A ThemeTune which, while not specific to the show in the manner of an ExpositoryThemeTune, nevertheless attempts to capture the thematic elements of the show in its lyrics, usually mushy stuff about love, relationships, and family.

The most common form of ThemeTune for the SitCom in the late 70s and 80s. Often overlaps with the RealSongThemeTune. For children's shows, often overlaps with the TitleThemeTune.

It may be interesting to note that, at least among the SitCom examples, the title of the show itself is ''also'' usually something thematic and non-specific meant to indicate the general scope of the show without tying itself too closely to the specifics of the premise.

Most {{Anime}} {{Theme Tune}}s are a form of this, especially '70s SuperRobot ones.
----
!!Examples

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime]]
* ''Anime/Berserk2016'': The lyrics of the opening theme ''Inferno'' by 9mm Parabellum Bullet give voice to Guts' rage, his struggle against impossible odds, and his determination to put his life on the line to protect what little he has left.
* ''Anime/SamuraiChamploo'' and its opening rap song, "Battlecry", an examination of the samurai life.
* The lyrics of many of the opening themes for ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' involve protecting someone -- a major theme of the series.
* Over its run, the ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' television series, movies, and OVA, had over 30 opening and ending theme songs, in some cases sung by the characters, but usually only peripherally relating to the characters (if at all). A notable exception is "Lambada Ranma" which references characters by name.
* ''Manga/MaisonIkkoku'' often does this with its opening themes. Particularly the first opening [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDvA_D-AsrQ "Kanashimi yo Konnichiwa" ("Hello Sadness")]], which became so identified with the series that a string orchestra version was played for the climactic finale. While "Kanashimi yo Konnichiwa" expressed many of main female lead Kyoko's perspective and feelings, the 1st ending [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHiHy6R-6Wg "Ashita Hareru Ka" ("Will Tomorrow Be Sunny?")]] was well juxtaposed because it expressed the conflicted feelings of the male lead Godai. This dynamic was reversed for the one episode ''Maison Ikkoku'' used "Alone Again (Naturally)" and "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utKUj-Sr-tc Get Down]]", both by Gilbert O'Sullivan.
* ''Anime/{{Monster}}'''s end theme has lyrics reflecting Tenma's idealistic philosophy.
* The movie ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight: Unlimited Blade Works'' has the song [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yIO1IMuqn4 "Imitation"]], with lyrics which describe both the protagonist's [[PowerCopying powers]] and [[HeroicWannabe his]] [[IronWoobie ideals]] without directly referencing the story.
-->''I'll show you that this [[TragicDream false dream]] can be fulfilled/You can still ridicule me now/[[HeroicSpirit Even if it's idealistic, I want to make it my aim]]/It's still far away now, But surely/What is fake will become what is real.''
* ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' has Rap Is a Man's Soul, which is about being HotBlooded and [[BeyondTheImpossible doing the impossible with fighting spirit]], the two main points of the series. The only thing that connects it to the series is a few vague mentions of "the underground".
** Sorairo Days, the theme song for the show itself, also covers themes of not giving in to despair and making your own future, two concepts that are heavily explored in the second season, and even more so the ''Lagann-Hen'' movie.
* The ''Manga/{{Area 88}}'' OVA has "How Far to Paradise," an appropriate question for a series whose protagonist has been duped into enlisting in a [[LegionOfLostSouls foreign legion air force]].
* "A Cruel Angel's Thesis", the famous opening theme to ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'', contains lyrics relevant to the themes of the show and is seemingly sung to Shinji -- in fact, series director Creator/HideakiAnno rejected the addition of a proposed male chorus because he wanted to maintain the "maternal" quality of the song. (And if you've seen ''Evangelion'', you know that mothers play a pretty huge part in the story.)
* While the various opening and ending themes to ''Franchise/FullmetalAlchemist'' vary considerably in degrees of relevance to the show, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcZKVPmgxVM the second ending theme]] to ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemist2003'', "Tobira no Mukou He" ("The Other Side of the Gate") contains [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SujqX8dAm_8 lyrics that are more than a little bit relevant]] to the plot of the show - particularly, interestingly enough, when [[{{Foreshadowing}} looked upon in retrospect]].
* ''Manga/{{Bokurano}}'''s "Uninstall" has a haunting female chorus, with lines about being helpless and insignificant, and having no choice but to "pretend to be a warrior with no fear" (which all are core aspects of the show).
* "Connect" and "Magia" from ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica''. Especially the former, taking into account the events of episode 10 where everything finally makes sense.
* The first theme song of ''Anime/DragonBallZKai'', "Dragon Soul", is an exhortation apparently from the boisterous Goku to his timid son Gohan to explore the world around him because the two of them together are invincible.
-->''Mysteries abound\\
Made of a deep energy\\
Foes all around\\
But I will go, fearless and free\\
I'll give you strength\\
You give me love, that's how we'll live\\
My courage won't fade\\
If you're with me, my enemies can never win''
* ''Anime/SailorMoonCrystal'':
** OP "Moon Pride," while not literally {{expository|ThemeTune}} is pretty explicit as feminist group battlecry fitting a set of {{Magical Girl Warrior}}s. Given it's cleary written for the series (The last words spoken in the entire song are the heroine's Senshi name), this is entirely justified.
-->We all have unshakeable wills
-->We will fight on our own
-->Without leaving our destiny to the prince
** The ending theme "Gekkou" ("Moonbow") while a typical romantic ballad, fits Princess Serenity thinking on her romance with Endymion, scenes from which play as the credits roll.
* "Guren no Yumiya", the first opening theme for ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'', is a hot-blooded anthem about rejecting false peace and "the complacency of cattle" in favor of [[LastStand going down fighting]].
* Many ''Manga/OnePiece'' theme tunes are motivational songs, matching the idealistic main characters, with [[OceanPunk nautical]] and {{pirate}} terms thrown in (e.g. [[TreasureMap maps]], ocean, waves, anchors, [[PirateBooty treasure]], flags, sails, etc.).
* While the original Japanese theme song of ''Anime/HeidiGirlOfTheAlps'' is pretty thematic already, mention should be given to the German theme song[[note]]The basis for both the European and Canadian French theme songs, as well as the Italian theme song.[[/note]] as well, which talks about how the mountains are "(her) world...because (she is) at home there", and which mentions "dark fir trees", and "green grass(lands) / meadows in the sunshine", among other things.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* ''ComicBook/{{Nextwave}}'' has a song which pretty much gives you a quick audio burst of what to expect from the series [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xuosmf1_mKs ...yeah]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* ''Fanfic/AbraxasHrodvitnon'': The author has labelled the music of Music/{{Heilung}} as being in-tune with the story's theme; in particular "Krigsgaldr".
* The author of ''Fanfic/TheUltimateEvil'' has posted in their [=FanFiction=] page "Love Is Blind" by Dream Evil as the story's theme . The sequel called ''The Stronger Evil'' has [[Music/{{Apocalyptica}} "Not Strong Enough"]].
** The same author has done the same to their other stories, like [[Music/{{Red|Band}} "Never Be The Same"]] for ''Fanfic/TheVow'' and [[Music/FiveFingerDeathPunch "Bad Company"]] for ''Fanfic/OldWest''.
** ''Fanfic/TheHeartTrilogy'' of the same author has [[Music/WithinTemptation "Memories"]] for ''Heart of Fire'', [[Music/LesFriction "World On Fire"]] for ''Heart of Ashes'', and [[Music/{{Lorde}} "Everybody Wants To Rule The World"]] for ''Heart of the Inferno''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* "Eye of the Tiger" -- it's really on the border of this and ExpositoryThemeSong, seeing as how it rehashes all the themes from the first three ''Franchise/{{Rocky}}'' movies, and is specific almost to the point of being expository.
* The various ''Film/JamesBond'' themes (barring ''Film/DrNo''[[note]]though one can make a case for "Three Blind Mice", which is the script nickname of the three killers passing as blind beggars[[/note]], ''Film/FromRussiaWithLove''[[note]]there is a song with lyrics by Matt Monro, but it doesn't feature in the opening credits, it was moved to the ending credits[[/note]] and ''Film/OnHerMajestysSecretService'') all have lyrics that, if not directly relevant to the plot, at least help set the tone of the rest of the movie. And are of course fuel for endless parodies.
%% * ''Film/{{Flashdance}}''... "What a Feeling"
%% * "Wish (Komm Zu Mir)" from the movie ''Film/RunLolaRun''.
%% * ''Film/SpiderMan1'' has "Hero", by [[Music/{{Nickelback}} Chad Kroeger]] and Josey Scott.
* In ''Film/AFaceInTheCrowd'', the titular ShowWithinAShow has "Jes' Plain Folks," sung by the Barefoot Baritones. Lonesome Rhodes supposedly wrote it, but Marcia says that it was actually the work of two uncredited songwriters.
* "Laid" by James serves as this for the Film/AmericanPie series.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/AllInTheFamily'' ("''Boy, the way Glen Miller played/Songs that made the Hit Parade...''")
%%* ''Series/AllyMcBeal'' "I've Been Searching My Soul"
* ''Series/TheAndyGriffithShow'' used an instrumental theme, but there was a version with words set to it called "The Fishin' Hole" about... relaxing at a fishing hole. It had almost nothing to do with the series itself aside from the fact that Andy and Opie were doing that in the title sequence, but it did fit the laid-back mood of the show perfectly.
* The ''Series/{{Animorphs}}'' theme song, "It's All in Your Hands", is about how the kids have to save the world on their own because can't rely on anyone else.
%% * ''Series/BetweenTheLions''
* ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'': "''Math, science, history / Unraveling the mysteries / That all started with a Big Bang ('''''BANG!!''''')"
* ''Series/BoyMeetsWorld'' (for the last three seasons, following a succession of [[InstrumentalThemeTune instrumental themes]])
* Similarly, the game show ''Series/ChainReaction'', when revived on GSN, used a vocal theme that ended with "It's guys against girls right now on ''Chain Reaction''."
* ''Series/{{Cheers}}'' ("Where Everybody Knows Your Name" by Gary Portnoy, also released as a single.)
* The theme to ''Series/{{Desmonds}}'' is about the "windrush"; Jamaican families arriving in Britain in the 1950s and unsure what to expect.
* ''{{Series/Dollhouse}}'' uses an instrumental version of a song that has lotsa meaningful stuff about memory, regret, and being whoever you want me to be.
* ''Series/TheDrewCareyShow''... amazingly, all ''three'' {{Theme Tune}}s are Thematic Theme Tunes.
%% * ''Series/FamilyMatters''
* ''Series/{{Firefly}}'''s theme is quiet and defiant, befitting a SpaceWestern ("Take my love, take my land / take me where I cannot stand / I don't care, I'm still free / You can't take the sky from me..."). It makes sense, since Joss Whedon did write the song.
* ''Series/{{Frasier}}'' is a rather odd example of this. The lyrics to the ending theme "Tossed Salads and Scrambled Eggs" ''are'' thematic, but metaphorical. Psychology is never mentioned, nor is anything explicit said, making them almost WordSaladLyrics - but it's fairly obvious that the lyrics double as oblique references to both Frasier's life and psychiatric profession. For example, the title probably refers to crazy people and things (which can mean Frasier's mind, his callers, the people around him, the bizarre situations he gets himself into, or all four at once); and the lines "And maybe I seem a bit confused / Well maybe -- but I got you pegged!" in particular describe Frasier's character: rather nutty himself, but a brilliant psychiatrist.
%% * ''Series/{{Friends}}'' ("I'll Be There For You", which would later be released as a full-length single.)
%% * ''Series/FullHouse''
%% * ''Series/GrowingPains''
* ''Series/JandaKembang'' is about the lives of several widows and its self-titled theme song is about how those lives feel like.
* ''Series/TheJeffersons'' ("''We're movin' on up/To the East Side/To a deluxe apartment/In the sky...''")
* "Making Our Dreams Come True" from ''Series/LaverneAndShirley'', which became a Top 40 pop hit for singer Cyndi Grecco.
* The theme song of ''Series/MalcolmInTheMiddle'', "Boss of Me" by They Might Be Giants, is thematic in three ways. The verse ("Yes, no/Maybe, I don't know/Can you repeat the question?") arguably reflects Malcolm's confusion with the trials of growing up. The chorus ("You're not the boss of me now/And you're not so big") may refer to any of the recurring themes of rebellion and ComingOfAge running through the series, especially with regards to the relationship between Lois and her children. The stinger line ("Life is unfair") is the one most associated with the show (explicitly discussed in [[BookEnds the pilot and finale]]), and describes the world the characters live in, particularly the unfairness of Malcolm's intelligence being treated by society as a stigma that gives him nothing but grief rather than a blessing to be admired.
* "Love Is All Around" (the theme to ''Series/TheMaryTylerMooreShow'', written and sung by Sonny Curtis) is one of the most memorable and hummable examples.
* ''Series/TheMaskedSinger'', a TalentShow where every contestant is a celebrity performing in disguise, uses [[Music/TheWho "Who Are You"]] to represent the mystery of their identity. (To drive the point home, it's also played during every elimination, which is invariably followed by a DramaticUnmask.)
* ''And then there's Series/{{Maude}}!''
* ''Series/MimpiMetropolitan'' theme song (from episode 21 onwards) is about the general struggles of living in Jakarta and the characters' determination to go on.
* ''Series/{{Monk}}'', season 2 on ("It's a Jungle Out There"). The first season had an InstrumentalThemeTune.
* And the short-lived game show adaptation of ''Series/{{Monopoly}}'' likewise: "[[SpellingSong M-O-N-O-P-O-L-Y]][…]Roll the dice, it's paradise / But if you fail, you go to jail!"
* Both the opening and closing themes of ''Series/OnlyFoolsAndHorses'' are about seling dodgy goods ("If you want the best things, but you don't ask questions then, brother, I'm your man"/"No income tax, no VAT, no money back, no guarantee"). The former also has a TitleDrop that explains the CompleteTheQuoteTitle: "Only fools and horses work".
* If a ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' theme isn't an ExpositoryThemeTune, it is this. Although some blur the line of which is which.
* ''Series/{{Psych}}'': "I know you know that I'm not telling the truth / I know you know they just don't have any proof..." For bonus points, it's [[DoItYourselfThemeTune actually sung by the show's creator.]]
* The ending theme of ''Series/RedDwarf'' was halfway this, halfway SurrealThemeTune; it had lyrics that switched from fantastic and weird to dark and depressing, much like the show itself. WordOfGod from Howard Goodal is that it was ''supposed'' to be an ExpositoryThemeTune about Lister's desire to settle on Fiji. Which never got mentioned after the first episode.
* ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'' ("''I can't do this all on my own / No, I know I'm no Superman...''"), emphasizing the show's CentralTheme that you need help from the people around you to deal with the enormous stress and responsibility of being a doctor. Also a RealSongThemeTune.
* ''Series/SlingsAndArrows'' has a different theme tune each season: all of them are comic songs, sung by the show's ThoseTwoGuys, about whichever tragedy the season focuses on.
* ''Series/TheSopranos'' ("''Woke up this morning/ Got yourself a gun...''") Which is odd, considering it's a RealSongThemeTune, not developed for the show or even with any knowledge of the show. However, after one of the production crew showed it to series creator David Chase, he agreed that it was perfect (grudgingly--Chase had always envisioned the show's intro having a different real song every season, or even every episode, but "Woke Up This Morning" was just too suitable to use anything else). To elaborate: the song establishes the dark and introspective tone of the show, as well as hinting at the sociopathy of its main characters. The lyrics "Your momma always said you'd be the chosen one", on the other hand, make for an ironic contrast with Tony's severe [[EvilMatriarch mommy issues]].
* ''Series/SoWeird'''s "In the Darkness": "In the darkness is the light / Surrender, we'll win the fight / This girl's walked through fire and ice / But I come out on the other side of paradise." This song has an interesting double-meaning: as the theme tune, it seems to be about Fiona/Annie, a girl facing off against dark supernatural forces. But the song is also a DoItYourselfThemeTune performed by Mackenzie Phillips as Molly Phillips, a secondary character. In the context of the show, the song is meant to be about the character's struggle with alcoholism.
%% * ''Series/StepByStep''
%% * ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise''
* ''{{Series/Taggart}}'' has "No Mean City", which not only sums up the main characters' relationship with Glasgow ("''City life is strange, you take your share of the good times and bad times / It's the only life I've ever seen / This town ain't so mean''"), but -- as a GeniusBonus -- shares its title with a novel about working class Glasgow in the 1930s.
%%* ''Series/That70sShow''
* The game show ''Series/ToTellTheTruth'' in the 1970s: "''It's a lie, lie, you're telling a lie / I never know why you don't know how / To tell the truth, truth, truth, truth...''"
* ''Series/TheUnit'' used a hip-hop version of a Military Cadence, ''Fired Up... Feels Good'', in the first two seasons, and a 30-second theme called "Walk Through Fire" in the second two, both appropriate to the show, which is about an elite miltary unit whose members risk their life daily to save the world.
* ''Series/{{Vikings}}'': The beginning of "If I Had a Heart" by Fever Ray ('This will never end 'cause I want more / More, give me more, give me more') fits Ragnar Lodbrok's ambitions quite well, from farmer to Viking raider to Scandinavian king.
* ''Series/{{Vinyl}}'': "Sugar Daddy", by Sturgill Simpson. As the whole series is about the American music industry in TheSeventies, the theme song evokes the era in its hard, gritty guitar riffs as much as in its lyrics.
* ''Series/WelcomeBackKotter'': The show's title was originally "Kotter", but the producers liked the song so much, they incorporated it into the title.
* ''Series/WhoseLineIsItAnyway'' had a game where 2 players would sing the title sequence to a made-up 70s sitcom while Ryan & Colin acted it out.
%% * ''Series/WhosTheBoss''
* "Way Down in the Hole", the theme song for the HBO series ''Series/TheWire'', is a strange one in that it is a RealSongThemeTune written ''15 years'' before ''The Wire'' ever aired (it's from Music/TomWaits' 1987 album ''Music/FranksWildYears''). However, the song, performed by a different artist in every season (The Blind Boys Of Alabama, Waits, The Neville Brothers, purpose-assembled Baltimore choir Domaje and Steve Earle), references the struggle between Jesus and the Devil--a fitting subject for a show about the struggles people have in managing the ills of the modern American city.
* ''Series/WKRPInCincinnati'': The theme song repeats the show's title frequently, but is more about the nomadic life of a DJ in the radio business.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* You wouldn't think a music franchise would have one, but ''Franchise/KagerouProject'''s overarching theme tune is "Children Record", considered by Jin to be the "Opening" of the song series (despite being made much later than the first song). It's a song all about the youth rising up and carving their own destinies for themselves, which doesn't describe a lick of what's specifically going on with the Mekakushi Dan but gets their basic plot down.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theatre]]
* The ballet ''Fancy Free'' has "Big Stuff," a blues song played before the action begins as a prerecorded theme. In the ballet music proper, the tune is used for the Pas de Deux.
* ''Theatre/AFunnyThingHappenedOnTheWayToTheForum'': The opening number "Comedy Tonight" serves as this. In between [[OpeningMonologue Pseudolus's prologue]] setting up the plot and setting, the song explains to the audience that they can expect a light-hearted, [[BreakingTheFourthWall meta-humorous]] musical comedy that pays tribute to Greco-Roman theater.
-->''Nothing with kings, nothing with crowns\\
Bring on the lovers, liars, and clowns!\\
\\
Old situations, new complications\\
Nothing portentous or polite\\
Tragedy tomorrow, comedy tonight!''
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* "Save This World", the OP to ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarUniverse''. The expansion's sorta qualifies, too.
* The ending theme of ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' is a version of "I'm Not Calling You A Liar" by Music/FlorenceAndTheMachine. It's officially the theme of Varric (UnreliableNarrator being interrogated as part of the FramingDevice) but the lyrics can apply to oh-so many other characters.
* "War Has Never Been So Much Fun" from ''VideoGame/CannonFodder''.
* ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder''
** The opening for ''Observer on Timeless Temple, "Shikisai", sung by Creator/MaayaSakamoto, which ties into the game's CentralTheme of the concept of humanity and the fleeting ephemerality of humans. It has an OrchestralBombing remix for the protagonist's fight against the BigBad, as an affirmation of those ideals and a repudiation of the BigBad's plans.
** The second ''Cosmos in the Lostbelt'' opening, "Yakudou", sung again by Maaya Sakamoto, which ties into the themes of the sixth Lostbelt Avalon le Fae and the struggles of its ArcHero, Altria Caster.
* The opening theme of ''VideoGame/NappleTaleArsiaInDaydream'' sums up the game's feel quite well. ''Shippo no Uta'', yet another song by Maaya Sakamoto is a cheery tune accompanied by pretty grounded visuals of the main character meeting her friends at a summer festival. The lyrics are full of cute-yet-surreal ''Alice in Wonderland'' imagery. An example, in translation:
-->''Morning has come! - My clock does a handstand\\
My desk laughs and my hat flies away\\
My shoes left home without me\\
So in a panic I jump to my feet"
* The ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'' series has one for almost all of its games. They even provide the page captions on this very wiki:
** The [=PSP=] remake of ''VideoGame/{{Persona 1}}'' has "Dream of Butterfly", sung by Yumi Kawamura.
** The remake of ''{{VideoGame/Persona 2}}: Innocent Sin'' has "Unbreakable Tie" by Lotus Juice and Asami Izawa. The remake of ''Eternal Punishment'' doesn't contain one, however.
** ''{{VideoGame/Persona 3}}'' has the song "Burn My Dread", performed by Yumi Kawamura. As the title of the song suggests, the lyrics are about overcoming one's fear and diving into the unknown. The lyrics of the full version from the game's ''Reincarnation'' album pretty much spoils the entire plot. At the end of the game, [[spoiler:a remix with rapping by Lotus Juice, first heard in a muffled version in the game's very first cutscene, plays when fighting the final boss]].
*** The ''Portable'' remake has a new opening song - "Soul Phrase", sung by Shuhei Kita. The lyrics tie into the AlternateContinuity presented by playing as the newly introduced female protagonist and the changes she makes to the game's plot.
** ''{{VideoGame/Persona 4}}'''s is "Pursuing My True Self", sung by Shihoko Hirata. In just the first 90 seconds, the lyrics quickly sum up several of the game's themes: the [[OldMediaAreEvil influence mass media can have on the population]] and looking past convenient lies to uncover the real truth.
*** The ''Golden'' rerelease has the new "Shadow World", also sung by Hirata. It has a similar theme to uncovering the truth presented in "Pursuing My True Self", but also emphasizes ThePowerOfFriendship and that finding the "truth" means getting other people's perspectives.
** ''{{VideoGame/Persona 5}}'' has "Wake Up, Get Up, Get out There", sung by Korean R&B vocalist Lyn. The lyrics are about stepping out of one's comfort zone, reforming the world and stopping the evil people in it. It also says that if someone wants change, they have to ''do it themselves'' [[BystanderSyndrome rather than waiting for someone else to come along]]. At the climax of each major story arc, it gets a TriumphantReprise in the form of "Life Will Change," whose lyrics have the heroes [[BraggingThemeTune boasting about their impending victory]] and how their actions will inspire the masses.
*** ''Persona 5'''s own rerelease, ''Royal'', has the new tune "Colors Flying High". Ostensibly, the lyrics are a quick summation of many of the game's themes: how public opinion and virtues can be manipulated, fighting for justice against those who would abuse their power, and staying true to one's beliefs, with the lyrics using various colors as euphemisms for those beliefs. Less obviously, it's full of double entendres serving as massive foreshadowing for [[spoiler:Kasumi's true identity as Sumire -- "Sumire" is Japanese for "violet"]].
--->''"So choose a color to live by..."''
* ''VideoGame/SuperMarioOdyssey'' has "Jump Up, Super Star!", which focuses on taking risks and exploring the wide, wacky world around you. The lyrics go hand in hand with how big of a WideOpenSandbox the game is, as well as all the surprises the player can find in it. Just about every line contains a reference to the games' mechanics.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* Unusually for a webcomic, ''Webcomic/PepsiaPhobia'' has crafted its own opening sequence starting from [[https://gastrophobia.com/comix/season-01-opening-credits "Ready, Willing, and a Bull"]]. The song, "Everything's Gonna Be A-Okay", stays mostly unchanged throughout the "seasons", but it perfectly captures the lighthearted and energetic tone that the rest of the series embodies. The scrapped version of Volume 4 changes the lyrics to instead cover struggling through adversity.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* ''WebVideo/CarmillaTheSeries'': Soles's "Love Will Have Its Sacrifices", whose title / main chorus doubles as the show's {{Epigraph}} ''and'' was based on a quote from [[Literature/{{Carmilla}} the original novella]]. Technically, the song closes out each season, but the first four bars open each episode.
* Parodied in the ''WebAnimation/StrongBadEmail'' "theme song", when Strong Bad imagines his "email show" having a "life-affirming pop ballad type theme song".
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}''[='s=] theme song isn't directly about the show or any of its characters, but still touches on many of its central themes, like ThePowerOfFriendship and [[ThePowerOfFamily Family]], TeamSpirit, and believing in yourself.
* The original theme song of ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes'', "Fight as One", describes the protagonists' personal struggles without referring to any of them by name. Only a fleeting use of the phrase, "AvengersAssemble!",[[note]]It goes by so quickly, it doesn't show up in the captions.[[/note]] tips this off as a song about the Avengers.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks'': "''I am the stone that the builder refused/ I am the visual/ The inspiration that made Lady sing the blues''"
* ''WesternAnimation/DastardlyAndMuttleyInTheirFlyingMachines'': "Stop That Pigeon" is performed by Dick Dastardly as he prattles off what his crew fails at or is consigned to do. It was the show's original title and had a different antagonist and dog before they became Dick and Muttley.
* ''WesternAnimation/FacesMusicParty''[='s=] theme song isn't directly about the show, instead, it mainly focuses on the central theme of music.
* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': Intended as a parody/homage, but still a theme that explains the idea behind the show.
* ''WesternAnimation/GarfieldAndFriends''[='=] first opening theme parodies this trope. It's an upbeat, silly song [[LyricalDissonance with mushy lyrics about friendship]] that don't fit the cynical tone of ''Garfield'' or even the more laid-back vibes of ''U.S. Acres''. For added {{irony}}, it plays over a slapstick battle between the two casts as they fight for screen time.
* ''WesternAnimation/GoofTroop'' has a theme song that suggests the show is about father/son and best friend relationships (which is true), while also being very [[UnreliableNarrator misleading]] about the show's actual content, in terms of characterization and how well characters get along.
* ''WesternAnimation/LibertysKids''[='=]s bubblegum pop theme song "Through My Own Eyes" performed by Music/AaronCarter and Kayla Hinkle invokes [[{{Eagleland}} patriotism]] fitting with the show being about the UsefulNotes/UnitedStates during UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution era as it's being viewed by the youth of the time. However, there's a LyricalDissonance in the song as the singers express [[InnocenceLost their innocence dying]] as they realize the horrors and tragedies of war when they [[ComingOfAgeStory come of age]], though it also [[RayOfHopeEnding ends with the singers expressing hope for a better future in the new country]].
* ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitchTheSeries''[='=]s upbeat theme song "Aloha, e Komo Mai"--especially in its full studio version as played in the end credits of PilotMovie ''WesternAnimation/StitchTheMovie''--reflects the show's Hawaiian setting, lighthearted tone, and themes of ''[[FamilyOfChoice ʻohana]]'' with finding belonging within a loving family, fitting with the show's main plot of the titular duo finding [[Characters/LiloAndStitchExperiments Stitch's "cousins"]] (the word "cousin" itself being sung in the chorus) to give them a "one true place" where they can use their abilities to help society. Stitch's interjections in his native alien language Tantalog also reflect the constant presence of aliens in the show. Additionally, the same song also recalls the original ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch'' film that the show serves as a SequelSeries to, with the titular duo having previously been feeling lost and lonely in the world until they found a loving family in each other.
* ''WesternAnimation/MiloMurphysLaw'' has "It's My World (And We're All Living In It)" by Music/WeirdAlYankovic ([[DoItYourselfThemeTune Milo's voice actor]]), which has Milo singing about making the best of his hectic life and the crazy things that happen to him and his friends every day.
* ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'': The Japanese [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8uldvja-MY theme song]], by Music/JAMProject, never mentions the word "Transformers," but contains lyrics such as "Fight and Transform."
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Wakfu}}'' has a Thematic Theme Song, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOjL5LR0qDQ if you can understand French.]]
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