Stupid theme song?! Only the sweetest 52 seconds of your life!

escapist_dream | August 03, 15:44 CET

Well, in all fairness, it did take me some time to get used to it. The first time it kinda threw me off. Mostly because I wasn't expecting the western-vibe and the horses, I think. Of course, after you "get" the show, it fits the vibe perfectly, but I can see why people might not like it. It's not an easy adrenaline-rush like the Buffy theme and it doesn't feature the 'sounds nice the first time round' melancholy vibe of the Angel theme.

(Oh, and wheee, my 'Done the impossible' arrived today. Can't wait to pop it in the player and watch it!)

GVH | August 03, 16:02 CET

I love the exposure Firefly seems to get in web comics. A lot of web comic writers are Browncoats - and several actively promote the DVD sets on their pages! (ie. the nice guy).

But what's wrong with the Ballad of Serenity? It perfectly sets the mood! (OK, admitedly the first time I heard it I was thrown)

AnotherFireflyfan | August 03, 16:21 CET

Final countdown by Europe syncs with Firefly? I'll have to try that.

whosflyingthisthing? | August 03, 17:01 CET

I'm still waiting for someone to do a Buffy/Angel/Firefly mash-up.

Simon | August 03, 17:06 CET

I'm sure they're just having some good hearted rib poking, comics are meant to be funny after all. I had a good laugh, I thought they caught the characters perfectly.

Once you 'get' Firefly, the theme fits very well. Now, 'Enterprise', that was a bad theme song.

Madhatter | August 03, 17:14 CET

Madhatter is right: Firefly's theme song just gets better and more personal with repeating listening (I never skip past it), but the theme to Enterprise just kept getting worse and worse (I'd have to mute the TV when it was on). Of course the real difference is that I would never watch any of the Enterprise episodes a second time anyway.

embers | August 03, 17:57 CET

Strange but true: you can swap the lyrics to Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog" into the Firefly theme song, and it works just fine.

BrianP | August 03, 19:13 CET

BrianP - Strangely, I had noticed that ;)

Glad to hear I'm not the only one who muted the Enterprise theme. Ugh...

zeitgeist | August 03, 19:23 CET

I loved it. Bought the Russell Watson album especially for it. In fact, would have chosen it for my wedding.

Simon | August 03, 19:40 CET

I love Ballad of Serenity. Maybe it's not as "cool" as the theme tunes of the likes of Buffy or Veronica Mars, nor as dark and noirish as Angel's, but it definitely suits the themes of the show. And strangely enough, a lot of people, including me, actually listen to country music, so it's not that bizarre or unusual. For some reason it actually makes me feel like Firefly was set in the past, even though it's obviously in the future. Just a combination of the music and the beautifully designed title sequence.

Razor | August 03, 20:15 CET

Okay, now someone HAS to do "Final Countdown" to Firefly.

YellowBear | August 03, 21:03 CET

It's actually thanks to a number of webcomics talking about Serenity that led to my becoming a Whedon fan in the first place.

Archon Divinus | August 03, 21:06 CET

Firefly is up there with Ghostbusters and the Muppet Show as having one of the best theme songs ever. Enterprise got worse with every single season, if not episode, and Veronica Mars' main positive was that it was short. But listening to the final countdown while watching a failed show is a pretty funny idea.

BoltRider | August 03, 21:53 CET

Archon - that's fantastic. I think it's really shiny to see people converted this way.

AnotherFireflyfan | August 03, 22:05 CET

I just love the Ballad of Serenity. It's my absolute favourite theme song ever. After my first time watching the Train Job, it was my favourite part of the episode. I had some trouble getting into the series, but I immidiatly fell for the theme. I recently got into Doctor Who, and I love the original theme of that series too.

the Groosalugg | August 03, 23:43 CET

I wonder if listening to the final countdown made them want to jump around, while throwing cards, with a knife in their mouth. It sure makes me want to.

theyarescientists | August 04, 00:27 CET

The Ballad of Serenity is easily my favorite theme song from an American show. The Veronica Mars theme on the other hand, is freakin' annoying (largly because it's always stuck in my head. And my sisters head).

Archon Divinus | August 04, 01:03 CET

I like the Ballad of Serenity, but I like Joss' acoustic version and the instrumental version to the country song in the TV show. It's fine, but yes, it takes getting used to because I hate country music - unless it's alt-country, that is.

electricspacegirl | August 04, 01:08 CET

Adding my voice: zeitgeist, I totally muted the Enterprise theme, too, or even jumped to another channel till it was finished playing, lol!

I think the Firefly theme is great because the lyrics really explain everything that happened to the Browncoats, and especially Mal. I like the way Joss describes it in various commentaries (including Done the Impossible, which *rocks*), that he wrote the song before even writing the pilot and used the song as a guide to the sorts of losses the characters had but their determination to remain free.

Joss said something even more interesting in Done the Impossible: that the lyric "Take me out to the Black/Tell them I ain't comin' back" could mean that he went out into space, or that he died, which was a meaning of "the Black" I didn't think of before. So, that song is way deeper than people might realize hearing it at first! ;-)

billz | August 04, 01:38 CET

The great thing about the Firefly theme is that you can actually sing it, whereas the VM theme just runs around your head while you hum the instrumental parts, and mummble the first few lyrics over and over and over again.

Noclaf | August 04, 04:56 CET

"The Final Countdown," huh? Now I have this image of G.O.B. doing a magic show on Serenity...

Baalek | August 04, 08:44 CET

Noclaf, I can't tell you the number of times I've cursed the Dandy Warhols for that little chunk of the Veronica Mars song that just goes round and round in my head like a gerbil in a cage. And yet I like it.

The "Ballad of Serenity" -- can't say enough good things about it -- the lyrics, music & voice. I love blues and folk and I think this song sorta blends them both together in a satisfying melange.

If you haven't already, check out the "Ballad" musician Sonny Rhodes' website, where you can listen to & download some of his own stuff. The "Ballad of Serenity" is available at his myspace profile.

QuoterGal | August 04, 11:14 CET

Country music. The music of pain.

TwisTz | August 04, 11:49 CET

Speaking of theme songs that get stuck in your head: how about the almost-too-catchy Wonderfalls theme?

AnotherFireflyfan | August 04, 15:03 CET

One other comment: the song sounded like a different male character was singing it each time. At times, Sonny Rhodes sounded like Mal, at times like Wash, at times Jayne, and at times Book (less so for Simon, and sorry, neither Kaylee nor Inara can hit notes that low). This isn't to say the song was sung differently or anything, but rather it was such a well done song that it seemed like almost anyone on the show could be singing it. It meshed perfectly with everyone's notion of their place in space and time.

BoltRider | August 05, 01:47 CET