If you grew up in the 2000s, those first four piano notes are basically a Pavlovian trigger. You hear them, and suddenly you’re fourteen again, sitting on a basement couch, worrying about whether you'll ever be as cool as Manny Santos or as tortured as Craig Manning.
Whatever It Takes. It wasn’t just a song. It was a promise. For fourteen seasons, the Degrassi The Next Generation theme song served as the ultimate emotional mission statement for a show that quite literally "went there." It told us that no matter how messy life got—and on this show, it got messy—we’d make it through.
The Anatomy of an Anthem: Who Wrote "Whatever It Takes"?
The song didn't just appear out of thin air. It was a carefully crafted piece of pop-rock optimism designed to bridge the gap between the gritty 80s origins of the franchise and the shiny, new millennium.
The track was written by a trio of Canadian creatives: Jody Colero, Stephen Stohn, and Austin Russell. While Jim McGrath composed the underlying score that we all recognize, the lyrics were the brainchild of Stohn and Colero.
Stephen Stohn wasn't just some random songwriter; he was the Executive Producer of the show. He knew exactly what the series needed to project: resilience. Honestly, the lyrics are pretty simple when you look at them on paper. "Be the best, the best I can be." It sounds like a middle school motivational poster. But when paired with that driving beat, it felt like a battle cry for the misunderstood.
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Why the Season 1 Version Hits Different
When the show premiered in 2001, the theme was performed by Lisa Dalbello accompanied by a children’s choir. This version is, for many purists, the only "real" version.
There’s something about that choir of kids singing along that feels incredibly earnest. It mirrored the innocence of the early cast—Emma, J.T., and Toby—before the show started hitting us with school shootings and secret pregnancies. The visuals used a "follow the email" concept, which, looking back in 2026, is hilarious. We were actually impressed by a glowing yellow envelope flying through a CGI school hallway.
The Evolution of the Sound: Every Major Remix
The show famously updated its intro every few years. It wasn’t just about changing the actors in the hallway; the music itself morphed to match the "maturity" (or the angst) of the current era.
The Jakalope Years (Seasons 4–5)
By 2004, the show was getting darker. Rick Murray had just brought a gun to school. The children's choir version didn't fit anymore. Enter Jakalope, a Canadian industrial/pop group. They gave the song a heavier, more distorted sound. It was grittier. It felt like the musical equivalent of a pair of low-rise jeans and a lot of eyeliner.
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The Experimental Instrumental (Seasons 6–7)
This was a weird time. For some reason, the producers decided to ditch the vocals for the opening. We still got the melody, but the silence where the words should be felt... off. Fans were pretty divided. Most felt like the show was trying too hard to be "mature" and "prestige" by stripping away its poppy heart.
The Damhnait Doyle and Stüdz Eras (Seasons 8–10)
Season 8 brought vocals back with singer Damhnait Doyle, but the real chaos happened in Seasons 9 and 10. The show decided to let the "in-universe" band, Stüdz (featuring Peter Stone and Danny Van Zandt), perform the theme. It was... something. Let's just say fans haven't exactly been kind to this version in the Reddit archives. It felt a bit like a garage band cover that accidentally made it to air.
The Alexz Johnson Legacy (Seasons 11–14)
For the final stretch of The Next Generation, the show tapped Alexz Johnson. If you were a fan of Instant Star, this was a huge crossover moment. Her version was professional, polished, and powerful. It brought back the energy of the early seasons but with a professional pop-star sheen that fit the "TeenNick" era perfectly.
Why We Still Care Twenty Years Later
Most TV themes are forgettable. You skip them. But people don't skip the Degrassi The Next Generation theme song. They sing it.
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The song works because it acknowledges that being a teenager is basically a long-form endurance test. It’s not just about "being happy"; it’s about making it through. The show’s co-creator, Linda Schuyler, always insisted on authenticity. The song acted as a safety net. No matter how much the characters' lives fell apart in the 22 minutes that followed, the song reminded us that survival was the goal.
The Lyrics That Defined a Generation
"Whatever it takes, I know I can make it through.
Be the best, the best I can be...
Every-body can suc-ceed!
In yourself, you must believe!"
If you read those lines without hearing the specific "Every-body" syncopation in your head, you probably didn't watch enough Noggin or TeenNick.
The song even had an extended version. In the 2005 soundtrack Songs from Degrassi: The Next Generation, there’s a three-minute-plus version that includes extra verses. It digs deeper into the "forget your fears and doubts" aspect, though the 50-second TV edit is the one burned into our collective memory.
What to do next:
- Check the official soundtracks: Look up Songs from Degrassi: The Next Generation (2005) or Music from Degrassi: The Next Generation (2008) on streaming platforms to find the high-quality studio versions of the Jakalope and Alexz Johnson tracks.
- Compare the intros: Watch a "Degrassi Intros Evolution" compilation on YouTube. It’s the fastest way to see how the school’s technology (and the song’s BPM) changed from 2001 to 2015.
- Revisit the early seasons: If you haven't heard the Lisa Dalbello version in a while, go back to Season 1, Episode 1. It’s a fascinating time capsule of Y2K optimism that sets the stage for everything that followed.