The Best Pokemon Music Not in Stores

In my long history of working with Pokémon music, one of the most frustrating obstacles I’ve run into is not a lack of source material, but a lack of commercial availability. For every song that is available on CD or as a digital download, it seems like there is another not available for purchase. Between movies 4-6 and 8-12 (you may recall that “This Side of Paradise” from movie 7 actually is available on the 4Kids music collection, and is therefore ineligible for this list), as well as the TV show and games such as Pokémon Channel, there is enough music for roughly two to three albums.

Now, I’m not naïve-knowing what I do about the music industry, there are very likely financial, legal, and possibly even technical hurdles to releasing some of these songs, so I’m not trying to blame or vilify The Pokémon Company International (or anyone else in particular). Instead, I’m making a list (a wish list, perhaps) of the ten songs I’d like to see up for consideration the next time a US Pokémon album is being made. To be fair, this was a really hard list to make, and I had to pull from the list of songs I was familiar with and could review easily, so some songs you might have expected (like that one from “Do I Hear a Ralts?” everyone keeps talking about) might be missing from this list:

10. Diamond and Pearl
Performed by: Chris “Breeze” Barczynski
From: 10th season theme

Yes, believe it or not, I actually like this song, and I really do hope it’s on the next English Pokémon CD, though I will admit it is excessively looped in “O’er the Rampardos We Watched!”. Even so, I still love its in-your-face style and beat.

9. We Will Be Heroes (Movie Version)
Performed by: John Loeffler
From: The Rise of Darkrai

In a rare lead vocal performance, John shows up for the opening theme of the tenth movie, and he doesn’t disappoint. A supporter of the dub since the earliest days, John gives a great, heartfelt performance that compliments the introduction of Alamos Town to the viewer.

8. Master Pokémon
Performed by: K01
From: Shown in theatres before Pokémon 4Ever, Top Toons Tune on Kids’ WB

A blend of lo-fi, voice samples, and clever imagery, this mini-music video suggested you “let your Mankey wear your hat”, among other oddball ideas. Also, who could forget that lovely British woman rapping out those lyrics?

7. Side By Side – Pichu and Pichu
Performed by: Peter Thom
From: Pokémon Channel, Pokémon Chronicles

In addition to Peter’s distinctive gritty voice, the instrumentation in this song makes it an instant classic. Not many Pokémon songs feature a honky-tonk piano and a banjo, but this one pulls off both well. The Pichu sound effects are great too.

6. Battle Cry – (Stand Up!) (Movie Version)
Performed by: Erin Bowman
From: Arceus and the Jewel of Life

Opening credits superimposed over battles has become a staple in the Pokémon movies, and while some people may not like them, they are an effective way of drawing the audience into the film, and how well that works always depends on how good the song that goes with it is. This one does a fantastic job, expanding on the season 12 theme beautifully, and it has a great bridge to boot. It also brings a smile to my face every time.

5. I’ll Always Remember You
Performed by: Kirsten Price
From: The Rise of Darkrai

Admittedly, this song doesn’t have a whole lot to do with the movie (technically, Darkrai actually misremembers more than anything else, mistaking Alice for her grandmother), but I still had to include it just because it’s so beautiful. Kirsten does a great job, and the song really holds from beginning to end, with some great instrumentation along the way.

4. Pikachu’s Coming
Performed by: J.P. Hartmann
From: Pikachu’s Pika-Boo (Short from Pokémon 4Ever)

One of the best guitar songs in the franchise (right up there with the original theme, in my opinion), this song is all about having fun. Speaking of guitar, don’t forget to listen to the instrumental version in the end credits, which has even more guitar work from John McCurry.

3. Celebi-R-A-T-E
Performed by: Russel Velazquez
From: Pokémon 4Ever

This is probably the glitchiest Pokémon song ever written. A large number of synth instruments and vocal effects are combined to create a rich audio landscape, embellished with a wide range of sound effects. To top it all off, the song actually employs the technique of backmasking-when the end of the song is reversed, a voice can be heard repeatedly saying, “Yo! Detour!” (come on, this is Pokémon-what were you expecting?).

2. Make a Wish
Performed by: Cindy Mizelle/Asuca Hayashi
From Jirachi: Wish Maker

In a rare move, this track combines English and Japanese vocals in a single song. The result is a beautiful blend, and a fitting end to the sixth movie. It’s also one of the best uses of strings in a Pokémon song. Arguably the best part is towards the end, where Cindy and Asuca play off each other incredibly well, particularly considering that the two parts were likely recorded thousands of miles away from each other and likely months apart as well.

1. Born to be a Winner (Movie Version)
Performed by: David Rolfe
From Pokémon 4Ever

When I first heard the fourth season opening TV theme, it was a real treat for someone who had been following the show since 1998-the partial remake of the original theme seemed like a perfect blend of old and new-until I heard this movie version. The TV version was good, even great in its own right, but this totally blew it away. The vocals were incredible, the instrumentation was excellent, and everything clicked. Of all of David’s works in the series, this one is my favorite.

Having written this, I look forward to hearing your responses as to which songs I’ve missed and which songs you can’t believe I picked. If there’s one thing I know (and love) about the Pokémon community, it’s that it has a wide range of opinions on a variety of topics, including music.