Pokémon Theme
| "Pokémon Theme" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Jason Paige | |
| from the album Pokémon 2.B.A. Master | |
| Released | June 29, 1999 |
| Recorded | 1998–1999 |
| Length | 3:15 |
| Songwriter(s) | John Siegler John Loeffler |
| Producer(s) | John Loeffler |
| Audio sample | |
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The "Pokémon Theme" (also known as "Gotta Catch 'Em All") is a song written by John Siegler and John Loeffler and performed by Jason Paige. It was the theme song for the first season of the English adaptation of the Pokémon anime. Since its release, the song has been virtually synonymous with the Pokémon franchise because the line "Gotta Catch 'Em All" has become its official slogan.
Siegler and Loeffler wrote the lyrics to the song while Siegler produced the track, playing keyboards, bass, and drums. David Rolfe, the vocalist for later themes of the series, played the guitar while Jason Paige provided the vocals. Although the theme song premiered on the debut episode "Pokémon, I Choose You!" on September 8, 1998, Jason Paige was called back again in 1999 to produce an extended version of the theme song for the album Pokémon 2.B.A. Master.
According to Norman Grossfeld, the then-president of 4Kids Productions, the line "Gotta Catch 'Em All" was created as a "tagline for marketing purposes that would also be included in the theme song". Furthermore, "Gotta Catch 'Em All" came from a series of contenders, which included "Catch ‘em if you can" (which made it in an earlier version of the theme song). Meanwhile, when first approached by the theme song, Siegler initially saw the show's concept as "incomprehensible" before realizing that the series was about friendship. Although he was reluctant at first, he saw the show's potential when he took his son to premiere of the debut episode in Columbus Circle.
In November 2005, the Internet comedy duo Smosh recorded a video for the song on YouTube. It became the most viewed video on the site before being surpassed by "The Evolution of Dance". Afterwards, Smosh's video was removed on YouTube due to a copyright notice. During the 2012 primary election, Paige himself performed a parody of the song in support of the Republican candidate Ron Paul. In 2015, the song was voted to be part of the annual Dutch Top 2000 radio marathon, after a call-for-action on Facebook went viral within the country.
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