Jonny Quest

[u/Kreatorkind]

Perfect Strangers.

That song was intense for a sitcom.

[u/shaggy_haggard]

Aqua Teen Hunger Force

Number one in the hood, G

[u/Old-Masterpiece5439]

I cannot believe nobody has said the People’s Court.

And the Unsolved Mysteries theme song is the most terrifying piece of music I’ve ever heard

[u/Fluffy-kitten28]

Gravity Falls

[u/railrunner2003]

The Flintstones.
Not the goofy lyrics, but listen to it just as a jazz piece. Hoyt Curtain wrote a big band banger that sounds like something from the swing era. Tempo changes, featured drum lines, and all instruments having a shinning moment.

[u/hungry_hippo3]

Bojack Horseman - both the intro and outro

[u/el__lex]

Law & Order

[u/ColonOBrien]

The theme to Taxi

[u/larryitisMILW]

Miami Vice theme song

[u/aviavy]

Original Thundercats theme song

Not really a theme song, but the opening song by Lion for Transformers: The Movie (1986) is amazing!

[u/cirquefan]

I would say "exactly as hard as it needs to" ... in the spirit of this year's Macy's parade, it's the Underdog theme:

When in this world the headlines read
Of those whose hearts are filled with greed
And rob and steal from those who need.
To right this wrong with blinding speed goes
Underdog
Underdog
Underdog
Underdog

Speed of lightning, roar of thunder,
Fighting all who rob or plunder
Underdog
Underdog
Underdog

[u/mode_12]

Why isn’t the X-men 90s cartoon(s) not on here?

[u/SusieOPath]

Ducktails, Darkwing Duck, Gummy Bears, Tailspin

[u/WhenRomansSpokeGreek]

The Spiderman from FOX Kids in the 90s.

[u/MtnMaiden]

Transformers the movie, sick guitar solo.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=5bLBp5-HdAA

[u/newshirtworthy]

Powerpuff Girls

[u/Nick_Wild1]

Ben 10 and Danny Phantom

[u/daysleeperchuk]

Barney Miller hit you with that bassline...

[u/grand_soul]

Mortal Kombat theme song from the movie. All iterations of the film franchise use the original because it goes so hard and it is perfect.

[u/_Spicy_Mchaggis_]

Firefly

[u/Abadayos]

The House theme song. Massive attack is great

[u/AscendedViking7]

Attack On Titan.

Dark Souls 3.

[u/pointyhairedjedi]

I'd nominate the 1990 Gameboy RoboCop main theme. The game apparently wasn't even that good, but the theme is kinda amazing.

[u/ToxicNed]

80s cartoons absolutely had some awesome theme songs that just went to 11. The three that immediately come to mind are the theme songs for M.A.S.K., Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors, and Pole Position.

[u/dbe14]

Lie To Me, totally goes way harder than necessary.

[u/Yee_gamer]

X-men TAS

[u/Sboro01]

Pacific Rim

[u/Delicious_Invite_850]

Knight Rider

[u/Roetorooter]

Super Kitties

That singer goes HARD

[u/Independent_Gas_6213]

Thundercats intro

[u/Narj108]

Yu Yu Hakusho

https://youtu.be/eHf0-CHdQCo

[u/nimrod1138]

I was going to mention the Sopranos but that’s probably going as hard as it needs to for the show.

The end theme from WKRP in Cincinnati.

[u/Dismal-Exit-1283]

GoT