11 Cartoon Theme Songs You Loved To Rock Out To As A Kid - Page 2

Michael D'Alimonte
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3 minute read
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5Arthur (1996-???)

Truly a rare gem in the realm of cartoon theme songs, the intro to Arthur wasn't only a fitting intro to a kid's show, it was also feel-good reggae-style track that taught you the very important lesson of appreciating the moment. Arthur was a show all about life lessons, and maybe the most important one was thrown at you as soon as the show started. To be found on the iPods of many millennials (even if they don't admit it) "Believe in Yourself" was written by Judy Henderson and Jerry de Villiers Jr., and performed by Ziggy Marley (yes, that's Bob Marley's son) and the Melody Makers. To all the club kids looking to get more Arthur in their life, you'll be happy to know that a techno-remix of the song was created for the third Arthur album released in 2001.

4Cardcaptors (1998-2000)

Many of you may not be too familiar with the anime Cardcaptors (otherwise known as Cardcaptor Sakura) as the show tends to be eclipsed by more popular Japanimation imports of the era like Sailor Moon, Digimon, or Gundam. But whereas the theme songs of those shows tended to lose the grandeur of their original Japanese openings, Cardcaptors' still managed to be filled with pomp, even though it was a bit cheesy. Composed by Dave Doré, the Cardcaptors theme still tried to be a bit epic, a goal I think that was accomplished, rather than just slap on a catchy/kid-friendly track like most other English dubbed animes did.

3X-Men (1992-1997)

Somehow, when the X-Men made the jump to the big screen, this iconic cartoon theme song filled with power chords and an epic build up got tossed to the wayside. A shame really, because X-Men 3 might have been watch-able if they tossed this bad boy in the mix. Created by Ron Wasserman, the animated X-Men theme is but one of the many feathers in this guy's cap, as he's something of a kids show theme song legend. Not only is he a member of the band Fisher (but who really cares about that?) Wasserman is also the brain behind the music for Dragon Ball Z, VR Troopers, and...wait for it: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Yes, Wasserman is the guy who created the MMPR theme song, for better or worse. Say what you will about Wasserman's work on X-Men and MMPR, but you gotta give it to the guy for making kids show theme songs that feature a bunch of shredding. Listen to the extended versions of both shows tunes to see what I mean.

2Pokemon (1998-???)

Raise your hand if you instinctively began singing “I wanna be the very best” as soon as saw Pokemon on this list. Everyone? Thought so. You couldn't escape this theme song during the initial Poke-boom of the 90s, and if you did, your life was made darker because of it. Despite being incredibly sappy and over the top, no one can deny this tune, written and produced by John Loeffler and sung by Jason Paige (formerly of Blood, Sweat & Tears) is just as inspiring as Eye of the Tiger. Fun Poke-fact: throughout the opening, over 30 different Pokemon are featured. Mention that on your next date, it'll go over great.

1Jem & The Holograms (1985-1988)

Unlike most other cartoons, which only featured a song during the show's opener, Jem & The Holograms, an ode to 80s glam rock made just for kids, featured three different songs in every single episode. Yeah, all the songs were kind of the same and super simplistic, but you can't blame the show for trying. The most iconic of these Jem-tunes, of course, was the show's original theme song "JEM – Truly, Truly, Truly Outrageous." Written by Barry Harman and performed by Britta Phillips (who only performed Jem's songs, not her lines) the title tune embodies the show's glitz, glam, and it's obvious ploy to appeal to kids by being MTV-esque, which had begun only 4 years prior to the show's airing. Plus, the whole thing is delightfully trippy.