Post by alquackskey on Mar 28, 2021 18:45:13 GMT
When people discuss Ducktales, there's one opinion that comes up constantly: the fact that the theme song is one of the catchiest that Disney has ever made, and that it's one of Disney's best.
Personally, that's not an opinion that I share.
I don't dislike the song - I love it, as I do pretty much all of the other Disney Afternoon themes.
It's mainly just that I think Ducktales' theme is overrated compared to the rest - the common consensus is that it's the gold standard of the bunch, it's the catchiest, it's the most memorable... It's a great song, but what is it that's so special in comparison to the other themes?
I find it difficult to articulate what exactly it is that I prefer about some over others - a lot of it would really just boil down to "I like this one more" or "This one didn't land as well with me".
Still, I'll give it a go!
1. Chip N' Dale: Rescue Rangers
I adore this theme - honestly, it's one of my favourite Disney songs full stop. Everything about it is great - I'm not even sure I know why. It just lines up so perfectly. The instruments and tune capture the feeling of "Detectives getting into dangerous situations" perfectly, and the lyrics are clever for what the show is. Honestly, not the show's biggest fan, but I love the theme song.
2. Adventures of the Gummi Bears
This theme is one of those ones that feels so perfectly fitting - the instruments used feel at home in the Gummi Bears world, and the progression of the song is great; it goes from something similar to a lullaby out to this triumphant cheer as the song progresses... it's a lot of fun to listen to. It's a toss-up on whether this would be #2 or #1, but I edged Chip and Dale over because (personal preference) this one is more straightforward - it doesn't really do much in terms of wordplay or anything - just directly tells you what to expect. I respect that for what it is, but prefer Rescue Rangers.
3. Darkwing Duck
Again, this one captures the feeling of the show perfectly. There's this building up of Darkwing as this amazing figure (Which, of course, is a great exaggeration of his character), and the one line of from Darkwing himself just lands differently. Admittedly, the second go of the chorus is the weakest part of the song ("Let's get dangerous" feels much better coming from Darkwing himself, and "Better watch out you bad boys!" is a bit excessive, imo), but as a whole it's a lot of fun. The second chorus is what knocked it below the above two, which didn't have a weak moment, imo.
4. Talespin
Honestly, if we go with the extended version, this one might be above or tied with Darkwing. That one was a difficult choice. Talespin feels different from the rest in terms of its instruments and even the lyric placement - I think it works in the song's favour, but it can understandably be a little off-putting. This song has so much life in it - I honestly can't not be happy listening to it. The extended version's last verse is amazing - without that, the song loses a lot of its punch, honestly. Maybe it's just because I've listened to the extended version more, but without that last verse, it feels like something extremely significant is missing.
5. Ducktales
The lyrics are probably the best part of this song - they perfectly build up the nature of the show. There's a sense of adventure there that really stands out, even if it's not wholly matched by the music in the way the above shows are. There's passion in the vocals and the theme is plenty of fun, but it just doesn't really stand out to me the way the above shows do.
6. Mighty Ducks: The Animated Series
I know this one is probably an unpopular placement. It has that edgy 90's feeling to it - it wants to be this hip, cool show and it tells you how totally awesome the protagonists are. The reason it's above any of the others is... I just think it sort of works? The guitars, the "DUCKS ROCK!"... as ridiculous as it is, it has Shadow the Hedgehog or Kingdom Hearts levels of sincerity in what it's doing. I can't help but have a stupid smile when I listen to it - not the best out there, but it takes the absurdity of everything about itself and just has fun with it, and I respect that.
7. Bonkers
Originally, I had planned to place this one higher, but... eh. It's nothing altogether special, as many will notice. I like the vocal delivery, but it doesn't quite have the punch that it wants to. The wacky, bouncy nature of the music is fun, but it doesn't really have the "listen over and over" appeal that most of the above songs do. It's a solid go for what it is, but ultimately it doesn't quite leave a lasting impression.
8. Goof Troop
Another pick I assume is controversial. I don't really know why I don't like this one - the music is fine and the vocals are great. It just... doesn't really land with me? It's hard to describe, but it just feels strange. Like... it just doesn't really fit the nature of the show, in my opinion - it feels out of place and unfocused; like it doesn't really have a solid identity.
9. 101 Dalmatians
This one starts out promising, with a jazzy version of Cruella De Vil... if only it could have stayed that way. It quickly becomes a mess. The lyrics are okay, the vocal delivery ranges from pretty good at points to pretty average at others. The music feels uninspired and, on the whole, the song has one or two decent points but is otherwise pretty weak.
10. Quack Pack
With most theme songs, I grow to like them over time. After so many listens, you grow to like certain things about them, or come around on others. With this one... I hate it more every time I listen. The lyrics seem to have been built on the premise of "How many times can we cram the words 'duck' and 'quack' into sentences while still being vaguely coherent", the delivery has no passion, and don't get me started on the horrendous "quack quack quack" bits. The instrumental is kind of fun, but the best parts are ruined by either screaming or someone repeating the word 'quack'. I could go on, but... it's definitely the weakest of the bunch, imo.
NOTE: There were certain shows that I left off for specific reasons, but if you want to include them in your rankings, feel free!
Aladdin, The Lion King's Timon & Pumbaa, Hercules: Too similar to existing songs. I know that 101 Dalmatians borrows from Cruella De Vil, but it quickly becomes its own cacophony that has very little to do with the original song. Aladdin, Timon & Pumbaa and Hercules have too much in common with Arabian Nights, Hakuna Matata and Zero to Hero for them to be fair choices, imo.
The Schnookums and Meat Funny Cartoon Show, Gargoyles, Disney's Doug: No singing - You could maybe stretch Gargoyles in there because of the voiceover, but I feel like the lack of any singing at all in any of these should disqualify them from ranks. Will change it if people feel otherwise, though. Funnily enough, though, I doubt anyone will be too disappointed that they can't vote for Schnookums and Meat as their favourite.
The Disney Afternoon theme: Since it's not really tied to a particular show, I left it out. By most metrics, it's a fair inclusion, but I felt that it didn't quite 'fit' in the way that the others did.
So, all in all, what does everyone think? Any songs that you particularly like or dislike?
Originally, I was only going to ask about Ducktales, but because of the element of comparison, I figured I'd discuss rankings - feel free to discuss without doing so if you want!
Personally, that's not an opinion that I share.
I don't dislike the song - I love it, as I do pretty much all of the other Disney Afternoon themes.
It's mainly just that I think Ducktales' theme is overrated compared to the rest - the common consensus is that it's the gold standard of the bunch, it's the catchiest, it's the most memorable... It's a great song, but what is it that's so special in comparison to the other themes?
I find it difficult to articulate what exactly it is that I prefer about some over others - a lot of it would really just boil down to "I like this one more" or "This one didn't land as well with me".
Still, I'll give it a go!
1. Chip N' Dale: Rescue Rangers
I adore this theme - honestly, it's one of my favourite Disney songs full stop. Everything about it is great - I'm not even sure I know why. It just lines up so perfectly. The instruments and tune capture the feeling of "Detectives getting into dangerous situations" perfectly, and the lyrics are clever for what the show is. Honestly, not the show's biggest fan, but I love the theme song.
2. Adventures of the Gummi Bears
This theme is one of those ones that feels so perfectly fitting - the instruments used feel at home in the Gummi Bears world, and the progression of the song is great; it goes from something similar to a lullaby out to this triumphant cheer as the song progresses... it's a lot of fun to listen to. It's a toss-up on whether this would be #2 or #1, but I edged Chip and Dale over because (personal preference) this one is more straightforward - it doesn't really do much in terms of wordplay or anything - just directly tells you what to expect. I respect that for what it is, but prefer Rescue Rangers.
3. Darkwing Duck
Again, this one captures the feeling of the show perfectly. There's this building up of Darkwing as this amazing figure (Which, of course, is a great exaggeration of his character), and the one line of from Darkwing himself just lands differently. Admittedly, the second go of the chorus is the weakest part of the song ("Let's get dangerous" feels much better coming from Darkwing himself, and "Better watch out you bad boys!" is a bit excessive, imo), but as a whole it's a lot of fun. The second chorus is what knocked it below the above two, which didn't have a weak moment, imo.
4. Talespin
Honestly, if we go with the extended version, this one might be above or tied with Darkwing. That one was a difficult choice. Talespin feels different from the rest in terms of its instruments and even the lyric placement - I think it works in the song's favour, but it can understandably be a little off-putting. This song has so much life in it - I honestly can't not be happy listening to it. The extended version's last verse is amazing - without that, the song loses a lot of its punch, honestly. Maybe it's just because I've listened to the extended version more, but without that last verse, it feels like something extremely significant is missing.
5. Ducktales
The lyrics are probably the best part of this song - they perfectly build up the nature of the show. There's a sense of adventure there that really stands out, even if it's not wholly matched by the music in the way the above shows are. There's passion in the vocals and the theme is plenty of fun, but it just doesn't really stand out to me the way the above shows do.
6. Mighty Ducks: The Animated Series
I know this one is probably an unpopular placement. It has that edgy 90's feeling to it - it wants to be this hip, cool show and it tells you how totally awesome the protagonists are. The reason it's above any of the others is... I just think it sort of works? The guitars, the "DUCKS ROCK!"... as ridiculous as it is, it has Shadow the Hedgehog or Kingdom Hearts levels of sincerity in what it's doing. I can't help but have a stupid smile when I listen to it - not the best out there, but it takes the absurdity of everything about itself and just has fun with it, and I respect that.
7. Bonkers
Originally, I had planned to place this one higher, but... eh. It's nothing altogether special, as many will notice. I like the vocal delivery, but it doesn't quite have the punch that it wants to. The wacky, bouncy nature of the music is fun, but it doesn't really have the "listen over and over" appeal that most of the above songs do. It's a solid go for what it is, but ultimately it doesn't quite leave a lasting impression.
8. Goof Troop
Another pick I assume is controversial. I don't really know why I don't like this one - the music is fine and the vocals are great. It just... doesn't really land with me? It's hard to describe, but it just feels strange. Like... it just doesn't really fit the nature of the show, in my opinion - it feels out of place and unfocused; like it doesn't really have a solid identity.
9. 101 Dalmatians
This one starts out promising, with a jazzy version of Cruella De Vil... if only it could have stayed that way. It quickly becomes a mess. The lyrics are okay, the vocal delivery ranges from pretty good at points to pretty average at others. The music feels uninspired and, on the whole, the song has one or two decent points but is otherwise pretty weak.
10. Quack Pack
With most theme songs, I grow to like them over time. After so many listens, you grow to like certain things about them, or come around on others. With this one... I hate it more every time I listen. The lyrics seem to have been built on the premise of "How many times can we cram the words 'duck' and 'quack' into sentences while still being vaguely coherent", the delivery has no passion, and don't get me started on the horrendous "quack quack quack" bits. The instrumental is kind of fun, but the best parts are ruined by either screaming or someone repeating the word 'quack'. I could go on, but... it's definitely the weakest of the bunch, imo.
NOTE: There were certain shows that I left off for specific reasons, but if you want to include them in your rankings, feel free!
Aladdin, The Lion King's Timon & Pumbaa, Hercules: Too similar to existing songs. I know that 101 Dalmatians borrows from Cruella De Vil, but it quickly becomes its own cacophony that has very little to do with the original song. Aladdin, Timon & Pumbaa and Hercules have too much in common with Arabian Nights, Hakuna Matata and Zero to Hero for them to be fair choices, imo.
The Schnookums and Meat Funny Cartoon Show, Gargoyles, Disney's Doug: No singing - You could maybe stretch Gargoyles in there because of the voiceover, but I feel like the lack of any singing at all in any of these should disqualify them from ranks. Will change it if people feel otherwise, though. Funnily enough, though, I doubt anyone will be too disappointed that they can't vote for Schnookums and Meat as their favourite.
The Disney Afternoon theme: Since it's not really tied to a particular show, I left it out. By most metrics, it's a fair inclusion, but I felt that it didn't quite 'fit' in the way that the others did.
So, all in all, what does everyone think? Any songs that you particularly like or dislike?
Originally, I was only going to ask about Ducktales, but because of the element of comparison, I figured I'd discuss rankings - feel free to discuss without doing so if you want!
I see I should have used Ctrl+F... Admittedly I didn't read through alquacksey's entire, long comment last night before posting my Gargoyles comment... I was just so shocked when noticing it wasn't on the list. 
But I do feel that Gargoyles is one of the great Disney TV themes, singing or not.