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Pokémon Theme

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"Pokémon Theme"
Single by Jason Paige
from the album Pokémon 2.B.A. Master
ReleasedJune 29, 1999
Recorded1998–1999
GenrePop rock
Length3:15
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)John Loeffler
Audio sample
"Pokémon Theme"
2016 music video by Jason Paige
Original Pokemon Theme Singer Jason Paige In Studio Full Pokemon Theme Song on YouTube

"Pokemon Theme" (also known as "Gotta catch ’em all!")[1][2] is a song written by John Siegler and John Loeffler and performed by Jason Paige. It is the original theme song for the first season of the English adaptation of the Pokémon anime. Since its release, the song has been virtually synonymous with the Pokémon franchise because the line "Gotta catch ’em all!" has become its official English slogan; it is derived from the Japanese ポケモンGETだぜ! ("Pokemon [getto] da ze!").[3]

"Pokémon Theme" is a fast-paced pop rock song in the key of G Minor, with continuous male vocals intermixed with backup vocal accompaniment that also sings the chorus: "Pokémon! (Gotta catch ’em all!").

Lyrics

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The song is sung in first person by an aspiring Pokémon trainer. He is determined to become the very best, "like no one ever was". To do this, he intends to travel far and wide, catching new Pokémon. He exhorts the listener to follow him, knowing they will encounter a lot of challenges, but promising to surmount them all together, and that they will learn a lot of new things along the way.[4]

History

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Siegler and Loeffler wrote the lyrics to the song while Siegler (previously a bassist for bands including Todd Rundgren's Utopia and Hall & Oates) produced the track, also playing keyboards, bass, and programming drum machines. David Rolfe, the vocalist for later themes of the series, played the guitar while Jason Paige provided the vocals.[3] Although the theme song premiered on the debut episode "Pokémon, I Choose You!" on September 8, 1998, Jason Paige was called back again in 1999 to produce an extended version of the theme song for the album Pokémon 2.B.A. Master.[3]

According to Norman Grossfeld, the then-president of 4Kids Productions, the line "Gotta catch 'em all!" was created as a "tagline for marketing purposes that would also be included in the theme song". It is derived from the Japanese tagline "(ポケモンGETだぜ!, Pokémon getto da ze!)" Furthermore, "Gotta Catch 'em all!" came from a series of contenders, which included "Catch 'em if you can" (which made it in an earlier version of the theme song).[5] Meanwhile, when first approached about the theme song, Siegler initially saw the show's concept as "incomprehensible" before realizing that the series was about friendship. Although he was reluctant at first, he saw the show's potential when he took his son to premiere of the debut episode in Columbus Circle.[5]

In November 2005, the internet comedy duo Smosh recorded a video for the song on YouTube. It became the most viewed video on the site before being surpassed by "The Evolution of Dance".[6][7][8] Afterwards, Smosh's video was removed on YouTube due to a copyright notice. The original video was later reuploaded by fans. Then in 2010, Smosh themselves recreated the video, this time with altered lyrics being critical of the original video being taken down.[8][9] During the 2012 primary election, Paige himself performed a parody of the song in support of the Republican candidate Ron Paul.[10] In 2015, the song was voted to be part of the annual Dutch Top 2000 radio marathon, after a call-for-action on Facebook went viral within the country.[11][12] It has since remained in the chart in subsequent years, peaking at number 115 in 2018.[13]

In July 2016, after the release of the mobile game Pokémon Go, the song had a 382% increase in listeners on music streaming platform Spotify.[14][15] There were instances of police cars playing the song through loudspeakers while driving near Pokémon Go players, as well as groups of people singing the song in public.[16][17][18][19][20] Afterwards, Dutch electronic music artist Hardwell played the theme at the 2016 edition of Ultra Europe as one of his final tunes.[21] The same month, after rising up to 1,079% in sales, the song hit number four on Billboard's Kids Digital Songs chart after initially peaking at 10 in 2010, as well as peaking at number three on the Maxi-Singles Sales chart in January 2000.[22]

Despite the resurgence, Paige did not receive any royalties from the song.[23] Due to the popularity of Pokémon Go he re-recorded the theme.[24][25] In an interview with the New York Post, Paige claimed that he did not originally expect the song to become popular when he first recorded it, stating that he "didn’t really know much about Pokémon" when he did the demo, other than a scene in the animated series that caused bouts of epileptic seizures in Japan. Although Paige recorded the song in four hours, he received a large one-time payment for the song in 2000.[26] Paige also performed another parody of the song, featuring Dwayne Johnson as a Pokémon as well as YouTube stars MatPat and Ali-A.[27]

On November 16, 2018, an official trailer for Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! featured the Ben Dixon cover of the theme song that was originally performed for Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You![28] On February 26, 2019, the song was used again in the film, Pokémon Detective Pikachu, as well as the film's second trailer.[29]

Charts

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Cover versions

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The theme song has been covered by various groups and people. "Pokémon Theme" was first covered by Billy Crawford for Pokémon: The First Movie.[33] Afterwards, it was covered again by Ben Dixon and the Sad Truth for the English broadcast of Pokémon: XY.[34] Ben Dixon once again covered it for Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You![35] Others who have covered the theme song included Postmodern Jukebox,[36] Kurt Hugo Schneider with Lindsey Stirling,[37] Eric Calderone,[38] Baracksdubs,[39] Tay Zonday,[2] Powerglove,[2][40] Pat Cashman and Xander Mobus as announcers from Super Smash Bros.,[41] Nathan Sykes,[42][43] and Anthony Vincent.[44] In 2020, Poppy released her cover of the song after a snippet of it was leaked online. She covered the song as a diss against her ex-boyfriend.[45]

Media appearances

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The theme song was also featured in the 2000 video game Pokémon Puzzle League, as well as the 2004 video game, Donkey Konga.[46]

During the Eurovision Song Contest 2021, the Norwegian representative, russ music artist Andreas Haukeland, better known as Tix, sang a parody of the theme song as a love serenade to the Azerbaijani representative, Samira Efendi, whom Tix had shown an affection for since the beginning of the contest. The song contains lyrics such as “I will travel across [Rotterdam] Ahoy / Searching far and wide / Teach Efendi to understand / The power that’s inside”.[47]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Houlub, Christian (July 11, 2016). "'Pokémon Go' increases theme song plays on Spotify". Archived from the original on July 14, 2016. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c Schneider, Marc (July 11, 2016). "Gotta Stream 'Em All: Pokémon Go Craze Spreads to Spotify". Archived from the original on July 14, 2016. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  3. ^ a b c Rys, Dan (August 1, 2016). "Can't Regret Them All: The Story of the Very Lucrative 'Pokemon Theme'". Archived from the original on August 2, 2016. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  4. ^ "Pokémon Theme (Gotta Catch 'Em All!)". Archived from the original on October 6, 2023. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Luling, Todd Van (June 2, 2017). "Before 'Gotta Catch 'Em All:' The Creation Of The Pokémon Theme". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on June 9, 2017. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  6. ^ Virginia Heffernan (April 4, 2006). "Comic shorts, home on the Web". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 16, 2013. Retrieved November 23, 2009.
  7. ^ "The first superstars of web TV". BBC. November 27, 2006. Archived from the original on December 2, 2012. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
  8. ^ a b Troy Dreier (October 4, 2012). "Smosh: YouTube Gods and Unlikely Online Video Superstars". Archived from the original on May 29, 2013. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
  9. ^ Wei, Will (December 29, 2010). "Meet The YouTube Stars Making More Money Than EMTs, Cops, Firefighters, And Teachers". Business Insider. Archived from the original on August 6, 2021. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  10. ^ Sheets, Connor (May 8, 2012). "Ron Paul 2012 Supporter Remakes 'Pokemon' Song For Campaign [VIDEO]". Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
  11. ^ Pieters, Janene (December 2, 2015). "Pokémon Theme Song Sneaks Into Netherlands Top 2000 Countdown". NL Times.
  12. ^ "Pokémon Theme Song staat voor het eerst in de Top 2000". Algemeen Dagblad. December 2, 2015. Archived from the original on November 3, 2016. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  13. ^ "Complete Top 2000 lijst van 2018" (in Dutch). Dutch 2000. Archived from the original on February 4, 2024. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  14. ^ Stark, Chelsea (July 11, 2016). "Spotify announces 'Pokémon' theme song plays up 382%". Mashable. Archived from the original on July 14, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
  15. ^ Ayers, Mike (July 12, 2016). "Pokémon Tracks Get a Pokémon Go Bump on Spotify". Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on July 12, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
  16. ^ O'Neill, Kara (July 14, 2016). "Patrolling police car drives past kids while blasting the Pokémon theme song". Archived from the original on July 17, 2016. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  17. ^ KSLA Staff (July 14, 2016). "Officer's playful gesture delights Pokemon Go players in downtown Shreveport". Archived from the original on July 15, 2016. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  18. ^ Gomez, Jonathan (July 12, 2016). "Who Loves Pokémon Go? The Police". The Marshall Project. Archived from the original on August 14, 2016. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  19. ^ Burks, Robin (July 18, 2016). "Watch A Crowd Of Chicago 'Pokémon Go' Players Sing The 'Pokémon' Theme Song". Archived from the original on July 19, 2016. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  20. ^ Thier, Dave (July 17, 2016). "'Pokémon GO' Servers Down As Game Launches In Canada". Archived from the original on July 18, 2016. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  21. ^ Bein, Kat (July 19, 2016). "Hardwell Closes Ultra Europe With Pokemon Theme Song, Earns 20,000 XP". Archived from the original on July 20, 2016. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  22. ^ a b c d Rutherford, Kevin (July 20, 2016). "Pokemon Spotted in Top Five of Kid Digital Songs Chart". Archived from the original on July 21, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  23. ^ Josephs, Brian (July 21, 2016). "'Pokémon Theme' Singer Jason Paige Still Wants to Be the Very Best". Archived from the original on May 17, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
  24. ^ Payne, Chris (July 28, 2016). "Watch the Original 'Pokemon' Theme Singer Give It a Go in 2016". Archived from the original on July 30, 2016. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  25. ^ Payne, Chris (July 28, 2016). "Watch the Original 'Pokemon' Theme Singer Give It a Go in 2016". Archived from the original on July 30, 2016. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  26. ^ Phull, Hardeep (July 15, 2016). "The Pokémon theme's surprising singer is back in the hot seat". New York Post. Archived from the original on July 15, 2016. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  27. ^ Dosh, Kristi (July 25, 2016). "The Rock Gets His Own Pokemon Go-Inspired Character". Archived from the original on July 27, 2016. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
  28. ^ Radulovic, Petrana (November 16, 2018). "Pokémon: Let's Go synced up with the original theme song is full of nostalgia". Polygon. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  29. ^ Peters, Megan (February 26, 2019). "'Detective Pikachu' Trailer Pays Homage to Iconic Theme Song". Comic Book. Archived from the original on February 26, 2019. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  30. ^ "Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 30, 2016" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Archived from the original on May 1, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  31. ^ "The Year in Music 2000: Hot Dance Maxi-Singles Sales". Billboard. Vol. 112, no. 53. December 30, 2000. p. YE-60.
  32. ^ "Hoe doen de platen het?". Radio 2. November 20, 2024.
  33. ^ Ried, Irah (January 11, 2000). "Billy Crawford: Destined for World Fame". Manila Standard. Archived from the original on October 28, 2022. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
  34. ^ "Cartoon Network Debuts Pokémon the Series: XY in U.S. on Saturday". Anime News Network. January 18, 2014. Archived from the original on April 19, 2015. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  35. ^ Swanberg, Amy (November 10, 2017). "I Choose You! Perfectly Celebrates Pokémon's 20th Anniversary". Twin Cities Geek - MN Geek Culture Magazine. Archived from the original on July 27, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  36. ^ Shetty, Sharan (April 26, 2014). "The DuckTales Theme Song Gets Transformed Into an R&B Slow Jam". Slate. Archived from the original on March 21, 2024. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  37. ^ Cats, William; Guy, Crime (October 1, 2013). "WATCH: Pokemon And Dubstep Together At Last!". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on September 11, 2016. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  38. ^ Marnell, Blair (July 17, 2016). "The POKEMON Theme Gets a Metal Upgrade | Nerdist". Archived from the original on July 18, 2016. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  39. ^ "Barack Obama Sings Pokémon Theme". The Huffington Post. February 5, 2013. Archived from the original on August 9, 2016. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  40. ^ Ramanand, Liz (October 23, 2011). "Dragonforce and Powerglove Give NYC Ears an 'Ultra Beatdown'". Loudwire. Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  41. ^ Person, Chris (October 22, 2014). "Super Smash Bros Announcer Sings The Pokémon Theme". Archived from the original on August 16, 2016. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
  42. ^ Corner, Lewis (July 25, 2016). "Nathan Sykes turns Pokémon Theme into epic piano ballad". Archived from the original on July 27, 2016. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  43. ^ King, Eric (July 25, 2016). "Pokémon Go Madness Continues With Nathan Sykes' Cover of Original TV Theme". Archived from the original on July 28, 2016. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  44. ^ Blistein, Jon (August 2, 2016). "'10 Second Songs' Singer Covers 'Pokémon' Theme in 20 Nineties Styles". Archived from the original on August 4, 2016. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
  45. ^ Writer, Phillip Martinez (May 6, 2020). "Poppy Releases 'Pokémon' Theme Song Cover". Newsweek. Archived from the original on March 21, 2024. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  46. ^ Shepherd, Carrie (November 2004). "Donkey Konga: Bang on the Drums All Day". GMR (22): 130.
  47. ^ TIX & Efendi - The Eurovision Love Story, May 21, 2021, archived from the original on June 10, 2021, retrieved June 15, 2021
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