Top 10 Opening Songs to Kid Shows

So a couple of weeks I went on a massive nostalgic trip and looked up a lot of the shows I grew up watching when I was a kid. And some of the openings were the epitome of awesome! So, here is a list of some of the best openings I remember, and some new ones I've found along the way. (Oh, and I'm sorry for using so many cliches while writing. Keep in mind, I was on a nostalgia trip!)

So for this list I went for actual songs, not instrumental openings. So, no Brum or Rugrats. Also, I there are no anime shows on here, so no Pokemon. I also tried not to go for songs that explain the entire plot of the show before it starts. So, please don't kill me for not putting those on the list. They are being saved for other times.

Anyway, let's begin!


10. Total Drama Island

Oh god! Do not listen to this song! If you want your sanity to remain intact. This song is one of the biggest earwicks I have ever heard! It gets into your head and it never leaves! Which I suppose is good, but god it's annoying. In all honesty, it fits the show perfectly. TDI is very loud, annoying and gets on you nerves at times! Yet, I still love it and the song. Guitar driven theme songs are becoming more and more popular, and this is one of the first ones I remember. It also an excellent way to introduce someoneto the show. It draws you in completely, leaving you in anticipation for the rest of the show.


9. CatDog

I couldn't do this list without at least one Nicktoons opening. And CatDog really has to be the best. As an opening, it tells the backstory of the main characters, and explains their odd relationship. In all honesty, its quite a moving theme once you know the lyrics, which tells us that even though their is only one CatDog, they do have each and get along enough to consider the other their brother. However this comes through only when you know the lyrics, and because the song is sung so quickly the lyrics rush by your ears and are fairly hard to understand. But that doesn't make this any more awesome. The melody is surrounded by frenetic winds and soulful guitar, and opens us to the crazy Nickelodeon world of CatDog.


8. Bear in the Big Blue House

This song proved that your show can be made even more awesome with a saxophone. Oh, I hated this show at one stage. You know that inbetween time when kids think they're really adults and refuse to watch all the old shows they watch.... ok, just me then. But whatever, everything about this show pissed me off, except for the theme song. It does more than introduce the characters, it creates a good atmosphere for the show to begin in. And it has epic sax solos! What more can I say, except that saxophones can save everything! I'm serious, before I looked this up again, those sax solos were all I could remember. And I don't think it's hard to see why.


7. Daria

For a show about the biggest character of meh, you need a fairly meh theme song without being meh itself. If that makes any sense to you, you should probably realise why this theme works so well, while still being memorable. "You're Standing On My Neck" by Splendora is the perfect song for Daria, showing us the indifferent nature of the character, while also using a grunge song to illustrate what the 90s were like for teenagers. The lyrics show how frustrating life can be for a teenager, while being sung in such a way that you never fully know what is being sung. Yet that works more to their advantage, and makes the song more interesting for repeat listenings. The attitude in the song also works to introduce us to Daria's cynical nature, from the uninterested vocals, to the annoyed lyrics, this song fits in perfectly with our favourite misanthropic youth.
(Sorry for the backward video, it was all I could find)


6. Fireman Sam

I'll admit that there were a lot of other choices for this spot, namely Postman Pat, Playschool, even Budgie. But I chose this one because it's my list, and this is the first song I remember listening to and actively waiting for the show just so that I could listen to it. Again, it describes the character and what he does, just like many others do. It also describes how good and generally awesome Sam is. In fact, this song makes him sound like Superman! I always remember this song with the animation of the opening, with Sam riding around in his big red engine, and all the different characters having about 2 seconds to make themselves known. Yeah, so this has a nostalgic glow for me, but who cares! It's a friendly and inviting opening, that invites right into a fun and loving show. Plus those electric guitars kill me every time! So cool!!


5. Sesame Street

Can anyone actually tell me how to get to Sesame Street? I doubt it, but that doesn't matter. What does matter is the fact that this song has survived so many series and reincarnations, and it's still the same song! Different versions, yes, but the same words, melody and awesome-ness. There's nothing really anything else to say, but if it wasn't a good song then how on earth did it survive so long? The ending theme also kick ass, with a broken down version of the opening, with more sax!! Loving the sax right now!


4. Phineas and Ferb

Lol, what? That show? That show that was on Saturday Disney? How could you put that one above Sesame Street? Yes, well, it's my list. But that probably won't do it enough for you. Why should I put this newbie above such classics as Daria, and Fireman Sam. And Sesame Street! Well, as awesome as those classics are, this is the best opening song I have heard from the last 5 years or so. While TDI may have been that annoying earwick in your head that you couldn't get rid of no matter how hard you tried, Phineas and Ferb has a song that makes people want to remember it. It's fun, cheesy and performed by Bowling for Soup. Excellent! While the other classics will always hold something special for me, Phineas and Ferb has a kick ass opening for one of the best shows to come out of Disney. Ever.


3. Arthur

Really? You're asking why this is on? It should be obvious, this song is EPIC! Everyone knows it, everyone sings along to it, and if you don't, then you have not lived! This song is probably the happiest opening I have heard. It's boppy, but not overly. It's cheesey, but not cutesy. And it will have you smiling the minute you hear it. Do I really need to say anything else? It's a song about living and loving life, and all that it throws at you. And no matter how cheesey it may seem, you know you love it too much to care!



2. Bump in the Night

Hell yeah! Do I even need to justify this choice? Again! Anyone who has heard this song knows that this is one awesome song! I don't really like songs that explain everything about the show in a minute or so. But this one I can forgive. This is sung from the perspective of the main character, basically glorifying himself and saying how cool it is to hang out with him, a crazy and slightly egotistical monster that lives under the bed named Mr Bumpy, and voiced expertly by voice acting god Jim Cummings. It's fun, catchy and just plain epic, borrowing from motown styles of the 60s and shows off the personality of Mr Bumpy, which also sets the tone for the entire show, a fun little time waster that sticks in your mind.


1. Round the Twist

If you were a child of 90s Australia, then this was the one theme that no one could escape. This opening introduced us to one of the craziest shows created, not really surprising considering it was written by Paul Jennings, the king of weird. The song itself is light and instead of telling the entire story of the series in about half a minute, we are given a song more focusing on the main themes of the show, and letting us know that we are in for something exceptionally out of this world. Also, this is one of the only songs that works exceptionally well on its own without the accompanying TV show. The melody is catchy, the words are simple enough to know off by heart after one listen, yet they get across the zany-ness and all round fun that made the show memorable. Its got the right amount of 80s cheese and 90s pop to make it an everlasting memory for me, and my choice for the best opening song from a kids show.


Well, that's it for this list. Comment, and say your own favourites, or just tell me why mine sucks balls. I still have two actual reviews from my film group, but I needed to do a list. So, next will probably be A Separation (actual review), unless it's something completely different. Until next time, have you ever, ever felt like this?