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As far as I’m concerned, my taste in music was pretty much unimpeachable when I was a kid. Weird Al. Big Willie Style. And—in an album I basically kept on repeat for a solid year, to the vocal irritation of everyone around me—the soundtrack to 1995's Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie.
I haven’t heard it in at least 20 years—but the new Power Rangers reboot felt like the perfect chance to give it another spin and see why I was so into it. And here’s the truth: Having spent much of the week listening to it over and over again, The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie soundtrack… is still a banger. It might not be the best soundtrack released in the '90s—that’s Batman Forever, don’t @ me—but if you put it on at a party, I guarantee you’ll get a reaction. Let’s take it track by track:
1. "Go Go Power Rangers" — The Power Rangers Orchestra
Damn. Kicking off the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie album with the Power Rangers theme is like starting a seven-course meal with a Porterhouse steak. It’s bold as hell—so bold you might not have enough appetite left for the rest—but when the first bite tastes this good, who’s going to complain? And they didn’t even half-ass it by reusing the version from the credits of the TV show. This is an all-new version that goes even heavier on the metal, and stretches for five full head-banging minutes.
You’d expect this to play at the very beginning of the movie, but Power Rangers—showing uncharacteristic restraint—waits a full 19 minutes before playing it on the big screen. Even then, it’s a tease; the song plays when the Rangers morph for the first time, but cuts off immediately because the bad guys run away. It’s not until an hour later, when the Rangers strap into their MEGAZORD, that we finally get to hear those sick licks in full. Well played, guys.
2. "Higher Ground" — Red Hot Chili Peppers
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie soundtrack is rarely subtle. "Hmmmm, what song should we choose for our big skydiving scene? Let’s go with 'Higher Ground.'" (And yes, this is the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ cover of the Stevie Wonder original, for an extra heaping of '90s slap-bass baditude.)
Do you remember what else is happening when this song plays in the movie? I’ll give you a clue: SKY-SURFING. That’s right: The Power Rangers are introduced in the midst of some kind of bizarre charity skydiving contest over Angel Grove, and Tommy—always looking for a new way to show he’s the baddest Ranger of them all—decides he’s gonna shred the air by jumping out of a plane strapped to a wheelless skateboard deck. When I was seven, it was the coolest thing I had ever seen. And now, more than 20 years later... it is the coolest thing I have ever seen.
3. - "Trouble" — Shampoo
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Do you remember Shampoo? They were a part of the Riot Grrl scene of the early '90s, recording songs like "I Love Little Pussy" before they sold their souls to the fucking Power Rangers. And the decision seems to have paid off, because Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie put a lot of weight behind "Trouble." Back in 1995, this was easily my favorite song on the album. With several decades of experience listening to better music—e.g., anything else—it is clearly the worst song on the album.
In the movie, "Trouble" plays over a scene of the kids of Angel Grove partying, secure in the knowledge that their buzzkill parents will soon be dead. (Fun fact: The key subplot in the Power Rangers movie is about every adult in Angel Grove being hypnotized into mass suicide!) "Leap to our doom," chants the crowd of hypnotized parents as they walk toward a chasm. Uh-oh. We’re in trouble!
Thanks to the intervention of the Power Rangers and a nerdy kid named Fred Kelman, the parents do not commit suicide after all. Trouble averted! And you’d think that would the end of it. But Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie—kicking the football down the field for the Marvel Cinematic Universe to pick up a couple of decades later—treats us to a mid-credits sequence of Goldar briefly claiming the throne of evil before Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd walk in. "Uh-oh," says Goldar, leading right back into the Shampoo song. Hahaha, Goldar. They’re going to kill you!
4. "Are You Ready?!" — Devo
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Yes, that Devo. From "Whip It" to the Power Rangers movie. What a rich tapestry life permits us to weave.
"Are You Ready?!"—note the enthusiastic interrobang—plays over the Rangers’ first big fight scene, helpfully punctuating the action with lyrics like "ACTION BOY NOW" and "ACTION GIRL NOW." And while you can find literally hundreds of Devo songs on Spotify, as far as I can tell, the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie soundtrack is the only place you can find "Are You Ready?!" for home release. What gives, Devo? Power Rangers not good enough for the greatest hits?
5. "The Power" — Snap!
Get it? Power Rangers? "The Power"? Great job, everybody.
You might not know Snap!—what is it with this soundtrack and obnoxious punctuation?—but you definitely know "The Power." (As in, "I’ve got the…") This massive Eurodance hit, which went platinum in the United States, plays at the very end of the movie, where the Rangers celebrate their victory over Ivan Ooze over a heaping platter of crab legs. Yum?
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6. "Kung Fu Dancing" — Fun Tomas (featuring Carl Douglas)
What can you do to change up a song as overplayed as "Kung Fu Fighting"? Some dude who calls himself Fun Tomas settled on the same answer everyone else found in the '90s: TECHNO RE-RE-RE-REMIX! (Honestly, it’s insane this song isn’t on a Mortal Kombat soundtrack.)
You would expect to hear "Kung Fu Dancing" in one of the movie’s many kung fu scenes—maybe when the Rangers travel to a far-off planet to get their new Ninjetti powers? But for whatever reason, the movie saves "Kung Fu Dancing" for the second song in the closing credits, after that reprise of "Trouble." Missed opportunity, imho.
7. "Dreams" — Van Halen
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VAN HAGAR, BABY. How better to cement the legacy of Sammy Hagar, everyone’s favorite Van Halen frontman, than to use "Dreams" for the epilogue of the Power Rangers movie?
"Dreams" plays over the second half of that weird celebration feast, when nerdy little Fred Kelman pops up to bother the Rangers as they stuff their mouths with crab meat. When Tommy suggests that Fred might grow up to be a Power Ranger himself, Fred practically swoons with excitement. "The Silver Ranger! Or the Gold Ranger!" he squeals. Keep dreaming, Fred—you’ll definitely become a Power Ranger someday! (Spoiler alert: He doesn’t.)
8. "Free Ride" — Dan Hartman
Late in the album, a deft pivot to a classic rock staple. But "Free Ride" is actually one of the first songs you hear in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, when the gang decides to follow up their triumphant skydive by rollerblading around Angel Grove. I can laugh now, but I distinctly remember trying to rollerblade down some stairs after watching this. Guess how well that went?
9. "Sen Surround" — They Might Be Giants
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Oh shiiiiit! They Might Be Giants? And it’s a deep cut? This album just went from "pretty good" to "must-own."
When I re-watched the Power Rangers movie for this article, I couldn’t wait to hear how they wove They Might Be Giants into the narrative. And when does "Sen Surround" actually play? For literally three seconds, when Mr. Kelman—the even nerdier dad of that nerdy kid—pulls his broke-ass minivan up to his house right before he gets hypnotized. What a letdown.
10. "Ayeyaiyai (Alpha Song)" — Power Jet
Here’s a hot take for you: Alpha 5 is the shittiest Power Rangers character. Imagine a C-3PO with the personality of Jar Jar Binks. Now imagine something even more irritating than what you just imagined. What if Urkel was more annoying, and was also a robot? That’s Alpha 5. And what does Alpha 5 do when Ivan Ooze shows up at the Command Center and almost murders Zordon at the start of the movie? The same thing he always does: Waves his arms around and screams "Aye-yai-yai!"
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So what does the movie soundtrack do with Alpha 5? Give him his very own anthem. Power Jet—a band that, as far as I can tell, never actually existed—recorded an almost impossibly obnoxious earworm built around Alpha 5’s catchphrase, with Alpha himself briefly popping in during one of the verses. "You’re a robot, yes, it's true," sings Power Jet. "Where would us Rangers be without you?"
The answer? They’d be just fine, because he's totally useless. Fuck Alpha Five.
11. "Firebird" — Graeme Revell
This is the song that plays when Ivan Ooze sends the Tengu after the Power Rangers, and it is rock-solid. Written by Graeme Revell—a prolific composer who went on to contribute songs to Freddy vs. Jason, Sin City, and Pineapple Express—"Firebird" is a rad electronic track with a big, squealing electric guitar. It’s also the only instrumental track on the album—a classic closer. Except…
12. "Cross My Line" [Bonus Track] — Aaron Waters (The Mighty RAW)
SURPRISE! BONUS TRACK! What a '90s move. And damn, is it awesome—a perfect slice of soundtrack cheese. "Cross My Line" is credited to Aaron Waters (The Mighty RAW), which was eventually revealed to be an alias for Ron Wasserman—the very man who composed the original Power Rangers theme. Yes, it all comes full circle in the end. How's that for a concept album?