Top 10 Best Adventure Time Songs
For this list, we're looking at the most emotional, hilarious and all-around memorable tunes to appear in this unique and beloved animated series.
#10: “Puncha yo Buns” Various Episodes
In a moment that is equal parts hilarious and adorable, we get to see Finn as a baby dancing and singing to this great song. Hidden away in his subconscious, Marceline discovers this memory of Finn’s when she enters his mind in “Memory of a Memory.” Aside from being a catchy, fun little ditty, it also gave insight into the fact that Finn has been a bold adventurer with his heart set on battling evil his whole life. The song proved to be so popular that it’s been reprised a number of times.
#9: “Food Chain” “Food Chain”
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This song comes from one of a handful of episodes animated in a different style and set outside of the regular continuity of the show. The freedom of existing outside of the normal canon lets the writers come up with a truly unique episode and a song to go along with it that featured (you guessed it) the food chain. The result is a neon-filled, beautifully animated and rather trippy visual experience accompanied by a tune that is arguably one of the catchiest and most upbeat ones from the entire show.
#8: “Young Lemonhope” “Lemonhope Part 2”
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While the first two entries on the list were great because of their irreverent fun, this particular tune is a testament to Adventure Time’s ability to craft incredibly somber yet ultimately touching and hopeful songs. Young Lemonhope is one of those songs, written by Princess Bubblegum to celebrate Lemonhope’s liberation of the Earldom of Lemongrab from its tyrannical Earl, and Lemonhope’s rule in his place. However, Lemonhope turns down the offer to oversee the Earldom and sets off to continue his own adventure. So instead, a slow and sad version of the song plays over a sequence set far in the future where a very old Lemonhope finally returns home. Like we said… it’s super emotional.
#7: “Nuts” “I Remember You”
While the Ice King was initially portrayed as a buffoon obsessed with capturing princesses, viewers eventually learned of his tragic and humanizing backstory as a brilliant archeologist driven mad by a magic crown. His sad history includes him acting as a father figure to Marceline, something he has forgotten but Marceline still holds close to her heart. In the episode “I Remember You,” she tries to get him to remember the past but is unable to break through his insanity as he is unable to even remember his real name, Simon. This leads Marceline into a short sad musical soliloquy about both his sanity and her own.
#6: “Fry Song” “It Came from the Nightosphere”
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This song appropriately starts off the episode “It Came From the Nightosphere,” with a sweet baseline and vocals from Marceline. Like the previous entry, “Fry Song” gives us a window into the character’s history. More specifically, it introduces Hunson Abadeer, the Lord of Evil and Marceline’s father, and their troubled relationship. It chronicles an incident when Hunson stole her fries when she was a small girl, and how the event was one of the many actions he took that made her question if he loved Marceline at all. Ultimately however, while Hunson may have been a huge jerk and an awful dad, he seems to really love his daughter.
#5: “House Hunting Song” “Evicted!”
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In a deviation from Adventure Time’s usual approach to music, most of House Hunting Song is sung mainly by a narrator rather than any of the characters on the show. This catchy tune, performed by series creator Pendleton Ward, has an upbeat feel, despite the lyrics describing the struggles facing Finn and Jake as they search for a new place to live. Evicted from their treehouse by Marceline (in her first appearance on the show), they visit half a dozen homes in their quest; however each place they attempt to settle is less hospitable than the last.
#4: “I’m Just Your Problem” “What Was Missing”
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When meaningful items from Finn, Princess Bubblegum, Marceline, Jake, and BMO are locked behind a magic door, they discover it will only open for a genuine song. After a few failed musical attempts, a fight breaks out between Marceline and PB, leading Marceline to perform a heartfelt song about the hard feelings between the pair. The song hints at a previously very strong bond between them, which Marceline resents PB for abruptly ending. Giving a deeper emotional glimpse into two guarded characters, it was also the beginning of their reconciliation, as explored throughout the rest of the series.
#3: “My Best Friends in the World” “What Was Missing”
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Unfortunately, “I’m just your problem,” peters out before a true emotional reward, not only leaving the door closed, but tearing the friends apart as well. It’s then that Finn realizes he needs to open up and let his true feelings out, telling Bubblegum that the meaningful thing stolen from him was a piece of her hair. He sings about how the people that gave them the meaningful items are more important than the items themselves. The friends with him in this moment are his very best, and they’re what really matter to him. His honesty, taking the form of a beautiful song, finally breaks the door’s spell.
#2: “Friends” “Video Makers”
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Of course, our last entry wasn’t the only time that Adventure Time touched on the difficulties shared by best friends. Another great example of this came in “Video Makers,” which chronicled best friends/adoptive brothers Finn and Jake’s anger with one another when they try creating a film together but are unable to decide on genre. The feud worsens throughout the episode, culminating in an awkward showing of their film to their friends. Everyone is pleasantly surprised when the final product, replaced and edited by BMO, is in fact a touching musical tribute to Finn and Jake’s friendship, sung in the awkwardly cute way only BMO can manage. Before we reveal our top picks here are a few honorable mentions; “Dream of Love” “Dream of Love” “Everything Stays” “Stakes Part 2: Everything Stays" & "Stakes Part 8: The Dark Cloud” “All Gummed Up Inside” “Incendium”
#1: “Remember You” “I Remember You”
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Following “Nuts,” this song further expands on Ice King and Marcy’s shared past and the lore of Adventure Time, making for one of the most touching moments in the show’s history. Marceline finds Ice King’s notes, or Simon’s rather, chronicling how the crown, which he needed to protect young Marcy and himself, was sapping his sanity. Filled with apologies for what he knew he would become, the tune is bittersweet, equal parts touching and tragic. Just like Marceline when she sings it, it’s nearly impossible not to get a bit teary eyed when listening to “Remember You.”
