So the other night I watched Operation Double 007 again for the first time in a long while. While I get a big laugh out of how the crew makes fun of the movie’s opening theme song, I was thinking, “ya know, if you scaled that arrangement and singer back a bit, that’s really not a bad song for what this movie is aiming to be”. I’m guessing it was designed to be an intentionally over-the-top mashup of the themes to Thunderball and Goldfinger, demonstrating right out of the gate the “wink, wink” nature of the film (which I liked). But the tune itself is kinda catchy and the lyrics (what I could make out of them) couldn’t be more awful than “The Spy Who Loved Me”.
But that got me to thinking about the themes to other MST3k films. They’ve included everything from John Carradine’s moving performance of “Night Train to Mundo Fine” to Milton DeLugg (before his Band With a Thug)'s “Hooray For Santa Claus” to the stirring rock 'n roll of Paul Anka’s “Girl’s Town”. So what theme from all the movies they have riffed has turned out to be your favorite(s)? I’ll have to think on this a bit myself.
Danger: Diabolik, by none other than the legendary Ennio Morricone, a man I legit consider on the same level as Mozart and Beethoven and feel privileged to have lived at the same time as.
My two favorites are Operation Double 007 and Moon Zero Two, which have both already been mentioned. And it feels like cheating to pick “Ace of Spades” from Zombie Nightmare, since it was a hit song way before that stupid film (despite Mike and the Bots making fun of it, “Ace of Spades” is an all-time classic at this point. RIP Lemmy).
So I’ll just say the surf rock opening credits music for Horror of Party Beach. All The Del-Aires music in the movie is great.
For overall soundtrack, I’m tempted to go with the Del-Aires for The Horror of Party Beach. That music is just too much fun, and I’d be tempted to unironically buy and enjoy that soundtrack.
Not one thing wrong with Carradine’s “Night Train”, apart from the movie it was stuck to. He was born to sing the Blues!!
I feel that “Never Steal Anything Wet” from Catalina Caper might be higher in fans’ estimation if its sound quality wasn’t so terrible. I mean, c’mon! That’s MARY freakin’ WELLS! singing!!
Seriously, if you tone down the bombastic arrangement and singing, that is not a bad song at all and it is more memorable than several legit Bond movie theme songs.
Same singer too, Maria Cristina Brancucci, who was known for that big bombastic style. She sounds better, more natural in her native tongue. (Where you don’t get the heavier enunciations or mispronunciations)
The riffed version from the credits is fun to sing to the cat when he gets on the counter to try and help himself to various meats or fishes. (Or butter. We’ve had two separate cats destroy butter dishes on such quests.)
BUPA-DUPA-DA-DA! 
