The Cardinal Rule of TV Show Theme Songs - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Steve M. · 11-09-2003, 12:20 AM

No songs specifically written as themes for television songs are listenable unless they are composed and performed by John Sebastian.

I'm so glad so many TV shows use established pop songs as theme songs.

P.S. I'd like to make an exception for Stephen Stills as well - he wrote and sang the theme for "Second Noah," as I'm led to understand - but I've never heard it, so I can't.

Janice · 11-11-2003, 02:29 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Steve M.
No songs specifically written as themes for television songs are listenable unless they are composed and performed by John Sebastian.

Can you give me a few examples to choose from as I don't know themes that were written specifically as themes such as Welcome Back?
Thanks.

Steve M. · 11-11-2003, 01:56 PM

What I meant was simply this - the theme song for "Welcome Back, Kotter" was the only TV show theme song I ever liked! Every other TV show theme song I ever heard sucked! "Gilligan's Island," "All in the Family," "The Mary Tyler" Moore Show," "The Jeffersons," "Laverne and Shirley," "Happy Days," "Frasier". . .I hate all of them! I'd always turn the sound down on the opening (or in the case of "Frasier," closing) titles when they came on. This is where the producers of "The Wonder Years" (Joe Cocker's remake of the Beatles's "With a Little Help From My Friends"), "Freaks and Geeks" (Joan Jett's "Bad Reputation"), "Ed" ("Next Year" by the Foo Fighters) and, more recently, "I'm With Her" (Joe Jackson's "Is She Really Going Out With Him?", though, alas, the original Joe Jackson recording isn't used) proved to be very savvy. They knew no one wanted to listen to a stodgy, self-parodying theme song to explain the show when an available pop song that was far more listenable than anything some hack could ever write did the job!

TV show producers looking for themes for their shows but can't find reliable pop songs for their opening titles should stick to instrumentals.

Janice · 11-11-2003, 02:10 PM

I like the theme songs for Cheers, Family Ties, The Greatest American Hero, The Golden Girls, Perfect Strangers, Get A Life, Roseanne (both with and without lyrics) and a few others that are not coming to mind at the moment. Moonlighting was good too.
I also thought The Jefferson theme song was catchy. The Sopranos is great but that's not a sitcom.
I used to like the song from Friends but tired of it.

Currently, I like the theme songs from Good Morning Miami and American Dreams.

Steve M. · 11-11-2003, 02:26 PM

I used to like the "Friends" theme song but got tired of it too. It would have been nice to see them use Ellton John's 1971 song "Friends" as a theme song, but that's more of a ballad than a rock song. (Best lyric: "If your friends are there, then everything's alright.") I found the others you mention ranging from mediocre to forgettable.

Re the Rembrandts: Do you know how many times I heard "That's Just The Way It Is" (their other big hit) before I knew who was singing it?

11-09-2003, 12:20 AM	#1
Steve M. Back on the road to reality Forum Superstar Join Date: Nov 07, 2003 Location: New Jersey Posts: 33,307	The Cardinal Rule of TV Show Theme Songs No songs specifically written as themes for television songs are listenable unless they are composed and performed by John Sebastian. I'm so glad so many TV shows use established pop songs as theme songs. P.S. I'd like to make an exception for Stephen Stills as well - he wrote and sang the theme for "Second Noah," as I'm led to understand - but I've never heard it, so I can't.
	__________________ I don't really get out a lot. When I do go out, I couldn't be happier. I love being in a nice milieu. I'm as happy as a clam. Just as long as I'm not in some club playing hip-hop. You hear that sort of thing in a lot of places. That's not my milieu. Rock and roll is good-time music. I love rock. So did my parents.

11-11-2003, 02:26 PM	#5
Steve M. Back on the road to reality Forum Superstar Join Date: Nov 07, 2003 Location: New Jersey Posts: 33,307	I used to like the "Friends" theme song but got tired of it too. It would have been nice to see them use Ellton John's 1971 song "Friends" as a theme song, but that's more of a ballad than a rock song. (Best lyric: "If your friends are there, then everything's alright.") I found the others you mention ranging from mediocre to forgettable. Re the Rembrandts: Do you know how many times I heard "That's Just The Way It Is" (their other big hit) before I knew who was singing it?
	Last edited by Steve M.; 11-11-2003 at 03:07 PM.

11-11-2003, 01:56 PM	#3
Steve M. Back on the road to reality Forum Superstar Join Date: Nov 07, 2003 Location: New Jersey Posts: 33,307	What I meant was simply this - the theme song for "Welcome Back, Kotter" was the only TV show theme song I ever liked! Every other TV show theme song I ever heard sucked! "Gilligan's Island," "All in the Family," "The Mary Tyler" Moore Show," "The Jeffersons," "Laverne and Shirley," "Happy Days," "Frasier". . .I hate all of them! I'd always turn the sound down on the opening (or in the case of "Frasier," closing) titles when they came on. This is where the producers of "The Wonder Years" (Joe Cocker's remake of the Beatles's "With a Little Help From My Friends"), "Freaks and Geeks" (Joan Jett's "Bad Reputation"), "Ed" ("Next Year" by the Foo Fighters) and, more recently, "I'm With Her" (Joe Jackson's "Is She Really Going Out With Him?", though, alas, the original Joe Jackson recording isn't used) proved to be very savvy. They knew no one wanted to listen to a stodgy, self-parodying theme song to explain the show when an available pop song that was far more listenable than anything some hack could ever write did the job! TV show producers looking for themes for their shows but can't find reliable pop songs for their opening titles should stick to instrumentals.

11-11-2003, 02:10 PM	#4
Janice Retired Admin - Hollywood Swingin' Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 03, 2001 Location: Beantown Posts: 36,388	I like the theme songs for Cheers, Family Ties, The Greatest American Hero, The Golden Girls, Perfect Strangers, Get A Life, Roseanne (both with and without lyrics) and a few others that are not coming to mind at the moment. Moonlighting was good too. I also thought The Jefferson theme song was catchy. The Sopranos is great but that's not a sitcom. I used to like the song from Friends but tired of it. Currently, I like the theme songs from Good Morning Miami and American Dreams.