Some say it is a bit sluggish, but it has a classic feel which saves the day. Any opinions or additions are welcome.
I will say, though, that I prefer the cheerier version to the darker version, for the ENTERPRISE. I don't know ... when you're seeing images of charts and sea vessels and rockets and moon landings ... anything downbeat just doesn't jibe with that. As a theme song, Faith of the Heart works on the same level as any other TV shows. Meaning, I wouldn't play it by itself and rock out to it, or anything. But it suffices and at least it's a departure from those garish marches that have been so turned over and over ... And yes, VOY's theme wasn't very good. Compare it to Ilia's Love Theme from TMP and suddenly the VOY theme sounds completely forgettable. "Oh! But it's Jerry Goldsmith!!!" Yes, I know, but ... his heart isn't in it. It sounds kind of obligatory, actually, like he only did it to get the VOY people to quit hounding him ...
The original version used in S1-2 was the better version, but I don't watch TV shows for theme tunes/songs. So I don't think it's an area which really warrants much criticism or praise.
I don't like the song. It's that stuff played in stores that isn't too good so you will stop focusing on shopping but isn't so bad you will leave the store. To top it all, it gets in your head. Like a cetean eel. Later, as it .. grows.. you find yourself susceptible to caring about Reed's character. Then follows madnes.. and. I digress. I like the opening credits. A lot. With the mute button on. It would have been OK if they'd used it once for the opener like "surprise! See? We're different" but they continued on with it. The second version is even more puzzling, because its clear by then they are listening to people and realize it's not popular, but their response is "People don't like this. Better speed up the tempo. Strum faster!"
This gets beaten to death about every six months. FWIW, my wife and I liked it well enough to play it as the closing song at our 25th anniversary party 16 years ago.
Never did care for it. A poor choice, likely made purely to be "different" without a lot of regard for whether the difference was an improvement or not.
In fairness, I think if they had not gone with Faith of the Heart, it would have been another Goldsmith McTheme either by him or someone paid to compose like him, heavy on the trumpet and soaring strings etc.
I thought it was absolutely terrible for years but I guess I have been brain-washed because it doesn't bother me anymore. Maybe it's great and it just took me so long to realize it . . . NOT! lol
I'm just curious what would be an "improvement?" If the idea was that they were going to have a photomontage, then to me, vocals probably are helpful, especially if they're describing the vibe the show's going after. To just have music over that leaves it kind of unclear what kind of a show it actually is. I see chalkboards and astronauts and warp speed FX, is this a technically minded show, or ... or what, here? Then, you've got these lyrics that are describing, over that, a deeply-felt person journey. Again, I'm not saying this song rocks, or anything like that. It just seems to be very serviceable and appropriate, in that light ...
What's kept Slick Willie's rock & roll fantasy afloat, all these many eons, one has to wonder. Undoubtedly, he's one of those acts they recruit for these USO concerts and all that. I don't know what song would've been universally accepted, except to say that there might've been less complaining had it been written, especially, with star trek ENTERPRISE in mind. Otherwise, it's just a matter of whose call it is and what their tastes are. Eminem's "Not Afraid" springs to mind ...
always thought the song by the calling "wherever you will go" which they used to advertise the show was a much better choice, if a little too early 2000s bro-ish. i've mentioned this elsewhere but i'll point out again that despite totally disagreeing with the use of "faith of the heart" for the main titles, the melody appeared in a few early season 1 episodes and it's really lovely. check out the closing scene from "fight or flight", "faith of the heart" played on guitar and flute over the scene where hoshi and phlox give sluggo (ugh) a new home planet. it shows up on the LA LA LAND star trek: enterprise, vol II album in the track titled "Aliens Return / Damn The Torpedoes / Failure To Communicate / Hoshi Gets Through".
As a kid at the time it came out it put me off from watching the show. These days I finally got over the song and am enjoying the show for what it is, but I really would still prefer they used the end credits song Archer's theme instead. I think I read they wanted to use a U2 song beautiful day or something? I think that would have been worse than what we got.
Yes. 100% agree. Although it was a very good end-credits theme, I always wished that they would have used that tune for the intro, or at least something like it.