There aren’t many things that bring me back to childhood faster than listening to the theme songs of the favorite shows of my youth. I’m often disappointed by actually watching them (was the animation really that crappy?) but the song itself conjures up all the old feelings of excitement and adventure. This one might be my favorite:
I also have a special place in my heart for themes from A-Team, Mighty Mouse, Spiderman, and GI Joe. All of these songs (and many, many more) can be found at TelevisionTunes.com (hat tip to Shirley for pointing this site out.)
As I strolled down memory lane, I was struck by how much those songs influenced me as a kid. They’re all very heroic in nature, championing truth, justice, good over evil, and the plight of the underdog. My make-believe time was often spent with a cape tied around my neck as I sped off to save the day, or with a machine gun in hand on my way to infiltrate the bad guy’s hideout. Listening to the songs actually stirs up a desire that drives me to this day — a desire to make a big difference in the world. Somehow, even though I was a shy, skinny, middle class kid from Peru, Illinois, those songs made me believe that I could. They helped me believe that it WAS possible to make a difference.
And in my own little way, I believe that I am.
Thanks, Underdog.
What about you? How did music from your childhood influence you as a person?
[tags]music, cartoon songs, tv show themes, Underdog, A-Team, Mighty Mouse, G.I. Joe[/tags]
Jason, i decided to check out your blog today at work and I played the under dog theme for the office and some broke into song. Then a truss salesman came in and shouted out UNDERDOG and sang a verse. Walt
You gotta love how serious that guy sounds who sings the G. I. Joe theme song.
“He’ll fight for freedom wherever there’s trouble…”
He sells it 110%, that’s for sure, Bob.
I just had to listen to that Underdog song – another of my favorites of course. I agree that these songs (and those cheesy cartoons) made it seem like anything was possible. And where there is hope, there is power!
I LOVED music as a kid (kind of weird when you think about the fact that I’m hard of hearing). My parents required all 4 kids to have piano lessons and 3 of us took band lessons. My favorite songs (and my sister’s) are Christmas songs – I can remember acting out “Nuttin’ for Christmas” for my parents. When I got to the line “Mommy and Daddy are mad”, I had a very good frowny face. I don’t have a great voice but it was a lot of fun to play for my parents! I still sing it at home to myself – and to my dogs
I do not have a great voice either…not even a good one, for that matter. But I am an excellent lip syncher. (When I know the words, if not, I tend to struggle a bit.)
Jason, you put into words how I feel about the TV theme songs from our childhood. They’re so earnest and reassuring – you just know good will triumph over evil. We were watching old Punky Brewster clips the other night on YouTube and I was all sniffly at Punky fighting to live with Henry in the early episodes (and succeeding – of course!). Theme songs are my guilty pleasure – thanks for letting me revel in them today!
It’s amazing how nostalgic those old songs can make us, isn’t it? Especially when you run across shows you had completely forgotten about!
I went through a period of going through old songs and compiled a very long list. Cartoons today just aren’t the same. When I listen to the theme songs, I reminisce over the past and long for my childhood, but also know that as an adult I can appreciate such a little thing as a theme song to a cartoon I watched as a kid. Video games were important too and I think we are definitely hindering our children by building bubble wrap around them (anybody reminded of that weird commercial recently?) to protect them from everything for fear that they are going to become “violent”. The violence, in my opinion, probably stems from suppression. Kids will be kids. Let them!
Well said, Amber!
Whoa! Jonny Quest theme! My brothers and I were really into high-tech shows. Star Trek, of course was a great favorite. We had an instrument panel (a piece of plywood) with working buttons and blinking lights! Remember when most homes had only one TV? On Saturday morning, we used to fight over what cartoons, we’d watch. It usually came down the one who pulled the channel dial off the TV first. (No remotes, either!) The one cartoon we could always agree on was Jonny Quest. We l-o-v-e-d the gadgets they used, especially the plane. What great memories! Even the fighting for stations (all three of them) seems nostalgic. By the way, when I was a kid, I received a diary for Christmas. I read an entry from that diary not long ago. “We watch cartoons today. They good. I took the noob before bed. Marty hit me hard.” Too funny! I think “noob” is supposed to be knob.