Whatever happened to TV theme music? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Mr. Television · 06-04-2009, 04:48 PM

http://www.variety.com/article/VR111...ryId=3640&cs=1

Whatever happened to TV theme music?
Main-title melodies were once cultural touchstones

By JON BURLINGAME

Nearly 35 years ago, producers Thomas Miller and Edward Milkis put together a 20-minute presentation to convince ABC that two guest stars on "Happy Days" could be spun off into their own series.
They shot just a few new scenes of Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams as "Laverne & Shirley" but, recalls composer Charles Fox, they insisted on a 75-second main-title sequence with a fully produced song, "so, right from the beginning, people would know what it was about."

Fox and lyricist Norman Gimbel came up with "Making Our Dreams Come True." It became a top-25 hit -- one of many TV theme hits for Fox, who won an Emmy for "Love, American Style" and wrote themes for "Happy Days," "The Love Boat," "Angie" and others.

Today a composer is happy to get 10 seconds on a broadcast skein, and hit TV themes are rare.

Over the past 15 years, the broadcast networks have demanded shorter main-title sequences, preferring to jump into the action faster and thus reduce the chance that viewers will flip to another channel. Emmy's Main Title Theme Music category, however, disallows themes under 15 seconds, so many network shows are ineligible.

Last year's theme-music Emmy winner, Russ Landau ("Pirate Master"), says, "It's getting tougher and tougher to convince (decisionmakers) to spend the time that they would normally be making on advertising dollars.

But some producers like music -- Mark Burnett ("Survivor") likes a good, long-line theme. It sets the tone for the show."

Jeff Beal, who scores ABC's "Ugly Betty," gets 12 seconds -- so short a time that the music can't really be called a theme.

"It's a little sonic signature that says a lot about the style of the show and who the character is," he explains, its prominent marimba suggesting Betty's Mexican heritage.

For USA's "Monk," Beal got 45 seconds (and won one of his three Emmys), and for HBO's "Rome" he got a minute and a half. Longer openings offer a chance "to tell more of a musical story," he says.

"Heroes," by contrast, gave composers Lisa Coleman and Wendy Melvoin just 10 seconds. "You have to think in terms of 'stings,'" says Coleman, referring to the film-music tradition of brief but impactful musical statements. "We knew it had to be big and somewhat supernatural sounding. It didn't need to be terribly melodic, just atmospheric."

This year, PBS producer David Horn wanted to reinvigorate the opening sequence of "Great Performances" for the high-def era and called five-time Oscar winner John Williams to compose new theme music. Williams' piece debuted March 25 and is only his third primetime series signature in 25 years.

"It is elegant, and it sneaks up on you," says Horn, who previously had commissioned Oscar winners John Corigliano and Maurice Jarre to write "Great Performances" themes.

"I wanted to use a full symphonic orchestra, to invite the viewer to come in to a series that we like to think is classy," says Horn -- "one week the Metropolitan Opera, next week Carnegie Hall, then a musical theater piece, Shakespearean drama, a lot of different things."

In contrast, say many observers, the commercial networks are missing a bet by ignoring the power of a good theme.

"Quickening the pace, getting into storylines faster, all conspire against the theme," says Cleveland Plain Dealer TV critic Mark Dawidziak. "But on cable, the name of the game is people knowing who you are -- FX viewers, USA viewers, HBO viewers -- and this is where that old-fashioned network thinking comes into play. They hear that music and they remember that opening."

"Eighty years from now," he adds, "today's kids, sitting in their wheelchairs in the nursing home, will be humming the 'SpongeBob SquarePants' theme in much the same way that we know the theme songs of our youth. It's more than just a TV theme. It becomes a communal thing, a shared cultural point among your friends, your community."

Marvo301 · 06-04-2009, 05:48 PM

Unfortunately it's all about the bucks. The shorter the theme, the more time for commercials. This is unfortunate because a good theme song can help people who have never seen an episode of a series understand exactly what's going on. For example the "Gilligan's Island" theme explains how this diverse group of people got marooned on an uncharted isle together. Or the "Brady Bunch" theme which explains how two families became one. TV theme songs used to be an art form. Unfortunately it's a dying art.

Brent88 · 06-04-2009, 05:58 PM

It's really sad, I think it's two things: Money and time constraints. A show BARELY runs 21 minutes now, and that includes everything including the opening and closing credits. That there's so many commercials now(and it slowly gets worse each year, shows ran nearly 25 minutes 15 years ago) is what's even sadder. I miss theme songs. I listen to old ones all the time just to be listening to them.

bmasters9 · 06-04-2009, 07:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brent88

I miss theme songs. I listen to old ones all the time just to be listening to them.

You're not the only one-- I do that myself. There are certain opening themes that I strongly believe are the cream of the crop, such as those from:

"Hawaii Five-O"
"Trapper John, M.D."
"Hardcastle and McCormick"
"Dallas"
"Mary Tyler Moore"
"Hart to Hart"
"What's Happening!!"
"CHiPs"
"St. Elsewhere"
"Hill Street Blues"
"Hotel"

Those are some of my favorites. What about yours?

megamanj2004 · 06-05-2009, 03:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bmasters9

You're not the only one-- I do that myself. There are certain opening themes that I strongly believe are the cream of the crop, such as those from:

"Hawaii Five-O"
"Trapper John, M.D."
"Hardcastle and McCormick"
"Dallas"
"Mary Tyler Moore"
"Hart to Hart"
"What's Happening!!"
"CHiPs"
"St. Elsewhere"
"Hill Street Blues"
"Hotel"

Those are some of my favorites. What about yours?

Most of the themes you just said are right up my alley!

Here are some of my other faves:

"Dragnet" - Those DUN-DUN-DUN-DUNN! DUN-DUN-DUN-DUNN! DUNNNNNNNN! notes already will tell you that you're about to hear that true story.
"Mission: Impossible"
"Mannix"
"The Flintstones" (both versions were pretty nifty!)
"The Jetsons"
"S.W.A.T."
"The Rockford Files"
"The A-Team"
"Night Court"
"Barney Miller"
"Ducktales"
"Chip and Dale's Rescue Rangers"
"Gummi Bears"
"Sledge Hammer!"
"The Sopranos" - IMO, it's one of my favorite themes to come from this decade.

It just sucks nowadays that any TV themes that emerge from this decade on regular network TV last at most 30 seconds and sometimes you can't help but even wonder if it's even a TV theme at all.

And even reruns of some older shows' TV themes get sped-up faster than Alvin and the Chipmunks, which also takes the joy out of enjoying a show's TV theme.

comedyfreak · 06-05-2009, 07:24 AM

That's part of what makes classic shows so good were the catchy themes. Unfortunatley the greedy networks care more about money than a quality show which includes a good theme.

Vahan · 06-05-2009, 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by megamanj2004

"Dragnet" - Those DUN-DUN-DUN-DUNN! DUN-DUN-DUN-DUNN! DUNNNNNNNN! notes already will tell you that you're about to hear that true story.
"Mission: Impossible"
"Mannix"
"The Flintstones" (both versions were pretty nifty!)
"The Jetsons"
"S.W.A.T."
"The Rockford Files"
"The A-Team"
"Night Court"
"Barney Miller"
"Ducktales"
"Chip and Dale's Rescue Rangers"
"Gummi Bears"
"Sledge Hammer!"
"The Sopranos" - IMO, it's one of my favorite themes to come from this decade.

Don't forget Cheers' (by Gary Portnoy & Judy Hart Angelo), Mr. Belvedere's (also by Gary and Judy), The Jefferson's (Movin' On Up), and MTM's theme songs (Love is All Around). Without Cheers' theme song, how would you ever know that it was about a bar where everyone there knows your name, without Belvey's theme song, how would you ever know that it was about an American family who needs all the help that they can get from one of their new arrivals, without The Jefferson's theme, how would you ever know that it was about an African-American family moving to a new apartment, and without MTM's theme song, how would you ever know that it was about an independent woman starting a new life in Minneapolis?

megamanj2004 · 06-05-2009, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tvholic1987

Don't forget Cheers' (by Gary Portnoy & Judy Hart Angelo), Mr. Belvedere's (also by Gary and Judy), The Jefferson's (Movin' On Up), and MTM's theme songs (Love is All Around). Without Cheers' theme song, how would you ever know that it was about a bar where everyone there knows your name, without Belvey's theme song, how would you ever know that it was about an American family who needs all the help that they can get from one of their new arrivals, without The Jefferson's theme, how would you ever know that it was about an African-American family moving to a new apartment, and without MTM's theme song, how would you ever know that it was about an independent woman starting a new life in Minneapolis?

Exactly.

Heck or even the theme song from WKRP in Cincinnatti, which was about a radio guy finally settling into his new radio station after moving from station to station to turn around a struggling radio station.

DSfan · 06-05-2009, 02:37 PM

My favourite theme songs are (in no particular order)

Wonder Years (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CZRudxD-NQ)
Diff'rent Strokes (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQMfN...eature=related)
Growing Pains (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIcXDo82S_Y)
Family Ties (
Taxi (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kzhwx...eature=related)
Bosom Buddies (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORKyyHBy6JQ)

probably forgetting some but Bosom Buddies and Growing Pains are definitely some of my all-time favs, ALF too!

catlover79 · 06-05-2009, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by comedyfreak

That's part of what makes classic shows so good were the catchy themes. Unfortunatley the greedy networks care more about money than a quality show which includes a good theme.

You hit the nail right on the head. Sad but true.

Fleet · 06-05-2009, 11:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bmasters9

Those are some of my favorites. What about yours?

A few of my favorite TV theme songs...

- Star Trek (original series)
- Bewitched
- Bonanza
- Starsky & Hutch
- The Munsters
- I Love Lucy
- The Honeymooners
- The Flintstones
- Adam-12

dakert · 06-05-2009, 11:50 PM

The Monkees was a good one

Tubehead · 06-06-2009, 01:44 PM

mine favorites are:
Family ties my all time favorite theme song
the gloden girls
sanford and son
the jerffersons
step by step
boy meets world
the wonderyears
early edition
Quatam leap

McGillicuddy · 06-06-2009, 02:04 PM

I think Gilligan's Iland's theme is the most popular. I've heard sing-alongs of Gilligan in bars, on camping trips, car rides, bus rides, and boat rides. Others The Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, The Flintstones, The Brady Bunch. I miss tv themes so much!

My favorite non-lyric themes are Dynasty and The Colbys. I used to love watching those intros as they introduce who's currently on the show, and top it off with.....and Joan Collins as Alexis!

McGillicuddy · 06-06-2009, 09:25 PM

Who all thinks shows like Gilligan's Island, The Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, and The Addams Family, would have become such cult phenomenons without their theme songs, that told their stories? Maybe thats why a clever show like Samantha Who?, in 2009 didn't draw the viewership the network wanted. Maybe they need to bring back the tv theme, even if they only show it occasionally, to draw more attention to it.

06-04-2009, 04:48 PM	#1
Mr. Television 23 Years at Sitcoms Online Forum Icon Join Date: Jun 06, 2003 Location: Somewhere you're Not Posts: 62,132	Whatever happened to TV theme music? http://www.variety.com/article/VR111...ryId=3640&cs=1 Whatever happened to TV theme music? Main-title melodies were once cultural touchstones By JON BURLINGAME Nearly 35 years ago, producers Thomas Miller and Edward Milkis put together a 20-minute presentation to convince ABC that two guest stars on "Happy Days" could be spun off into their own series. They shot just a few new scenes of Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams as "Laverne & Shirley" but, recalls composer Charles Fox, they insisted on a 75-second main-title sequence with a fully produced song, "so, right from the beginning, people would know what it was about." Fox and lyricist Norman Gimbel came up with "Making Our Dreams Come True." It became a top-25 hit -- one of many TV theme hits for Fox, who won an Emmy for "Love, American Style" and wrote themes for "Happy Days," "The Love Boat," "Angie" and others. Today a composer is happy to get 10 seconds on a broadcast skein, and hit TV themes are rare. Over the past 15 years, the broadcast networks have demanded shorter main-title sequences, preferring to jump into the action faster and thus reduce the chance that viewers will flip to another channel. Emmy's Main Title Theme Music category, however, disallows themes under 15 seconds, so many network shows are ineligible. Last year's theme-music Emmy winner, Russ Landau ("Pirate Master"), says, "It's getting tougher and tougher to convince (decisionmakers) to spend the time that they would normally be making on advertising dollars. But some producers like music -- Mark Burnett ("Survivor") likes a good, long-line theme. It sets the tone for the show." Jeff Beal, who scores ABC's "Ugly Betty," gets 12 seconds -- so short a time that the music can't really be called a theme. "It's a little sonic signature that says a lot about the style of the show and who the character is," he explains, its prominent marimba suggesting Betty's Mexican heritage. For USA's "Monk," Beal got 45 seconds (and won one of his three Emmys), and for HBO's "Rome" he got a minute and a half. Longer openings offer a chance "to tell more of a musical story," he says. "Heroes," by contrast, gave composers Lisa Coleman and Wendy Melvoin just 10 seconds. "You have to think in terms of 'stings,'" says Coleman, referring to the film-music tradition of brief but impactful musical statements. "We knew it had to be big and somewhat supernatural sounding. It didn't need to be terribly melodic, just atmospheric." This year, PBS producer David Horn wanted to reinvigorate the opening sequence of "Great Performances" for the high-def era and called five-time Oscar winner John Williams to compose new theme music. Williams' piece debuted March 25 and is only his third primetime series signature in 25 years. "It is elegant, and it sneaks up on you," says Horn, who previously had commissioned Oscar winners John Corigliano and Maurice Jarre to write "Great Performances" themes. "I wanted to use a full symphonic orchestra, to invite the viewer to come in to a series that we like to think is classy," says Horn -- "one week the Metropolitan Opera, next week Carnegie Hall, then a musical theater piece, Shakespearean drama, a lot of different things." In contrast, say many observers, the commercial networks are missing a bet by ignoring the power of a good theme. "Quickening the pace, getting into storylines faster, all conspire against the theme," says Cleveland Plain Dealer TV critic Mark Dawidziak. "But on cable, the name of the game is people knowing who you are -- FX viewers, USA viewers, HBO viewers -- and this is where that old-fashioned network thinking comes into play. They hear that music and they remember that opening." "Eighty years from now," he adds, "today's kids, sitting in their wheelchairs in the nursing home, will be humming the 'SpongeBob SquarePants' theme in much the same way that we know the theme songs of our youth. It's more than just a TV theme. It becomes a communal thing, a shared cultural point among your friends, your community."
	__________________ Sonny

06-04-2009, 05:48 PM	#2
Marvo301 I'm NOT a Blockhead! Forum Celebrity Join Date: May 17, 2002 Location: The Great White North Posts: 21,460	Unfortunately it's all about the bucks. The shorter the theme, the more time for commercials. This is unfortunate because a good theme song can help people who have never seen an episode of a series understand exactly what's going on. For example the "Gilligan's Island" theme explains how this diverse group of people got marooned on an uncharted isle together. Or the "Brady Bunch" theme which explains how two families became one. TV theme songs used to be an art form. Unfortunately it's a dying art.
	__________________ Only a life lived for others is worth living. Albert Einstein A life isn't worth living unless it has impact on other lives. Jackie Robinson Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man. Benjamin Franklin

06-04-2009, 05:58 PM	#3
Brent88 Member Forum Star Join Date: Aug 01, 2003 Location: Alabama Posts: 16,174	It's really sad, I think it's two things: Money and time constraints. A show BARELY runs 21 minutes now, and that includes everything including the opening and closing credits. That there's so many commercials now(and it slowly gets worse each year, shows ran nearly 25 minutes 15 years ago) is what's even sadder. I miss theme songs. I listen to old ones all the time just to be listening to them.
	__________________ Brent

06-05-2009, 07:24 AM	#6
comedyfreak Cheers! Forum Fanatic Join Date: Dec 14, 2005 Location: Sunny California Posts: 11,061	That's part of what makes classic shows so good were the catchy themes. Unfortunatley the greedy networks care more about money than a quality show which includes a good theme.
	__________________ www.facebook.com/comedyfreak

06-06-2009, 01:44 PM	#13
Tubehead Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Feb 12, 2007 Location: chattanooga.tn Posts: 5,139	favorite them songs mine favorites are: Family ties my all time favorite theme song the gloden girls sanford and son the jerffersons step by step boy meets world the wonderyears early edition Quatam leap

06-05-2009, 02:37 PM	#9
DSfan Member Senior Member Join Date: Sep 15, 2006 Location: Canada Posts: 1,204	My favourite theme songs are (in no particular order) Wonder Years (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CZRudxD-NQ) Diff'rent Strokes (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQMfN...eature=related) Growing Pains (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIcXDo82S_Y) Family Ties ( Taxi (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kzhwx...eature=related) Bosom Buddies (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORKyyHBy6JQ) probably forgetting some but Bosom Buddies and Growing Pains are definitely some of my all-time favs, ALF too!

06-05-2009, 11:50 PM	#12
dakert Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: May 10, 2007 Location: Altoona PA Posts: 3,411	The Monkees was a good one

06-06-2009, 02:04 PM	#14
McGillicuddy Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Sep 28, 2002 Posts: 5,179	I think Gilligan's Iland's theme is the most popular. I've heard sing-alongs of Gilligan in bars, on camping trips, car rides, bus rides, and boat rides. Others The Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, The Flintstones, The Brady Bunch. I miss tv themes so much! My favorite non-lyric themes are Dynasty and The Colbys. I used to love watching those intros as they introduce who's currently on the show, and top it off with.....and Joan Collins as Alexis!

06-06-2009, 09:25 PM	#15
McGillicuddy Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Sep 28, 2002 Posts: 5,179	Who all thinks shows like Gilligan's Island, The Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, and The Addams Family, would have become such cult phenomenons without their theme songs, that told their stories? Maybe thats why a clever show like Samantha Who?, in 2009 didn't draw the viewership the network wanted. Maybe they need to bring back the tv theme, even if they only show it occasionally, to draw more attention to it.