Could A TV Theme Song Save A Struggling Show? It May Have With 'Cheers'... - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Brian Damage · 08-31-2010, 09:41 PM

As TV show theme songs go, this one has something special working for it. There's that rich piano, reminding you of the Boston bar scene. A simple melody; you can sing it after a few beers. Warm, cozy lyrics, welcoming you to the comforting embrace of your corner pub. It was written by Gary Portnoy and Judy Hart Angelo, specifically for the show after several rejected attempts - it was Portnoy's first time co-writing a TV show theme. Portnoy told us: "Coming from a background as a pop songwriter - as opposed to say, a jingle writer - I approached the Cheers theme - and all that followed - as 'songs' rather than 'themes.' I was never that cognizant of how long they ran until we were done with the writing." Cheers ran from 1982-1993, but it got horrible ratings when it started and almost didn't make it past the first season. The song, however, immediately caught on with viewers and NBC responded to demand for the sheet music and recording by having Portnoy turn the theme into a full song, which was released as a single, complete with the line, "And your husband wants to be a girl..."

http://www.songfacts.com/blog/writin...w_theme_songs/

CSeaver22 · 09-02-2010, 10:10 PM

Wow awesome article...the theme song to Cheers is almost it's own character! Thanks

Prince Michael · 08-03-2012, 03:05 AM

"Where Everybody Knows Your Name" was one of the best theme songs in TV history . I always imagined an episode of Cheers where a songwriter visits "Cheers" and notices how everybody hollers "NORM !" when Norm walks in, so he sees it's "where everybody knows your name and they're always glad you came ." .

The longer he stays, the more he sees that "Cheers" is "where you can see our troubles are all the same" and "where people know people are all the same" . He sees that everybody at "Cheers" knows everybody else and cares about everybody else . Somebody tells him about Coach and Diane, and he realizes that "Cheers" is a big part of everybody's life .

He finally decides to write a song about "Cheers", and he gets all the characters to agree to sing it to surprise Sam . The song he writes would be "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" . There would be a big scene where Woody, Rebecca, Carla, Kelly, Cliff, Norm, Frasier, Lilith, and Paul sing this song for Sam .

Everybody takes turns singing and they all sing a small part . Rebecca would sing "Roll out of bed, Mr. Coffee's dead, The morning's looking bright" . Somebody would sing "And your shrink ran off to Europe and didn't even write", and Frasier would give that person a surprised look . Lilith would sing "And your husband wants to be a girl", and Frasier would give her a surprised look . I don't know how this song would be divided up among the characters, but they'd sing it all the way through . That episode could have been a real tearjerker !

08-31-2010, 09:41 PM	#1
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,107	Could A TV Theme Song Save A Struggling Show? It May Have With 'Cheers'... As TV show theme songs go, this one has something special working for it. There's that rich piano, reminding you of the Boston bar scene. A simple melody; you can sing it after a few beers. Warm, cozy lyrics, welcoming you to the comforting embrace of your corner pub. It was written by Gary Portnoy and Judy Hart Angelo, specifically for the show after several rejected attempts - it was Portnoy's first time co-writing a TV show theme. Portnoy told us: "Coming from a background as a pop songwriter - as opposed to say, a jingle writer - I approached the Cheers theme - and all that followed - as 'songs' rather than 'themes.' I was never that cognizant of how long they ran until we were done with the writing." Cheers ran from 1982-1993, but it got horrible ratings when it started and almost didn't make it past the first season. The song, however, immediately caught on with viewers and NBC responded to demand for the sheet music and recording by having Portnoy turn the theme into a full song, which was released as a single, complete with the line, "And your husband wants to be a girl..." http://www.songfacts.com/blog/writin...w_theme_songs/
	__________________ The Key to the Kingdom of Heaven: John 3:3 *Money Doesn't Buy Happiness...But I'd Rather Cry in My Private Jet*

09-02-2010, 10:10 PM	#2
CSeaver22 Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Mar 20, 2010 Location: Florida Posts: 22	Wow awesome article...the theme song to Cheers is almost it's own character! Thanks

08-03-2012, 03:05 AM	#3
Prince Michael Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jun 26, 2011 Location: Helena, Montana Posts: 296	"Where Everybody Knows Your Name" was one of the best theme songs in TV history . I always imagined an episode of Cheers where a songwriter visits "Cheers" and notices how everybody hollers "NORM !" when Norm walks in, so he sees it's "where everybody knows your name and they're always glad you came ." . The longer he stays, the more he sees that "Cheers" is "where you can see our troubles are all the same" and "where people know people are all the same" . He sees that everybody at "Cheers" knows everybody else and cares about everybody else . Somebody tells him about Coach and Diane, and he realizes that "Cheers" is a big part of everybody's life . He finally decides to write a song about "Cheers", and he gets all the characters to agree to sing it to surprise Sam . The song he writes would be "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" . There would be a big scene where Woody, Rebecca, Carla, Kelly, Cliff, Norm, Frasier, Lilith, and Paul sing this song for Sam . Everybody takes turns singing and they all sing a small part . Rebecca would sing "Roll out of bed, Mr. Coffee's dead, The morning's looking bright" . Somebody would sing "And your shrink ran off to Europe and didn't even write", and Frasier would give that person a surprised look . Lilith would sing "And your husband wants to be a girl", and Frasier would give her a surprised look . I don't know how this song would be divided up among the characters, but they'd sing it all the way through . That episode could have been a real tearjerker !