My Neutral Good Anthem

My parents went to Canada and saw the 22nd Royal Regiment at the Quebec Citadel play the Avengers Main Theme. It's a familiar tune, representative of a team, with each member having their own themes.

 

View from my office. Spring Show (2022).
I have no idea what kids listen to.

I’ve been watching David Bennett Piano and 12tone on YouTube explain music in pop culture. David's explanation of Japan's favorite chord progression made a lot of sense to me, who isn't formally trained in any music. 12tone explained why Canada was also good at pop music in his analysis of Call Me Maybe.

I secretly would want to be part of an Avengers-like team, but I wondered what my own individual theme would be. Sometimes I sit in my office with a playlist running, but secretly wanting to turn the playlist into a medley. Since I'm not musically inclined, but like to listen, I picked pieces that would reflect my neutral good nature that could inspire the future creation of a personal anthem. That meant a mix of the themes of heroes with a splash of anti-heroes, and villains had to be confronted. I followed these guidelines before compiling this list: it had to have themes and leitmotifs that could represent me, and only one track per franchise, and no actual standalone songs.

Spotify Link to My Neutral Good Playlist – There are some modifications since some tracks don't have a Spotify version. The links below go to YouTube.

Live Action Shows

• Andate Risoluto – [Link] – Succession – Nicholas Britell makes small changes to the main theme that make this version more complete and triumphant.
  
• Light of the Seven – [Link] – Game of Thrones – This theme features heavily in one of my favorite episodes, before the series went downhill. Less sinister or sad compared to "Rains of Castamere" this music represents Cersei's scheming and machinations. This is some of Ramin Djawadi's best, incorporating piano into Game of Thrones for the first time.
• Life and Death – [Link] – LOST – The sad slow piano starts to highlight sacrifices, juxtaposing what is gained and lost to survive on the island and challenge fate. Michael Giacchino has other banger soundtracks, like the new Batman theme.
  

 

Animoo

(I didn't intend for this to be all anime, but I didn't think of any Western animation that made sense for me.)

• Shinzou wo Sasageyo – [Link] – Attack on Titan – Not only do I say that a lot, it fits with everything. Dedicate your hearts!
  
• Brave Heart – [Link] – Digimon – Representing the powers of courage and friendship! This is the remixed orchestral version that definitely makes this theme more mature, yet happy.
  
• Final Flash – [Link] – Dragon Ball Z – I don't identify with Vegeta at all, but this has the perfect wind up when Perfect Cell thinks he can take a charged up, star-destroying finishing move.
  
• Light’s Theme – [Link] – Death Note – Like the Light of the Seven, this theme mixes plotting and big moves.
  

 

Video Games

• Captain America’s Theme – [Link] – Marvel vs. Capcom 3 – This version was just harder than previous versions without being overproduced like the MvC Infinite version. Surrender is your only option. For freedom!
  
• Hearts as One – [Link] – Kingdom Hearts 3 – The upbeat resolute version of Roxas's Theme after he realizes that he's enough to fight against the Darkness.
• Wally’s Theme – [Link] – Pokémon Omega Ruby / Alpha Sapphire – The sudden seriousness and determination is so cool. Wally is my favorite rival, and second favorite Pokémon game character overall compared to Cynthia; but his theme fits me better.
  
• Midair Giant Playground – [Link] – Brave Fencer Musashi – To me, this is the epitome of end game "use everything you've learned to reach the final boss" music.
  
• Air Fight – [Link] – Zone of the Enders: The 2^nd Runner – One fighter against an entire armada, battling in the atmosphere. This represented a set piece as late-game skill check. 
  
• Duel – [Link] – Metal Gear Solid  – The boss fight theme. Metal Gear Solid had so many memorable boss fights with different gimmicks.
• Ozar Midrashim – [Link] – Soul Reaver – Raziel's verbal sparring with Kain expanded my vocabulary in middle school, much like the scene between the Architect and Neo in Matrix Reloaded. This music represents ascent from the bottom and justice across the ages.
  

 

Movies

• Mask of the Phantasm Theme – [Link] – Batman: Mask of the Phantasm – A familiar theme with added vocals and mysterious epicness.
  
• Battle of the Heroes – [Link] – Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith – I wish I could start a fight with a backflip, somersault, force jump. Anakin's redemption arc is hand-wavy though; he's not a hero. The scene happens after he totally executes Order 66 and chokes Padmé, so Obi-Wan taking him out is completely justified. 
  
• Everything’s Not Awesome – [Link] – Lego Movie 2 – This one has more perspective than "Everything is Awesome." This song’s gonna get stuck inside your heart.

 

Hymns

• Be Thou My Vision – [Link] – I find myself whistling this sometimes.
  
• Lift Every Voice and Sing – [Link] – Whenever this song comes up, it demands participation.
  
• Hymn of the Fayth – [Link] – Final Fantasy X – Yes, this is from a video game. Each aeon had a different voice, and different combinations can evoke different thoughts and memories.
  

 

Discussion

I either want to find a composer who can find inspiration in the selection. I wouldn't want to use artificial intelligence, or AI, here because I think the human curation and processing would be the point of creating a personal anthem. It's like Dave Filoni's assessment of Star Wars. Paraphrasing: Don't steal from George Lucas, steal from the films that inspired him.

If I were to use AI as a tool for the purpose of synthesizing an anthem it would mostly be to set expectations or find some key features I enjoy.

In general, I think my picks were often remixes, upbeat, but with stakes. I think there would be enough to generate a few personal tracks for different contexts.