Top 10 pony songs from G4 (cliché, I know) · 6:12pm May 10th, 2023
I haven't written anything in a while. I've been stuck inside my own head with a lot of difficulties and mental issues, which are finally easing up. Let's just say that sometimes it's far better to stop hitting your head against a wall and instead take a step back and see if there's a door somewhere, you dig? Anyways, I wanted to write something light before I dive into another fic and try to actually finish one of the existting ones. I've started so many stories but I've just ran out of gas for one reason or another. I've always been into music, both playing and listening to it, from loads of genres, so I decided that maybe I should write about something that's close to my heart.
These are my top 10 songs from Generation 4. I had a few criteria I set for myself.
- I have to find the song entertaining and catchy.
- The song has to mean something for me, or make me feel emotional
- It has to be integral to the story
Why these kinds of limitations? For me, these are the three things that make me like a song, and also helped me cut out some songs that were in the "top 14" draft. There are a lot of great songs in the show, spinoffs and movies, but whittling it down to just 10 was brutal. I almost went with that top 14 list, but instead I just decided to give them honorable mentions and maybe summarize why they didn't get in. The biggest difference between just listening to music and seeing it in a show is that there's a story around it. Sure, songs tell stories, but these are an extension of the medium. That's why the visuals and the story behind a song are just as important to me. There are some very popular ones in the list, but also some that people might find surprising. That's just how taste goes, I guess.
10. Find The Music In You - Filli Vanilli.
Why not start the list with one of the happiest and most positive songs in the whole show? There's just so much joy in this song that it's contagious. It's a song celebrating music and how it makes you feel inside when it really grabs you, and isn't that the reason why I'm writing this list overall! The way Fluttershy keeps opening up more and more as the Ponytones continue their a capella tour is both heartwarming and adorkable. Bringing back Blu Mankuma as Flutterguy was hilarious and seeing how Fluttershy broke out of her shell in the end and joined the Ponytones as herself for her friends was wonderful. Too bad Pinkie ruined the actual episode by being a douche, but the song is amazing.
9. A True, True Friend - Magical Mystery Cure
A song from the first musical episode in the show. Back then it was astounding how they could carry a full episode by telling the story in songs. I know musicals aren't anything new, but in a cartoon for kids? It also lead to one of the most controversial moments of the early show (THANKS M.A.LARSON), but that's not why I like it. It's a huge earworm that shows us the resolution to the swapped Cutie Marks. The song is all about why the Mane Six are the Elements of Harmony and brings the first story arc of the show to a close. One might even consider this a recap song of the first three seasons. Remember how season 3 was just 13 episodes and it was quite likely the show was going to end with this episode? Yikes.
8. The Ballad of the Crystal Ponies - The Crystal Empire, Part 1.
Here we go, the first oddball of the list. This song starts off slow and then builds up into a lovely folksy song about restoring the Crystal Faire. It reminds me a lot of the songs from the Vietnam Era, like Buffy St. Marie's "Universal Soldier" or The Original Caste's "One Tin Soldier." It leaves you feeling like you're only getting to the good part when it ends, which a curious inversion of how songs normally feel as they slow down towards the end. Daniel Ingram has a huge pool of different genres he pulls from, and this gentle folksy ballad hit me hard the first time I heard it, and to this day I love listening to it. Just wish it was just a little bit longer. Here I use the title that Daniel Ingram prefers, as it's also more commonly called The Ballad of the Crystal Empire.
7. Winter Wrap-Up - Winter Wrap-Up
From and oddball to one of the all time greats. This was the first time the show hit us with a full-on song with fantastic visuals and a great story. To this point in season one, only Pinkie had had any sort of songs, and to be fair, most of those were quite cringe-worthy. I never expected this show to feature so much music, let alone GOOD music, so thet's why I was doubly surprised with it. I was still on the fence about the show at this point, having fallen for it with the first episode I ever saw, which was Sonic Rainboom. That episode showed me this was not just cutesy girly show, but could actually tell a great story and show vulnerabilities and strong emotions with some wild visuals and great animation. Then I started watching the show from the start and... let's be honest here, the first episodes of the show aren't very... good. They do lay the foundation for the show, but they're also so very generic. The following episodes weren't that great either, being quite cliche and by the book adaptations of stories that had been told endlessly, but when Winter Wrap-Up came out, it had everything I loved about the show: Worldbuilding, interesting story about fitting in, the great cast of backgrounds ponies getting more focus, a huge bump in animation and great music that stuck in my head for WEEKS (and I'm not even exaggerating, I've kinda been diagnosed with this mild OCD that mostly comes out as intrusive thoughts, so when something gets stuck in my head, it REALLY stays there. Not that I'd ever mind with Winter Wrap-Up!).
6. Invisible - Forgotten Friendship
Equestria Girls had some of the best songs in the whole generation. This is far from the only ones on this list, and comes from my absolute favourite episode/special. This is an "I am" song, which I usually think of as filler (think the Smile Song that despite being catchy is just filler), but this time it serves to explain the whole motivation of the antagonist. Out of all the antagonists in the show, I think Wallflower Blush is the most compelling and easy to identify with. Everyone has felt lonely, forgotten and invisible sometimes, and that's one of the most horrid feelings I can imagine. I can't even count the times I sat alone during recess at school or hid from bullies because I didn't have real friends before I got into High School at 15. It's also an episode about redeeming yourself and how people can still have a grudge on you despite your best efforst, and how seeing Sunset get away with all the awful things she did just because she had friends was what finally drove Wallflower to villainy. And the song itself? Wow. Just wow. It starts off gentle and nice, and then the bass kicks in and it's one of the most powerful songs in the franchise with really fitting lyrics. "Right beneath my picture, this is what you'll read: A laundry list of nothings, not likely to succeed. A yearbook with blank pages that no-one wants to sign. A memory forgotten, till the end of time." Those words are so painful and so true. It's not just the feeling of loneliness at the moment, but the hopelessness of future being just like that. Everyone always hears that High School years are your most fun years at school, and when you're about to graduate and find out there was nothing there for you, how can you look at the future with nothing but despair?
5. Changeling Can Change - The Times They Are A-Changeling
Wow. A Spike song? A Spike song! This is an amazing song about standing up for your friends and believing in them even through adversity, and especially after failing them and trying to make things right. From the first notes I start feeling emotional and almost teary-eyed. I mean, every other song on the list from here on out makes me tear up. I can't help it. That's how powerful music can be. This is also a song that brings Thorax into the front and center, and I love the little lovebug. Everything from his voice to his personality is just such a huge change from how changelings were portrayed in the show and comics up to this point. And Spike... hoo boy. Kid didn't have it easy after the catastrophe at the Equestria Games where he had to perform a song he didn't know in front of a huge crowd. And his singing voice is so perfect for the song itself. And the visuals of a little kid standing up to armed soldiers about to attack his friend... if that isn't a powerful image, nothing is. How the expressions on the different characters slowly soften during the song and how you can see Spike's words working is such a nice thing to see. How sincerity can stop hostilities.
4. Legend of Everfree - Legend of Everfree
Another one from EqG. This is "just" an opening song to a movie, nothing special, right? WRONG. This song, out of any, talks to me with nostalgia. I used to go to community camps and bible camps, and in my country there's also a tradition fo going to a week long bible camp when you turn 15. The camps weren't really that religious apart from the songs, but... this song is all those songs combined. On the surface it talks about going camping, but the lyrics talk of so much more: of life and what we want to achieve, of finding out who we are. Even the visuals start off with a boring school bus driving away from civilization, but quickly turns into magic dancing around the forest. "Will you be lost by time or be part of history, will your story be told, or remain a mystery?" As I grow older, those words gain more weight. The song itself is also catchy as hay, fittingly being based on folk-gospel songs sung around campfires, just like I used to do. Hay, it could easily be from Rend Collective, or with just a tiny change of lyrics I could easily see this sung at a gospel revival by hundreds of people. I know I'm listening to the song with a very christian POV, but the message is still clear: don't waste your life. Do something that you can be proud of, whether it's becoming the president or writing pony fanfics.
3. Flawless - Fame and Misforture
Is that a typo? A song from probably the worst episode of the whole show? I'm not kidding here. Flawless isn't a massive spectacle or a final battle, but it drives home an important point: Nobody is perfect. And that's a good thing! This is the very essence of writing and storytelling right here! The merits, the positives and powers of characters are what make them cool, but their flaws are what makes them come alive. That is why everyone hates Rey Palpatine: She's a Mary Sue, a perfect being that doesn't have to learn anything, to adapt, to struggle, to improve, to GROW. The more flaws a character has, the more we get invested in them, because that's life. That's reality. Why do you think people fell in love with Derpy? She's clumsy, wall eyed and apparently a few apples short of a basket, and we adore her for it. The song does stand on its own as well, especially the chorus parts. It's also quite a complicated song with several different harmonics, maybe illustrating how differences make the whole better? And how could your heart not melt when you see RD and Fluttershy hug!
2. Welcome to the Show - Rainbow Rocks
The last EqG song on the list, and it's a doozy. I know it's basically three songs in one, but they form such a powerful whole together that I don't mind. Rainbow Rocks had amazing music from start to finish. It's probably my favourite OST of anything pony related. Welcome to the Show is the climax of the movie with high stakes and having to battle amp to amp for the minds and souls of all the friends of the main characters in the crowd. The visuals are ridiculously good, and the music... it's such a wild ride to go from sensual deep-bass pop, to cheery rock, to... wait... is that orchestral heavy metal? In a little girls' movie? But there's more to this song for me. It's the final step in Sunset Shimmer's redemption as she throws away her hold self and forgives herself. She's no longer hiding behind her friends, but stands as an equal among them, front and center, embracing her innate goodness and giving their rainbow it's seventh colour. Also let me ask Terry Crews to describe what happens in the end: GIANT DISCO BALL ALICORN LAZER BEAM POWERRRR!
1. We'll Make Our Mark - Crusaders of the Last Mark
Of course it is my number one song. It's the finale of the Cutie Mark Crusaders' long road to their Cutie Marks. It's the culmination of four and half seasons of struggles and growth. It's such a powerful scene for my favourite characters, and the song is so fitting for them. The episode has a lot of great songs along with the redemption of Diamond Tiara, but this song, above all, hits home everything I love about Friendship is Magic. It's gentle, wistful and positive at the same time. It could have been an empty, glitzy pop song like the award bait end songs of the movies, but instead it's a nice, warm, acoustic folksy song. It's about growing up into great characters. It reminds me of all the big and small achievements in my life. AJ, RD and Rarity congratulating their little sisters is a powerful moment, especially when AJ tells AB how their parents would be proud. That bit hits even harder now that my own parents aren't with us any more and I can't share the big and small things in my life with them. People speculated for years what the marks would be and how they would appear, but I don't think many people expected it to be from a touching musical episode. And the marks are even linked! Cutie Mark Crusaders FOREVER!
Honorable mentions. All of these competed for spot 10 on the list. I was very torn about having to cut some of them out.
- Time to be Awesome - Mlp Movie. The message is great: Don't let your past successes drag you down. You don't have to be at your peak to do what you love. It's okay to return to things you enjoyed if they still bring you joy. If it's a cool Irish folk tune that gets you to wear a pirate hat and spread open the wings of your blimp, even better. The only reason this isn't on the list proper is that Find the Music in You just makes me feel just that little tinge better. I kinda consider it to share the number ten spot.
- Apples to the Core - Pinkie Apple Pie. The first time I heard this, it was at the animatic reveal streamed live, and the crowd cheering and clapping along is what made it really special. The animatic was also unbelievably cute and I really wish I could have seen more of them. The song in the episode proper is really good, but it doesn't really drive the story forward at all and is basically a "we are" song... and it doesn't have the clapping audience.
- You'll Play Your Part - Twilight's Kingdom, Part 1. A song that is beloved by the fandom, with a great performance and importance to the story. But something is missing from the song for me. I don't know what it is, and I almost put it up as number 10 because I almost felt obligated to do so. In the end I decided on going with my gut and putting another song in its place.
- The Magic of Friendship Grows - The Last Problem. It's just... too painful. I can't listen to this song, just like how I can't watch that episode ever again. I'm not good at dealing with loss, and despite the show getting the finale it deserved, I can't watch it. I can't even watch the final episodes of season 9 without still feeling awful. And in case you were wondering, that's also the reason why You're In My Heart Like A Catchy Song and I Will Fly aren't on the list. This list is about songs that I love to listen to, and some songs are just too much.
If you read all this way through, why not comment on what your favourite songs from the show are?
Really love each of these songs myself! Though I wouldn't be able to make such a list of my own because I listened to about every song of G4 so many times that I still know almost all of them by heart and I consider them all to be masterpieces. I couldn't for the life of me pick my favorite ones.
Anyway, it's good to hear from you and I'm glad things are getting better! Keep the trend going!
I never liked Wallflower and her song because they were a little TOO relatable to me. She held up a mirror I'd rather not look in.
Find The Music In You is always a personal favorite, though I can't blame you for putting it so low - it's a very fun song but there's not much substance to it.
I'm a little surprised not to see Becoming Popular on the list though - I guess how appealing it is depends directly on how much you like Rarity, but man can her VA sing.
And even though I have no such similar firsthand experiences that make The Legend of Everfree relatable, I definitely agree that it is bizarrely really good for an otherwise mostly-forgettable movie. Even the visuals of them riding with the bus, panning across the windows to show each of the girls just kind of idly doing her thing, was a wonderful 'welcome back.' And yeah.... that line particular line about your own personal legend feels almost like the song is challenging you, but in an exciting way.
Excellent list. True true friend still enters my head at the weirdest time and it's worth listening to just to hear the townponies welcome Pinkie back, and Winter Wrap Up still holds a special place as the song that made me realize how incredible the show was.
I don't really like a Changeling can Change, mostly because I thought the episode was meh, although I love Thorax.
Only thing I'd add to the list is Awesome as I want to be. I looked it up on Spotify once and then it proceeded to play it in 6 different languages, and it was Awesome 6 times.
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The giant PINKIE!! from the crowd is hugely heartwarming.
At the start I actually had this fourth rule that I didn't want to take more than one song from any one episode/movie. Mostly because Rainbow Rocks has so much great stuff, including Awesome as I Wanna Be, Battle of the Bands, even the earworm Better Than Ever. I didn't end up using more than one song from it, but I easily could have.