For someone unfamiliar with RWBY, this might seem like a strange topic for an article. For a mega fan, though, this should make perfect sense.
See, RWBY, has a phenomenal soundtrack. I’ve praised it before in my list of favorite television show soundtracks. But only half the soundtrack is orchestral/instrumental pieces. The other half is vocal tracks, nearly all of which are performed by Casey Williams, the daughter of the lead composer of the show, Jeff Williams. And these vocal tracks are killer! Each one of them is pretty amazing in its own right. Trouble is, there’s a lot of them.
Hence, a list of my ten favorite! I’ll be including links to listen to the songs too! Let’s jump in!
10) This Will Be the Day (LINK)
The song that started it all, featuring in the opening for Volume One! It’s a pretty solid track, but honestly it’s biggest claim-to-fame is simple how iconic and nostalgic it is. It also does a pretty fantastic job at thematically and tonally introducing RWBY to the world.
9) I Burn (LINK)
This one shouldn’t be a surprise, considering I already highlighted it during my article on my favorite protagonist leitmotifs. Yang’s theme is super good, and definitely my favorite out of the core four heroine’s personal themes (even if I, admittedly, like Blake’s a bit more from a purely instrumental point of view). This is a very hyper song that gets me pumped up, and I really love how Casey sounds in this song, channeling the energy of Yang into each word.
8) The Triumph (LINK)
Another extremely solid opening song, this time for Volume Five. I’ll be honest, my favorite part of this song is definitely the guitar opening, but the whole thing is really good. It’s a pretty uplifting pre-battle motivational song, which is fitting given that Volume Five is such a triumphant (see what I did there) heroic reprise compared to the darker losses suffered in the preceding seasons. It really fits its place in the story of the show!
7) All Things Must Die (LINK)
I love villain songs, you love villain songs, everybody loves villain songs. But, it’s not often that a villain song somehow manages to be catchy, threatening, head-banging, terrifying, emotional, and off-putting all in one! This song is a trip, and really just dances all along the spectrum of emotions and reactions you’ll have to listening to it. It’s a reprise of Cinder’s theme, but with lyrics that apply to both her and Raven simultaneously. This is fitting, given it plays during their fantastic Volume Five clash!
6) Neon (LINK)
Full Disclosure: Neon Katt is not a very nice person, and this song (being all about her) isn’t the nicest either. But boy howdy does it sound nice! It’s basically an entire song about how she’s the coolest person ever and everyone else is beneath her, yet as a listener it’s impossible to get annoyed at the song (or her, honestly) because it’s just so entertaining! A mix of dance and jazz, “Neon” is perfect high-energy club music that manages to be one of the catchiest songs in the entire show, and really easy to memorize and get in a groove with.
5) Touch the Sky (LINK)
In an ironic inversion of how the tone of the season actually goes, Volume Seven opens with some incredibly happy tunes, like “Trust Love” and “Brand New Day” (both of which only barely missed making it on this list). Of the three, this one is my favorite. It’s such an exceptionally happy, feel-good song that is perfectly timed in the show itself to match our heroines new costume and weapon upgrades, and finding some semblance of peace for the first time in forever. And, man, that chorus is so infectious!
4) Boop (LINK)
Who doesn’t enjoy a good love song, especially when its this much of a bop (or should I say boop)? The theme of Nora and Ren’s relationship, told from Nora’s perspective, is practically ripped straight out of a Broadway musical, and somehow gets even more fun each time I re-listen to it. It’s filled with bubbly energy that just makes you want to hop up and dance. Plus, it serves as such a great basis for some sneaky instrumental reprises during key Nora-and-Ren moments in the show proper.
3) Red Like Roses Part II (LINK)
For the longest time this was my favorite song in the show, and I still love it immensely even if it isn’t at the #1 spot anymore. It’s a rocking power ballad between a grieving daughter and her deceased mother (and, fun fact, is actually sung between a very much happy and alive daughter and mother with Casey and her mom, Sandy). There’s so much to gush about here, from the incredible vocals (especially in the dueling harmonies near the middle-ish), to the great vocals (those drums are killer), to the incredible amount of character building about Ruby Rose and Summer Rose. It’s just a fantastic song!
2) Indomitable (LINK)
This is an extremely powerful song, on multiple levels. First is the obvious in-universe example, wherein this song plays when Ruby unlocks her silver-eyed powers (and is reprised each subsequent time she does this). It’s a goosebumps inducing moment, but that’s only part of this whole thing. The song is, on a metacontextual level, about Monty Oum, the creator of RWBY who passed away from medical complications in 2015 at the age of 33. He’s deeply missed by RWBY‘s fans and crew, but, well, as the song implies, the spirit to carry on his legacy with RWBY is indomitable and unstoppable. That emotion is really conveyed through the emotional singing and grand orchestral chorus. It’s good stuff.
1) Home (LINK)
Honestly, I think I have less to say about this song than the preceding one, but I still love it just a little bit more. Slow, purposeful, almost lullaby-esque…and exceptionally beautiful. One of those songs that just fills you with the warm-and-fuzzies while listening to it, and maybe even brings a tear to your eye before you realize it. It hits on a lot of levels, so I’m pretty sure almost anyone could listen to this song and take something unique away from it. It’s very, very pretty, and I truly love it a lot.
But hey, that’s just my opinion!
The Contrarian Corner 