Keep Smiling With TV Theme Songs

You may have forgotten how to solve an algebraic equation you had in high school, but heaven knows you remember the beginning words to the theme song of the classical television show Gilligan’s Island. (“Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale…”) TV theme songs are some of the most beloved tunes in American culture and stick in our minds long after the shows they introduce have gone off the air. TV Theme downloads, from “Mr Ed” to “Mary Tyler More to “Cheers” conjure up memories of warm, snugly nights, childhood delight and a universal nostalgia for bygone days. We’ll always have a full compliment of classic TV Theme songs to sing along to when we watch the TV Land or Nickelodeon television networks, or when we’re just kicking back with friends.

These days the TV theme song is in decline because television executives worry about going over budget on their programming “It’s a rarity today,” says television historian Tim Brooks of the catchy, tuneful openings. “It’s kind of like the Broadway musical producing hit songs—it just doesn’t do that anymore.” Back in the good old days, even as late as the 90s, shows usually had what was called a “Main Title”—a 40 to 60 second opening montage that introduced the characters and set the situation up. Written by a composer, these songs summed up what the program was about whether it revolved around a group of wacky castaways (Gilligan’s Island) or a young career girl showing the world that she could make it after all (The Mary Tyler More Show). Even then, though, budgets were tight. For instance, Norman Lear, the creator of “All in the Family” had Carol O’Connor and Jean Stapleton sing the theme song to his show because he did not want to pay singers to perform it.

Today, the prevailing view is that the television audience itself no longer has the patience to listen to a theme song with an opening montage. “I think one of the things that has squeezed themes out is this relentless kind of move toward tightening everything, making it go right from joke to joke, from action to action, from shootout to shootout so that you won’t press the dreaded remote,” says Brooks. The attentive probably have noticed that there aren’t even commercials in between shows anymore for fear that the viewer will click to another station—TV theme songs are just a luxury programmers don’t have anymore.

It’s hard to believe that doing away with TV theme songs is what the viewing public really wants. Good theme songs like “Movin’ On Up” from the Jeffersons or “Welcome Back” from Welcome Back Kotter bring us endless joy and laughter. They fill us with fond memories from special times in our lives and are great to sing along to when friends gather together. Perhaps we should start a letter writing campaign to TV executives demanding that theme songs come back, but first get free TV Theme songs now!


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