Top 20 Epic Cartoon TV Villain Songs
#20: “Skrawl’s Songs”
“ChalkZone” (2002-08)
Skrawl is undoubtedly Rudy’s most diabolical doodle. So, it’s fitting that he has his own insidious theme song. It’s so nice that it has three different versions. The first version gives Skrawl a formal introduction and lets us all know how much he despises Rudy. In the second edition, he tries to tempt Rudy’s best friend Penny into joining the dark side. Finally, the third version has him doing a duet with another one of Rudy’s enemies in a truly dastardly collaboration. No matter which version you’re hearing, you’re guaranteed to be tapping your toes to the menacing and jazzy beat. All of the music is made even better by Jim Cumming’s singing.
#19: “Bring Back a Legend”
“The Lion Guard” (2015-22)
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Antagonists Ushari, Janja, and the Hyenas get so tired of dealing with the Lion Guard, that they decide to bring back big bad, Scar. Naturally, they all discuss their scheme in song. The music and visuals make for a scene that could’ve been pure exposition into an attention-grabbing number. The tune has a menacing and marching beat that’s made more intimidating by all Hyenas chanting. Additionally, the visuals are shrouded in shadows with ominous lighting that add a foreboding mystery to their evil plot. All the while, they revel in their plan to bring the worst lion in all the Pride Lands back from the dead and have him lead them to glory.
#18: “Empire”
“Monster High: Boo York, Boo York” (2015)
Top 10 Moments from Empire
In the 2015 “Monster High” TV special, “Boo York, Boo York”, Nefera De Nile and her father Ramses scheme to invade Boo York. Of course, they HAVE to flaunt their eventual success in song. This prompts them to belt out a pop music-video style tune about their eventual “Empire”. The song was bombastic, boastful and had a lot of big energy. By the time they’re done, you might wonder: Why should they stop with Boo York? They’ve got the confidence and power to turn the entire world into their kingdom and nobody could possibly get in their way. The energy they display in the song truly makes you feel like they can talk the talk AND walk the walk.
#17: “Grandmother Stuffum” & “Slam Witch”
“Codename: Kids Next Door” (2002-08)
What happens when you combine the singing talents of Grey DeLisle-Griffin with the Heavy Metal music of Gwar? You get an epic and head-pounding rock opera episode of “Codename: Kids Next Door”, that’s what! The entire episode is an intense showdown between the KND, Gramma Stuffum, and her army of food monsters. The main villain also belts out TWO slamming songs. While the first tune has her trying to make the kids eat again, her second track makes her unleash an enormous sandwich monster. All of this musical harmony culminates in a giant kaiju battle of the ages. While the episode’s story is extremely wacky, the tunes hit so hard that it’s impossible to not rock out.
#16: “Brand New Best Friend”
“Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension” (2011)
The songs “Kinderlumper”, “I Really Don’t Hate Christmas”,“My Goody Two-Shoes Brother”,“Happy Evil Love Song” and “All the Convoluted Reasons We Pretend to Be Divorced” are all bangers. "My Name is Doof" is also stuck in our heads. But in the end, we went with the duet between Doofenshmirtz and… himself? For context, the scientist runs into his counterpart from the 2nd Dimension. After hitting it off, they sing a campy pop show tune about how happy they are to have like-minded company. All the while, they pay homages to other classic dynamic duos… yes, even our titular brothers. This duet is honestly more wholesome than villainous. But it’s way too much fun watching the mad doctor bounce off himself to skip over.
#15: “Under Our Spell”
“My Little Pony: Equestria Girls – Rainbow Rocks” (2014)
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Arguably the best villains from the “Equestria Girls” spin-offs were the Dazzlings. Not only are they proactive in their goal, but their hypnotic and enchanting singing voices ensure that they steal the show during each battle. Their best work comes with the insidious pop tune, “Under Our Spell.” The devious trio has the crowd eating out of their hands here. All the while, the rest of the Battle of the Bands competitors are at each other’s throats. This combo of confidence and song causes the heroes to crack under the pressure. This eerie, and diabolical tune cements their place as one of the “My Little Pony” franchise’s most deadly foes. We’d be happy to be welcomed to their show anytime.
#14: “Come Wayward Souls”
“Over the Garden Wall” (2014)
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For a miniseries as wistful as “Over the Garden Walls”, it has arguably one of the most haunting Cartoon Network songs. “Come Wayward Souls” is a somber and eerie track. It’s made even creepier by the Beast’s ghoulish and operatic voice in the first verse. The second verse gets even more blood-curdling since it features a children’s chorus harmonizing. To top it all off, the lyrics are foreboding and cryptically vague. This domineering track is strong enough to break lost souls that had the misfortune to wander into Beast’s gloomy forest. The lyrics are a lot more frightening with the story context. But even without them, you’ll have a sinister-sounding tune that sends a chill down your spine.
#13: “Remember”
“Danny Phantom” (2004-07)
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It turns out that Ember McClaine, the latest pop superstar of Amity Park, is actually a ghost. Her master plan has her using her hit song “Remember” to enslave the townsfolk. We can’t say we blame them since the tune is a devious bop. The melody is heart-pumping and catchy. All the while, the lyrics are both empowering and surprisingly grim. They tell a tragic story about unrequited love before a broken-hearted high school girl met her end. But now that she’s back from the grave, she’ll use her musical talent to make sure that everybody remembers her name. While Ember is eventually defeated, there’s no way we’ll forget this song. .
#12: “Other Friends”
“Steven Universe: The Movie” (2019)
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At the start of the “Steven Universe” TV movie, it feels like Steven and the Crystal Gems are living happily ever after. But everything changed when a being named Spinel entered the picture looking for revenge. Eons before Steven was born, the antagonist always stood at his mother Rose’s side. But the matriarch’s actions caused Spinel to be left alone for thousands of years. The antagonist’s bitterness comes out in full during “Other Friends”. She runs circles around the Gems while belting out a haunting electro-jazz number. All the while, you can feel the venom in her voice. While the tune may be short, you’ll feel the energy and chills it brings for a long time.
#11: “Nothing Left to Lose”
“Tangled: the Series” (2017-20)
Top10 Saddest TV Cartoon Songs
We’re ready as we’ll ever be to dive into some “Tangled” numbers “Waiting in the Wings” is a great and dark number about longing for something more. Although we love hearing Cassandra sing that number, her duet with Varian might be even better. While a former villain Varian was redeeming himself, Cass was getting worse. Their parallel storylines lead to one tense duet where the reformed guy tries to convince the antagonist to change her ways. While Varian knows that Cass is about to lose everything good in her life, she’s convinced that she’s lost everything holding her back. The powerful song ends with her getting the last word in and insisting that she really doesn’t have anything left to lose.
#10: “High to be Loathed”
“The Simpsons” (1989-)
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As much as we enjoy hearing Sideshow Bob singing of his obsession with Bart, nobody knows villainy quite like Mr. Burns. In an effort to convince Abe Simpson to get back into wrestling, Burns breaks into a jaunty show tune about how great it is to be hated… and he raises a lot of good points. If enough people despise you, you’ve got a face in history just for relishing in others’ misery, and Burns musically delights in this fact by recalling some of the most infamous faces in pop culture and history. Plus, who knew someone as decrepit as Monty Burns could cut a rug like this?
#9: “Robot Hell”
“Futurama” (1999-2013)
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After a heavy night of sinning, Bender gets abducted by the Robot Devil and dragged all the way to Robot Hell. Upon his arrival, Bender is subjected to the worst kind of torture there is – an upbeat jazz number as the Devil shows him around. At one point, Fry and Leela even get their own verse as they race down to save their ensnared friend –Leela more determined while Fry has some reservations. Even though Bender’s life is on the line, who can resist tapping their feet hearing the mechanized Lucifer belt out a swinging tune as he prepares to punish Robot Hell’s occupants for every one of their misdeeds?
#8: “Brains!”
“The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy” (2003-08)
In a spooky parody of “Little Shop of Horrors”, Billy ends up making friends with an evil meteor from outer space with an appetite for brains. To satisfy its hunger, the meteor tricks Billy into bringing it the brains of everyone in town with a dark cabaret song written and performed by well-known gothic artist, Voltaire. With how bizarre and ghoulish “Billy & Mandy” can get, collaborating with Voltaire was a perfect fit – the song became one of his most famous numbers, and it helped tell a ghastly story of a diabolical feeding frenzy. While the meteor’s reign comes to a grisly end, this wouldn’t be the last time Voltaire contributed his talents to this Cartoon Network classic.
#7: “I’m the Music Meister”
“Batman: The Brave and the Bold” (2008-11)
Top 20 Catchiest Cartoon Theme Songs
“Batman: the Brave and the Bold” got a chance to really camp it up with some catchy show tunes like “Drives Us Bats”. We also had a lot of fun with, well, “Where’s the Fun In That?” But we have to give a special shout to “I’m the Music Meister”. In one episode, a brawl between heroes and villains is abruptly ended when both sides start unexpectedly singing. That’s when we see Neil Patrick Harris play the Music Meister, a villain who can force people to Sing, dance, and do his dirty work. For the first song of the musical, this menacing Broadway-like orchestration helps set the scene for the Music Meister’s master plan. The tune also highlighting Harris’ amazing singing voice.
#6: “This Is How We Will End It”
“Total Drama” (2007-14)
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Among the many musical numbers during “Total Drama World Tour” was a devious duet between two of the series’ biggest baddies, Heather and Alejandro. After Heather gets trapped in a hole, Alejandro boasts how he was able to manipulate/eliminate nearly every female contestant, and Heather’s next on the chopping block. Meanwhile, Heather tries to appeal to Alejandro saying that if he wants to take her down, at least give her a chance to fight back. Aside from the obvious romantic tension between these two rivals, what really makes this song is the alternative rock instrumental and chilling puppeteer visuals –almost similar to NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye” music video. Even though Alejandro eventually sets Heather free, the war between them is far from over.
#5: “Da Pixie Rap”
“The Fairly OddParents” (2001-17)
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With their 37-year plan coming together, the Pixies, H.P. and Sanderson, revel in their success in song. You’d expect two corrupt businessmen voiced by Ben Stein to sing a hilariously dry and deadpan tune. Instead, the special pulls a complete one-eighty and has the Pixies dish out a high-energy rap song with vocals by well-known rappers Method Man and Redman… it makes sense once you suspend your disbelief. This hilariously ironic jam really highlights how confident the Pixies are that their scheme will finally prevail and how they’ll soon be the rulers of both Earth and Fairy World. If their plot is as fresh as their beats, we’re definitely in a world of trouble.
#4: “What’s the Use of Feeling (Blue)?”
“Steven Universe” (2013-19)
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When Blue Diamond starts grieving over Pink again, Yellow tries singing a lament –with their Pearls singing backup- to cheer her up. The supposed shattering of their fellow Diamond still hurts, but Yellow just wants to move forward since she feels that all this sorrow is just pointless –but even she can’t hide the pain she feels. It takes a certain talent to be able to get us to sympathize with baddies, and this haunting, sorrowful tune shows us that the “big bad tyrants” of Homeworld aren’t as above sadness as they claim to be –especially when it comes to coping with the loss of a loved one.
#3: “I’m the Bad Guy”
“Wander Over Yonder” (2013-16)
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Thanks to Wander’s encouragement, Lord Hater finally tries asking Dominator out on a date. Dominator doesn’t just say no, she takes it a step further – shamelessly mocking the two “idiots” through a sultry, menacing tune. She mockingly flaunts about the room singing how she’s no one’s buddy, girlfriend, or some helpless damsel; she’s evil to the core and loves every minute of it. The only thing that she cares about is wiping out galaxies and crushing those beneath her either physically, emotionally, or both. If you needed further proof of why Dominator is the greatest villain in the galaxy, this will definitely set the record straight and put to shame anyone who tries to treat her otherwise.
#2: “Crossing the Line”
“Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure” (2017-20)
Did anyone really expect Cassandra, Rapunzel’s lady-in-waiting and close friend, to go rogue? After absorbing the Moonstone’s power and showing her spiteful colors, she cuts ties with the princess with a hardcore rock anthem. It starts as a tense, hopeful duet with Rapunzel trying to talk her former ally out of this, but Cassandra is having none of that. She’s played second fiddle to the princess long enough and is ready to take what’s hers, and she’ll gladly cross any line to get there. Even if the subject matter is grim, you can’t deny how pulse-pounding this tune is as Cassandra triumphantly and shamelessly betrays her friends, knowing that there is no going back.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
"A Meticulous Analysis of History," “Pinky and the Brain” (1995-98)
The Devious Brain Sings an Upbeat Tune About World Leaders
“I’m Not Very Nice,” “The 7D” (2014-16)
Hildy May Not Be Nice, But She Knows How to Rock.
“Let the Pun Fit the Crime,” “Wander Over Yonder” (2013-16)
How Could We Not Mention Weird Al Yankovic Singing a Villain Song?
“Todd's Lemonade,” “Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (2018-20)
What Other Show Can Make a “Modern Major General” Parody Sound So Intimidating?
“Biskit Family Business,” “Littlest Pet Shop” (2012-16)
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#1: “This Day Aria”
“My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic” (2010-19)
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Under the guise of Princess Cadance, Queen Chrysalis is ready to hijack her wedding for her own villainous intentions, while the real Cadance frantically tries to escape and save the day. It was hard to decide on just one because “My Little Pony” has so many catchy villain songs to offer – from vaudevillian sales talk to menacing manipulations, and even a villainous tango with a trio of baddies. However, what really sets this Broadway-esque showstopper apart is how one actress effortlessly alternates between Cadance’s somberly hopeful verses with Chrysalis’ delightfully sinister lyrics. By turning a contrasting duet into a full-blown aria of light and darkness, this song is practically perfect.
