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Title Theme Tune

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"By the way, if you walked in late,
Allow me to reiterate,
The name of this movie
Is
Spy Hard!"

So you have this show and need to make a Theme Tune for it that lets the viewer know what exactly they're going to be watching for the next half-hour. One common tactic is to just repeat the title of the show in the tune. May also incorporate a popular Catchphrase from the show.

Particularly in children's shows, the practice helps to cement the name of the show and its merchandise in the minds of the little viewers to get them interested.

Can easily overlap with the Expository Theme Tune. Sub-Trope of Title Drop. Often used in shows featuring a Character Title, thus emphasizing not only the show name, but the name of the show's star character.


Example subpages:

Other examples:

    open/close all folders 

    Anime 

General:

  • While not as common in anime these days (a few still do it), it was more or less a regular thing during the 1960s and '70s, just like it is in Western animated media now. In the '70s, some subversions, and even aversions started coming up. That is, while the song may be named after the show, it may not necessarily contain the entire title, or it may omit the title. For example, the song is called "Cutey Honey", but the closest it comes to containing the title is when it refers to the character "Honey" by name, and also when it incorporates her transformation phrase ("Honey Flash!"). Captain Harlock and Galaxy Express 999 have theme songs named after their respective shows, but do not contain the actual titles of the shows in their lyrics. Instead, they merely describe what they are talking about.

Specific works:

    Eastern Animation 
  • "This is Babyyyyy... (Baby) Shark's Big SHOOOOOOOW! Doo doo-doo doo-doo doo!"
  • "So we all need a saviour to defend our planet Earth: BoBoiBoy!"
  • The theme song to Bread Barbershop, "Hey! Bread Barbershop" by Raon, features the title of the show in its chorus. Hey, hey! Bread Barbershop! He can't be beat...
  • The theme tune of Chhota Bheem constantly repeats, "Chhota Bheem, Chhota Bheem, Chhota Bheem, Chhota Bheem! Bheem, Bheem, Bheem, Chhota Bheem, Chhota Bheem!"
  • "Together we'll be able to fairytale... Open the door! Fantasy Patrol!"
  • "Gatta gatta Gattu, batta batta Battu, two two in one, one one in two!"
  • Oh GG Bond, a hero for today! Oh GG Bond, he makes it all OK! Oh GG Bond, super in every way! Bigger than big, so much more than your average pig!
  • Keymon Ache in the house! All the cool kids shooooooooout! Keymon Ache!
  • The theme song to the 4Kids Entertainment English dub of KikoRiki. "GoGoRiki! GoGoRiki, Riki-Riki, Go-Go..."
    • "Learning, rhyming, always smiling, BabyRiki time!"
    • "You will change your life forever when you figure out the secret PinCode, PinCode, PinCode, PinCode..."
  • "Motu aur Patlu ki jodi! Motu aur Patlu ki jodi..."
  • "Noonbory and the Super 7, saving Toobalooba again and again, yeah!"
  • The theme song for Oye Golu constantly repeats "Oye Golu, Oye Golu, Oye Golu, Oye Golu..."
  • The original theme song for Pleasant Goat Fun Class begins with lyrics along the lines of "Pleasant Goat Fun Class (Let's go to school)/We are happy to grow (Happy to grow)".
  • "Pucca loves Garu / He's a pretty boy / Ninjas with noodles / Kissy chase, Kissy face / Wham bam bam!"
  • "It's because I'm simple! It's because I'm really cool! Everybody loves me and I love them, too! And I'm happy just doing whatever I do... It's because I'm Simple... Samosa!"
  • "Qumi-Qumi, haba-haba waka-waka! Qumi-Qumi, haba-haba jamana!"
  • "There's a very special shop with a very special clock / and it's Tommy and Tallulah with their very special / Toc, toc, tick-tock, tick-tock, Tickety Toc!"
  • "YooHoo & Friends travel together / With friends, it's sure to be a blast!"
    • "YooHoo and Friends will lead you on!"

    Films — Animation 

    Films — Live-Action 

    Music 
  • The Backstreet Boys hit Everybody (Backstreet's Back).
  • Parodied in Tom Lehrer's "Oedipus Rex" (from An Evening Wasted with Tom Lehrer). In his spoken-word introduction, he explains that he feels the 1957 film version of Sophocles' Oedipus Rex did not fare well with audiences because it "did not have a title tune which the people could hum, and which would actually make them eager to attend this particular flick". He then attempts to "supply this need" with a "prospective title song".
  • ''Hey Hey, we're The Monkees... and people say we monkey around..." (already mentioned under Live Action TV Shows, but the band made a full-length cut on an album of the theme.)
  • "We're Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, we hope you will enjoy the show..." (The Beatles)

    Pinballs 
  • Black Knight 2000 is one of the very very few pinball machines to do this:
    You got the power! (Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!)
    You got the might! (No way!)
    Get ready for battle! (Give me your money!)
    Beat the Black Knight! (Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!)...
  • "MON-STER BAAAAAAAAAAASH! (YOU GOTTA GET IT WHILE YOU CAAAAAAAAAAAN!)..."

    Professional Wrestling 
  • Some ring entrance themes do this:
    • "I've got long sideburns, and my hair's slicked back / I'm coming to your town in my pink cadillac / I'm just a Honky Tonk Man (He's a Honky Tonk Man!) I'm just a Honky Tonk Man (He's a Honky Tonk Man!) I'm just a Honky Tonk Man, I'm cool! I'm cocky! I'm bad!..."
    • "...You'll serve hard time! You'll be serving hard time! / You know the Big Boss Man will make you walk the line! You better watch out boy, or you'll be serving hard time!..."
    • "Step into the town and break the walls down! / Your heartbeat is the only sound! / Step into the night and then you know / You were stopped and dropped on the Walls of Jericho!..."
    • "Well... Well it's the Big Show! Yes, it's the big man show tonight!..."
    • "Test, this is a Test, Test / Test, This is a Test..."
    • "Everybody's got a price / Everybody's gonna pay / 'Cause The Million Dollar Man / Always gets his way!"
    • "It's all about The Game and how you play it / All about control and if you can take it / All about your debt and if you can pay it / It's all about pain and who's gonna make it!" or "The King left none living, none able to tell / The King took their heads and he sent them to hell / Their screams echoed loud in the place of their death / Ripped open they died with their final breath / They hailed to the King, The King of Kings."

    Puppet Shows 
  • "Bananas in Pyjamas are coming down the stairs..."
  • "Let's go everyone, we're gonna go down / To a dookie little place called— Bunnytown!"
  • Another French example for another Japanese series: Bomber X (a.k.a. Star Fleet by Go Nagai).
  • "...we'll all be doubled over with laughter / At the expense of others, maybe even your mother! / Won't you join the Crank Yankers tonight? Crank Yankers!"
  • "There's lots of things we like to do / Curious Buddies! / Do-bee-do-bee-do..."
  • "Dance your cares away / Worries for another day / Let the music play / Down in Fraggle Rock!"
  • Almost all of Gerry Anderson's Supermarionation series of the 1960s have these.
    • "Supercar! Suuupercaaaar!!! With beauty and grace, as swift as can be, watch it flying through the air! It travels in space or under the sea, and it can journey anywhere! Supercar! Suuupercaaaar!!!..."
    • "I wish I was a spaceman / The fastest guy alive / I'd fly you 'round the universe / In Fireball XL5..."
    • "Stingraaaaaay, Stingray! Stingraaaaaay, Stingray!"
    • The most notable aversion is Thunderbirds, though narrowly: a closing theme with lyrics was composed for it, and it did repeat the title numerous times throughout.
    "Then you'll see Thuuuuunder-BIRDS! Flying way up hiiiiiigh! Thuuuuunder-BIRDS! Roaring through the skyyyyyy!"
    • Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons: There were two versions, one with a full set of lyrics and another whose lyric was nearly only "Captain Scarlet" endlessly repeatednote .
  • "Elliot Moose, is on the loose!"
  • The Great Space Coaster
  • Older viewers might remember: "It's Howdy Doody time!" They might easily have forgotten the song's other lines.
  • It's a Big Big World, don't you agree? Big enough for you and me!
  • "So, come on, everybody, / let's get up and go. / It's time to get started / It's Jack's Big Music Show!"
  • "I was just Johnny till I walked through that door, but I'm not just Johnny anymore! I'm Johnny and the Sprites! Did you see one? Johnny and the Sprites! Could you be one? Johnny and the Sprites!"
  • "Hey, it's Lamb Chop's Play-Along, where kids come to play-along, and fun things are all we ever do!"
  • "Nothing, beats a, music, pizza, come hear the Charlie Horse Music Pizza play."
  • "All God's creatures, fresh off the grill. So come on down to Mr. Meaty where friends meet to eat-meat!"
  • "It's time to play the music / It's time to light the lights / It's time to meet the Muppets / On The Muppet Show tonight."
  • "Here come the Muppets! Here come the Muppets! Here come the Muppets Tonight!"
  • "Welcome to our place, we've been waiting. Time for some fun and celebrating! Something is always ready to POP! Here at The Noddy Shop!"
  • "Can you tell me how to get, how to get to Sesame Street?" (They never did tell us...)
    • "...Vamos todos encontrar donde hay gran felicidad, el fantástico lugar, ¡Plaza Sésamo! (¿Como?) ¡Plaza Sésamo! (¡Muy bien!)..."
    • "Somebody come and play / Somebody come and play today / Somebody come and join the fun / There's lots of room for everyone / Somebody come and play... today... / Play With Me Sesame!"
  • "Sifl... and... Ol-ly! Sifl and Olly Show! (ROCK!)"
  • Tinky Winky... Dipsy... Laa-laa... Po. Teletubbies. "Teletubbies!" Say... hell-o! "Eh-oh!"
  • "Im a tot! Je suis une tot!note  Tilly, Tom, and Tiny! We're the tots of Tots TV! One, two, three, boo!..."
  • "BOOH...BAH!!"
  • "Pinwheel, Pinwheel, spinning around. Look at my pinwheel and see what I've found..."
  • "Eureeka! ('Who, me?' 'No, you! Don't you see?') Eureeka's Castle..."
  • "Come on everybody, let's all have fun with Wilbur!"
  • "The Puzzle Place! The Puzzle Place! We're going to The Puzzle Place!"
  • "Bookmice! Bookmice! They live inside the library; Bookmice!..."
  • "Welcome to you, and how do you do? Everybody's waiting here at Pooh Corner. Waiting for you, and Winnie the Pooh, to have a happy hooky-pooh time!..."note 
  • "...Dumbo's Circus, Dumbo's Circus is coming to visit, you won't want to miss it, coming to visit you!"
  • Another example is the Canadian series Under the Umbrella Tree, which aired on the Disney Channel in the U.S..
  • "Cause we're laughing and we're learning. We're singing a song. If you learn to trust your feelings, you'll never go wrong, and you know that you will always belong, at Wimzie's House."
  • "Come and meet The Letter People, come and visit the family. Words are made of letter people, A B C D, follow me."
  • "Wisharoo Park, Wisharoo Park, come down to Wisharoo Park."
  • "If you've been looking for some fun, or a chance to be most anyone, there's a little shop I know, you'll find it on The Chica Show"
  • "You know who The Hoobs are... Iver! Groove! And Tula!"
  • Both the European version (1986-1995) and short lived American version (1987-1989) of The D.J. Kat Show did this with a Theme Tune Rap. This is the European version:
    "This is The D.J. Kat Show, and I am D.J. Kat...that's my name! That's a D and a J and a Kat with a K! Okay? Yeah!"
    • The American version is similar, but goes:
    "This is The D.J. Kat Show, and I am D.J. Kat! With a D and a J and a Kat with a K, so you better stick around, okay?! (D.J., Kat!) And this is MY show!"note 
  • "Time to get those wheels a-rollin'! Big, Big, Big Garage! Time to get those horns a-blowin'! Big, Big, Big Garage!"
  • "Sing a song, eat a snack, and take a nap / So much we're gonna wanna do today in Littleburg / Whoopi's Littleburg!"
  • The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss has these:
    • Season one: "Tighten up, get loose. In the Wubbulous World, in The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss. Yeah!"
    • Season two: "Come on along, we're waiting for you! (Come on!) This is the song to welcome you to The Wubbulous World... of Dr. Seuss!"
  • "Téléfrançais, Téléfrançais, Téléfrançais!"
  • "Here comes Donkey Hodie (Hee-haw!) Donkey Hodie! She loves adventure, she loves surprise. When there's a problem, she tries and tries!"
  • Monkey, Monkey, Monkey, Monkey, Milkshake! Monkey!

    Radio 
    Theater 
  • Though title songs of musicals aren't usually played this way, the prelude to On a Clear Day You Can See Forever features the title song sung by an offstage chorus.
  • Another exception (at least in the movie) is:
    "Little Shop! Little Shop Of Horrors! Little Shop! Little shop of terror! Little Shop! Little Shop of Horrors! No! No-no, no!"
  • The opening and closing themes of Wicked could be considered this too.
    "No one mourns the wicked, wicked, wicked!"
  • —> "We want you to join in our fun, before the day is done.. "StarlandKrew, YEAH!"
  • "Well, Well, Hello, Dolly! Well Hello Dolly! It's So Nice to have you back where you belong!"

    Video Games 
  • The best of the best still die like the rest.. I Expect You To Die!
  • The only legible words in the opening theme for Katamari Damacy are the game's title. Other versions of the theme within the game have actual lyrics.
  • Sonic Heroes! Sonic Heroes! Fide you, confide you, defying your reign! The game's title is also used rather ridiculously throughout the game: "Why can't I defeat you?" "Because we're Sonic Heroes!"
  • Donkey Kong 64. "D.K! Donkey Kong is here!"
    • To be fair the exact title appears nowhere in that song. It's more about the character(s) and less about the game.
  • Petville (YEAH!) Doodle-dee-doo doo-doo Petville (WHEE!)
  • As a pastiche of James Bond movies' tendencies to have title theme tunes, as noted above, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater has a subtitle theme tune "Snake Eater".
  • Almost every theme song of Super Robot Wars Boisterous Bruisers involves this. Especially "Ware Koso Waaa... Ware Koso Waaa... BARAN DOBAN!". Also Rand Travis' theme "Land Crasher" "Gun, Gunleon, Gunleon! Gun, Gunleon, Gunleon! Gun, Gunleon, Gunleon! Land Crasher...". Yes, both are Boisterous Bruisers.
  • Segata Sanshiro! Segata Sanshiro! Sega Saturn... shiro!!
  • (Burning Rangers!) To the brand new sky we dive. (Burning Rangers!) Dreams we have are shining bright!(Burning Rangers!) Aquamarine colored skies. Fly high with grace and pride... The actual name of the song however is "Burning Hearts" (also known as "Angels With Burning Hearts").
  • Night Trap has this. The characters lipsync to it at one point.
  • "Cruisin', yeah yeahhhh, Cruis'n USA"!
    • And the sequel: "Cruisiiinnn'... cruisin' the wooooorrrrrlllld!!!" Though if you want to get technical, the game was called Cruis'n World, with no "the".
  • "He is a...GEX!"note 
  • Pepsiman: "PEPSI-MAAAAAAN!" It begins before the title appears, and variations on it make up most of the game's soundtrack, which contains no other lyrics.
  • There are two Ur Examples, one for home systems, and one for arcade games:
    • While Alternate Reality: The City doesn't have any vocals (because of technology limitations), the lyrics appear as the game "sings" each word.
    • Psycho Soldier on the other hand, was the first arcade game (and probably the first video game period) to have a vocal theme song ("Fire! Fire! Psycho Soldier! Fire! Fire! Psycho Soldier!").
  • The original Tokimeki Memorial is an example (along with its spinoffs), but the full title is only sung in the full-length version (only the "Memorial" part is heard in the "TV size" version that's played in-game).
  • "Clay Fighter! Clay, Clay Fighter! Come on, fight them if you dare! Clay Fighter! Clay, Clay Fighter! Hit'em, smack'em, they don't care!"note 
  • The Idolmaster is another example of a title theme tune where the title doesn't appear in the actual lyrics.note 
  • Subverted in Super Mario Odyssey. Although it plays in the E3 2017 trailer, and although there's a shortened instrumental version in the title screen that plays on a loop, it's actually an Insert Song in-game.
    "...I'm flipping the switch! Get ready for this! Oh-oh! Let's do the Odyssey!"
  • "Well, Cuphead and his pal Mugman / They like to roll the dice / By chance they came 'pon devil's game / And gosh, they paid the price...note "
  • "All you gotta do, all you gotta do is, all you gotta do is just dance..."
    • "If you wanna party, then you can just dance! Just dance! Gotta move your body, so you can just dance! Just dance!"

    Web Animation 
  • Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse has a theme with a chorus including five lines. The even-numbered lines proclaim the show's subtitle, and the fifth gives a full Title Drop.
    • "Dreamtopia (where adventure never stops)! Dreamtopia (it's just a sprinkle sparkle hop)! Dreamtopia-a-a! (It's just a dream away!)"
  • Bravoman, Bravoman! Battling crime whenever he can! Who do you call when it hits the fan? You gotta call Bravoman!
  • GoodbyeKitty, Goodbye Kitty! Goodbye Kitty! Oh, whoa, whoa. Oh- (zap) Goodbye Kitty!
  • "'Cause you're Royal and Rebel, you're more than one together, however you go Ever in Ever After High!"
  • "Mi Perro Chocolo, Y sus amigos estan aqui"
  • "Yeah, life gets crazy here at Mermaid High! Mermaid, Mermaid High!"
  • "Monster High, the party never dies!"
  • "Glowin', slayin', fashion, frame it! RAINBOW HIGH!"
  • ''Suction Cup Man is comin' round, my sucking powers have no bounds!"

    Webcomics 
  • The M9 Girls! main theme, featured in pivotal pages like this, is an electronic arrangment with anime vibes, which mentions the comic's title in a synthesized voice.

    Web Original 
  • "Welcome to Atop the Fourth Wall, where bad comics burn!"
  • NatOne Productions has Obleeq, the silly, slapstick, fantasy story. Every episode begins with Jon (sometimes joined by the rest of the cast) singing "Oooobleeq! Doo doo dooooo...doodoodoo."
  • "He's the angriest gamer you've ever heard. He's the Angry Nintendo Nerd. He's the Angry Atari Sega Nerd. He's the Angry Video Game Nerd.
    • Also in this episode of The Angry Video Game Nerd, a theme has this; this song is about "shitty" games for Spider-Man and how it sucks his "spider-balls." The song also has James' song, called the Angry Nerd.
  • Taco-Man Plays A Video Game has its own theme song, which boasts a double-digit number of title drops, and spoofs the theme of Saturday Supercade. Eventually, it became an end credits song instead.
  • Parodied by The Other Other Wiki with their own rendition of the Samurai Jack Theme Tune Rap, which was recently removed from their article on the show. Reproduced here for your convenience:
    Samurai Jack? Samurai Jack? Who Jacked Jack?
    Look out!
    Samurai Jack? Samurai Jack? Jack Jacked Jack?
    Jackity jack, jack jack jack, jackity jackity! Jacky jacky Jack!
    Jackity jack, jackity jack, jacky jack jack!!
    Look out!!
    Jacking jacking jackity jackity, ja-jack jack jack!!
    Jackawa jack! Jack jack jack! Jack jack jack!!
    Jacka jacka jack jack jack jack jack! JACKITY JACKITY JACKITY JACK!
    Jack jack jack jack jack jack jack jack! Jack jack jack!? JACK JACK JACK JACK JACK JACK JACK JACK JACKITY JACKITY JACK!!!
    JACK JACK!!!
    JAAAACK!!
    Jack? Can you hear me? JACK?! JAAAAAAACK?!
  • Reel Geek Girls has a brief theme tune that plays over the intro. It consists of the title being said several times in rapid succession.
  • Hector's World: The theme tune says the phrase "Hector's world" three times.

    Other 
  • Teen Steam, a workout video from 1988 starring Alyssa Milanonote  is a rare example of a workout video doing this:
    Steam, Teen Steam! Gotta let it out!

    Instrumental Themes 
Not all that common, but there are instrumental themes in which the title of the television show or film is a perfect fit metrically and could, if one wished, be sung along to the instrumental theme. The metric fit often occurs in the opening bars of the instrumental theme.
  • Bonanza
    • Dun-da-dah-dun/ Dun-da-dah-dun/ Bo-nan-zaaaah! . .
  • The Fall....and. Rise! Of Reg-in-ald Per-rin
  • Hawaii Five-0
    • Ha-wai-ee Five-Oh/ Dah-dah-dah-dah-daaah/ Ha-wai-ee Five-0h/ Dah-dah-dah-dah-daaah. . .
  • Hill Street Blues
    • Hill Street Blues/ Hill Street Blues/ Da-da-da-da-da-dah/ Hill Street Blues . . . .
  • Mission Impossible Not exactly the same as the other examples, but the opening beats of the Mission Impossible theme song correspond to the Morse Code letters M and I if you give if a dot the value of one beat and a dash the value of one-and-a-half beats
  • My Three Sons
    • It's My Three Sons/ It's My Three Sons/ It's My Three Sons/ It's My Three Sons/ . . . repeated until madness sets in.
  • Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em adds a Genius Bonus: the instrumental theme is played on a solo piccolo. Not only does one phrase echo the series title Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, but to anyone familiar with morse code - the staccato piccolo playing spells out the name of the show. In morse code.
  • Star Wars theme as sung by Bill Murray in a Saturday Night Live skit about a third-rate ski-resort lounge singer:
    • Star Wars!/ Give me those Star Wars!/ Nothing but Star Wars/ Don't let them end. . . .

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