Discover the singer and the deep meaning behind the Cross Season 2 theme song: why Danielle Ponder’s “Some of Us Are Brave” is the perfect anthem for Alex Cross.
If you’ve started watching the second season of Cross on Amazon Prime Video, you’ll have immediately noticed a different atmosphere. The story Alex Cross is caught in this time around has a heavier feeling, seemingly foreshadowing even greater trouble ahead.
The new villains are out there, ready to ruthlessly kill a circle of powerful men involved in cases of child abuse—a dark story motivated by a thirst for revenge for events that occurred years prior. Meanwhile, the shadow of “Mastermind” looms—a mysterious figure capable of haunting someone to the point of inducing suicide at the mere thought of undergoing his “cleaning methods.” In the midst of all this is Alex, personally involved in both plotlines and struggling in his attempt to win back Elle.
A year and a half has passed, and the weight on Alex Cross’s shoulders has certainly grown heavier. The choice of the new theme song for Cross Season 2 is significant: moving away from the urban spirit of Rick Ross’s “Hustlin“ chosen for the first season, to a soul track with a deep voice and a particular meaning that places the entire plot of the second series under a new light.
In this deep dive, we discover the theme song of Cross Season 2 and why its performer’s story is incredibly similar to that of Alex Cross.
The Cross Season 2 Theme Song and How It Reflects the New Atmosphere
The track that opens every episode of Cross Season 2 is titled “Some of Us Are Brave” and is performed by Danielle Ponder. Released in 2022 as the title track of her debut album, the song is an explosive mix of soul, gospel, and trip-hop, produced with an intensity reminiscent of the great voices of the past like Nina Simone or Aretha Franklin. You can listen to the full version here:
It is a powerful song that has managed to earn the author a significant amount of attention: following the release of her debut album, her music has ended up in TV series and national commercials, proving its quality. This represents an important testament to her talent for an artist who entered the music world as a later life choice, following a career of a very different nature. We will get to that in a moment.
In the portion chosen for the Cross Season 2 opening credits, Danielle Ponder sings these verses:
If the sky were to fall, I’d be the first to call
Some of us, some of us are bravePeace and love to the ones who give praise
Take a bow as the light hits the face
See me now, I’m loud and proud
And to those who fear leads them to hate
What a pity to be locked in that place
I know you see me though
The struggle against the world seems to be the common factor linking the theme song to the events of Cross Season 2. Especially for those “brave” ones among us: those who carry the weight of having to answer when things go truly wrong. Like the dark story of blood and revenge that Alex Cross is investigating this time.
“Some of Us Are Brave” is an anthem to keeping one’s head high, despite the sacrifices being greater than usual. It’s a message that perfectly reflects what Alex Cross tells the new recruits at the beginning of the second season: as police officers, you are called to a higher standard, and if that scares you, this job isn’t for you.
The most interesting detail is that, although the song wasn’t necessarily written with this in mind, Danielle Ponder knows exactly what it means to fight for justice.
Danielle Ponder: From Public Defender to the Voice of Justice
Before climbing the charts and performing on stages like Lollapalooza, Danielle spent nearly ten years as a Public Defender in Rochester, New York.
Just as Alex Cross has been investigating criminal cases for a lifetime, Ponder spent years in courtrooms fighting for the rights of the underprivileged, seeing firsthand the flaws of an often ruthless judicial system. She only left her legal career at age 40 to follow her musical mission, bringing with her the anger, empathy, and weariness accumulated in court.
As Danielle Ponder explained in this interview with Spin:
“My job as an attorney is to really tell my client’s story. You get the state law saying ‘This person did X, Y and Z.’ They’re a terrible person in their story, and we get to explore a broader picture. I feel like my job is to say to the court, ‘Hold on, let’s talk about the whole person. Let’s look at the whole picture here.’
Same with songwriting: I can take an emotion, and then the songwriter gets to dig deeper into that emotion.
Danielle Ponder’s message thus becomes an invitation to focus on the human side while life forces us to face crimes that have very little humanity. Humanity is likely the most unique side of Alex Cross, who even in this season finds himself worrying about his own feelings more than the women he ends up with, who seem to give a different weight to those moments of intimacy.
Both the world of crime and his personal life are asking Alex Cross to be brave and stay human. And a song like “Some of Us Are Brave” fits him perfectly this time, like a custom-tailored suit.
