Eddie Van Halen Shocked By Power Rangers Theme

Reflecting on the creation of the “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” theme, composer Ron Wasserman shares an amusing anecdote involving the legendary Eddie Van Halen.

Despite the seemingly goofy core concept and visuals of Power Rangers from today’s perspective (my favorite of which being red Ranger) the show holds a special place in the childhood memories of many Millennials. The theme song, a pivotal element of the Power Rangers experience, was expertly crafted by Ron Wasserman, also known for the theme of “X-Men: The Animated Series.” In a recent interview with “Monsters, Madness and Magic,” Wasserman revealed that he spontaneously composed the catchy tune in just a single sitting:

“From ‘We need a theme’ to completion, [it] took two and a half hours. I mean, it was a great night. I just banged the thing out.”

To Wasserman’s surprise, when Fox embraced the theme, they insisted that he be the vocalist. This unexpected turn marked the beginning of Wasserman’s career as a vocalist, humorously describing it as “screaming incorrectly into a microphone.”

Adding an intriguing layer to the narrative, Wasserman disclosed that almost the entire song was recorded using a keyboard, with only some lead guitar parts added later:

“No, all that stuff you heard except for some of the lead guitar later on, all of it is done on the keyboard.”

The keyboard-generated sound was so convincing that it even deceived Eddie Van Halen. Wasserman shared a lighthearted encounter with the guitar virtuoso when Van Halen, under the impression that the iconic “Go Go Power Rangers” riff was played on a guitar, sought a quick lesson:

“We came up to the house, the estate, the compound. I was talking to Eddie for a bit, and he handed me a guitar and said, ‘I have to learn that damn riff for Wolfie [Eddie’s son, Wolfgang Van Halen]. Show me how you played it.'”

Now, this is where things got a bit crazy as he said: “And I went over to the grand piano and said, ‘Don’t kill me.’ And he said, ‘All right.’ [Laughs] ‘Good job!’ So I fooled the master.”