Strong TV Songs: Animated Edition

It's time for something a little different, as Kirk takes a look at the theme songs from some of the most beloved animated TV shows of all time.

This super-sized episode focuses on five different pieces of music, each of which is the theme for a different animated show. It's a ton of music in a variety of styles, full of frantic key shifts, earwormy melodies, bodacious drum fills, and a surprising number of saxophone solos.

FEATURED SONGS, IN ORDER:

"The Simpsons Theme" by Danny Elfman, 1989
"Duck Tales" by Mark Mueller, 1987
"Rescue Rangers" by Mark Mueller, 1989
"A Cruel Angel's Thesis" from Neon Genesis Evangelion, by Hidetoshi Satō, Neko Oikawa, and Toshiyuki Omori, 1995
"Tank!" from Cowboy Bebop, by Yoko Kanno, 1998

ALSO REFERENCED/DISCUSSED:

"Maria" from West Side Story's 2009 Broadway cast recording, by Leonard Bernstein
The Batman: The Animated Series theme by Danny Elfman
"The Disney Afternoon Theme" and "Monkey In Your Tank" performed by The Disney Afternoon Studio Chorus
"A Cruel Angel's Thesis: Bike Horn Cover" by Alex Small-Butera on YouTube
"Front Burner" arranged by Sammy Nestico for the Count Basie big band
"Cat Blues" and "Sax Quartet" from the Cowboy Bebop soundtrack, both by Yoko Kanno

OUTRO SOLOIST: Rob Reich

This episode's outro soloist is the fantastic bay area pianist/accordionist Rob Reich. Rob performs all over the place with a bunch of different groups, and is a total pleasure to see play. He's got a bunch of albums you can check out and contributes to an array of interesting projects (Live silent-film scores! Circus music!) and experiments. Find more at his website, http://www.robreich.com/.

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AUGUST 2019 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

Caleb Rotach - Chad Barnard - Dan Apczynski - Dave Florey - Glenn - Sara Walsh

AUGUST 2019 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Alexander Polson - Andre Bremer - Andrew Lee - Arjun Sharma - Bill Thornton - Brett Douville - Brian Amoebas - Chas Lednicky - Earl Lozada - Emily Williams - FlSHBONES - Forrest Chang - Jaehoon Jeong - James Johnson - Jasmine Fellows - Jeff Dixon - Jeffrey Olson - John and Sharon Stenglein - Jon O’Keefe - joujou - Justin Liew - Justin McElroy - Kevin Morrell - Kevin Pennyfeather - Kyle Simons - Max Schechter - Melanie Stivers - Michael Blackwell - Mueller - Nate from Kalamazoo - Nicholas Schechter - Nick Clements - Ravy Vajravelu - Richard Toller - Shane DeLeon - Tim - Tom Clewer - Tom Lauer

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💃STRONG SONGS LIVE!🕺
July 11, 2026 | Portland, OR
Buy Tickets Here

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