TV theme songs -- a lost art (1 Viewer)

[Jeff Kleist]

Since you bring up Cleopatra 2525(D) may it rest in pieces, I must comment on it's much more deserving and wonderful counterpart- Jack of All Trades. Best opening in years!

 

[David Singleton]

Regarding the Friends' theme song, it was specifically created for the show. A Nashville radio station took the theme song and "looped" it to create a radio version. It took off. Due to the popularity of the "looped" version, the Rembrants expanded the theme into a real song.
All this aside, we all know Alan Thicke is the king of TV theme songs!
Let's all listen to the Facts of Life, or Different Strokes, or Growing Pains.
David

 

[Shayne Lebrun]

One of the things that I love about Anime is that the theme songs tend to rock. Magic Knights Rayearth, Fushigi Yuugi, any of the Gundams, Neon Genesis: Evangelion, Sabre Marionette, Slayers, The list just goes on and on.
Then you run out and buy the OSTs, and you get the full versions of all the songs. Good stuff.

 

[Anthony Hom]

there are other "hit" TV theme songs. Besides Cheers, there was the Rockford Files, Welcome Back Kotter, Swat, Magnum PI, Dyansty, Greatest American Hero (believe it or not), WKRP in Cincinnati,and there are others, but they escape me.

 

[Scott Littlefield]

I'm a They Might Be Giants fan, so I have to say I'm rather partial to the theme to Malcolm in the Middle. With the soundtrack coming out we should be hearing Boss of Me a lot...

 

[Adam Tyner]

The soundtrack for Malcolm In The Middle came out on Feburary 6th, Scott.
Boss of Me just charted in the UK, btw -- #20.
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[Gary Kellerman]

To me, the TV theme song was a warm-up to set the mood of the show. In the early 1960s, my first stereo LP purchase was themes of the tv shows of that time or the late 50s. They were played jazz style by Woody Herman. The LP was on a RCA Dynagroove label; the disc was called IMPACT. I thought all the arrangements were played very well, but the Peter Gunn theme was a knockout. I played this disc recorded I believe in 1959 on a Dynaquad circuit. It sounded great in stereo but was dynamite in Dynaquad. My favorite theme song from a tv show was SEA HUNT. There were many others I liked as well particulaly from the 50s and 60s. I do like that theme music for SIX FEET UNDER; It sure sets the mood for that show.

 

[Jason Merrick]

I remember when my parents first bought a HI-FI VCR, and the first night we hooked it up we watched LA LAW and that theme became my favorite song... dumb I know, but I was just amazed at how great it sounded for a tv show.
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[ChristopherDM]

Two words: Doctor Who

 

[Jonathan White]

Littlest Hobo

 

[Michael Hughes]

Rockford Files

WKRP in Cincinatti

Great American Hero

Happy Days

Laverne & Shirley

 

[Brian Kidd]

And the award for strangest resurrection of a thread goes to...
I thought this was a new thread until I saw the post about the musical episode of BUFFY being filmed.

 

[John_Bonner]

I dig the theme song to SpongeBob Squarepants!

 

[Wayne Bundrick]

Along with theme songs at the beginning of shows look at what has happened to the end of shows. In the past there was exit music with credits. Now with sitcoms you generally get an additional scene that follows the plot of the show. I'm certain the most fans would consider this a bonus but I generally feel that if the scene is important why isn't it in the show to begin with?

Take a closer look at what they are doing. The last scene happens during the end credits, and then what happens next? Without coming up for air, the network dives right into the next show, which begins not with a theme song and opening credits but with the first scene, if it's a sitcom then it probably already has opening credits laid on top of it. They call it "seamless" and the sole intent is to drag the viewer into the next show with the hope they'll be hooked on it before they realize that they're missing the start of a show on another channel. From their point of view, there's nothing that says to the viewer "It's time to change the channel because this show is over and another show on another channel is about to start" like a traditional ending credit roll with music.

 

[CarlosL]

Does any know who and/or where I can get the theme song to last year's "Push Nevada"? I thoroughly enjoyed the show, and it's a shame how few episodes were aired. Any information you wonderful people might have regarding the intro would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!

-- Carlos

 

[Chris Lockwood]

CSI

CSI Miami

 

[Yee-Ming]

Hmmm, my post in this thread appears to be one of the lost ones. So from memory:-
Wot, no Battlestar Galactica? Where's Jeff Kleist?
Others that I like today are JAG, West Wing, NYPD Blue -- although that's about 10 years old already, as is ER.
Don't like Enterprise. I can't understand why they did away with the "traditional" orchestral score like TNG/DS9/Voy had, and used some blah Diane Warren pop song instead.
I thought the theme song for Greg The Bunny was suitably kitsch, lyrics are spot on (obviously a custom-job) for the nature of the show and were hilarious. Too bad it didn't get a decent run.

 

[Drue Elrick]

Ahh, the memories. In addition to the above...
The Prisoner, The Saint, Mission: Impossible, You Can't Do That On Television!, Remington Steele, Barney Miller, Hill Street Blues, Law & Order, Airwolf, Knight Rider, The Dukes of Hazzard, The Equalizer, 2 Stupid Dogs, The Addams Family (show and cartoon), all Batman Animated, The Critic, The Flintstones, Freakazoid!, ReBoot, Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles, The Transformers, Alice, All in the Family, The Jeffersons, Barney Miller, The Beverly Hillbillies, The Carol Burnett Show, Good Times, Sanford and Son, Hogan's Heroes, Monty Python, The Muppet Show, The Odd Couple, SCTV, Sledge Hammer!, Soap, Three's Company, The Tick (animated), WKRP in Cincinnati, Little House on the Prairie, Degrassi Junior High, Fame (yeah, I admit it), The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Jeopardy, Family Fued, Definition (an oldy game show), The Outer Limits, The Twilight Zone, Star Trek, Space: Above and Beyond, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (PBS version), Magnum P.I., The Rockford Files, Perry Mason, Murder She Wrote, Newton's Apple, Beakman's World, Newton's Apple, NOVA, Babylon 5, Batman (the original series), The Six Million Dollar Man, Blake's 7, Farscape, Quantum Leap, Red Dwarf, seaQuest, Seven Days, Sliders, Space: 1999, Get Smart...
Way too many to list.

 

[Cal S]

S.W.A.T.

WKRP

Rockford Files

 

[Vlad D]

I thought this was a new thread until I saw the post about the musical episode of BUFFY being filmed.

Same here.

Some of my favorites:

Hawaii Five O

Mission Impossible

The Jeffersons

The Muppet Show

Three's Company

Magnum P.I.

The Greatest American Hero