Action Series Theme Songs

[ABED]

I'm not good with words or explaining music, so please bear with me. I've noticed that American themes for action/adventure cartoons are used to set the mood by using things like rock music, whereas Japanese themes tend to be more melodic. Why the difference in philosophies?

Examples
Japanese themes - Super Sentai, Cha La Head Cha La, Dan Dan for GT, Gundam Wing, Yu Yu Hakusho
American themes - Faulconer opening, Ron Wasserman's Power Rangers themes, Step into the Grand Tour

[Captain-Sora]

Regardless of quality, I wouldn't list those American examples as any less melodic than their Japanese equivalents. They're nowhere near minimalistic styled music, just less popish. Some of the most famous American cartoon themes are those ones with painfully memorable melodies designed to stay in kids' heads forever. Only these days would you find a little more restraint in that department with extremely short introductions lacking any discernable melodies, but for the most part, studios tend to avoid minimalism.

The only real difference between them is that for American shows, they have openings composed specifically for their animated series which may or may not utilize a singer, whereas for anime, they get pop artists to contribute one of their songs instead(which, more often than not, already existed beforehand and has next to nothing to do with the series they're being used for lyrically).

[ABED]

Thanks, "melodic" was definitely the wrong word, but I couldn't think of anything else. "Popish" is the right word. I wonder why that is. American shows seem to be about getting the blood pumping. As you said, the Japanese shows take existing songs, but couldn't they find something that's more in keeping with the tone of the show? Even when they don't take existing songs (Super Sentai) for instance, it's still more poppy.

[Blade]

American Television themes tend to be bespoke and produced especially for a given show, and are usually inextricably tied to the subject matter in terms of lyrics and theme. With Teen Age Mutant Ninja Turtles, for example, you've got a theme that does nothing but reinforce brand identification. And that's a commonality that is shared by practically every animated, or child orientated, show. In America you'd never, or only in very rare cases, see a cartoon theme be released as a standalone piece of music or as a single - that's just totally outside of the intended scope of piece. It's written to precede the show every week and reinforce the brand - that's the be-all and end-all.

As has been previously mentioned above, in Japan the Anime industry is tied much more closely to the music industry, and as such providing the theme to a show is a proven and effective means of boosting the sales of a given single or advertising a certain act. As such you tend to get more generalised music that doesn't really relate to the given series a great deal as far as subject matter and lyrical themes go - but in certain cases there are exceptions, with the Dragonball franchise being a case in point.

Generally, though, it's just a totally different, more closely intertwined industry-synergy orientated culture over there. Anime music tie-ins have made the careers of countless bands and artists in Japan, and even in these days of dwindling record sales, the music industry in Japan is still probably the largest in the world when it comes to physical singles sales - and the anime industry has a hell of a lot to do with that. The major record labels are totally in cahoots with the television networks, sponsors and companies producing Anime in Japan, so when they've got an artist they want to push or provide a launch-pad for, they'll direct them to use a given song, and the title credits and placement to accompany it are produced thereafter. Which, really, is the complete opposite of the situation in America, where the music is written to fit the animation or specific remit, not visa versa.

[ABED]

Guys, I'm not asking about the branding, I'm referring to the sound of the songs.

[Blade]

Guys, I'm not asking about the branding, I'm referring to the sound of the songs.

It was admittedly a bit of a convoluted way of getting there, but I think the two are innately related.

Most of the time in Japan, you essentially get a pop single that was chosen by the record label being used by the animation staff to develop a set of episode titles around, whereas in America the remit is the opposite, whereby a piece of music is written specifically to be catchy, match the mood of the show it's associated with and encompass/reinforce whatever tropes they feel people will identify with positively.

So for an action show, like Mighty Morphin Power Rangers for example, they went for a heavily thematic, melodic piece in a major key, arranged as an up-tempo rock song, as to convey heroism and the energetic tone of action and adventure. It's all about capturing the everything you could ever associate with the idea of the protagonists coming in to save the day in a piece of music. There's also a little bit of harmonic minor in there in the line 'You Mighty Morphin Power Rangers' after the final refrain, which subliminally emphasises the oriental origin of the show. Whereas in Japan, when you've got T.M. Revolution's latest single for your opening theme, there's no thought towards that whatsoever. It's not about selling the show, it's about the show selling the song. Does that make sense?

[ABED]

Guys, I'm not asking about the branding, I'm referring to the sound of the songs.

It was admittedly a bit of a convoluted way of getting there, but I think the two are innately related.

Most of the time in Japan, you essentially get a pop single that was chosen by the record label being used by the animation staff to develop a set of episode titles around, whereas in America the remit is the opposite, whereby a piece of music is written specifically to be catchy, match the mood of the show it's associated with and encompass/reinforce whatever tropes they feel people will identify with positively.

So for an action show, like Mighty Morphin Power Rangers for example, they went for a heavily thematic, melodic piece in a major key, arranged as an up-tempo rock song, as to convey heroism and the energetic tone of action and adventure. It's all about capturing the everything you could ever associate with the idea of the protagonists coming in to save the day in a piece of music. There's also a little bit of harmonic minor in there in the line 'You Mighty Morphin Power Rangers' after the final refrain, which subliminally emphasises the oriental origin of the show. Whereas in Japan, when you've got T.M. Revolution's latest single for your opening theme, there's no thought towards that whatsoever. It's not about selling the show, it's about the show selling the song. Does that make sense?

Thanks, but what are your thoughts Cha La Head Cha La? What do you think the song was emphasizing? I like the song a lot, and it fits okay, but Mystical Adventure fits DB to a T, and We Gotta Power fits Z damn well.

Maybe I didn't read close enough, but what about something like Yu Yu Hakusho. Smile Bomb is a great song, and it emphasizes friendship, but it still doesn't quite fit the fun paranormal adventures of the show. Even if the songs weren't specifically made for the show, why pick something pop-ish instead of closer in tone to the show?

What are opinions on both countries' approaches?

Thanks, I love that I can come to this forum and get answers to questions like this.

[Ringworm128]

Cha La is pretty much DBZ in musical form, wacky, full of energy and optimism. It is THE DBZ song, what John Wiliams theme is to the Superman franchise.

As for musical styles Japan seems to love more melodious music while the west is usually more focused on tone and rythm. Take GT for example the original score uses melodies to reinforce emotion while Mark Menza's score more relied on speeding up the tempo with electric guitars if a moment was intense or having something more relaxed during peaceful scenes.

[Valerius Dover]

I think Mark Menza's DBZ Opening (the one that's on the Season Sets and is considered "definitive") has a similar mood to the Japanese theme. Sure, it's not as catchy or "hummable" but I think it conveys a similar feel and actually fits the footage it plays over, too.