The biggest theme song fail

Our jingle song sucks. Let's change it.

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After 400 episodes analyzing pop music's biggest hits, the time has come to confront our own sonic identity crisis. The original Switched on Pop theme, cobbled together from GarageBand loops in 2014, has become a source of both nostalgia and mild embarrassment. With synthesized horns blaring over dubstep "wubs" and a diva-style vocal hook, the theme tries earnestly—perhaps too earnestly—to represent every genre at once. Yet its maximalist charm comes with pitfalls.

Listeners and critics alike have voiced their thoughts. "It sounds like game show music," observed Cat Zhang of The Cut in one pointed critique: "It wouldn't even make it to demo status if pitched as a pop song." Grammy-nominated producer Ian Fitchuk likened it to "hearing one of my kids' least favorite video games circa 2007." And New York Times pop critic Jon Caramanica was even more direct: "I can tell you have a fondness for the game shows of Eastern Europe," he quipped, before suggesting the theme might be better suited for "some of the worst cereal commercials you've ever heard." Even Song Exploder host Hrishikesh Hirway could only muster diplomatic praise: "It makes me smile and laugh, which some might see as a positive thing, but it might not be the feeling you want from a listener."

These critiques were more than just humorous jabs—they highlighted a mismatch between the theme's sound and the podcast's evolving identity. To understand how to move beyond "game show music," we turned to an expert in sonic identity. Dallas Taylor, sound designer and owner of Defacto Sound, has spent his career crafting audio experiences for major brands and media. As the host of Twenty Thousand Hertz, a podcast that explores the world's most recognizable sounds, Taylor brings deep expertise in how audio shapes our relationship with media.

Taylor outlined a detailed taxonomy of sonic branding elements, each serving distinct purposes. A jingle, he explained, typically features lyrics, like the earworm "800-588-2300 Empire" or "Nationwide is on your side." Theme songs are longer pieces designed to transition listeners into a show's world, like the iconic Friends theme that gives viewers time to settle in. The most minimal form is the sonic logo, like Netflix's "tu-dum" or the Intel chimes' "dum-dum-dum-dum-dum," which instantly trigger brand recognition. Shows might also employ audio tags, short sound signatures that bookmark segments or transitions.

Each of these elements combines to form a sonic identity, the audio equivalent of a visual brand guide. For a podcast about pop music analysis, this posed unique challenges. "When you reached out about the Switched on Pop jingle," Taylor noted, "I would say it's kind of between a jingle and a theme song." His key advice? Don’t completely abandon something that has existed for so long. "Probably less change than you want to make, but enough that you feel satisfied in it."

This comprehensive framework made it clear that Switched on Pop needed more than just a new jingle. It needed a complete sonic identity system that could flex across different uses while maintaining a consistent sound. Armed with this understanding, we approached composers Zach Tenorio and Jocie Adams with a focused brief: Create something timeless drawing inspiration from Wendy Carlos's groundbreaking Switched on Bach while maintaining the core melodic hook of the original theme. The composers were tasked with developing not just a theme song, but a complete sonic palette that could work across formats, from quick transition stingers to extended credit sequences. Most importantly, the new theme needed to avoid chasing contemporary trends in favor of something more enduring.

What emerged was something unexpected yet oddly perfect: a lush soundscape of synthesizers and vocoders built from over 100 meticulously layered tracks. Critics immediately drew comparisons to the theme music of 1980s PBS science shows—a reference that felt surprisingly appropriate for a show dedicated to musical education and discovery. This wasn’t merely an attempt to sound “cool”; it was an effort to embrace our authentic identity: our inner Bill Nye.

To hear this sonic evolution in action and judge whether we've successfully graduated from game show to public television prestige, check out the full episode. Along the way, we share demo recordings, explore past attempts to revise the theme, and dive into the creative decisions behind the final multi-layered production. Does the new theme embody our mission to educate and entertain? Let us know if it hits the right note—or brings a little PBS magic to your ears.