Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to another round of Character Theme Songs, where I take characters from popular shows and match them with real music - you know, not any of that country or radio pop crap. This time, we are going to do a take on the darling of Tumblr - besides Doctor Who, The Avengers, Sherlock, Over The Garden Wall and Steven Universe. Yes, it's the French take on the standard superhero cartoon, Miraculous Ladybug. Here it is, with the explanations down below the video.
Marinette Dupain-Cheng/Ladybug - “Satellite” - Lena: Ok, I'll have to admit that none of these artists in question are French. Still, this song fits Marinette quite well, combining her generally peppy yet shy nature while living her normal life and her "I expect to be taken seriously" fighting demeanor while as Ladybug taking down whatever Hawk Moth throws in her direction.
Adrien Agreste/Cat Noir - “Take On Me” - a-ha: Ok, the main reason why I chose this song is because Adrien reminds me of the pencil-sketch dude from the music video. And considering that I will argue that it was one of the best music videos of all time, it seems appropriate to associate this song with him.
Alya Césaire - “L.O.V.E.” - Al Green: Alya is many things in the show, but she is a fangirl through and through at heart. Specifically, the type of fangirl that ships our two leads, so I picked this romantic Motown classic to be her song.
Chloé Bourgeois - “Give Me All You Luvin’” - Madonna: Remember when I said I would try not to use vapid pop songs? Consider this an exception, only because the stupidity of it fits all too well. Mainly because she is going after Adrien, even he'd rather swallow live bugs than go out with her.
Nino Lahiffe - “C’est La Vie” - Cheb Khaled: If you look at it from a different point of view, Nino is the polar opposite of Adrien, which makes one wonder why they are friends. And when I heard this song after going through several others, I knew this was the one for him.
Sabrina - “Grenade” - Bruno Mars: The amount of stuff she is willing to put up with when it comes to Chloé is astonishing. One could only wonder if these lyrics are constantly playing in her head day in and day out.
Alix Kubdel - “Time” - Pink Floyd: Her family is a bunch of historians who give her a watch. Her akuma form is named Timebreaker. Need I say anything more than that?
Ivan Bruel - “Almost Easy” - Avenged Sevenfold: The band has made its name on the scene by essentially embracing the image of being the bad boys with a major soft side. And once you think about it, that is the basis for much of Ivan's characterization, especially if you take Mylène into account.
Juleka - “A Demon’s Fate” - Within Temptation: Despite being relatively calm and cheerful, she is much darker when compared to Rose. Hence, this song was chosen for her.
Kim - “We Will Rock You” - Queen: Classic sports anthem that gets your blood pumping with a simple beat. Need I say more?
Lila - “Lyin' Eyes” - Eagles: Good God, if Ann Coulter did not exist, this girl would be considered the queen of bad liars. And yes, this song is basically about having an affair if you look at the lyrics. Nevertheless, it can be applied to her spotlight episode quite succinctly.
Max - “Wavin’ Flag” - K’naan: Yes, this song did appear in a video game, and it reflects his normal personality quite well. Technically, it was EA's tie-in game for the 2010 World Cup, but it was a video game nonetheless.
Mylène Haprèle - “Vivi’s Theme” - Final Fantasy IX OST: For several reasons, Mylène reminds me a lot of Vivi. Quiet and shy, with an akuma side that is inherently twisted, to put it nicely.
Nathanaël - “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad” - Meat Loaf: This kid, more than anything else, is a hopeless romantic with feelings towards Marinette. Feelings that he will never have even a snowball's chance in Hell of getting her to return. And when I saw his episode, I was instantly reminded of this song.
Rose - “Sweetest Thing” - U2: Look at her picture and the way she acts in her spotlight episode! I know U2 isn't everyone's thing right now, but it fits her character really well.
Marinette’s Parents - “Sweetest Devotion” - Adele: Marinette, for all intents and purposes, has the type of parents you would normally find in an overrated 50s sitcom, or an American cartoon where the cast goes to Paris. And considering that this song was about Adele's relationship with her little boy (look it up), this song works really well with them.
Adrien’s Dad - “Little Lion Man” - Mumford and Sons: And by contrast, Adrien's dad is not the type that is really the loving or caring type. You could chalk it up to the demands of his own career, but this song is what outlines their father-son dynamic.
Master Fu - “Uncle John’s Band” - Grateful Dead: First of all, doing "Kung Fu Fighting" was too stereotypical and obvious. And more importantly, this song has aged like a fine vintage, with its relaxed guitar chords and its mellow lyrics. Hence the pick.
Hawk Moth - “You Know My Name” - Chris Cornell: This guy harkens back to how Gene Hackman did Lex Luthor in the first Superman movie. And by that, I mean he is a Bond villain at heart, with the oh-so-obvious end goal of taking over the world. And even though I originally wanted to do "Thunderball" by Tom Jones, this song from Casino Royale has a lot more edge to it.
Jagged Stone - “Rock and Roll, Hootchie Koo” - Rick Derringer: This is an old classic rock standard. How could I not use it?
Prince Ali - “Rock the Casbah” - The Clash: Just like with Master Fu's song, doing "Prince Ali" for Aladdin was just way too obvious. And even though the lyrics are a thinly-disguised protest song over Iranian clerics banning rock music, the overall mood fits Ali quite well, even though I could have gone for some local Arab pop hit instead.
