Press Rewind on Nick Themes

If you wanna have a debate that lasts about three hours and more, try this. Go to any late Millenial and Gen-Zer and ask them what was the better channel in the 00s: Cartoon Network, Disney Channel, or Nickelodeon. It’s never-ending, a devoted Christian will turn into a satanist before we all come to conclusion. The three channels dominated our childhoods, so there isn’t a wrong answer (Disney was for fake bitches though). They all had their pros and cons: Cartoon Network had phenomenal cartoons but also had that weird dry spell with only live-action shows. Disney Channel had iconic sitcoms and stars but they had only had 3 Disney Channel Games events (I’m still holding a grudge over a decade later), As for Nickelodeon, they had the banger theme songs. Of course, the shows were great as well, but still, BANGER THEME SONGS.

Maybe it’s the nostalgia, but Nick seemed to be in a certain pocket when it came to their show’s theme songs. From teen bops to kid jams, they seemed to cover as much musical ground as they could. Setting themselves apart from the two, it feels like Nick was checking bullets off in terms of what they wanted for theme songs such as:

-Catchy
-To the Point
-Goddamn this dope

Going an extra mile for the sanctity of good music, Who knows, maybe the heads of it said “Fuck it” and flipped a coin on ideas and let the creatives do what they want and hope they didn’t fuck up. Either way, we’re grateful for it. Spanning from a surf rock theme (courtesy of Brian Causey) to hip-hop to pop rock to whatever Fanboy & Chum Chum was. Balancing that, writing-wise, they manage to tell the basis of the show while managing to maintain their musical identity. I know that seems like a given for what most should do, however, not every show does that or at least does it well. Just look at Fanboy & Chum Chum, hey it’s unique but not in a good way, Looking at today, The Loud House theme song quick a pace rock track that represents the hecticness of the household. The SpongeBob theme makes you feel as if you’re getting ready to leave a dock, and the Fairly Oddparents theme……well, it’s just nice. Victorious, Big Time Rush, and even the True Jackson V.P. theme songs are aux worthy. Rugrats, ChalkZone, Hey Arnold, so many to name… that I won’t.

The talent behind them, a chef’s kiss is needed. The creatives behind them are of the time yet, they produced stuff that feels somewhat timeless: TLC for All That, Coolio for Kenan & Kel, Macy Grey for As Told By Ginger. On the latter, Nick’s household names weren’t left out; Drake Bell (before he was an alleged child groomer) did the theme song for the classic Drake & Josh, Miranda Cosgrove did the theme for iCarly, Jamie Lynn Spears did the Zoey 101 theme. You get the idea, motherfuckers sing. Hell, even non-household names. referring back to Brian Causey as well as DJ D-Wrek who did the Danny Phantom theme song. Earworms are an understatement, put it this way: people between the ages of 20-27 (maybe you can stretch those ages further, up to you) know the Danny Phantom and ICarly theme song by heart more than the US National Anthem.