There are many reasons why Adventure Time became the breakout show of the 2010s. These include its memorable characters, simplistic art style, and its perfect balance of lighthearted fun with mature storytelling. One of its least talked-about strengths was its use of music.
Adventure Time released many beautiful and memorable songs over its ten seasons which filled audiences with joy and sadness thanks to their use in the stories. Of course, some stand out more than others thanks to their emotional gut-punches, or for just being upbeat and fun.
10 “Friends Don’t Fight”
Even the closest of friends can get into arguments, which Finn (Jeremy Shada) and Jake (John DiMaggio) discovered when they tried to create their own movie. Finn wanted to make an action film while Jake wanted a romance. The two bickered during the entire process, prompting their friend BMO (Niki Yang) to remind them of their bond.
“Friends Don’t Fight” is short but sweet, thanks to its simple melody and the choice of words BMO uses. He reminds Finn and Jake of the importance of their friendship and that they shouldn’t risk it on a dumb argument. Yang also does a great job with the vocals while maintaining BMO’s childish and robotic speech pattern.
9 “Young Lemonhope”
After trying to run away from his commitments to the lemon kingdom, Lemonhope (Justin Royland) returns to free his brethren from the tyranny of the Earl of Lemongrab (Justin Royland). Afterward, Princess Bubblegum (Hynden Walch) offers him the chance to be the champion of the lemon people, but he rejects her to live a life of freedom. Dejected, Bubblegum sings a song she wrote to honor Lemonhope’s victory.
Rather than a triumphant ballad, “Young Lemonhope” is a melancholic song that plays over images of an elderly Lemonhope finally returning home through a dystopian version of Ooo. It echoes a sense of finality, both for Lemonhope’s journey, and the world audiences have come to know and love. This is exemplified by Walch’s vocals, which sound both beautiful and haunting.
8 “The Fry Song”
Before she left to make Steven Universe, Rebecca Sugar was a writer and storyboard artist for Adventure Time. She wrote many of the show’s best songs, beginning with the premier episode of season two. Here, the vampire Marceline (Olivia Olsen) enlists Finn’s help in recording a song about her father eating her fries.
“The Fry Song” initially seems comical, but a deeper dive into the lyrics and Marceline’s past reveals a sadder undertone. It’s really about Marceline’s broken relationship with her demonic father, Hunson Abadeer (Martin Olson) and weather or not their relationship can be salvaged. Its popularity saw it reappear several times throughout the show, sung mainly by the Ice King (Tom Kenny).
7 “The House Hunting Song”
Before becoming one of Finn and Jake’s closest friends, Marceline evicted them from their own tree house. The two set off to find a new home, only to run into trouble at every turn. The process is told via a musical montage, sung by none other than the show’s creator, Pendleton Ward.
In many ways, “The House Hunting Song,” is the perfect song to summarize early Adventure Time. It’s full of wacky imagery, hilarious situations, and touching stories of friendship and adventure. Ward’s voice also fits through his investment in Finn and Jake’s journey: he gets animated during dangerous moments and slow during sad ones.
6 “Time Adventure”
When the god of chaos, Golb, manifests in Ooo, he unleashes a wave of destruction by mutating candy people into monsters. Among the casualties of their rampage is Finn and Jake’s tree house. As Jake gives into despair and shrinks down, a damaged BMO sings to him.
“Time Adventure,” is a haunting melody about the fickle nature of time. Regardless of what changes in the future, what has happened cannot be changed, and the memories we make will live on forever. Hearing almost every main character sing alongside BMO makes the song a beautiful send-off to Adventure Time.
5 “I’m Just Your Problem”
When a mischievous Door Lord (Steve Agee) steals the possessions of Finn, Jake, BMO, Bubblegum, and Marceline, they need to sing in harmony to open the door to his lair. Bubblegum attempts to take charge of the situation, which causes conflict between her and Marceline. The vampire queen takes this opportunity to vent her frustrations with Bubblegum through song.
“I’m Just Your Problem” was the first hint to audiences of the longstanding relationship between Marceline and Bubblegum. Its lyrics are some of Sugar’s most hard-hitting and were difficult for Sugar to write due to the inspiration coming from one of her own break-ups. Olsen’s voice matches the song’s conflicting nature perfectly: she starts off harsh and aggressive at the beginning before switching to a slower, more longing tone in the middle.
4 “Remember You”
Ice King seeks out Marcelline to ask for her help in writing a song to attract princesses using notes from his journals. While Marceline tries her best, she can’t accept that this crazy old man was once her best friend and caretaker, Simon Petrikov, driven insane by the magic crown. They’re finally able to make a song when Marceline discovers a message Simon left for her.
“Remember You” is the cherry on top of one of Adventure Time’smost mature episodes. The lyrics show Simon’s regret for hurting Marceline with his use of the crown, but that it was the only way to keep her safe in a dangerous world. It went a long way in humanizing both characters and gave Marceline a form of closure that made future interactions with Ice King more bearable.
3 “My Best Friends In the World”
Tensions continue to rise while trying to open the Door Lord’s door until Marceline, Bubblegum, and Jake storm off. As a desperate Finn begins to sing his feelings, he realizes that the door opens when they sing the truth. He manages to rally his friends with a heartfelt song about how much they mean to him.
This song is such a beautiful delve into Finn’s characters and what he values. He stresses that it was amazing just to spend time with his friends, regardless of whether they get their things back or not, and that the memories are worth more than physical objects. Shada’s voice does a great job of selling Finn’s emotions and pairs well with Olsen’s backup vocals.
2 “Everything Stays”
When Marceline goes through a process to remove her vampirism, she thinks back to when she was a child and her mother (Rebecca Sugar) sang a song to calm her down. Later, to save the Candy Kingdom, Marceline is forced to become a vampire again. As her friends leave her alone with her thoughts, she plays her mother’s song to make sense of the situation.
“Everything Stays,” was Sugar’s return to Adventure Time and it’s a strong one. The song’s message is incredible: it focuses on the passage of time and how things both change and remain depending on perspective. It perfectly captures Marceline’s growth as a character after her many trials and tribulations.
1 “The Island Song”
Once Golb had been defeated and peace returned to Ooo, Finn and Jake found some time to lay by the ancient Music Hole (Ashley Eriksson) and contemplate the emotional power of music. Amidst their thoughts, Music Hole offers to share a song she’s been working on regarding a specific feeling that’s hard to describe. The song ends up being an extended version of the one that plays during the end credits.
“The Island Song” is pure Adventure Time. With its beautiful melody and dream-like lyrics, it captures the show’s iconic sense of adventure and exploration with a dash of melancholy. It reminds us that all adventures eventually come to an end, and while it might be sad, the experience never leaves us, and a new one is waiting to begin.
