Top 5 Heroic Anthems To Live By

3. The Avengers – A Promise/The Avengers

This is a two-piece ensemble as both share a distinct melody and I can’t decide between the two which I like more. Just thinking of the famous Hulk punch and team pan-around scene excites my inner geek. Alan Silvestri’s The Avengers is the ideal theme song to any team as The London Symphony Orchestra’s victorious trumpets amp up the energy, and the film’s closing scene song, A Promise, slowly builds from strings to a heroic anthem. Both tunes pair perfectly for morning walks with my three pugs.

2. Superman – Main Theme

John Williams is a name you’ll see again and associate with most of the greats. Possibly known as the greatest superhero theme song, Williams’s piece begins subtly and then builds one horn at a time. Awe and wonder come to mind as this masterpiece implants the image of superhero essence. I personally like to time it when exiting the shower upon the 4 minute mark and stare at the foggy mirror with the trumpets blaring as I prepare for work.

1. 300 – Returns a King

Call it the musical form of Viagra. Tyler Bates’s Returns a King grand operatic intro enters the scene as Leonidas returns with the wolf carcass and is presented with the ceremonial Spartan helmet. Though it very similarly reflects Eliot Goldenthal’s Victorious Titus, Bates’s version screams testosterone and phallic overload. This is the one tune that gets me up in the morning and sets me on an early day’s journey of breakfast burritos and morning rush hour. It’s also been instrumental in entering with the first beer on a bachelor party, the sight of a gas station bathroom on a long road trip, or that look when my wife motions to the bedroom. However you may use it, you may never look at life the same without it.