With memorable characters, creative storylines, and some of the best music/most original music to come out of a kids’ show in ages, Phineas and Ferb is one of Disney’s most popular animated shows of the last two decades. With fans spanning multiple generations and demographics, there are endless aspects of the show to talk about. Today, however, we’re focusing on the music.
With close to 450 songs over its four-season run, there is obviously a lot of ground to cover in terms of Phineas and Ferb music. The show itself, and almost everyone else, has created their list(s) of the show’s top 10 songs, but 10 songs are only about 2% of the show’s songs! So we’re going to take a look at a few of the songs that aren’t typically included in that 2% but maybe should be, with 10 of the most underrated songs from Phineas and Ferb.
“History of Rock”
If “Dude We’re Getting the Band Back Together” isn’t one of your favorite episodes, you’re wrong. It is one of the best musical episodes on the show, and almost every song turned out to be a big fan favorite. “History of Rock” is the one notable exception, but not because it’s not a wonderful song! It is the only number from the episode not to be released on a Phineas and Ferb album. So the only way to hear it is to watch the episode. This is a bummer because its genre-jumping style makes it unique and super catchy! Plus, it is a surprisingly accurate lesson on the evolution of modern rock music. Yet, because it never came out on an album, it doesn’t get the attention it deserves.
“What Might Have Been”
“What Might Have Been” comes out of the show’s flash-forward episode “Act Your Age” and is definitely the saddest on this list. One of the show’s four songs focused on Isabella’s crush on Phineas, this is the first — and only — time we hear about Phineas’ feelings too. It’s a catchy ballad that perfectly encapsulates unrequited teenage love and the tragedy of discovering your crush likes you back too late. However, songs from the show’s later seasons generally did not see the same levels of popularity that songs from the first seasons did, which might explain why this number from the show’s final season is on this list.
“One Good Scare”
This is another song that has been largely slept on because it never made it to an album. However, this early first season song pulls inspiration from Danny Elfman’s style as it follows Phineas and Isabella through a haunted house. It’s a catchy toon that will get stuck in your head, but also make you laugh as Baljeet and Buford pop in to explain why their slightly out there fears are actually things to be afraid of. So, while it is certainly not another “Gitchee Gitchee Goo” radio hit, the song is definitely worth more attention than it’s gotten.
“My Evil Buddies and Me”
The first of two Dr. Doofenshmirtz numbers on this list, “My Evil Buddies and Me” actually comes from one of the show’s crossover specials — Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel. As with most of Doofenshmirtz’s songs, this is a show tunes-y number. However, don’t let that put you off. This upbeat number is comedy gold! The episode sequence features Doofenshmirtz joining forces with Red Skull, Modok, Venom, and Whiplash to do things he considers evil, essentially creating a villain song dedicated to ding-dong-ditching, stealing someone’s wieners, and teepeeing houses. The fact that this number isn’t on every top ten Phineas and Ferb songs list is a complete tragedy.
“Rebel Lets Go”
This song also comes from one of the show’s crossover specials, but this time it’s Phineas and Ferb: Star Wars. Sung by Vanessa Doofenshmirtz’s character, “Rebel Let’s Go” is the episode’s final celebration song, and it’s definitely worth celebrating! With a pop sound that would fit right in on the radio today, this should have been a major hit for the show, but somehow it seems to have flown under the radar.
“Watchin’ and Waitin'”
This season two number is a fun one because of the tempo change mid-song. Starting out as a fairly slow, calm acoustic number, “Watchin’ and Waitin'” completely flips its tone for the second verse adding a full band to the acoustic guitars and tambourine the song started with. It’s a short and sweet tune about trying to catch the mysterious force that always makes Phineas and Ferb’s inventions disappear, and it definitely deserves more attention than most people give it.
“Delivery of Destiny” — Love Händel Jingles
This one is a bit weird because technically, it’s not a song, but trust me, it deserves to be here.
“Delivery of Destiny” features Love Händel playing at Phineas and Ferb’s usual delivery guy’s job, a.k.a. in his delivery van, and narrating the entire experience in song. It’s brilliant! A little juvenile, maybe, but absolutely hilarious. From singing about driving across town, to visiting O.W.C.A., to climbing all the stairs at Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated, and even ordering lunch from Jeremy at Slushy Dog, everything that happens in the second half of this episode becomes a Love Händel jingle. Honestly, they’re some of the catchiest bits of music in the whole show. In fact, pretty much anytime my brother and I are together, and one of us mentions we’re hungry, we sing the “We’re hungry and we want to eat” jingle. However, despite how catchy they are, because they’re jingles and not full songs, they’ve been overlooked by a lot of fans.
“O.W.C.A.’s Going Down”
This song is the perfect jazzy, noir-style villain number. Performed by Danville’s own poorly named villain group L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. (League Of Villainous Evildoers Manically United For Frightening Investments in Naughtiness), “O.W.C.A.’s Going Down” never got the attention it deserved. Not only is the tune itself memorable in all the best ways, but the lyrics are exactly the type of clever wordplay fans expect from the show. With plays on the fact that all of the O.W.C.A.’s (Organization Without a Cool Acronym) agents are animals and jokes about checking social media trends, this song is a brilliant number that should be much more popular than it is.
“Runnin’ From Love”
Okay, so a song about Buford running from French Fireside Girls in a bear suit may not sound like something you’ll want to listen to multiple times, but “Runnin’ From Love’ is definitely worth revisiting. Completely nonsensical though it may be, the song is a total ear-worm. So if you’re looking for something fun and upbeat without any depth whatsoever, this is the song for you. Then again, it may be that lack of depth that put this particular song on this list…
“Frenemies”
Last but not least, one of Buford and Baljeet’s many duets in the series, “Frenemies” is basically a show tune that the boys made up on the spot. When the latke festival went wrong, this duo stepped up to the plate with a catchy tune that’s reminiscent of vaudeville. They take their semi-adversarial relationship and turn it into something that will put a smile on your face while getting stuck in your head. As one of the few show tunes that Dr. Doofenshmirtz does not sing, “Frenemies” seems to have been overlooked for the most part. In fact, it’s the third and final song on this list that doesn’t appear on any of the albums.
Bonus: “Chop Away at My Heart”
This song is a bonus track because technically, it never appeared in Phineas and Ferb the series, although it did make an appearance in Candace Against the Universe. Actually, this song was introduced in Dan and Swampy’s second Disney series, Milo Murphy’s Law, which ran for just two seasons on Disney XD. However, the show is totally worth a watch if you have the chance, and this song is the perfect boyband bop to rock out to in your car this summer. Plus, it’s a song even the biggest Phineas and Ferb fans have probably never heard of, but its appearance in the latest Phineas and Ferb endeavor definitely qualifies it for this list. Right?
Well, there you have it, ten, okay eleven, Phineas and Ferb songs that we consider completely underrated. Whether you agree with our choices or not, hopefully, we’ve inspired you to revisit Phineas and Ferb to look at some songs that you may have overlooked in the past.
