# So What Is Your Cell Phone Ring Tone? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 4, 2009, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-your-cell-phone-ring-tone/495267 "2009-05-04T09:27:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Frustrated\_Wonderer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a4c791/32.png) [@Frustrated\_Wonderer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frustrated_Wonderer)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-your-cell-phone-ring-tone/495267/81 "2009-05-06T16:19:47Z")
“Another Brick in the Wall Pt.2” ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-your-cell-phone-ring-tone/495267/82 "2009-05-06T16:56:50Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > Nice! My first ringtone ever (beside the default) was the regular music from Super Mario Bros. The one that plays on the first stage. Man! now I feel so less unique… that’s my ringtone for people in my contact list. Out of Contact List: Blue Man Group - Rods and Cones Parents, Sister, Grandma: Legend of Zelda (the original) - Overworld Theme Wife: MacGuyver theme (she’s a huge fan) I’ve got Queen’s Princes of the Universe sitting on my phone, waiting for someone immortal enough to claim it as their tone. ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-your-cell-phone-ring-tone/495267/83 "2009-05-06T17:32:57Z")
General ring tone: The Habanera from _The Grand Duke_, an obscure Gilbert & Sullivan operetta. It’s catchy, elegant, and nobody else I know uses it as a ring tone. My mom: Bing Crosby and Al Jolson singing _My Old Kentucky Home_ (yes, she’s from Kentucky) My dad: the LSU marching band performing _Geaux Tigers_ (appropriate for an LSU alum) My little brother: _Dueling Banjos_ (he’s somewhat homophobic and suspected I was gay for several years, so it’s a great way to get on his nerves) Older sister: sound of a revving motorcycle. Younger sister: _Theme from The Godfather_ (she’s the family control and manipulation freak) Ex-wife: _Take a pair of sparkling eyes_, from Gilbert & Sullivan’s _The Gondoliers_ (it’s her favorite aria). I have a close friend named Donna. On the first cell phone I ever got, her calls would always show up on the screen as “Donna Mobile”. Her ring tone ever since has been _La Donna E Mobile_. ---
**Author:** ![Black\_Sunshine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ce73a5/32.png) [@Black\_Sunshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Black_Sunshine)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-your-cell-phone-ring-tone/495267/84 "2009-05-06T17:40:38Z")
For years, I had the theme song from The Exorcist. I changed it to the theme from Friday the 13th, but that was way too creepy (and quiet). Now, it’s Pour Some Sugar on Me to match my derby name. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-your-cell-phone-ring-tone/495267/85 "2009-05-06T18:03:14Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > You can transfer an mp3 file or (.wma) directly to the phone from your computer using the USB cable that should have come with it. > > With some Motorola phones, you need Motorola PhoneTools to do it, but if your Razr is V3 or later I don’t think it’s necessary. > [@Sigmagirl](#): > > Would you like to switch user names? Sorry, but the above is gibberish to me. I’m pretty sure my phone did not come with a cable, but in any case I don’t have an mp3 file or know how to get one, and I have never heard of a .wma. And as I said above, if I have to buy software to get one ring tone, I won’t do it. It’s a racket. I told the guy at the phone store I wanted this one song and one song only, and he told me he could download it for me right there from the bazillion songs available. He was lying. He wasn’t lying, **Sigmagirl**. He said he could download your song if it was available. It just didn’t happen to be available. I do agree with you it’s a pretty good racket, though. Mp3’s are easy to make. If you have a Windows PC, you don’t even need specialized software. Windows Media Player is already on your PC and does a decent job of creating MP3’s. You can do it in one step, just load the CD in your computer and click one command. Making a ringtone requires no cables or special software on your PC. There are sites that let you upload an mp3, trim it down to a particular sample, and let you wirelessly download the tone through your phone’s web browser. One of these sites is called [My Tiny Phone](http://www.mytinyphone.com/p/make-ringtone/) and gives you step-by-step directions. Total cost: Free. Nada. Zip. Zilch. $0.00. It’s really easy to do, perhaps someone in your family or one of your friends with a little computer know-how could help you. But the main point is it won’t cost you a cent. ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-your-cell-phone-ring-tone/495267/86 "2009-05-06T18:14:53Z")
General ring tone is the opening synthesizer riff from “Baba O’Riley” by the Who. If it’s the wife calling, the ring tone is the opening riff from “All Along the Watchtower” by Hendrix. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-your-cell-phone-ring-tone/495267/87 "2009-05-06T18:19:03Z")
New phone so I haven’t set up everything the way I’ll want it… I was feeling a bit retro when I downloaded the Galaga Game Start ringtone. I’ll be getting some more vintage sounds before I’m done. ---
**Author:** ![Labtrash](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/labtrash/32/528_2.png) [@Labtrash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labtrash)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-your-cell-phone-ring-tone/495267/88 "2009-05-06T19:00:25Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > I finally have my dream ring tone. > > Actually it is five tones. > > The five tones form Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Exactly mine as well. Also in mine I have As ringtones: the 32 D’ohs (Homer in all his glory) Chewbacca’s Growl Openings / riffs from the following “songs” The Lion Sleeps Tonight Low Rider Baba O’Riley Godzilla Hawaii Five-Oh Wipeout Lost in Space Beethovens 5th Bach’s Tocatta / Fauge(sp) (for Halloween) Peter Gunn Theme A-team theme Tubular Bells (Excorcist) Halloween (movie) theme Venture Brothers Theme As an alarm The cacophony of clocks from Pink Floyd’s Time (makes a GREAT wake up alarm) Texts get the “Message for you, Sir” clip from _Holy Grail_ ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-your-cell-phone-ring-tone/495267/89 "2009-05-07T07:21:15Z")
Mine is the sound effect from the Super Mario games of a 1-Up. It _would_ be my text message tone, but I cannot for the life of me figure out how to set a custom text message tone. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![atomicbadgerrace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@atomicbadgerrace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/atomicbadgerrace)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-your-cell-phone-ring-tone/495267/90 "2009-05-07T07:36:33Z")
> [@Covered\_In\_Bees](#): > > It _would_ be my text message tone, but I cannot for the life of me figure out how to set a custom text message tone. ☹ The one thing I miss about my old Sprint phone since I got an iPhone. My text message sound was the last three notes from the Law and Order: SVU theme. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-your-cell-phone-ring-tone/495267/91 "2009-05-07T08:37:02Z")
Some of you over 55 might remember a television show that was on in the late Fifties that was called _Mr. Lucky._ Henry Mancini did the music for it. Mr. Lucky had a watch that played the five notes that served as the basis of the melody. My ringtone is taken from a Mancini recording. There is just a note or two of intro and then the five notes from the watch – or at least a good replication. I recorded it myself straight from the CD. Didn’t need a cable. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-your-cell-phone-ring-tone/495267/92 "2009-05-07T09:20:34Z")
For general calls: “More Than a Feeling” For my wife: “All That Jazz” For my parents: Khachaturian’s _The Sabre Dance_ ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-your-cell-phone-ring-tone/495267/93 "2009-05-07T13:30:56Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > He wasn’t lying, **Sigmagirl**. He said he could download your song if it was available. It just didn’t happen to be available. I do agree with you it’s a pretty good racket, though. > > Mp3’s are easy to make. If you have a Windows PC, you don’t even need specialized software. Windows Media Player is already on your PC and does a decent job of creating MP3’s. You can do it in one step, just load the CD in your computer and click one command. > > Making a ringtone requires no cables or special software on your PC. There are sites that let you upload an mp3, trim it down to a particular sample, and let you wirelessly download the tone through your phone’s web browser. One of these sites is called [My Tiny Phone](http://www.mytinyphone.com/p/make-ringtone/) and gives you step-by-step directions. Total cost: Free. Nada. Zip. Zilch. $0.00. > > It’s really easy to do, perhaps someone in your family or one of your friends with a little computer know-how could help you. But the main point is it won’t cost you a cent. Thank you so much! I will look at this later; \*maybe \*I can do it. I’ll let you know. If that works, for the rest of my calls I’d like to have Stephen Fry’s voice from Jeeves & Wooster saying “Telephone for you, madam.” ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2009, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-your-cell-phone-ring-tone/495267/94 "2009-05-08T06:33:46Z")
For calls from people that are not in my phonebook - _Who Are You_ by The Who. For calls where the phone will display the name, it plays the first 30 seconds of the 1966 Batman TV series - the one with the great trumpet section intro. Then there’s calls from my wife, which plays _Rikki Don’t Lose That Number_ by Steely Dan. Long story there, but it’s appropriate. ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2009, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-your-cell-phone-ring-tone/495267/95 "2009-05-08T07:04:10Z")
Somebody to Love by Jefferson Airplane or the music from Jesus Christ Superstar when Judas hangs himself, depending on who you are. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2009, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-your-cell-phone-ring-tone/495267/96 "2009-05-08T11:35:50Z")
_Music Box Dancer_ by Frank Mills. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2009, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-your-cell-phone-ring-tone/495267/97 "2009-05-08T14:51:24Z")
Got a call from the systems monitoring group last night at 2:50 AM. It was quite jarring to wake up to **Born to Run** playing at full blast. I was not pleased. ---
**Author:** ![cruel\_butterfly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5daacb/32.png) [@cruel\_butterfly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cruel_butterfly)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2009, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-your-cell-phone-ring-tone/495267/98 "2009-05-08T15:14:18Z")
I alternate between the intro of _Sweet Child O’ Mine_ and the _Mission:Impossible_ theme. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2009, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-your-cell-phone-ring-tone/495267/99 "2009-05-08T16:42:05Z")
I use the default because nothing else seems loud enough to hear but I’m getting tired of holding my purse up to my ear to tell if it’s my phone when I hear that ringtone in the store. I use the Vienna Waltz for my boyfriend just to have a different tone for him. I have used a special ringtone for x-mas but I get tired of it quick. I’m thinking of using the Doctor Who theme, it’s unique and weird enough, hopefully it will be loud enough. ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2009, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-your-cell-phone-ring-tone/495267/100 "2009-05-08T17:01:19Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > Thank you so much! I will look at this later; \*maybe \*I can do it. I’ll let you know. If that works, for the rest of my calls I’d like to have Stephen Fry’s voice from Jeeves & Wooster saying “Telephone for you, madam.” I’m also having trouble doing this. I tried using bluetooth to load the ringtone to my virgin phone, but no luck. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-your-cell-phone-ring-tone/495267.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-your-cell-phone-ring-tone/495267.md?page=6)