Tag: Home Improvement

Spring Rerun – Tube Tunes

I’m adapting this post from a few years ago because of a couple recent articles on MSN about TV theme songs. I clicked on one about the Top 30 best TV Theme songs, and that lead to MSN offering up many other “TV theme song” articles and lists, naturally. At any rate, back when this blog was in its infancy, I wrote a blog about them and I thought maybe it was time to revisit since I have many new followers.

Today, many shows don’t even bother with a theme song.  You see the credits scroll on the screen while the show is in progress.  This is sad.  To me, a TV theme song kind of sets the mood for the show.  Usually, it will be a song with catchy lyrics or a melody that you can hum along with.  Using that as my criteria, lets go back and look at some of my favorite theme songs from TV’s past.  When we’re done – tell me your favorites that I may have missed.

The 50’s

Two of the earliest themes on my list come from shows considered classics.  First, The Andy Griffith Show.  This catchy tune is one that you can whistle along with.  Even without looking at a screen, whistling it makes you picture Andy and Opie walking with their fishing poles to the lake. 

Second, The Dick Van Dyke Show.  What’s not to like about this one?  You only have to wonder whether or not he’s gonna trip over the ottoman when he walks in the house.

Then there is the Twilight Zone.  The haunting guitar part that plays those same four notes over and over is scary as hell!  As a kid, I remember freaking out when it was on.  Today, as I listen to it, it is perfect for the show.  It was the perfect music to play while Rod Serling explained that we were entering another dimension.  I can’t tell you how many times something obscure happens and I start humming the theme song!

One of the great 50’s themes is also one of the most recognizable is from the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock Presents. He is known for his movies, naturally, but his TV work was right up there with the aforementioned Twilight Zone.

Another one of my favorites was the theme to Perry Mason.  It was written by Fred Steiner who said he wanted to capture Perry’s sophistication and toughness.  The song is actually called Park Avenue Beat and it is a bluesy “piece of symphonic R&B”.  The song was re-recorded for the Perry Mason TV movies and was used by the Blues Brothers band while out touring.

Another theme song that I absolutely love, has a Blues Brothers tie in, too.  Peter Gunn is a private eye.  The initial base line accompanied by low brass instruments screams sleazy private eye.  It’s a great piece.  The song actually plays in the first Blues Brothers movie as the brothers are driving through Illinois.  They do a fine cover of it.

The 60’s

The shows of the 60’s and 70’s had some of the best theme songs!

The theme to Mission: Impossible is instantly recognizable.  It was composed by the great Lalo Schifrin.  What’s neat about the song is that it is in 5/4 time.  From the opening note – you can see the fuse light up and begin to burn.  It’s such a cool piece of music.  I was glad that they used it in the movies with Tom Cruise (even though I disliked them).

Wanna sing along with the theme to Batman?  You only need to sing the word “Batman” and you got it!  Neil Hefti, who was a composer and arranger, composed the theme with it’s simple guitar lick and vocal.  It was a hit for Hefti, The Ventures, and the The Marketts.

William Dozier, creator of Batman, also created the Green Hornet.  Even though the show didn’t last long, the theme song is memorable for a few reasons.  First, it is based on the classical piece, The Flight of the Bumblebee.  Second, playing the trumpet on the song is the great Al Hirt!  Classic!  One that you will hum for days.

Who can forget the theme to the Monkees?  “Here we come, walking down the street.  We get the funniest looks from, everyone we meet….”  Hey!  Hey!  They’re the Monkees!  For this show, they gathered 4 guys with little or no musical experience and made them a band.  The show appealed to kids and adults alike.  It was fast paced with quick jokes and 4 lovable characters who featured many of their hit songs on the show.

https://youtu.be/96A0uyFWQHs?si=TZOd0N9lkMroBH2W

In the 60’s the guitar played a big part in theme songs.  Think about this, The Munsters theme had such a catchy lick that was sampled for the song Uma Thurman by Fall Out Boy.  It was cool enough to sample for one of today’s hit songs.

One of those great guitar theme songs was to Get Smart.  The opening sequence changed a little from season to season, but it always included Don Adams walking through a corridor with sets of doors one right after another until he finally makes it to the payphone that gets him into CONTROL headquarters.  Love this song and it never fails, if I am ever walking down a long hallway – I will almost always start to hum this song.

I mentioned the Ventures earlier, and they have one of the coolest theme songs – Hawaii 5-0.  It was a huge instrumental hit for the band.  It’s a great balance of guitar and horns.  The use of the tympani drum and the pyramid effect by the horns in this song is masterful!  It’s one of those theme songs you instantly crank up.

Maybe it’s the marching band guy in me, but I always loved a good march. That’s what you get as the theme song for Hogan’s Heroes. We played this in our alumni band one year.

The 70’s

Disco was in and some theme songs were just “funky”.  Two examples of this are Barney Miller and it’s spin-off, Fish.  The funky bass in the two theme songs is prominent and sets the tone for the them.  The guitar melodies blend in and make them two themes that you could listen to over and over.  The horns in Barney Miller continue to crescendo to the end of the song itself.  It started slow and funky and ends in such a way that when it’s over you are disappointed cause you want more. The Twin Towers stand proudly in the opening scene as well.

It’s funny to listen to the Fish theme song again, because I realize how much it sounds like the theme from Night Court.

Norman Lear was a staple of 70’s TV.  He created All In The Family, Maude, The Jeffersons, Sanford and Son, Good Times, and the list of his credits goes on and on.  I have featured the Sanford and Son theme as a separate blog before, because it is one of my favorites. Here it is again, just because.

The Jeffersons was a spin-off of All In The Family.  George Jefferson is “moving on up” to a bigger and better life and that’s where the theme song sets you up.  It tells you the story.  The theme song was written by Ja’net Dubois (of Good Times) and Jeff Berry and sung by Dubois and a gospel choir.  Her vocal is amazing and so is the song.

How do I describe the theme song from What’s Happening!!?  As the show opens, the main characters are running down a sidewalk bouncing a ball.  The music kinda sounds like a ball is bouncing and then the soprano sax jumps in.  It’s odd, but it’s catchy.  It’s also written and composed by one of the most respected men in music – Henry Mancini!

The 70’s introduced us to the superhero Wonder Woman.  I do not know a boy alive who did not have a crush on Lynda Carter.  Much like the Batman theme, this theme repeats the character’s name a few times, but then expands on how wonderful she is.  There is a funky little bass line that drives the song and I can’t really remember much more because I was watching Lynda Carter run ….

Welcome Back, Kotter was the show that introduced us to John Travolta.  It was a comedy about a guy (Gabe Kaplan) who goes back to his old neighborhood to teach.  The show was originally going to be called Kotter.  The title was changed, however, because of the theme song.  It was written and recorded by former lead singer of the Lovin’ Spoonful, John Sebastian.   The song hit the charts and went all the way up to #1.  This song give you the feel of the “folksy” 70’s.

Ok, I have to include the theme from a show that I watched faithfully every week as a kid. I was introduced to many stars and a lot of songs by watching this show. How can I not include The Muppet Show

The 80’s

There are so many great theme songs from the 80’s!  Let’s start with Night Court.  Night Court’s theme song throws me back to the 70’s because of that funky bass open – even more so now that I have listened to the Fish theme!  You also have that soprano sax melody.  It’s not a long theme, and when it’s done, you wish that you could find somewhere an “extended club mix”.

I just wrote about this next show for a Blogathon and did an entire blog on it as well. Police Squad only produced 6 episodes and it was cancelled.  It starred Leslie Nielson as Lt. Frank Drebin.  At the time, the network didn’t think that a show like Police Squad would be something an audience would want to watch (so they could catch all the jokes – remember, this was done by the guys who gave us the movie Airplane!).  The theme song was accompanied by a voice over announcer reading the credits.  He would also announce tonight’s guest star (who would always die during the credits) and give the name of the episode (which never matched with the title read on the screen).  Thankfully, when the Naked Gun movies were made, the kept the theme song.

In 1980, Urban Cowboy hit theaters and country music was all the rage.  It only made sense that we’d have a country comedy show on TV.  That show was the Dukes of Hazzard.  Talk about big name singers – Waylon Jennings sings the theme song, and he was also the show’s narrator.  The song was released as a single in August of 1980, and it went to #1 on the Billboard Country Charts!  Yee-haw!

The 90’s

It is here that we begin to see the decline in the use of the TV theme song.  As a matter of fact, it became a habit to edit them down to 10-30 seconds from the already short 60 seconds.  There are some that stand out for me though from this decade.

Tim Allen’s Home Improvement was a show based on his comedy act.  His grunts and vocalizations intermingle through the theme song, almost as if they are a part of the musical score.  The theme song almost sounds like a “work” song, both in sound and in tempo.

Seinfeld was one of those shows who used a theme song for a while, and used it at the end of the show, but often times especially in the show’s later seasons, it was shortened.  The bubbly, poppy, twangy bass, and silly feel will forever be associated with the show about nothing and it’s silly characters.

From the opening guitar of “I’ll Be There for You” by the Rembrandts, you are in New York with Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Joey, Phoebe and Monica.  The theme to the show Friends was an international hit.  It was a song that was requested on radio and used at wedding receptions to introduce bridal parties.  The song is heavily influenced by the Beatles (I Feel Fine) and the Monkees (Pleasant Valley Sunday).  It was originally just one minute long, but the band went in an recorded an extended version, which became a radio hit.

Who could forget It’s Garry Shandling’s Show?  The show, in itself, was silly.  Garry interacts with the cast, but often will interact with the studio audience as well.  It was just so weird.  The theme song is just as weird.  It’s a bouncy song that basically references itself (this is the theme to Garry’s show) and tells you how it came to be (Garry called me up and asked if I would write his theme song) and then asks how you like it (we’re almost halfway finished how do you like it so far?).  The melody is so catchy, you can’t help but want to sing (or whistle) along with it.

One that I loved singing along to was the theme to That 70’s Show. The first season’s version was done by Todd Griffin, but from season 2 onward the group Cheap Trick sang the theme song. It rocked a bit more that season one.

2000-2010

There were only a few shows that I really enjoyed watching by this time. One that made me laugh out loud all the time was Arrested Development. This ridiculous silly theme song seemed so out of place, but I loved it

I really loved the show House MD. The theme song is actually a song that has a vocal called “Teardrop” by the group Massive Attack. If you hear the vocal version, you wonder how or why anyone would think to use this as the theme to a medical show…

The medical comedy Scrubs was a very good show which reminded me a lot of MASH. The theme on the show is only like 20 seconds long. However, I found the full version by Lazlo Bane called, “Superman.”

Another really short theme which I loved came from another show that made me laugh. 30 Rock. This cast was so good and the theme conveys the craziness that the characters experience while trying to put on their show. There is a couple full versions of the theme which can be found on the official soundtrack, but here is the TV version.

Wrapping up

I know I’m going to go back over this and think about many others I forgot to mention, but for now, I will stop here. So think about this for a minute:

With the TV theme song becoming more and more absent from TV…what are your thoughts?  Which ones did you love growing up?  Which ones do you still sing?  Which ones did you hate?

Now it’s your turn – I look forward to seeing your comments.

It’s Coming Along

My father-in-law and I are a far cry from Al Borland and Tim “the Tool Man” Taylor. As I have stated before, he is brilliant when it comes to home improvement projects. Any time we have run into a snag, he’s always been able to find the right solution.

A few days ago, I posted about the deck project. If you missed it, you can read that post here:

Hit the Deck!

He came over Saturday afternoon and we got the remaining two posts up. Afterward, we had to trek off to Menards to get the rest of the deck boards. They still have our street tore up and Sam wasn’t sure he’d be able to get his trailer down the road, so he didn’t bring it with him. Instead, we took his truck to get our supplies.

He is always thinking ahead. Knowing that the deck boards were 12 feet long, he packed a battery operated circular saw. Once we got all the boards, we found a spot in the back of the parking lot and began cutting them in half so we could put them in the back of the truck.

Once we got back home, we began to lay the deck boards. For some reason, some of the tongues were not fitting into the grooves. They should just fit together like a puzzle piece.

We needed 45 deck boards. We went through and picked the best looking ones out of the ones they had there. Some were a little darker than the others, some seemed a little thinner than the others, but they are all the same part number.

When we start laying them in, some really had to be forced together. We were tapping them in with a 2×4 and a sledge hammer in order to get them to snap together. Some of the boards may have been bowed a bit, too. It was a lot more challenging than we expected. We did make headway, though.

We’re about half way there.

My father-in-law plans to put the remaining ones on and then trim the ends. He says it will be easy, and I trust him. He is having some surgery this week which will slow him down. He was talking about coming over this weekend to finish, but I told him there was no hurry. Sam and I were more worried about getting the support posts up. There are still boards leading to the door, so we can wait a little while.

I may attempt to lay a couple down, but I’m not sure I want to try without him there. I’m so grateful for his help on this!

Project Update

The “Closet to Nook” project is underway. I neglected to get a true “before” picture, but I did get some pictures of the early stages.

The first thing my father-in-law and I did was rip out all of the shelving and such that was in the closet.

The above is a look directly into the closet. There was a shelf up top that had the bar to hang coats and such on hanging below it. That stuff came off the wall fairly easily. If you look in and to the right you can see where there were other shelves.

The shelves that were in there were hand made and thankfully didn’t take too much to get out. My father-in-law and I started framing things up as you can see above. Originally, my wife just wanted us to put a wall up and cover the hole back there. (More on that in a minute.)

The frame above the floor is where the bench seat is going to go. We added a couple diagonal beams (like a V) to stabilize the bench (especially for when fat guys like me sit on it!). Now let’s talk about Project Problem #1.

Because this closet was not square really anywhere, we had to make it square. Lots of adjustments and such. We got it as close as we could and started framing and putting every thing together. We were checking to make sure everything was level and there were plenty of screws and nails.

Once the bench frame was ready, we laid the premeasured bench board on top. To our surprise, it was about 2 inches short. We both stood there and looked at it. My father-in-law says, “You know what we forgot to do? We forgot to subtract that extra inch and a half off for that beam in the back.” So I asked him what we needed to do now. He says, “Well, we’re gonna unscrew all of those boards and trim them up and put it all back together again.”

Now, it took about an hour and a half to cut, frame, measure, and screw everything into place. The last thing I wanted to do was undo all that we had done. So I asked, “What if we get a bigger board?” He says, “Well, we could do that. We’d have to cut it to size, though.” Well, I spent the extra money on a new piece of wood, because it was the easy (and granted, more expensive) way out. Once it was cut, it fit perfectly!

The second day of work, we took all the OSB wood and cut them in slats. We’re going to paint the walls, so it won’t look like it does in the picture. My father-in-law asked me again about “walling up” the side of the closet where the shelves were. I asked Sam and she said that she didn’t want shelves and that we were going to put a wall up.

While my father-in-law and I were outside cutting the OSB into slats, Sam and her mom got to talking. (Sam’s mom was there watching the kids while we worked.) We came back in and we found out that they had been discussing the possibility of a cabinet in that wall. So her dad says, “We could do that if you want.” He explained that we had just about enough room to maybe fit one and place OSB above and below it. This, of course, meant another trip the the store.

My father-in-law is one of the brightest guys I know. In every project we have tackled, he has always been able to find a solution. So as we are walking in the store, he says we can do a cabinet or maybe a closet organizer might work. We looked at both and decided the cabinet would be the easiest way to get what we wanted. So we walked back to the cabinet area and spoke with someone.

We knew that we had 54 inches to play with for height. A 40 inch tall cabinet would work. We had 17 inches as our width. The cabinet we wanted was 18 inches wide. No worries, though, because my father-in-law told me we had an inch of wood that we could just trim out and make it fit. So we ask the gal to get us all we need. She runs all the numbers and says it would be about $160 for everything. Perfect. “Oh, wait a minute,” she says.

They didn’t have that cabinet in stock and would have to order it. My father-in-law looked at me and said, “Well, that won’t work.” So we asked what cabinet that size they did have in stock. She tapped a bunch of stuff back in the computer and found one. The door was different and it was about $40 more. “Ring it up!” I said. By this time I was so ready to be done with this!

I had no problem paying extra. It is for my wife and I want it to look good for her! So we brought the cabinet home and built something for it to slide in and sit on and mounted it. I was impressed with how easy this portion of the project went.

So all that we really have to do now is finish putting the OSB up along the side of the cabinet and up on the top of it. Then we have some trim we need to work on closer to the ceiling. We also are going to run a router over the edge of the bench seat edge. After that, we should ne ready to paint.

I can tell you that I would NEVER tackle anything like this by myself. My father-in-law has been such an amazing mentor to me when it comes to this stuff. His tape measure got caught on a board and got bent up while working on the project. When we went to the store to get the cabinet he grabbed a new one. When we got the the register, he picked it up and was going to pay for it himself. I grabbed it back from him and told him that I would get it! With all the things he has helped me with, I certainly wasn’t about to let him pay for a new tape measure!

More to come …

*Yawn* – I need sleep – or coffee

It’s been an extremely long day for me. I was up early with Ella, had an appointment in the afternoon, and still have to go into work tonight. I’m sure that I’ll be drinking plenty of coffee tonight!

Another Milestone

We’ve been trying to get Ella to sit up. Sam has been doing it with her off and on, and this morning, I sat her up while I was on the floor next to her. She can sit up for a minute or two at a time now! While it is amazing to watch her grow and achieve these amazing milestones, with each one, I am reminded of just how time flies.

Soon, she will be crawling, then walking, then driving! Where’s the pause button?!

Thank You

Thanks for your prayers and your positive vibes! I appreciate them very much. As I mentioned in my last blog, I am working on a few things and am not really to the point where I want to go into detail. I will just say that things are progressing and hopefully things will fall into place. One never knows what to expect when you take a chance on the unknown, but I certainly pray that this is an opportunity to do big things. I’d appreciate if you’d keep sending those prayers!

Am I The Only One Who Thinks This?

So I had a meeting this afternoon. During this meeting everyone is wearing masks. There are no handshakes. There is social distancing. As I looked at everyone else in their masks, I began to think, “We’re all Wilson from Home Improvement!” All we could see were each other’s eyes! “Hi Dee Ho, Neighbor!”

I Thought This Was Cool

I may have mentioned this before, but it is weird to watch baseball without fans in the stands. I recently saw this on Facebook and had to give kudos. Imagine you’ve bought season tickets to see your favorite team play, and then Covid hits and you cannot see the games. The Pittsburgh Pirates sent this to one of their season ticket holders:

How cool is that?! I always hope to catch a foul ball at a ball game. I’m sure this fan had to be excited to get this. Kudos to the Pirates for doing this!

Your Feel Good Internet Moment …

During “Quarantine 2020” many folks stayed at home and binge watched TV shows. Jennifer Garner recently binged watched all the episodes of The Office. The series finale brought her to tears. She actually recorded her reaction, but accidentally recorded it in slow motion. This led many of the stars of the show to respond to her post. It’s worth the watch – see it at the link below:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/the-office-stars-weigh-in-on-jennifer-garners-emotional-finale-reaction-video/ar-BB18mbxe?li=BBnb7Kz

I Need To Nap!

With that, I will sign off! Need to snooze before work – gonna be a long night!

Thanks for reading! *Yawn*

Tube Tunes….

sanford 1

Today, Quincy Jones turns 85.  He is a legend in the music business.  He is a record producer, actor, conductor, composer, musician, TV & film producer, instrumentalist, magazine founder, entertainment company executive and humanitarian.  He’s worked with some of the best musicians and produced some of the biggest albums in history.  He has worked with everyone from Frank Sinatra to Michael Jackson.  Call my crazy, but despite all of the things Quincy Jones is known for – I remember him for one thing – he recorded the Sanford and Son Theme song!

There was just something cool about this theme song.  The opening bass line followed by the catchy melody.  To this day, I laugh when I see a beat up truck driving around, I will sing the Sanford theme out loud!  In an episode of Scrubs, JD and Turk are having a serious discussion, that eventually ends up with them singing and dancing to the Sanford theme!  Recently someone did a “mash up” with Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines and, you guessed it, the theme to Sanford and Son.

Today, many shows don’t even bother with a theme song.  You see the credits scroll on the screen while the show is in progress.  This is sad.  A TV theme song kind of sets the mood for the show.  It will be a song with catchy lyrics or a melody that you can hum along with.  Today, lets go back and look at some of my favorite theme songs from TV’s past.  When we’re done – tell me your favorites that I may have missed.

The 50’s

Two of the earliest themes on my list come from shows considered classics.  First, The Andy Griffith Show.  This catchy tune is one that you can whistle along with.  Even without looking at a screen, whistling it makes you picture Andy and Opie walking with their fishing poles to the lake.  Second, The Dick Van Dyke Show.  What’s not to like about this one?  You only have to wonder whether or not he’s gonna trip over the ottoman when he walks in the house.

Then there is the Twilight Zone.  The haunting guitar part that plays those same four notes over and over is scary as hell!  As a kid, I remember freaking out when it was on.  Today, as I listen to it, it is perfect for the show.  It was the perfect music to play while Rod Serling explained that we were entering another dimension.  I can’t tell you how many times something obscure happens and I start humming the theme song!

Another one of my favorites was the theme to Perry Mason.  It was written by Fred Steiner who said he wanted to capture Perry’s sophistication and toughness.  The song is actually called Park Avenue Beat and it is a bluesy “piece of symphonic R&B”.  The song was re-recorded for the Perry Mason TV movies and was used by the Blues Brothers band while out touring.

Another theme song that I absolutely love, has a Blues Brothers tie in, too.  Peter Gunn is a private eye.  The initial base line accompanied by low brass instruments screams sleazy private eye.  It’s a great piece.  The song actually plays in the first Blues Brothers movie as the brothers are driving through Illinois.  They do a fine cover of it.

The 60’s

The shows of the 60’s and 70’s had some of the best theme songs!

The theme to Mission: Impossible is instantly recognizable.  It was composed by the great Lalo Schifrin.  What’s neat about the song is that it is in 5/4 time.  From the opening note – you can see the fuse light up and begin to burn.  It’s such a cool piece of music.  I was glad that they used it in the movies with Tom Cruise (even though I disliked them).

Wanna sing along with the theme to Batman?  You only need to sing the word “Batman” and you got it!  Neil Hefti, who was a composer and arranger, composed the theme with it’s simple guitar lick and vocal.  It was a hit for Hefti, The Ventures, and the The Marketts.

William Dozier, creator of Batman, also created the Green Hornet.  Even though the show didn’t last long, the theme song is memorable for a few reasons.  First, it is based on the classical piece, The Flight of the Bumblebee.  Second, playing the trumpet on the song is the great Al Hirt!  Classic!  One that you will hum for days.

Who can forget the theme to the Monkees?  “Here we come, walking down the street.  We get the funniest looks from, everyone we meet….”  Hey!  Hey!  They’re the Monkees!  For this show, they gathered 4 guys with little or no musical experience and made them a band.  The show appealed to kids and adults alike.  It was fast paced with quick jokes and 4 lovable characters who featured many of their hit songs on the show.

In the 60’s the guitar played a big part in theme songs.  Think about this, The Munsters theme had such a catchy lick that was sampled for the song Uma Thurman by Fall Out Boy.  It was cool enough to sample for one of today’s hit songs.

One of those great guitar theme songs was to Get Smart.  The opening sequence changed a little from season to season, but it always included Don Adams walking through a corridor with sets of doors one right after another until he finally makes it to the payphone that gets him into CONTROL headquarters.  Love this song and it never fails, if I am ever walking down a long hallway – I will almost always start to hum this song.

I mentioned the Ventures earlier, and they have one of the coolest theme songs – Hawaii 5-0.  It was a huge instrumental hit for the band.  It’s a great balance of guitar and horns.  The use of the tympani drum and the pyramid effect by the horns in this song is masterful!  It’s one of those theme songs you instantly crank up.

The 70’s

Disco was in and some theme songs were just “funky”.  Two examples of this are Barney Miller and it’s spin-off, Fish.  The funky bass in the two theme songs is prominent and sets the tone for the them.  The guitar melodies blend in and make them two themes that you could listen to over and over.  The horns in Barney Miller continue to crescendo to the end of the song itself.  It started slow and funky and ends in such a way that when it’s over you are disappointed cause you want more.

Norman Lear was a staple of 70’s TV.  He created All In The Family, Maude, The Jeffersons, Sanford and Son, Good Times, and the list of his credits goes on and on.  The Jeffersons was a spin-off of All In The Family.  George Jefferson is “moving on up” to a bigger and better life and that’s where the theme song sets you up.  It tells you the story.  The theme song was written by Ja’net Dubois (of Good Times) and Jeff Berry and sung by Dubois and a gospel choir.  Her vocal is amazing and so is the song.

How do I describe the theme song from What’s Happening!!?  As the show opens, the main characters are running down a sidewalk bouncing a ball.  The music kinda sounds like a ball is bouncing and then the soprano sax jumps in.  It’s odd, but it’s catchy.  It’s also written and composed by one of the most respected men in music – Henry Mancini!

The 70’s introduced us to the superhero Wonder Woman.  I do not know a boy alive who did not have a crush on Lynda Carter.  Much like the Batman theme, this theme repeats the character’s name a few times, but then expands on how wonderful she is.  There is a funky little bass line that drives the song and I can’t really remember much more because I was watching Lynda Carter run ….

Welcome Back, Kotter was the show that introduced us to John Travolta.  It was a comedy about a guy (Gabe Kaplan) who goes back to his old neighborhood to teach.  The show was originally going to be called Kotter.  The title was changed, however, because of the theme song.  It was written and recorded by former lead singer of the Lovin’ Spoonful, John Sebastian.   The song hit the charts and went all the way up to #1.  This song give you the feel of the “folksy” 70’s.

The 80’s

There are so many great theme songs from the 80’s!  Let’s start with Night Court.  Night Court’s theme song throws me back to the 70’s because of that funky bass open.  You also have that soprano sax melody.  It’s not a long theme, and when it’s done, you wish that you could find somewhere an “extended club mix”.

Police Squad only produced 6 episodes and it was cancelled.  It starred Leslie Nielson as Lt. Frank Drebin.  At the time, the network didn’t think that a show like Police Squad would be something an audience would want to watch (so they could catch all the jokes – remember, this was done by the guys who gave us the movie Airplane!).  The theme song was accompanied by a voice over announcer reading the credits.  He would also announce tonight’s guest star (who would always die during the credits) and give the name of the episode (which never matched with the title read on the screen).  Thankfully, when the Naked Gun movies were made, the kept the theme song.

In 1980, Urban Cowboy hit theaters and country music was all the rage.  It only made sense that we’d have a country comedy show on TV.  That show was the Dukes of Hazzard.  Talk about big name singers – Waylon Jennings sings the theme song, and he was also the show’s narrator.  The song was released as a single in August of 1980, and it went to #1 on the Billboard Country Charts!  Yee-haw!

The 90’s

It is here that we begin to see the decline in the use of the TV theme song.  As a matter of fact, it became a habit to edit them down to 10-30 seconds from the already short 60 seconds.  There are some that stand out for me though from this decade.

Tim Allen’s Home Improvement was a show based on his comedy act.  His grunts and vocalizations intermingle through the theme song, almost as if they are a part of the musical score.  The theme song almost sounds like a “work” song, both in sound and in tempo.

Seinfeld was one of those shows who used a theme song for a while, and used it at the end of the show, but often times especially in the show’s later seasons, it was shortened.  The bubbly, poppy, twangy bass, and silly feel will forever be associated with the show about nothing and it’s silly characters.

From the opening guitar of “I’ll Be There for You” by the Rembrandts, you are in New York with Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Joey, Phoebe and Monica.  The theme to the show Friends was an international hit.  It was a song that was requested on radio and used at wedding receptions to introduce bridal parties.  The song is heavily influenced by the Beatles (I Feel Fine) and the Monkees (Pleasant Valley Sunday).  It was originally just one minute long, but the band went in an recorded an extended version, which became a radio hit.

Who could forget It’s Garry Shandling’s Show?  The show, in itself, was silly.  Garry interacts with the cast, but often will interact with the studio audience as well.  It was just so weird.  The theme song is just as weird.  It’s a bouncy song that basically references itself (this is the theme to Garry’s show) and tells you how it came to be (Garry called me up and asked if I would write his theme song) and then asks how you like it (we’re almost halfway finished how do you like it so far?).  The melody is so catchy, you can’t help but want to sing (or whistle) along with it.

Wrapping up

With the TV theme song becoming more and more absent from TV…what are your thoughts?  Which ones did you love growing up?  Which ones do you still sing?  Which ones did you hate?

Now it’s your turn – I look forward to seeing your comments.