The Underappreciated World of Cartoon Music 

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No cartoon in history had the amount of bangers that Phineas and Ferb did. Don't @ me

SpongeBob’s music is SO iconic. I think every RU-vidr uses its music for memes and background music. SpongeBob’s music is timeless! 🍍

The Amazing World if Gumball Songs are really underappreciated. There's so many songs, but I barely hear anybody talk about them when compared to the other big Cartoon Network shows.

The best part is that the SpongeBob chase music literally would fit in with anything, that’s how good it is.

You should have mentioned how Regular Show used some rock songs from the 80s and 70s and made their own rock melodies for moments of conflict in an episode

Wonder Pets is a cartoon where every episode is like a mini-opera, with a lot of it being sung through. The score was provided by a live orchestra, and it won an Emmy for it.

Ren and Stimpy has one of the most amazing libraries of music in cartoons.

I think peep and the big wide world is a perfect example of this, it's theme and outro are incredible but what's really impressive is that every episode is custom tailored with it's own soundtrack, it has no typical soundtrack with individual songs but it uses its musical soundfont like sound effects similar to chibi robo where it has music notes for walking/swimming/flying, such an amazing show

As a 2010’s kid, hearing adventure times come along with me still makes me tear up a bit, I don’t know why. Something so special about it

i saw the post and it said new video in an hour then I looked and it said "1 hour ago" and I was like OMG THATS NOW

Wander Over Yonder has great high energy music usually integrating fast banjo riffs to complement the fast paced cat and mouse style chases. Every time i rush off somewhere, i think of sylvia running with that fast banjo music. Also My Fair Hatey is a musical episode and it's one of the best episodes of tv ever!

These voice actors deserve all the props for being able to sing to this impressive degree.

Avatar the Last Airbender, Adventure Time, Steven Universe, and Samurai Jack are probably my favorite cartoon OSTs. All of them create the perfect atmosphere that encapsulates me into the worlds of those shows. I'm glad people like Mark are shining a light of one of the most overlooked aspects of a cartoon.

I always loved Regular Shows use of classic songs from the 80s in a kids show. Mississippi Queen is a classic

My absolute favorite that wasn't mentioned has to be Steven Universes score. Of course the actual musical performances are great, but the backing score is so perfectly woven to feel both unique to the series alone, and to fit everything it needs. and with small details like the main characters having their own instruments tied to them, to emphasize any important moments for them, as well as the factions themselves having unique sounds and feelings, the score feels like it has an immense attention of detail to it, and is literally irreplaceable. The whole thing feels so alive, and like it's really trying to speak to you, and I just think that's incredible.

If there is one animated kids show that goes all out with its music variety is The Backyardigans. Especially with how every episode would always have a different “music genre of the day”, ranging from: tango, reggae, calypso, Irish folk (for LS Mark), R&B, different eras of jazz, and so much more. Besides, it was one show that was part of my childhood, and got me real invested in different styles of music.

The SpongeBob Musical was such a fantastic case considering how each song felt unique yet blend so well together

I think no matter your thoughts on the show, Steven Universe has the best Soundtrack to date. I'm not just talking about the vocal singing songs, even the background tracks are amazing. Highly recommend taking a listen even if you haven't watched the show

While not an American cartoon, the music in evangelion (both instrumental and lyrical) is absolutely legendary

Before I even watch, I just wanna say that any show that uses a lot of jazz or classical will always get a win in my book. 😌

Samurai Jack’s sountrack is peak, same with Powerpuff Girls.

Powerpuff girls got me into jungle music

The Over the Garden Wall soundtrack is incredibly beautiful and really gives off the mysterious vibes the show gives off. Honestly my favorite cartoon soundtrack ever.

Something I always appreciate in cartoons is giving specific characters and locations theme songs/motifs that play whenever they're present Steven Universe's soundtrack needs no introduction but it really is my favorite example of that, even taking it a step further and having each character represented with a specific instrument/style of music

Not a cartoon, but one of my favorite animated shorts, Opal by Jack Stauber, has such a good soundtrack. The actual musical numbers are fantastic, but the background score is really good as well. Jack is an absolute wizard with music and I feel like Opal really highlights his talent

Honorable mention to Bluey~ The soundtrack is a mix of original compositions and orchestra numbers, made in a style like no other, to heighten up the emotional and the fun of cartoon dogs in a slice of life for pre-schoolers~

Some cartoon music goes so goddamn hard, no wonder so many RU-vidrs use cartoon music in the background

Class of 3000, Phineas and Ferb, and Fairly Oddparents are proof of how memorable and iconic cartoon music can be.

This video really made me appreciate just how great the music is in The Amazing Digital Circus, especially in Episode 2 where they made the music fit the tone of what was going on, from its serious and silly moments. But I think the most jaw-dropping thing that I learned is...MARK IS CREATING A CARTOON?!

as someone who just got a avatar the last airbender tattoo, this is coming from a biased opinion, but the music from that show is incredible. it really feels like every note has a reason to be played. it’s not only amazing music, just such a wonderful show in general

Icky Vicky is still stuck in my head to this day. Nothing beats Chip Skylark’s banger bars 🔥

Once again, I agree with your editor. You should watch Avatar the Last Airbender. You should also watch Dragon Ball. And do a video ranking every Dreamworks film.

Another score I’ve been admiring is Gravity Falls. It fits perfectly with the wonder and mystery of the town while still having lighthearted moments. It’d be interesting to take a look at that.

Low-key Family guys soundtrack is pretty good, I love "Mr bababooey" and "This bababooey is freaking sweet"!

i personally think Futurama's intro song is peak. Its catchy, upbeat and fits the tone of the show perfectly

I’d love an Ed, Edd, n’ Eddy retrospective sometime.

Just wanted to come here to say the score for Ed Edd n Eddy was just perfect for the show

Shout out to Transformers Prime for having a soundtrack that’s so GOATED that the same composer is doing the soundtrack for Transformers One

Steven universe’s first couple seasons have some INSANE backing tracks first ones that come to mind are mirror match and flambe

There’s just something so incredibly charming about Ren and Stimpy’s stock music.

Shoutout to the LS Mark ending theme

Damn it's really unfortunate that there was no talk about the steven universe soundtrack, I'd argue it's one of the greatest cartoon soundtracks to exist. The Emotion the impact that it has on You when watching is crazy, it perfectly compliments a scene no matter what is going on, FUN FACT different characters have their own specific noise or tune in a song so you know exactly who's on screen without even looking at it, and if here's multiple characters the music compliments that by adding all those differnt melodies and tunes together, it's genuinely beautiful, even the the actual songs are catchy, I damn near had over 48 of them in my playlist, I say for anyone who hasn't watched the show definitely listen to the sound track of steven universe trust me ITS AMAZING

Gotta shout this out to It's Pony. That show has a lot of physical comedy and hard cuts between jokes, so the musical score really helps illustrate the character's movements in these scenes or even conveys how they feel. They even released the soundtrack on digital stores.

The amazing world of gumball music is definitely underrated

Friendship is Magic’s music. End of story. Daniel Ingram is a legend.

Every golden age cartoon had some bangers. Tom and Jerry's "The Bodyguard" opening had some incredible sound. Woody Woodpecker, Looney Tunes, you name it!

Funnily enough I have been listening to tv show soundtracks lately so seeing a video on it makes me happy. I think a great example of a composer that deserves love is ego plum, composing stuff for post sequel spongebob (episodes like spongebob in randomland come to mind), Harvey beaks, and even the cuphead show. It's got this natural feel to it I just love

South Park had good music in Season 1-3, i remember these banjo strums and also also these instrumentals music by Mike Berry, now its mostly hell's kitchen danger stings. Like Mark Said lol.

Invader Zim is a show I’d say had a great and consistent sounding score through its run, even though it was only 2 seasons. The original show had such an industrial sound to the music and it encapsulates the feeling and just overall style of the show with just the theme song alone. There was other themes created for Invader Zim but if you give those demos a listen and then compare those to the final choice, it’s evident that the chosen theme was absolutely perfect for the show.

I think Aivi and Surasshu's work on Steven Universe is the peak of cartoon soundtracks. Assigning each of the characters to an instrument/music genre is so effortlessly integrated into the show's concepts, themes, and emotions. You have fusions with differing genres of Music that could be considered an "evolution" of both characters' genres. Each season's soundtrack is on spotify. I highly recommend giving it a listen.

Batman The Animated Series has a score that people remember after they're done watching. They will remember Two Face's nightmarish theme, Joker's bombastic theme, and Mr Freeze's haunting theme because Shirley Walker and her team knew to make them feel big but memorable. Sure Danny Elfman helped compose the main theme and credits theme but most of the work came from Shirley Walker who was a big female composer on TV and Films and would be impact on how comic book shows would sound like if given the right staff and budgets. Also she has a sound stage named after her at Warner's so she's that big.

Shout out to Mike O’Donnell and Junior Campbell for making seven seasons of amazing music all for a show about talking trains.

Shunsuke Kikuchi's score for the Dragon Ball series is one that often comes to my mind, I love the instruments and cues. Many tracks are reused, but I don't mind, as they always fit perfectly with what's happening on screen. Bruce Faulconer's replacement score is also great and I love the variety, but doesn't fit as well. I usually watch Dragon Ball Z with Kikuchi's score partly for that reason, but certain scenes don't have the same impact without Faulconer's score (such as Goku transforming into a Super Saiyan 3).

8:21 Splendid idea Markypooo. Please rank every dreamworks movie!!

Some of my favorite examples of music in animation are Wander Over Yonder, The Amazing World of Gumball, and (a more indie example) Battle for Dream Island, specifically season 4 and 5 (and some of season 2 and 1). Specifically in the case of BFDI, it uses some stock music, especially in earlier seasons, but its original soundtrack is just as good as the liscened. The OST of BFB and TPOT are mostly sampled, and also use some melodies from other songs they've used in the past. Not to mention the fact that a small majority of the tracks were made WAY in advance of when they were actually used. Most of the tracks made for later BFB and some of TPOT were made almost all the way back in the early to mid 2010s (for refernce, BFB came out in 2017). I just think its so cool how a song can be made for an entirely different situation, or no situation at all, and can still be used for something later (for example, Hallway, which is the music for the EXIT, was most likely made in 2015 or '16 with its first use in the series being in 2018). Anyways, I spent WAY too long gushing about the soundtrack to an indie series, that I don't have the energy to talk about the orher examples I mentioned. Oh well, I'm sure someone has talked about them... Also, since we're on the topic of music, you guys should go listen to Snarky Puppy. They're a Jazz/Funk/Rock band that I just really love. I think you'll like it too, especially if you're a fan of Sonic music...

My personal favorite cartoon scores have to be the early peanuts specials. Anything Vince guaraldi touched turned into gold.

I think the work Bruce Broughton and Richard Stone did for Animaniacs and Tiny Toons is some of the best ever composed for animation. All the music from the 90s animated WB shows was so good. I also loved how Alan Mencken blended song motifs into character themes. I know most musicals do that, but Beauty and the Beast was the first time I noticed. Of course you can’t forget the GOATs of cartoon music; Carl Stalling, Scott Bradley, and Milt Franklin. I also really love all of Hoyt Curtain’s music he did for Hanna-Barbera. I highly recommend listening to the Futurama score album released awhile back, though the content is sparse.

i freaking love the fairly oddparents title card themes. i honestly wish they were full osts instead of being little jingles.

The Last Airbender has to be one of my favorites, every single song has such a specific feel and it always amplifies the scenes so well. I also love the little tunes and sound effects that play for certain scenes, like whenever Iroh does something stupid that little goofy version of the fire nation riff that plays, or the drum sound effect that plays after the more heavy hitting jokes. And the actual quality of the music is just insane. It holds up as just amazing music to listen to.

I’m surprised no one has mentioned Thomas. The intro theme alone is iconic for its synthy score, as well as pretty much every other theme from the show.

The first show I went out of my way to look for the ost was Ok K.O. specifically when they fight against a blue round robot. It was genuinely amazing, I find the whole show to be an underrated masterpiece

One of my favorite moments is in Tom and Jerry, when Tom was singing “Is you is or is you ain’t my babbyyy” and Jerry house keeps getting more fucked up the more Tom plucked the cello 😂

2:01 I was actually standing up. Had to sit down for this one.

Idk if anime counts but I swear OST from Puella Magi Madoka Magica is truly top tier stuff. Absolutely amazing stuff!

Fully agree on South Park. The movie’s entire soundtrack is incredible not even just the songs they sing I love the sound that plays when the boys arrive at starks pond but under the 6 day schedule of reusing sound it’s so annoying. Especially when they use the same dramatic music in a scene where Randy is complaining about his toilet and another where Stan is desperately trying to fix his relationship with Wendy clearly one is a lot more comedic then the other but the music makes it seem like they are the same level of seriousness.

Phineas and Ferb made music important to me Not even just the main songs

Kevin Manthei A.K.A the composer of Invader Zim blows my mind knowing the fact that he almost made every music of my childhood. He's made the Ultimate Spider-Man show and cartoons, Shrek 2: The Video Game, Johnny Test, Kung Fu Panda the Video Game, and Robot Chicken out of all things. This flew over my head as a child and I haven't noticed.

I think Harvey Beaks has one of the most beautiful original scores for an animated series, with Ego Plum really capturing the show's sense of childlike wonder and expertly delivering on the emotional beats. The show's main motif will always live welcomely in my head.

Tyler went crazy for the grinch idfc

It can't be understated how important some of the earlier TV animated soundtracks are, especially Hanna-Barbera. The Flintstones and Scooby-Doo for example, wouldn't be the same without the pieces you can hear in your head anytime you think of them!

I appreciate how Ren and Stimpy uses some the most iconic classical music for simple background music.

No other song makes me feel so many emotions as much as Gary Come Home 🥺

Spider-Verse, ESPECIALLY Across the Spider-Verse has literally the best score I've ever heard in any movie ever. Daniel Pemberton was robbed of a nomination in 2023. The way he expertly blends genres, creates unconventional ways to create sounds like the prowler theme, and uses his music to actually tell the story, all while keeping egery sound feeling like the same score is nothing short of breathtaking

Going to get this in, but Bob's Burgers has some of the best music on Television.

One of my favorite uses of music is, in a lot of magical girl anime, the transformation has it's own theme. Something that cuts into the villain's theme. Not a jingle like Power Rangers, or just the theme song, but a transformation-specific track. It really sells the idea of the heroes being in direct opposition to, and being the perfect counter of, the villain. Interrupting the villain's plans, and their evil deeds. The transformation really being that deciding factor.

20:44 this music means so much to your channel that after every horn I say “It’s mark!…it’s LS Mark”

My favorites are the scores for Hey Arnold, Animaniacs, Teen Titans 2003, Invader Zim, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Early Fairly Oddparents, Ed Edd n Eddy, Wander Over Yonder and a segment from Kablam! called "The Off Beats" which is kind of a jazzy version of "Peanuts."

The fact that Block 13 music isn't in this video is a crime.

Thank you for the shoutout Mark, I’m glad my video helped you in your research! 🫶 another banger as usual, great job

Sure, it technically isn't a cartoon, but OH MY GOD, classic Thomas background themes are a bop. And no, not just the main theme.

I have almost every song from centaurworld in my playlist, I love the soundtrack so much

If y’all want underrated music in cartoons, y’all need to check out our Andre 3000s Cartoon Network show Class of 3000. OutKast/Andre 3000 made an awesome soundtrack for this early 2000s cartoon, I feel like I’m the only one who remembers it 🤣

Another score that I still remember even after all these years is Max and Ruby, mostly because they reused the same tracks over and over. I think the jazz score works for the old-fashioned setting. Little Bear uses classical music for the score. Come to think of it, a lot of these older preschool shows had great scores.

18:40 requiem of silence clears i see those red credits and immediately tear up. suehiro kenichirou COOKED

I showed a friend The Bob's Burgers Movie maybe a week ago, and I've had Sunny Side Up Summer and Lucky Ducks stuck in my head since.

Honestly the Phineas and Ferb and Futurama music is the music from cartoons I enjoy most, Futurama will often try and incorporate its main theme (which is so good) into bits of the show, and when it goes for the feels it always works, like the ending of the Sting the music is half the impact, or the devils hands are idle playthings, but tbh I notice these things way more in games, I will often end up humming halo songs or Sonic ones, but thats another discussion

I think OK K.O. has an incredibly great soundtrack. The lead composer Jake Kaufman is actually an experienced music artist who’s done work for games like Shovel Knight and Shantae, and he really brings his style to the show. The show has this rich and funky sound, and wears it’s musical identity on it’s sleeve. It has lots of callbacks and establishments of various musical leitmotifs and the full theme song goes absolutely hard. I recommend a listen even if you’re not a fan of the show.

an ls mark music video that DIDNT get copyright striked? no way!

SpongeBob’s music is pretty good and very memorable at times.

I liked how the owl house used an original piece for the score of the last two seasons as the character theme for two characters altering it slightly to fit the character being focused on and tone of the scene

13:18 that track always come to mind when I think of The Fairly OddParents and I don't think I will ever get tired of it.

Steven Universe’s songs are incredibly iconic, but its score is one of the best I’ve heard in any show. It’s such a cool mix of quiet, lofi, and upbeat chiptune-y sounds.

Cartoon music has literally touched me inside and out

Man, I didn't even really like the Homer's mom episode, but I still remember that music at the end hitting me hard and feeling "special" compared to other episodes -- thank you for giving reason to my feelings and memory.

13:27 That musical technique is called leitmotif, they tend to be used whenever you need to associate a place, person or idea with a music. For example, the intro notes of the avatar theme is associated with Aang(and hope) so it tends to be used in epic moments when he uses his bending power. It’s fun hearing composers trying to incorporate them into different arrangements.

I hate to be the token anime fan whenever any other media is being talked about. But when it comes to soundtracks, you can't not talk about anime. I'm not even talking about some of the most iconic parts - the openings and endings - I'm talking about the accompaniment. I remember My Hero Academia's soundtrack "You Say Run" became a meme because of how well it fits action sequences of all types. You also have shows like Cowboy Bebop with songs like Piano Black, Waltz for Zizi, Space Lion, Bad Dog No Biscuit, etc. being these masterfully written and performed pieces which both stand on their own and elevate the material they're put with. While writing this comment I realised that there's less individual smaller pieces tailor made to a specific moment, but I also feel like I with full songs they can play the relevant sections to match the sequence they need it to.

The show is sort of an acquired taste, but I really love the sort of soft techno-pop score of Bee and Puppycat. It really helps add to the show's surreal and calming atmosphere.

Watching this video on mute wirh CC subtitles and still following along is quite an experience

As someone who has started watching family guy since the day they added him to fortnite, i've grown very fond of it, its music especially. So here's some of my favorites in no particular order: - You've Got a Lot To See - Christmastime is Killing Us - All I Really Want for Christmas - Down's Syndrome Girl - Road to Rhode Island - Literally all of Sinatra's songs in Brian Sings and Swings and Tales of a Third Grade Nothing - You and I are So Awfully Different - It's a Wonderful Day for Pie - Mr. Booze