Music in the Adventures of Pete and Pete

One of the reasons Pete and Pete was so successful and developed such a devoted army of fans was because it was, and is so different from anything else being peddled by any kid's network. Alternative music icons such as Iggy Pop and Michael Stipe guest starred and the show's soundtrack was an alternative, guitar driven affair. To many fans the instant attraction was in seeing a proper rock and roll band leaping around on a lawn playing us through the opening credits. Most of the music came from an underground, and often lo-fi and obscure source and this gave the show a credible edge. Many people alienated by the blandness of television's alternatives could relate to the show's offbeat ideology - an ideology which was perfectly captured in the show's music.

Many different bands contributed throughout the show's three series run and we've listed as many as possible below. The list is not complete and will be hopefully be updated. If you have any more information or questions, then contact us at artiepipe@portlandcanning.com.

To order CDs from any of these bands, try either Amazon.com or any official band sites that are linked.

Polaris
One of the questions we receive most frequently is "who are the band that sing the Pete and Pete theme tune?" This band is known as Polaris and because their contribution to Pete and Pete was so immense, we have dedicated an entire web site to them. You can visit that by clicking here. 

Luscious Jackson
This entirely female band guest starred in the episode "Dance Fever". They were the band playing at Pete's school disco and they played numerous songs, all from their "Natural Ingredients" album (except "Satellite" from the "In Search of Manny" EP). To visit the Luscious Jackson website, click here.

The Apples in Stereo
The Apples in Stereo had a song lifted from their debut 1995 album "Fun Trick Noisemaker". The song in question was called "Tidal Wave" and it was used at the end of "Allnighter". For more information on the Apples in stereo, visit their official website, here.

The Magnetic Fields
This is the first of three Steve Merritt (songwriter, producer and instrumentalist) projects (he plays nearly all of the instruments) to be included in Pete and Pete. The other two are The Gothic Archies and The 6ths (both below). The following songs are used:

- "The Flowers She Sent and the Flowers She Said She Sent", from the album "Holiday". Used in the episode "What we did on our Summer Vacation"
- "Why I Cry" from the album "Get Lost". Used in "Farewell My Viking"
- "Lovers From The Moon" from the album "The Wayward Bus". Used in "Valentine's Day Massacre"

All of Merritt's bands are on the Merge record label. You can visit their website by clicking here.

The Gothic Archies
The song "Your Long White Fingers" was used prominently in the episode "The Trouble With Teddy". It is the haunting harmonica piece used in the reflective moments of this episode. This song is on the EP "The New Despair". The Gothic Archies is another of prolific songwriter Steve Merritt's bands. He's also the man behind The Magnetic Fields and The 6ths.

The 6ths
This is the third Steve Merritt vehicle to be used in the show (see The Gothic Archies and The Magnetic Fields, above). Here, Steve pens the words and music, but hands the vocal duties on to a guest singer. Such vocalists have included alternative heroes such as Bob Mould. The 6ths provide the song "Falling out of Love (With You)", off the album "Wasp's Nest". It is featured in the episode "Das Bus".

Syd Straw
Syd Straw (aka Miss Fingerwood) featured as an actress in a number of episodes of Pete and Pete. Described as a "multi genre vocalist and song writer", Syd has performed with other Pete and Pete guest-stars Michael Stipe and Marshall Crenshaw. Syd's song "Water, Please" can be heard in "X=Why" and on her album "War and Peace". You can visit Syd's official site by clicking here.

Chug
Described as "Noisy, sludge filled garage metal", Chug provided the song "Flowers" for episodes including "X-Why?", "Das Bus" and "35 Hours" (during the epic Wrigley 500) . This song can be found on the band's "Kisser" EP.

Drop Nineteens
The Drop Nineteens song "Delaware", from the Boston band's 1992 album of the same name can notably be heard during "X=Why?" and "Farewell My Vikings". For more information on the Drop Nineteens, click here.

Fat Tulips
The Fat Tulips, an English band, only released one album, entitled "Starfish". This contained the song "So Unbelievable" which was used in "Splashdown". For more information about the band, you can visit a Fat Tulips website by clicking here.

Nice
The tune "Circuit Diagram" was used in "Nightcrawlers",  "X=Why" (on WART radio) and "New Year's Pete" (When Little Pete is helping Crossing Guard Frank). "Circuit Diagram" can be found on the New Zealand band's 1994 self titled album.

Poi Dog Pondering
Poi Dog Pondering (a Hawaiian expression meaning "mutt"), had their song "Living in a Dreaming Body" used on the show. In particular it can be heard during Little Pete's ice block race during "What we did on our Summer Vacation". "Living in a Dreaming Body" can be found on the band's self titled album. To visit the Poi Dog Pondering's official website, click here.

Semi-Gloss
Semi-Gloss provided "The Sunburn Song" which is often used during Pete and Pete. This can be found on their 1997 album which is also entitled "Semi-Gloss". To visit their official website, click here.

Tara Key
Tara Kay usually provides vocals and plays guitar for the band Antietam. Her song "Long Trail" is used on the show (ie "Crisis in the Lovezone" and "Das Bus"). This song is on one of her solo albums called "Bourbon County".

Racecar
After being turned down for the role eventually taken by Luscious Jackson, Racecar had their song "Wonderment", of 1995's "Girlish" CD,  used in the episode "Dance Fever". It is the soundtrack to Pete's waxy journey through the school corridors. To visit the official Racecar website, click here.