What has happened to the television theme song? Once upon a time, each television show had a memorable tune that would imprint itself on the collective pop culture psyche. I mean, who among us does not know every single word to The Brady Bunch song? Nowadays, we get digitized letters (Lost, Supernatural) or eight bars of instantly forgettable music (Grey’s Anatomy). Is that really the best they can do?
Today’s Friday 5 looks back to better times and remembers the greatest television theme songs. Prepare to be earwormed for the rest of the day.
5. Fresh Prince of Bel Air. You know, I don’t remember ever sitting through an entire episode of this show, but I will always watch the credits before changing the channel. The combination of the bright colors, cheerful tune and the charisma-machine that is Will Smith is irresistible. It is also one of the last, great examples of Theme Song That Explains the Show, a trend I’d love to see resurrected. Wouldn’t Supernatural be that much better if it began with Sam and Dean singing a duet about their tortured past?
4. Hawaii 5-0
I worked hard to compile this list, toiling and sweating over YouTube for hours, and this is the one song that got me up off my sofa to start randomly dancing (it was some combination of the twist and the Molly Ringwald kick, if you were wondering). Never before or since has a theme song so demanded that you dance along while singing nonsense words. Everybody! Doo doo doo doo doo doo, doo doo doo doo DOO.
3. Doctor Who
The Doctor Who theme is the longest-running and arguably most iconic on this list. For the last 40+ years, it’s been updated, remixed, adapted and ripped off by bands as diverse as the KLF, the Pogues and Slipknot. The brilliant mix of the otherworldly “oooooeeeeeeeoooooo” and the martial beats sets the show’s tone perfectly and is the internationally recognized sign among fans to drop whatever they might be doing and watch. If you’re one of those fans, you’re probably already humming it in your head, so I won’t bother to provide the actual theme. Instead, here is John Barrowman (Captain Jack) and David Tennant singing it on The Weakest Link, just in case you didn’t think it was possible to love them more.
2. Square Pegs
If you are of a certain age, Square Pegs was a significant part of your childhood development, and there was not a first grader in my school who did not know every word to this theme song. Of course, it helped that 70% of those words were “square pegs,” but that does not detract from its fabulousness. Sung by The Waitresses, a shamefully underrated 80s new wave band (famous mainly for “I Know What Boys Like” and the seasonal “Christmas Wrapping”), the song conveys all the desperation and frustration of being a teenage outsider – and you can dance to it! Sadly, the song is still so obscure that it could not be unearthed on YouTube, but you can listen to a clip here.
1. Gilligan’s Island
It may lack the cool credentials of other TV shows, but this is the ultimate TV theme song. In a mere 60 seconds, the song provides plot exposition, introduces the main characters and their identifying traits and provides what may be the greatest television-island-based-mystery ever (sorry, Lost): why did they bring so much damn stuff on a three-hour cruise? All of this and a jaunty sea shanty? An easy pick for number one.
What do you think? What theme songs would make your list?
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December 14th, 2007 at 9:48 am
The A Team! ‘If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire… The A-Team.’ Dun de dun, dun dun dun..ok so my impression isn’t that great. But it’s awesome. And also has the plot at the beginning. They should definitely start doing that again.
December 14th, 2007 at 9:49 am
Oh, Damn, I was also quite partial to The Fall Guy.
December 14th, 2007 at 11:31 am
But what about The Brady Bunch? Lots of exposition!
December 14th, 2007 at 11:34 am
Carrie, in my bizarre geekiness of loving TV and classical ballet, I discovered that the theme tune from The A Team is sampled from the ballet Sylvia, music written by Délibes. You couldn’t make it up!
December 14th, 2007 at 12:31 pm
Yeah, the A-Team is good, but can you dance to it? And I think if I was going to pick one country music theme song, The Fall Guy wouldn’t stand a chance against The Dukes of Hazzard.
December 14th, 2007 at 1:04 pm
Bextera - huh? Really?
Marcia - maybe not dance, but at least head bang? (The A Team is part of my childhood - don’t mess!
) And I missed out on Dukes of Hazzard here, never seen an episode, so I have no idea what the theme tune is like.
December 14th, 2007 at 1:42 pm
A straw poll among my colleagues has brought up the A Team, M*A*S*H, Dallas (da daaaa, da daaaaa, da da da da da da, da da da da da daaaaaaaaaaaa!) and Dynasty (daaa dada, daaa daaa dada, da da da da da da da…etc.). My personal fave, though, is probably Diff’rent Strokes, which both tells a story and is actually quite catchy.
“now the world don’t move to the beat of just one drum,
what might be right for you may not be right be some,
a man is born, he’s a man of means
then along come two, they’ve got nothing but their jeans…”
On the UK side, the Eastenders theme song is fantastic (mostly just for the drum bit at the start), and I genuinely LOVE the Mighty Boosh theme.
December 14th, 2007 at 6:15 pm
Highlander also had some wicked exposition in the opening credits, though (at least in the clip I found, which has a different sequence to what I remember as there’s no ‘I am a watcher’ line) that gets played over spooky sounds and THEN there is the Queen song. And Adrian Paul. In various historical costumes. *sigh*
December 14th, 2007 at 7:08 pm
1) What about the Smurfs theme song? I also second the Different Strokes theme.
2) I almost never watch videos online (like I told you), but… you just keep right on bringing the Dr. Who tidbits.
December 14th, 2007 at 7:52 pm
Now I feel I should give a fangirl shout out to BSG too, because I always get goosebumps when it comes on, and it’s one of the few I actually always watch when on dvd.
But agreeing with Family Ties and Diff’rent Strokes and Cheers…I think it’s safe to say they just don’t make em like that anymore.
December 15th, 2007 at 2:00 am
How about the theme for BJ and the Bear? It actually had the show’s star singing on it. The link to You-Tube.
It’s a bit cheesy, but also very catchy.
December 15th, 2007 at 10:31 am
Helen, if I ever do a top 5 cheesy theme songs, that one is a shoe-in!
Diff’rent Strokes is an excellent suggestion, though I must respectfully disagree on The Smurfs. I’d forgotten the tune and had to look it up on YouTube. I am now condemned to a day spent singing “La la la la la la la la la la la!”
December 15th, 2007 at 4:04 pm
Great ones for me=
The Cheers Theme Song
The Fame theme song (So energetic)
The Family Ties Theme song (What would we do, baby, without us?)
December 16th, 2007 at 5:33 pm
Whoa, I can’t believe I forgot Cheers!
December 17th, 2007 at 2:58 am
There was a tribute to the British theme tune composer Ronnie Hazlehurst on the BBC programme “Screenwipe” a while back, you can see it again here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_W4qlOGL1Qs
It makes similar points about modern day theme music that you do.
December 17th, 2007 at 4:44 am
I am very partial to the themes from The X-Files and (duck, Pat, here it comes) Bonanza.
Dum duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh DUH!
It screams out the tall ponderosa pines and silver fortunes!
December 17th, 2007 at 6:29 am
MacGyver!!! Theme Songs rock!
December 17th, 2007 at 3:15 pm
Matthew, that’s a great overview of some British theme songs.
And how could I have forgotten Bonanza?
December 17th, 2007 at 4:46 pm
Mine would look more like this:
5. My Two Dads
4. It’s Garry Shandling’s Show
3. Punky Brewster
2. Silver Spoons
1. 227
December 17th, 2007 at 5:05 pm
Waa-waa, wa-aa-aa, waaddle-waaddle-wa-wa, wa-aa..
It’s The Rockford Files!
(aka TV’s Greatest theme tune!)
December 18th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
Fannie, The Gary Shandling theme is great. I forgot that show even existed. “This is the theme to Gary’s show…this is the music that you hear as you watch the credits.” Genius!
December 18th, 2007 at 7:15 pm
here’s another list for you:
5.Love Boat
4.Rockford Files(Best Instrumental TV Theme Ever!)
3.Bonanza(2nd Best I.T.V.T.E)
2.Magnum, P.I. (Mike Post at ht his best)
1.Batman(Naturally!)
December 21st, 2007 at 12:50 am
I just remembered the Degrassi Junior High theme song.
Wake up in the morning, feeling shy and lonely, gee, I got to go to school.
Don’t know if I can make it, don’t think I can take it,
wondering what I’m gonna do….
etc.
December 24th, 2007 at 7:24 pm
hello - sanford and son?
January 1st, 2008 at 1:52 am
No love for “Greatest American Hero”?
February 13th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
remember twin peaks, anyone?
May 2nd, 2008 at 5:22 am
Has to be the Brady Bunch hands down. If it were’nt for the theme song the show would never have been as popular as it is today. Gilligan’s island is a close second.
June 6th, 2008 at 2:46 am
Obviously none of you have ever heard the theme to PETER GUNN.
June 6th, 2008 at 3:58 am
>Obviously none of you have ever heard the theme to PETER GUNN.
Au contraire.
Dum de dum de dum de DUM dum
Dum de dum de dum de DUM dum
Dum de dum de dum de DUM dum
Dum de dum de dum de DUM dum
DAAAAAA dum! DAAAAAA dum dum!
Da da da dum dum dee dum dum de dum dum dee dum dum …
June 6th, 2008 at 4:04 am
Oops - meant to say that Peter Gunn was great trumpet music.
Mark Snow, writer of the X-Files theme, once told an interviewer that there are words to the tune:
“The X-Files is a show
With music by Mark Snow …”
July 19th, 2008 at 6:59 pm
All great tunes you’ve got here guys. I always liked a bit of the buffy theme. but theres some other greats as well, Cybill, The Golden Girls, Roseanne,oooh and scrubs lol