History Main / ExpositoryThemeTune

[[quoteright:350:[[LightNovel/{{Baccano}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/download_0351.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:And that's not even [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters one-sixth]] of the [[EnsembleCast cast]].]]

!!Example Subpages:

!Other Examples:

%%-->"There comes a time when life gets you down, when {{ratings}} are low. You've got to do what it takes, got to [[RatingsStunt up the stakes]], 'til there's [[JumpingTheShark nowhere left to go]]! Shark Jumping! Making some friends on the way together! Shark Jumping! Tomorrow's a brand new day! You might [[TonightSomeoneDies lose some friends along the way]], but if you hold your chin up, it'll all be okay! Shark Jumping! That's what friends are, that's what friends are, making our dreams come true!"

* Courtesy of ''Website/TheOnion'', [[https://www.theonion.com/nation-calls-for-return-of-theme-songs-that-explain-sho-1845074836 Nation Calls For Return of Theme Songs That Explain Show's Whole Deal]]

[[folder:Comics]]
* Despite appearing in a non-audio medium, the Comicbook/{{Blackhawk}}s gained their own theme tune, complete with sheet music, in a 1942 comic. A modern recording of "The Song of the Blackhawks" can be heard [[http://www.comictreadmill.com/CTMBlogarchives/2005/2005_Individual/2005_05/000789.php here]].

[[folder:Literature]]
* The children's horror series ''Literature/{{Vampirates}}'' has a theme tune of sorts. It's on the back of the book, and characters sing it in story. It describes the title creatures.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Machinima]]
* ''Machinima/Supermarioglitchy4sSuperMario64Bloopers'' has one, heard only in "Ssenmodnar 4".
-->''Oh, my God''\\
''Here we go again''\\
''Come on, watch this video 'till the very end''\\
''With Mario the Retard and [=SMG4=] the Idiot''\\
''Come on everybody it's Mario Bloopers!''
[[/folder]]

* "Hey, Hey, we're Music/TheMonkees / and people say we monkey around / but we're too busy singing / to put anybody down..." ([[Series/TheMonkees also fits into the category above]])

[[folder:Pinball]]
* ''[[Pinball/TimeMachineDataEast Time Machine]]'' from Creator/DataEast plays one during the end-of-game karaoke mode.
-->"Time Machine, where you go back in time..."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
* "Whose that jumping out the sky? [[Wrestling/ReyMysterioJr R-E-Y Mysterio]], here we go! When the mask's out the girls they pass out, the boys just blackout, better tap out!"
* "Wrestling/{{Chris|Hero}} is awesome! He's as hot as it gets, the type to drop you quick, with a mafia kick!"
* "I've got long sideburns. I've got my hair slicked back. I'm comin' to your town in a pink Cadillac. I'm just a Wrestling/HonkyTonkMan (He's just a Honky Tonk Man)! I'm just a Honky Tonk Man (He's just a Honky Tonk Man)! I'm just a Honky Tonk Man! I'm cool, I'm cocky, I'm bad!"
* "[[Wrestling/DustyRhodes Ame...rican! DREAM!]] ''(cowbell)'' He's just a common man, workin' hard with his hands!..."
[[/folder]]

* ''Series/CaptainScarletAndTheMysterons''. The opening titles have spoken narration. The original closing theme was instrumental, but a group was later recruited to record a vocal version:
-->''Captain Scarlet / He's the one who knows the Mysteron game / and things they plan''
* And then there is the theme tune to ''Series/TheMuppetShow'' (you know the words).

* ''Series/TheNoddyShop'''s theme song has the toys telling the viewers what they should expect to see when watching the show:

* The second half of the theme song to ''Series/ThePuzzlePlace'' describes what the show is about, compared to the first, where the kids invite the viewer to visit the titular location. [[/folder]]

[[folder:Theatre]]
* ''Theatre/TheSoldiersTale'' begins each act with "The Soldier's March," which commences the rhyming narration before the curtain rises over a steady drumbeat. The reprise at the start of the second act has slightly different lyrics and a brief pause for extra narration.

* ''WebAnimation/HanazukiFullOfTreasures'': "''Out there, deep in space, grows a new Moonflower...''"
* ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'':
** In the ''WebAnimation/StrongBadEmail'' "best thing", there's the theme song from ''Limozeen: but they're in space!''.
--->''Remember those guys from that band Limozeen? / Well, they turned their tour bus into a space machine!''
** Strong Bad also demonstrates what it would be like if he had one of these in the [=SBEmail=] "theme song" (Which also provides the page quote).
---> ''Strong Bad is a wrestle-man/ He's the email-checkin'-est guy in the land...''
** ''Music/StrongBadSingsAndOtherTypeHits'' features the theme song from [[ShowWithinAShow Dangeresque 2: This Time It's Not Dangeresque 1]]
--->''He works alone / Except when he works with Renaldo / Which is all the time / Dangeresque!''
* ''WebAnimation/BamanPiderman'': ''"I'm Baman!" "I'm Piderman!" "I come over da house!" "WE'RE BEST FWIENDS!"''
** Actually, the theme song wasn't present in the first two episodes, and the third episode actually involves them creating the theme song.
* ''WebAnimation/CampCamp'' has David singing the opening theme, which also doubles as their Camp anthem in-universe.
--> "Oh! There's a place I know that's tucked away! A place where you and I can stay! Where we can go to laugh and play, and have adventures everyday! I know it sounds hard ''to believe!'' But guys and gals it's true- Camp Campbell is the place for me and you!
* [[WebAnimation/WackyGameJokez4Kidz WGJ4K]] "Mickey was a small time crook on the streets of NYC, he was stolen from the streets by an evil corporation called VGV, he is forced to write direct and star in a video game comedy show broadcasted in the net.."
* ''[[WebAnimation/WeeblAndBob Cat Face]]'': Cat Face, [[CaptainObvious he's got a big cat's face]], [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment he's got the body of a cat, and the face of a cat]], and he flies through the air, 'cause [[RunningGag he's got a cat face]], Cat Face!

* ''"Lee likes playing videogames/And when you really think about it, that's not really so strange/But you would wonder if it's why the man was put on this Earth/it's time to reevaluate how much a picture is worth/You can be informed and entertained/No need to explain, watch the review of a game/Lee is [[Website/ThatGuyWithTheGlasses Still Gaming]]!/And I'm pretty sure that is something that won't ever change/Lee is Still Gaming/and it won't just as long as he lives/as long as there are games."''
* WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd: "''He's gonna take you back to the past/To play the shitty games that suck ass...''"
* The [[http://www.thestream.tv/watch.php?v=1898 Doc Mock's Movie Mausoleum]] theme starts out this way, before switching over to heavy metal screaming of the title halfway through; "''[[PunctuatedForEmphasis Doc! Mock's! Movie Mausoleum!]]''"
* ''WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall'' has a theme song that lists off [[WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall Linkara's]] name, possessions, and mission, along with some of the stuff he reviews.
** For his anniversary show, the extended version of the theme appeared, including a verse which focuses on Linkara's pet peeves ("''They made ''Film/{{Watchmen}}'' without the slimy squid''") and [=At4W=]'s supporting characters ("''He'll have you know that's pretty low / But not like the standards of the 90's Kid''")
* WebVideo/MarzGurl counted down [[http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/ir/marzgurl/reviews/8784-top10redu 10 of them]] from various studios.
* WebVideo/NecroCritic: ''"We watch crap movies, we play crap games/There's too much out there, causing us pain/The actors are rancid, the plot is stale/Necro is here to put an end to the fail."''
* WebVideo/TheLegendOfNeil's theme song explains exactly how Neil ended up inside the game, then has a very hurried follow-up summarising events up to the beginning of the episode.
* "HE BOUGHT TOO MANY GAMES!/Now we gotta play them all.../SO ALL ABOARD THE ''WebVideo/{{STEAM TRAIN}}!''" ("Choo-choo!")
* Several segments of the ''Podcast/TheThrillingAdventureHour'' feature these. Specifically the intro songs for "Sparks Nevada Marshall on Mars", "The Adventures of Captain Laserbeam", "Amelia Earhart Fearless Flyer", and "Down on Moonshine Holler."
* ''Podcast/WhoBackWhen'' has a theme song describing the fact that they review all of ''Series/DoctorWho'' there is. The song lyrics vary based on whether a given episode is reviewing Classic ''Who'', New ''Who'', or ''AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho''.
* ''WebVideo/SharkJumping'', as an {{homage}} to the cheesy older TV shows that they riff on.
-->"There comes a time when life gets you down, when {{ratings}} are low. You've got to do what it takes, got to [[RatingsStunt up the stakes]], 'til there's [[JumpingTheShark nowhere left to go]]! Shark Jumping! Making some friends on the way together! Shark Jumping! Tomorrow's a brand new day! You might [[TonightSomeoneDies lose some friends along the way]], but if you hold your chin up, it'll all be okay! Shark Jumping! That's what friends are, that's what friends are, making our dreams come true!"

[[folder:Theatre]]
* ''Theatre/TheSoldiersTale'' begins each act with "The Soldier's March," which commences the rhyming narration before the curtain rises over a steady drumbeat. The reprise at the start of the second act has slightly different lyrics and a brief pause for extra narration.
[[/folder]]

* Both themes of ''Come to Hoshizora Hall'' ("Hoshizora Melody" and the ''Second Night'' song "[[TitleDrop Come to Hoshizora Hall]]") are just songs that explain why the [=CDs=] are made, what they're planning to do, and what exactly they're giving their Master in thanks for their care and love.

Compare with the AnimeThemeSong and the ThemeTuneRap.

[[folder:Asian Animation

* ''WebAnimation/HanazukiFullOfTreasures: "Out there, deep in space, grows a new Moonflower..."

* ''BamanPiderman'': ''"I'm Baman!" "I'm Piderman!" "I come over da house!" "WE'RE BEST FWIENDS!"''

* Both theme songs of ''Come to Hoshizora Hall'' ("Hoshizora Melody" and the BootstrappedThemeTune "[[TitleDrop Come to Hoshizora Hall]]") are just songs that explain why the [=CDs=] are made, what they're planning to do, and what exactly they're giving their Master in thanks for their care and love.

* Parodied with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeZDLAaDYos Martian by Mistake]], a nonexistent kids cartoon that is clearly poking fun of this trope and the cliches that come along with it.

* ''[[WeeblAndBob Cat Face]]'': Cat Face, [[CaptainObvious he's got a big cat's face]], [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment he's got the body of a cat, and the face of a cat]], and he flies through the air, 'cause [[RunningGag he's got a cat face]], Cat Face!

* "Wrestling/{{Chris|Hero}} is awesome! He's as hot as it gets, the type to drop you quick, with a mafia kick!"[[/folder]]

* Downplayed with the ''WesternAnimation/ThreeTwoOnePenguins'' theme song. Part of it says " 'Bout a rocket ship and flightless birds", which gives the viewer a little idea of what the show is about.

->''Theme songs are just an excuse for show-makers to make less show. [[SarcasmMode "I'm sure viewership would triple]] if I had one of those crappy cartoon theme songs that bludgeons you over the head with the blunt end of the show's premise."''

->''[[SarcasmMode "I'm sure viewership would triple]] if I had one of those crappy cartoon theme songs that bludgeons you over the head with the blunt end of the show's premise."''