Last week, Hulu debuted How I Met Your Father, the standalone sequel to How I Met Your Mother. Not long into the episode, the show’s theme started. A redone version of “Hey Beautiful,” from the original show, resonated with me in a funny way. It reminded me of a show I loved (most of the time) but it still felt weird for not being what I already knew. Trust me, I sang along and it hit an emotional chord, but strange is strange.
This wasn’t too unlike what happened when Hulu relaunched Animaniacs in 2020 (I do watch non-Hulu shows). As a fan from back in the day, I entered the reboot wary but open. The first time the theme song hit though was an experience. Other than a few changes, the theme mostly remained in tack. As soon as it started, a part of me filled with excitement and I sang along perfectly with the unchanged bits. A part of my childhood came out to play.
The theme song or entrance song is also a thing outside of just television. Plenty of products have memorable jingles. Countries have their national anthems. Sports teams adopt songs. Schools have their alma maters (I would like to take this moment to say: Hark Upon the Gale).
The thing I really want to talk about though is how people love making entrances to music. Here Comes the Bride, Pomp and Circumstance, Hail to the Chief – music sets the mood and says something about the entrant. Nowhere takes that to heart quite like professional wrestling. Say what you want about this predetermined sport, but it knows how to make someone’s entrance feel big. You have men and women doing their best to look like stars, cool attire and signature poses, accompanied by lights and pyrotechnics. Then, pulling it all together is each wrestler’s theme.
The music, when done right, is like an 80s cartoon theme song, giving viewers a glimpse into what they’re about to see. The tone is set. Whether you’re a fan already or not, the theme gives you an idea of who you’re watching and what you’re in for.
Shattered glass and hard rock: This Stone Cold is one bad ass hombre
Gong and chanting: The Undertaker is a supernatural powerhouse
Upbeat Ska: Sami Zayn is high energy and a bit unhinged
“Cult of Personality” signals C.M. Punk as charismatic leader for the voiceless
On January 29th, WWE is putting on the Royal Rumble. Even when WWE is at its worst, I am a complete sucker for the Royal Rumble. The idea of 30 people fighting for the prize of a WrestleMania title match, gives the rumble weight. One of the most fun parts is the constant stream of entrants. Every couple minutes the fans begin their 10 second countdown. The number zero flashes. The buzzer goes off. The first notes of a theme song hit and the crowd erupts in cheers or boos over whoever is coming out next. It’s good fun.
In honor of all that and my long-winded ramble: Chaos and Confetti will be picking their own theme songs this week. But what would be the fun of only picking one? Let’s see what they have in store for us:
Chaos’ theme song that fits his life as a whole: “Pollyanna” as done by Insaneintherainmusic
Wow, this was a hard one. I know we come up with the categories, but encapsulating one’s whole life in a song is a big ask. After a lot of thought, I decided to go with Pollyanna from the Mother series. It’s the song of an idealist and someone who wants to believe the best. I always tell Confetti our family motto is “It’ll all work out in the end” (She doesn’t always 100% agree). I’m not perfectly happy and positive all the time, but I do think that’s the direction my heart and soul lean toward. I also tend to have a smile on my face.
Confetti’s theme song that fits her life as a whole: “Yours Hands” by JJ Heller
Sometimes a song hits you at the exact right moment, right when you need it the most. “Yours Hands” is that song for me. I heard for the first time almost a year after my grandmother died, when I was still really struggling. Since then, it has stayed with me. I sing it in the shower, I write it out on paper…there is rarely a day that goes by where the lyrics don’t cross my mind. If I were to ever get a tattoo, it would be “when my world is shaking, heaven stands”. Tattoos aren’t my thing though, so I guess it will just live in my brain on repeat instead. 🙂
Chaos’ dream entrance song: “Save World Get Girl” by I Fight Dragons
I wouldn’t call this song one of my all time favorites, but I think it captures the character I would want to project to those around me. Save the World: I’m a hero and doing my best to do good. Get the Girl: I’ve always been motivated by love and the idea of romance, so that fits well too. Other lyrics such as “no more waking up finding you’re not enough,” also would capture my hope to overcome self doubt. The song has enough energy that I think I could get hyped entering to it, and hopefully a crowd could get behind me while listening to it.
Confetti’s dream entrance song: “Practically Perfect” from Mary Poppins
This song describes me in every way, so it makes sense that it should play when I walk into a room… j/k. I love it though and I aspire to be perfectly imperfect, so it fits who I’d like to be. I also just love Mary Poppins, so…
Chaos’ song that resonates on a personal level: “I Wanna Be” from Starship a musical by Starkid Productions
This is a very fun and upbeat song, but I also love the positive attitude and message. Bug wants to be a Starship Ranger and knows he’ll do whatever it takes to achieve that dream despite the odds (and not fully understanding what a Starship Ranger is). I like that sense of purpose he exudes and have more than once in my life used this as a personal anthem, changing some of the lyrics to fit whatever my current goals were. I’ve used this song to lift myself up when I’ve been feeling down many times. The entire musical is full of songs I love, but this one is my absolute favorite.
Confettis’ song that resonates on a personal level: “Michael in the Bathroom” from Be More Chill
I wasn’t a popular kid in high school. Or college. Or elementary school. Or middle school. Or really at any point in my life. That isn’t a complaint, just a reality. I went through most of my twenties with one close friend from high school, work friends, and friends I met in dog training classes. When I married Chaos, I suddenly inherited his large friend group from college. It felt nice, to finally belong to something, but I was still on the periphery. It took a long time for me to say “our” friends instead of “your” friends. When Alexa played “Michael in the Bathroom” on a random shuffle one day, I cried happy tears. It was like my social life experiences were summed up in a song and I felt so seen. I still struggle maintaining friendships on my own. It doesn’t come naturally and I have to work hard at it. I think I’ll always probably tear up when I hear Michael in the Bathroom and if you do too – solidarity.
Confetti and Chaos’ song as a couple: “Sound of a Broken Heart” by Jukebox the Ghost
Confetti doesn’t like to admit it but our song it is. It may be a breakup song, but it’s always been a song we’ve enjoyed together. More importantly, the lyrics of “I think I’ll always love you/ I just might/ I’m gonna try until the day I die” speaks to our commitment and love to each other. Remember Confetti, “when you’re next to me babe, you can only do right.”
Bonus Song: Yeti’s Entrance/Hype Song – The Wheels on the Bus
He says this song is objectively the best song in the world. No explanations needed. He especially likes when the animals make special guest song appearances. Did you know that Oliver goes meow meow meow?
The Wrap Up
That’s it for this week. Hopefully, we either helped you find a new song or reminded you of something you already love. Share with us a song that captures your character or heart.
Chaos & Confetti 