These are all great and bound to be stuck in your head the rest of the day.
5. The Greatest American Hero
4. Spider-Man the Animated Series
3. X-Men The Animated Series
2. Batman
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I still get stoked every time I hear that X-Men TAS theme song. (My son just told my wife the other day, “Wanna watch Netflix. The one wif the claws that goes ‘Ehhhrrrrrr’! [meaning Wolverine])
Love it! X-Men was the the only one I couldn’t hear in my head without even playing the video (after my time). Spider-man should be 1or 2, though. Even the Ramones covered it! http://m.youtube.com/?rdm=4phc78g4s&reload=3#/watch?desktop_uri=/watch?v=i5P8lrgBtcU&v=i5P8lrgBtcU&gl=US
And just found this one, by Michael Buble: http://m.youtube.com/?rdm=4phc78h77&reload=3#/watch?desktop_uri=/watch?v=YM1DWezAnQs&v=YM1DWezAnQs&gl=US
Did those crazy beats, daddy oh.
D’oh! Links youtube links posted from iPad don’t work on desktop:
Ramones: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5P8lrgBtcU
Buble: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8O3upk8XslM
Batman the Animated Series theme needs to be on here…pretty damn epic. Not sure what it would replace, but its good stuff.
Yes. Maybe it’s just me, but the Hulk entry feels really…generic. So I’d take it off the list and put BTAS in.
The Batman theme was taken from the Tim Burton movie though, so it wasn’t an original song made for the television series
Elfman did a variation of the Burton film score to create the cartoon theme, so it is original. That being said, my counter argument is “so what, who cares, it still rules.”
Thats one of the great TV show openings. The music really helps it.
Can we all agree that the best part of the X-Men theme song is the bell that tolls when Jean Grey’s title starts and again when The Brotherhood run at the X-Men?
I don’t know why, but I’ve always loved that damned bell!
Me too, man. It syncs up with Magneto raising his fist! Fucking epic!
Good choices all around. Though, as much as I love the original Spider-Man intro, the theme from Japanese Spider-Man gives it a run for its money: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2u4kNEvp7xA
TMNT and GI JOE!
yes! and yes!
I used to hum the GI Joe theme whenever i played with the action figures. I had epic battles….oh yes, they were epic.
also,
turtle power!
Good ones! I mean, can you actually hear the words, “G.I. Joe” and NOT at least start humming the song?
i vote for the Ramones version of the Spiderman theme as a B-side to the list. =)
Superfriends and TMNT were both great intros.
The Middleman!
YES!
The Greatest American Hero— i barely remember what that show was about but know the song too well. That’s the mark of a great theme song.
That X-Men theme song has been permanently etched into my brain. i’m pretty sure that it triggers something ala Manchurian Candidate.
So THAT’S where The Cinema Snob got his theme song from?! I had no idea.
The Batman and Spider-Man themes can be sung by pretty much anyone, no matter if they’ve seen the shows or not.
While the 60s Batman show’s theme is iconic, i always adored the animated series them as well. it also has the best opening of any television series ever. it’s perfectly encapsulates what the show is about over the course 20 seconds
Batman the Animated Series gets my vote.
Seeing that a certain someone was the brains behind two of these shows, I feel that I need to include this as well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEMAInWLZ_c&feature=related
Point and match. Well played, sir!
Batman and Spider-Man, along with Muppet Show and Sesame Street, are the top songs my two year old demands on the way to day-care. He’s about got the Spider-Man song mastered too.
Oh the 90s cartoons and their awesome guitar riffs.
Can we all agree that Avengers: Earth Mightiest Heroes has a theme that is so ‘epic’ that it’s bad?
Awesome.
I remember watching 60’s Batman on my Grandmother’s couch. She’d always say “Why do you watch that silly gibberish?” and I would, of course, respond “Because it’s silly gibberish.” Grandmas…
that silly gibberish got a whole lot of awesome when Batgirl’s purple motorcycle would dash across the screen at the last second!!!!
It was like christmas, my birthday and the Yanks winning the World Series all rolled into one
It’s like awesome and silly had a baby.
You kids and that X-Men theme. Is this what passes for catchy on your “hi-fis” these days? Putting that ahead of Spider-Man is the greatest miscarriage of justice of all time.
I appreciate you throwing us grannies a bone with the Greatest American Hero theme, though.
You…just…don’t…underSTAND…
Nostalgia plays a certain factor here for sure.
And get off the lawn!
um… the GREEN HORNET?!?!? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H57z1dAZqLM&feature=related
WildC.A.T.S. had the best theme-song out out of every single show in the 90’s. It manages to combine the best of 90’s guitar shredding with the best of awkward 90’s white-guy rappin, and it is x-treme to the max. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdsyFyF24uQ
They have *invincible powers*.
oh my. i’ve never felt so nineties.
“My god, it’s full of stars.”
I remember that theme! Def Leppard + Run DMC!
I almost fell out of my chair when the rapping started and he said, “we’re heroes, not zeroes.”
Wanna know the sad thing, though? That cartoon is 100% of the reason I started picking up anything WildC.A.Ts related. It wasn’t until I revisited the series later when I realized that I let nostalgia taint my perception of this series. It’s quite friggen bad!
Wait. Wait. What’s the name of this show again? I think I may have missed it.
I may have sang the Spider-Man theme song at karaoke.
REMY ZERO!
hahaha
I will never forget when Smallville first started reading on a message board somewhere, somebody comparing Remy Zero to the Beatles.
I love the X-Men Theme song. All those songs are great, but every time I hear Greatest American Hero, I can’t help but think of George Costanza’s voicemail.
“Believe it or not, George isn’t at home…”
Ditto. About George, I mean.
er… THE LONE RANGER?!?!?!?! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Td4RHvyAFsM
This wouldn’t appear on any list but I have to spread the word of the Iron Man theme song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Wn4iYoMcAA
As heard on the intro track to Ghostface Killah’s Supreme Clientele. 🙂
I feel like this is trying to sell me something. I just have no idea what.
I suppose it’s because it was the one show listed that was actually airing new episodes when I was a kid but the X-Men theme brings the biggest smile to my face out of all of these.
I love the others too and watched a lot of them on reruns but I must admit, I’d never even heard of The Greatest American Hero.
replace the american hero one with EMH. damn is that song amazing.
What about The Tick animated series?!??!
DweeDopDopDopDweeDop
Oh, GREATEST AMERICAN HERO. One of my favorite shows as a kid.
even as a kid i really appreciated how they told you the entire backstory in the opening credits.
That show was awesome but it was Robert Culp that made it into something really special.
and, uh… Adventures of Superman:
opening — http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAROcbv4gco —
end credits — http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdHB7YWtQ3k&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PLD867145E18CC9562
altho the theme was fairly short, it had a huge influence.
Good call!
X-Men: TAS is my alarm ringtone for my phone. Any time I hear it I snap awake and get ready to wreck some sentinels.
I really dig this Thor theme. Had never seen this before.
http://youtu.be/UgbsV6aTHts
This one too
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dj26N10Ymlg&feature=endscreen
Now you’re talking my language! I love all of those Marvel Super Hero songs! Etched in my brain for years!
A couple of friends and I tried to memorize all those songs! Here’s the one for Iron Man:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Wn4iYoMcAA
Captian America:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVU4HURKEXs&feature=related
And possibly my favourite just because it’s so over-the-top, the Sub-Mariner:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRWeaHkxXwE
Great music. Bad animation. Good times!
I am shocked – SHOCKED! – that Freakazoid! was omitted.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ed-hUoeHcz0&feature=related
@dix: God that Freakazoid! theme will be in my brain for weeks now. I miss that show.
Another fantastic one that I had forgotten about!
I remember always thinking to myself at the end of x men tas opening credits when all the heroes and villians are running at each other that juggernaut is there so he could just run through everybody else lol 🙂
X-MEN!!!
Ba na na na naaaa na na…Ba na na na naaaaa na na *air-guitar with best Beavis and Butthead impression*
Its almost a rule that the truly great theme-songs of history can be sung purely in Ba’s Na’s and Da’s
Some recent ones that I enjoyed were the ones for the Teen Titans (GO!), Avengers, Spider-Man and Iron Man cartoons. I didn’t hate the Fantastic Four one, that was pretty cool, too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULeEWqN1DQU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbHLEOg5RPo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFfqoSnzm8M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJkzBRPxdaU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzEUC-WTFHg
All characters, etc.
Teen Titans Go! was awesome too.
I love the theme songs to both The Spectacular Spider-Man and the Avengers; Earth’s Mightiest heroes.
I would put the 60s Batman first, and Spidey second.
I always loved the theme from the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. It rocked.
Listen I understand why you put the 60s Batman theme in but….it PALES in comparison to the 90s Animated Series. Perfect score and it’s the best opening titles to encompass an entire series.
The 90s Spider-Man theme though….that is total crap. Like they put a guy, who lost his voice box and uses one of those things you put on your neck, into a diving suit and put him in the middle of an ocean. Terrible.
I was never a fan of the 90s Spidey theme. I think I actually liked the theme to Spider-Man Unlimited a bit better – not that I’d rate that super high either.
My favorite:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6dF0xYIFsg
I do kinda wish it kept the style of the “fanfare” at the beginning though… that’s the best part.
Good call with the Hulk ending theme.
Brilliant list 🙂
The more I think about it, I also really like the Batman Beyond theme. I don’t think it’d make my top 5, but I didn’t notice anyone bring it up here yet, so…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVdTbiLku48&feature=endscreen&NR=1
Bit of a cheat, BUT the Walking Dead has a great theme…..It’s a comic adaptation so it works, shut up!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faOjeQhwK2Q
X-Men TAS is what I wanted to see on the list, and it’s on there: I am pleased.
You’re a wonder, Wonder Womaaaan!
http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=%2F&gl=US#/watch?v=M_blOQEu9ws
Where’s Spider Pig?
The X-men theme song is fantastic!! I remember every saturday morning, I was full of excitement to see this show and when the theme started, I was in Xmen nirvana! Batman The Animated Show would of been a good choice as well to be on this list.
for your consideration:
Andy Kaufman does Mighty Mouse theme song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGx94VPb8V8
Underdog , a classic – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhvZYULhy3Y&feature=related
The Mighty Hercules – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUBgk41vKZA&feature=related
Super Chicken – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQq6xfbgfXw&feature=related
The lyrics on all these are super!
I know this doesn’t really count…. but I find myself whistling it more often than I’d care to admit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MfisiGqtEM
Curse you, Rocket Robin Hood!
No Smallville????
Somebody saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaave me!
There is a distinct lack of Defenders of the Earth on this list. A really cool theme song!