La Ron S. Readus
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A Black Nerd Reacts to Power Rangers Theme Songs (VIDEO SCRIPT)
🕑 Added 2021-09-20 20:00:03 +0000 UTCI want it on record, that I’m not...CONSCIOUSLY trying to say that any of the shows I’m mentioning in this video are trash. HOWEVER, if you feel that I am doing so thanks to my tone and delivery when said show is mentioned...(shrugs)
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Readers, if you’ve done some digging in the content drawer that is this channel, then you know that Power Rangers is pretty much one of my favorite fandoms next to DC Comics and Ghostbusters
And as much as I enjoyed the Zordon saga that consists of Mighty Morphin to Power Rangers in Space, I’m a huge fan of the anthology the series decided to go in once Power Rangers Lost Galaxy was introduced in the late 90’s in order to better match the way Super Sentai handles seasons.
That ALSO meant that we got brand new theme songs for each team that weren’t banking on the nostalgia of the familiarity of Mighty Morphin and Zeo, in order for each of the teams and seasons to feel unique and standalone.
Y’know, despite them each having a team-up episode with the previous teams that came the season before.
Now the most creative these themes got were during the last few years Saban had the rights before they were sold to Disney, and ended when Saban got them back with Samurai and they decided “lets just constantly remake Go Go Power Rangers in order to keep the brand consistent.”
That had to be -- in my opinion -- one of the most boring-ass decisions Saban 2.0 decided to do with the property.
And to make matters worse, when Hasbro bought the rights to Power Rangers from Saban with Beast Morphers, they continued to do the exact same thing!
Like damn, I understand that not every theme from the Disney era of Power Rangers was a banger, but at least the themes were as unique as the teams! That’s one of the main things I REALLY appreciate about the late Saban-slash-Disney era of Power Rangers in the first place
So that’s why I wanna go over and break down the theme songs from the post Zordan Era of Power Rangers up until Saban regained the rights from Disney. I wanna show you what -- for me -- worked, didn’t work, and what made them unique enough to stand out on their own
Starting with Power Rangers Lost Galaxy
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The Lost Galaxy theme was made for people who like Jimmy Eat World but were too afraid to give Green Day their flowers before they released American Idiot.
No, seriously; listen to the Lost Galaxy theme song again. Take into consideration the energy behind the music and the lyrics, and you can tell that this intro was a gateway drug to Blink 182. I’m not saying that it’s bad, but it’s just one of those sounds that’s dated so well that you can tell within the first 5 seconds that this was acceptable in the late 90’s
Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue
Lightspeed Rescue’s theme makes you wanna be proud to be an American and I don’t consent to that.
Like, real talk, it don’t even slap like that.
All it has to it’s advantage to make it sound epic are the pauses between Lightspeed and the bells-slash-gongs in the background, and that’s not enough.
However, I can’t say the same about Power Rangers Time Force
Time Force’s theme did everything Lightspeed Rescue wanted to do, but was too busy trying to get funding from the US military to do it properly.
Like, yes; if you listen to Lightspeed Rescue’s theme and then Time Force’s theme back to back, there’s definitely similarities.
But the difference between the two is that Time Force...goes OFF.
The gongs are more prominent, the guitar solo sounds BETTER...
You’re pumped from beginning to end, as opposed to Lightspeed Rescue where it feels like you need to stand for the national anthem!
Lightspeed Rescue’s theme is a PB & J sandwich made with Wonderbread, while Time Force is ALSO a PB&J, but made with slices of King’s Hawaiian bread with a side of kettle chips and Coke. I’m going to choose THAT one every time if I have to.
Power Rangers Wild Force
Wild Force’s theme I’m absolutely sure was a lot of black millennials’ introduction to fun upbeat alternative rock.
Like, it makes you wanna do flips & shit whenever you listen to it, knowing good and damn well you’ve never done one to save your life.
It’s not as good as the theme song to its Super Sentai equivalent, because that song goes OFF. So do yourself a favor and look up Gaoranger theme song after you finish this video and witness the fucking glory
But comparing this song to the other American themes, it’s up there with the greats.
Power Rangers Ninja Storm
Ninja Storm’s theme is amazing.
That shit will be a beacon of light in the darkness that is life.
That shit is hope in MP3 format.
You listen to the theme song of Ninja Storm once, and you’ll be like “Well damn, maybe it IS possible to affordably live in one of the major cities on the West Coast with no roommates.”
Like, this shit is so dangerously optimistic, and is NOT good for setting realistic expectations for everyday life at ALL.
AND THEN COMES DINO THUNDER.
BITCH. Dino Thunder’s theme is a FUCKING BANGER.
The lyrics, the use of guitar throughout the WHOLE ass song...
And the way the chorus was put together was fucking GENIUS.
Like, imagine if Chaka Khan did a ROCK version of Ain’t Nobody. That is the energy the Dino Thunder theme gives off.
Speaking of which, hey Chaka Khan. Can I get a rock cover of Ain’t Nobody, please? Specifically from you? It would mean SO much to me
Power Rangers SPD
SPD’s theme is very special.
It’s from the same band that first performed the iconic Mighty Morphin theme, but you can immediately tell they weren’t trying to bank on nostalgia.
And because they actively decided that, we now have access to a Power Rangers rock ballad that also wants to be James Bond.
Not mad at it at all, I give them kudos for wanting to try something different and -- to be fair -- just as enjoyable
Power Rangers Mystic Force
I’m not gonna lie; Mystic Force’s theme...is my shit.
It’s just...it’s just so different from any other Power Rangers theme and I LOVE that for it.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for a Power Rangers rock intro.
But Mystic Force was the first time I heard a Power Rangers intro and realized that anything rock can do, Pop can do just as well
And then Operation Overdrive just...ugh, it just ruined it.
Everything about it is so elementary.
The beat and music composition, those pre-school-ass rap lyrics...
It sounds like it was originally intended to be a fun Halloween rap song for a Disney Junior show. SPECIFICALLY Disney Junior; even the shit on Nick Junior is more mature than this.
Like, I’ve never heard a Power Rangers theme that made me NOT want to watch the show until Operation Overdrive. And that probably explains why I haven’t seen a single episode.
I think that’s why Jungle Fury’s theme was the way it was, real talk.
It saw what worked, what didn’t, and immediately said, “yeah let’s go back to the Jimmy Eat World-slash-Green Day sounding intros. That seems like the best bet.”
And I mean, they weren’t wrong; it definitely has the vibe that both Lost Galaxy and Wild Force originally brought to the table.
It doesn’t do anything new, but it’s fun, catchy and safe. Just like Jungle Force.
RPM on the other hand, is the Batman Beyond of Power Ranger themes.
That bitch’s lyrics consists of only 6 words, and the rest is just the alt rock dance portion of the Batman Beyond intro.
Watch-slash-listen to the RPM intro and tell me I’m wrong. You can’t. So SHUT UP
Ah, man. This was surprisingly fun; I enjoyed this
Honestly, I’ve been looking for a reason to make more Power Rangers-themed videos on the channel, and I’m glad I was able to get back on board with this
However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t more Power Ranger centered stuff for me to expose myself to. So with that being said Readers, your homework assignment for the day:
Write in the comment section below something Power Rangers related you wanna see me talk about next time!
Or, if you feel like sharing with the rest of the class, which of the theme songs I talked about that ended up being your favorite.
Whichever question you decide to answer, I’d love to know your thoughts.
