"Powerhouse" is the name of a popular dance song from the late 1930s by the Raymond Scott Quintette. There's a really frantic feeling to the music, but in a way that's still light-hearted and fun. Plus, the bridge in the middle is almost like a completely different song, making it feel even more unique. You can tell way people liked dancing to it.
Not long after the song's release, the record company that owned the song was bought by Warner Bros. Now that they had the song in their catalog, they could use in their animated shorts for free. And use it they did.
By my count, that's 12-15 different cartoons that use the same song, and that's just in that one video. Which is certainly the reason why I always thought of the song as the "Acme Factory Theme." That's what's really fascinating to me about this song: it's still known to the world today due to the appropriation of it by a different industry -- animation. And while it's likely that some fans of early jazz would know it, it's almost certain that it wouldn't be so well known had that appropriation not occurred. I can't speak for Mr. Scott, but I think that's the best thing an artist can hope for: for his work to be known by as many people as possible.
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