♫ Life is like a hurricane here in Duckburg
- And you've already got the song stuck in your head
for the rest of the day, maybe even the week.
The DuckTales theme song is arguably one of the most
memorable TV themes ever.
From the instantly recognizable opening bass line
to the singalong.
♫ Woo-ooo
Every section of this nostalgic masterpiece
is catchy and memorable.
But why is that?
Well, I'm certainly no authority on music
as I'm only good for Hamilton parodies
and Scooby-Doo theme song mashups.
So I reached out to my friends from the self-deprecating
romantic pop rock duo, RKVC to help fill me in
on the musical secrets and history that make
the DuckTales theme song a near perfect composition.
In the spring of 1986, Disney was on the hunt
for a theme song that would accompany their brand new
action, adventure, animated series featuring ducks.
But they didn't want it to sound too cartoony.
The executives specifically wanted a pop song
fit for the radio.
After a meeting with Disney, songwriter Mark Mueller
dove headfirst into the project.
In only 45 mere minutes, the entire song
the chords and the melody, the lyrics and the structure,
it all came pouring out.
The final product is infectious to say the least
and it's inspired countless covers over the years
including this one that you'll be hearing throughout
the video performed by the Nice Wanders.
And I know it's a little bit weird
considering my own last name,
but let's try not to read too much into it.
The universe is wacky, life is like a hurricane.
Let's move on.
In asking what makes the DuckTales theme so catchy,
we might as well be asking what makes any song catchy?
Although there's no universal algorithm in writing
memorable songs, there are a few basic practices
in pop music theory that can help us understand
why we love a song so much.
The first component, the king over everything,
is the melody.
It's generally what you think of when you remember
your favorite song or jingle.
For the most part, the catchiest melodies move
within the boundaries of just a few steps.
Notes climbing or descending like a staircase,
or just generally sticking close together.
You can see this in the opening line of the DuckTales theme,
but it's much more prominent in the chorus
where the melody climbs and falls in a tight range
of three notes.
("Duck Tales")
With, of course, the exception of those glorious woo-oo's!
After the exhilarating cry of DuckTales
which opens the chorus, Mueller left a six-beat lyrical
gap which would famously be filled with an enthusiastic.
♫ Woo-hoo
These verbal exclamation points are reminiscent
of what recent music history has dubbed
the millennial whoop.
The millennial whoop is a melodic phrase
that typically alternates between the 5th and 3rd notes
of a chord creating a short and catchy singalong moment.
You've definitely heard it before.
♫ Someone like you, whoa, whoa
♫ Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
♫ Sayin' a oh, gotta let go
♫ Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
♫ Ooh, ooh, ooh, ah, ah
In fact, this is the exact same interval
as the woo-oo in the DuckTales theme song!
Although, the precise exclamation varies
from language to language.
(singing foreign language)
Even in english it's unclear.
The recent DuckTales special is titled Woo-oo
but Mueller said it was intended as more of A-woo-hoo!
How will our divided nation ever heal?
Back on track, there are intentional exceptions
to a tight melody when larger intervals are used
to create a distinctive moment.
For example, Somewhere Over the Rainbow
starts off with a full octave jump in the first two notes.
From there, the melody stays within a few steps
of each other until the octave motif repeats later on.
That octave jump on the lyric somewhere
is the most memorable part of the song
and instantly recognizable.
The DuckTales theme song uses a similar trick
in the opening bass line, alternating octave jumps
from the intro through the first verse.
The structure of the song also lends itself
to the same archetypes that make hit pop songs.
Most songs at the top of the charts have verses,
choruses and a bridge or development
before returning for another round of choruses.
This is abridged in the DuckTales theme song
because of time constraints, but still has a verse,
a chorus and a short bridge before one last chorus.
This structure has been wired into our brains
to be pleasant since the eras of classical music.
Pop song structures are often compared to Sonata
form in classical music composition,
where an exposition a couple related themes
like a verse and a chorus repeats until a development
like the bridge of a pop song
presents a more tonally unstable melody
before transitioning into a recapitulation a verse
and/or chorus.
What was good for Mozart still holds
true for modern songwriters.
Just ask Max Martin, the king of hit songs
even if you don't know him by name,
you've definitely heard his work.
♫ I must confess I still believe
♫ I can't feel my face when I'm with you
♫ I kissed a girl and I liked it
♫ You made a really deep cut and now we've got bad blood
In addition to Sonata form, Martin discussed
in a recent interview the importance of not flooding
a song with too many recent elements all at once.
Quote, there shouldn't be too much information
in the overall sound.
I work a lot on getting it all
as clear and distinct as possible.
There should never be too many new elements
introduced at the same time.
One at a time.
Like in a movie.
You can't introduce 10 characters in the first scene.
You want to get to know one
before you're ready for the next, end quote.
This rings true in the DuckTales theme song
it starts small with just the bass line,
then the vocals, then horns, keys
and the rest of the elements gradually being
introduced to build a sense of excitement
by the time the last chorus soars, it's incredible!
Lyrically, the DuckTales theme song succeeds
in making it feel relatable despite being
about a fictitious city where anthropomorphic animals
go on daring adventures every day.
With the first lyric.
♫ Life is like a hurricane here in Duckburg
It sets the tone and makes you feel
like you want to go on the adventure
that's about to happen.
Mueller was specifically given instructions
by Disney to inject as much
thrilling comic-book imagery into the lyrics as possible,
hence the line.
♫ Race cars, lasers, airplanes, it's a duck blur
As the title of the show punctuates each line of the chorus,
it primes you with familiarity
before throwing in a surprise.
♫ DuckTales
So you don't get too comfortable.
These rhymes at the ends of phrases
is of course, fairly common practice, but DuckTales
use of rhymes at the beginnings and ends of phrases
makes it all the more memorable.
For example, take a listen to these lines right here.
♫ D-d-danger lurks behind you
♫ There's a stranger out to find you.
And all of these lyrics are expressed through the vocals
of singer Jeff Pescetto who's voice attacks
the song with genuine excitement,
my favorite part being the line
that rockets into the chorus.
♫ Might solve a mystery
♫ Or rewrite history, DuckTales, woo-hoo
God, that's like musical crack.
Of course, a big reason some of us love old songs
doesn't even have anything to do with music theory
or lyrical stylings.
Familiarity and nostalgia go a long way
in making us love something as intangible as auditory input.
But more so, music affects our brains on a larger scale
than other non-musical sounds,
as neuroscientist Daniel Levitin explains.
- In my own laboratory where we do brain scans
of people while they listen to music,
we found that music activates every region of the brain
that has so far been mapped.
And we are now beginning to understand
that more so than anything else,
music is a kind of food or fuel for the brain.
- And when you're gearing up for an adventure
with Scrooge McDuck and his nephews,
I can't imagine there being any better fuel
than this minute long pop gem.
♫ DuckTales, woo-hoo
But what do you think?
What is the DuckTales theme song so catchy?
Is there any chance it'll come out of my head anytime soon?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below,
and I'll respond to some of them
in Monday's tales from a comments video!
Once again, a massive shout out to RKVC.
Please go check out their channel
it'll be linked in the description
and at the end of this video.
They did a video all about DuckTales covers
the best ones the worst ones.
It's a lot of fun, go check it out.
As always, huge thanks to our Patrons,
especially, Christoffer Lange,
Keaten Lampert, Mike Harvill, Elizabeth Moncel,
and the rest of the wonderful nerds
who supports us over at Patreon.com/NerdSync.
I encourage you to watch more NerdSync,
click or tap right here to see our latest video
or right down here for RKVC's video on DuckTales covers.
Thank you guys so much for watching.
My name is Scott reminding you to read
between the panels and grow smarter through comics.
See ya!