Phew! Searching for your favourite cartoon theme songs is like searching for a needle in the haystack. How do you pull it off? Especially when you have a whole lot on your plate to choose from… Not easy, right? It isn’t… So how did I pull off this stunt? (Psst! Psst! I love pushing the limelight onto myself… with a generous dollop of exaggeration! Especially where none is required at all!)
Ummm… (Now, that I have your attention!) I am keeping that a secret for another day. Now, let’s see what I have come up with… So without much ado, let’s get started with my most favourite thing-to-do (In case, you are reading me not-for-the-first-time, you already know, it has got a lot to do with making lists!)
Jungle Book, Mowgli (Bare Necessities):
Of course, this classic by Rudyard Kipling is one of the most widely read book of all times and in recent years, one of the most extensively watched movie. But then, we are not here to sing praises of this creative genius but to concentrate on a more important facet of this entire creation: the theme song. Check this out:
Written by Terry Gilkyson, the lyrics are my favourite because it imparts ‘gyaan’ on one of the most important point of life that paradoxically, we are losing touch with… While we tend to complicate our lives with distorted reality in order to make it easier, we are forgetting the fact that life ought to be just the way it is supposed to be… uncomplicated and with just the bare necessities fulfilled! Don’t you agree?
Frozen (Let it go):
The movie ‘Frozen’ proved itself to be a stupendous success, no arguments there! And with it, the songs as well… This song has to be my favourite of all times and of millions of others – kids and adults alike! Go ahead, watch it again… Why don’t you?
This is a strangely liberating song. It resounds not inside your ears but in your soul. It pulls at the strings inside you, twists and turns unfathomable things within you, makes them crawl but in a beautiful way and makes you want to sing along. After all, don’t these lines sum up everything that your heart aches for?
“It’s time to see what I can do,
To test the limits and break through,
No right, no wrong, no rules for me, I’m free!”
There is a pure happiness living, breathing inside those words. Feel it, take it in with a deep breath, sense it coursing through your blood and bones and… Let it go…
Tangled (I see the light):
Again, Tangled was one of the best movies of all time (Well, before Frozen came along… I am not complaining anyways!) With a host of numbers to choose from, one gets spoilt for choice and then, I settled into this particular song that made a lot of sense and struck a chord within me inexplicable ways. Watch this:
Written originally by composer Alan Menken and lyricist Glenn Slater, this is a down-tempo love ballad that finds its inspiration in pop, theatre and folk music. You will find this song deeply philosophical if you would care to go through the lyrics. It is a moving piece that talks about finding one dreams and explores the ultimate purpose of it: finding another one, perhaps? Something quite akin to seeing the light at the end of the tunnel… Rings any bell?
Captain Planet (Captain Planet, he’s our hero!):
Enough of the sentimental gibberish from my end! (Anything less impressive than the glow of a hundred watt bulb does that to me! European winter nights and early hours of darkness… Sigh!) But here is Captain Planet to slay off all my woes (Wishful thinking I know… But who cares! One can always dream…) And then, one often does wish for a superhero who is ‘gonna take pollution down to zero’?
No! For once, Phil Collins did not write the song! It was supposed to be Nick Boxer, the Executive Producer of the show. And yeah, this song is great because all of us believe that ‘saving our planet is the thing to do’! As Planet Captain (Or Nick Boxer, for that matter, likes to put it…) ‘The power is yours’. Ah! Those days… Where are my smelling salts? (Ummm… a little too nostalgic for your taste! Lol!)
Powerpuff girls (Fighting crime, trying to save the world):
Nothing, and I repeat, nothing can beat the enthusiasm of seeing three tough little girls fighting crime and trying to save the world. Meet our darling (You can keep the ‘l’ silent, your wish!) powerpuff girls: Blossom, Buttercup and Bubbles. They are impersonation of what little, resilient girlie dreams are made of. Exciting, right? I mean who said, girls can’t be as tough as boys? So, go ahead, enjoy this number:
For every song I mentioned here, there are a thousand others that I missed! But, do feel free to let me know about your favourite cartoon theme songs in the comment section. After all, sharing makes the happiness double and happiness is finally what life is all about, right?
