TV's Best Theme Songs: Viewers' Choice! (COPY)
You ranted, we listened: Your fave TV themes from the '70s, '80s and '90s.
Last summer I embarked on a delicious journey through TV history to uncover the tube's best theme songs. And by "best" I mean deliriously, madness-inducingly catchy; so catchy that even 20 years after the show was canceled, you can hum it on command. Being nerd-tastically enthusiastic readers, you felt I'd missed a few key songs. (How could I have omitted The Love Boat? Mea culpa!) So here are ten more to add to our canon of classics. They may not all be soundtracks to the best shows of their decade, but dammit, after all these years, we still can't get these ditties out of our pop-culture-crowded melons. Sanford and Son: 1972-1977 "Wha-wha-wha-wha. Wha-wha-wha-wha-wha-wha-wha." There was no funkier TV theme than Quincy Jones' title song to Norman Lear's edgy 1970s sitcom. Called "The Streetbeater," this tune evoked all the bad-assitude that was L.A. junk-dealer Sanford (played by the incomparable Redd Foxx) and paid homage to groovy jams of the times by mingling dueling saxophones and Stevie Wonder-ish keyboard riffs. WKRP in Cincinnati: 1978-1982 I never really got into this show, but for some reason I was drawn to the opening theme's schmaltzy charm. Written by Tom Wells and series creator Hugh Wilson, and performed by Steve Carlisle, the song was released on vinyl in 1979 and managed to peak at 65 on the Pop Singles chart in 1981 (and, more importantly, at 29 on the Adult Contemporary chart in 1982). The desperation of the song played nicely with the show's "I work at a radio station in Cincinnati" sense of self-loathing. The Love Boat: 1977-1986 "Love ... exciting and new/Come aboard/We're expecting you!" It's impossible for me to not picture Isaac mixing drinks or that pervy Doc checking some blonde's heartbeat when I hear these cheesetastic lyrics. Sung by Jack Jones (except for the last season, where a cover version by Dionne Warwick was used), and lyrics/music by Paul Williams and Charles Fox, "The Love Boat" was a smooth, sly wink-and-a-smile set to music. The Dukes of Hazzard: 1979-1985 Grizzled country music star Waylon Jennings hit it big with his ode to the shenanigans of corn-fed hick brothers Bo and Luke Duke. A huge commercial hit for Jennings in 1980 (the song made to the Number 1 hit on the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles chart), "Good Ol' Boys" was far away better than the show itself, which is why Jennings' gravelly-voice narration was such a welcome break in between Hazzard's weak plots and feeble attempts at "acting." Yee-haw! Knight Rider: 1982-1986 A bass guitar strums urgently. A dark car appears across the desert floor in the distance. A man's voice booms: "Knight Rider. A shadowy flank into the dangerous world of a man that does not exist." Okey dokey! This instrumental computery-synth-over-thumping-bass line was such a sweet TV tune, it's been sampled by everyone from Busta Rhymes to Timbaland to Lil' Kim, but oddly enough never by David Hasselhoff. Hmmm. The A-Team: 1983-1986 If it's an '80s TV tune and you can still whistle it, it was probably written by Mike Post. The man who pretty much invented the modern television theme song penned the appropriately over-the-top percussion-heavy theme to the decade's most wonderfully ridiculous premise, so announced at the top of the show: "In 1972, a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn't commit ... Today still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem. If no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire, The A Team." Ooh, I smell remake! Charles in Charge: 1984-1985, 1987-1990 It took two tries for viewers to get on board with the idea of Chachi as a babysitter living in New Jersey, but the theme song was, for me, an instant classic. "I want ... I want ... I want Charles in charge of me!" chirped singer Shandi Sinnamon (I know), giving the show a not-so-slight creepiness, especially given co-star Nicole Eggert's supreme hotness and Scott Baio's utter unbelievability as a "child" care provider. Mr. Belvedere: 1985-1990 I love picturing the pitch session for this one: "So, yeah, let's definitely get Bob Uecker for the dad and, um, ragtime singer Leon Redbone for the theme song!" I adored driving my family nuts with my incredible preteen vocal likeness to Redbone ("Streaks on the china/Never mattered before/Who cares?). Turns out the opening theme, "According to Our New Arrivals," was great for a reason: It was written by Judy Hart-Angelo and Gary Portnoy, the brains behind two other TV shows with great theme songs: Cheers and Punky Brewster. Frasier: 1993-2004 If the voice that belted out the show's nonsensical closing theme ("Tossed Salad and Scrambled Eggs") sounded familiar, it's because it was the Frasier star himself, Kelsey Grammer, doing the honors. Written by Bruce Miller and Daryl Phinessee, the song wrapped up each episode (there was no opening tune) and turned the closing credits into a charming, silly event. Good night, Seattle! Dawson's Creek: 1998-2004 You can thank Alanis Morissette for this one. The Canadian pop star wouldn't let producers use her hit song "Hand in My Pocket" for Dawson's opening theme, so they went with Paula Cole's whiny, but uber-catchy "I Don't Want to Wait" instead. A much better choice, methinks: The song captured all the saccharine angst that was Dawson, Pacey, Joey and the gang's many rites of passage in Capeside, Mass. Whoa. Suddenly I feel really, really old. Most Popular Stories
Popular Photo Galleries
Sexy AliensIf all space invaders looked like this, we'd be in trouble.
Joanna KrupaModel and Dancing with the Stars contestant Joanna Krupa
Twilight Saga: New MoonTeam Edward or Team Jacob?
FREE Movie of the Week
Love the Hard WayFilm.com's FREE movie of the week is "Love the Hard Way." Oscar-winner Adrien Brody and Charlotte Ayanna star in this drama about a thief who falls for a curious, beautiful young woman. As their intimacy grows, a slick cop (Pam Greer) is closing in.
Terms of Use |
Privacy Policy |
RealNetworks |
| FAQ |
RSS |
Mobile |
SiteMap |
Blog
|
Partners
Browse All: Movies | TV | Celebrities
Visit other RealNetworks sites: Rhapsody | Rolling Stone | RealGuide | RealArcade | LillyLikes | Ringback Tones | Advertise
© 2006-2009 RealNetworks. All Rights Reserved.
|