List of my favorite TV theme songs

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MHTR
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List of my favorite TV theme songs

#1 Post by MHTR »

Inspired by this thread here. Here's my list of my top-10 favorite theme songs (of course, excepting MPI). You'll notice it is only nine long, I expect that some members will remind me of some that I like and will add, but can't remember right now.
  • 1. Theme from The Mary Tyler Moore Show (Love is All Around)
    2. Theme from Peter Gunn (how awesome is this!)
    3. Theme from WKRP in Cincinnati (the 45 version sucks big time, I don't know how anybody could screw it up so bad)
    4. Theme from Welcome Back Kotter (Welcome Back)
    5. Theme from The Rockford Files (I think the 45 single arrangement sucks)
    6. Theme from American Greatest Hero
    7. Theme from M*A*S*H (Suicide is Painless)
    8. Theme from Family Ties (Without Us)
    9. Theme from The Bob Newhart Show (Home to Emily)

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KingKC
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Re: List of my favorite TV theme songs

#2 Post by KingKC »

MHTR wrote:Inspired by this thread here. Here's my list of my top-10 favorite theme songs (of course, excepting MPI). You'll notice it is only nine long, I expect that some members will remind me of some that I like and will add, but can't remember right now.
  • 1. Theme from The Mary Tyler Moore Show (Love is All Around)
    2. Theme from Peter Gunn (how awesome is this!)
    3. Theme from WKRP in Cincinnati (the 45 version sucks big time, I don't know how anybody could screw it up so bad)
    4. Theme from Welcome Back Kotter (Welcome Back)
    5. Theme from The Rockford Files (I think the 45 single arrangement sucks)
    6. Theme from American Greatest Hero
    7. Theme from M*A*S*H (Suicide is Painless)
    8. Theme from Family Ties (Without Us)
    9. Theme from The Bob Newhart Show (Home to Emily)
Hard to argue with any of those choices.

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Chris109
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Re: List of my favorite TV theme songs

#3 Post by Chris109 »

Unfortunately, Greatest American Hero theme has been ruined by Aaron Rodgers.

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MagnumsLeftShoulder
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Re: List of my favorite TV theme songs

#4 Post by MagnumsLeftShoulder »

Gotta go with the George Costanza remix on the Greatest American Hero theme! :lol:

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MHTR
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Re: List of my favorite TV theme songs

#5 Post by MHTR »

Good one, MagnumsLeftShoulder. Here's a link for everyone's listening pleasure:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ria37d9mInY

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Re: List of my favorite TV theme songs

#6 Post by Majordomo »

I would also like to add these to the mix (no particular order):

Taxi
Simon & Simon (both versions)
The Jeffersons
The Facts of Life
Good Times
One Day at a Time
Diff'rent Strokes
The Waltons
Cagney & Lacey
Fall Guy
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Re: List of my favorite TV theme songs

#7 Post by Laohu »

I would like to add for everyone’s consideration
Cheers
Mission impossible
Hawaii 50
Courtship of Eddie ‘s father
Dukes of Hazzard

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Re: List of my favorite TV theme songs

#8 Post by ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan) »

Come on guys, you can't seriously talk about best ever themes and then fail to mention KNIGHT RIDER and AIRWOLF. Those 2 get my juices pumping every single time! Say what you will about the shows (which I love by the way) but you can't deny the aural beauty of their themes!

I mean can you seriously place MARY TYLER MOORE or BOB NEWHART or SIMON & SIMON themes above those?

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Re: List of my favorite TV theme songs

#9 Post by Chris109 »

IvanTheTerrible wrote:Come on guys, you can't seriously talk about best ever themes and then fail to mention KNIGHT RIDER and AIRWOLF. Those 2 get my juices pumping every single time! Say what you will about the shows (which I love by the way) but you can't deny the aural beauty of their themes!

I mean can you seriously place MARY TYLER MOORE or BOB NEWHART or SIMON & SIMON themes above those?
Um...yup. :lol:

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Re: List of my favorite TV theme songs

#10 Post by Chris109 »

MHTR wrote:Inspired by this thread here. Here's my list of my top-10 favorite theme songs (of course, excepting MPI). You'll notice it is only nine long, I expect that some members will remind me of some that I like and will add, but can't remember right now.
  • 3. Theme from WKRP in Cincinnati (the 45 version sucks big time, I don't know how anybody could screw it up so bad)
Ya know, even to this day, I still can not understand the lyrics to the closing theme. The only words I can get are 'Uh, Huh'.

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Re: List of my favorite TV theme songs

#11 Post by Chris109 »

As for theme songs, I always found the 60's-70's British tv themes that were mainly orchestra at the top of my lists. ie The Champions, Department S, The Prisoner.
However, Barry Gray doing Space: 1999 and UFO and throwing in the twangy 'geeeetar' are also tops for me.

Also forgot to mention those classic early 70's tunes like Cannon, Kojak and Mannix. Mannix was written in triple time; a waltz music signature.

Police Woman theme had too much of a disco beat.

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Last edited by Chris109 on Sun Mar 10, 2019 7:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: List of my favorite TV theme songs

#12 Post by Luther's nephew Dobie »

MHTR wrote:Good one, MagnumsLeftShoulder. Here's a link for everyone's listening pleasure:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ria37d9mInY
MHTR,
Thanks for that, very funny!
I will throw in my list:
1) Peter Gunn
2) Hawaii 5-0
3) Mike Hammer(Harlem Nocturne)
4) Route 66
5) The High Chaparral
6) Simon & Simon
7) Andy Griffith Show
8) Bonanza(I performed it at Second City, Chicago)
9) Jonny Quest
10) The Saint

One might be surprised to learn how many of your favorite TV themes have lyrics. Star Trek, the Dick Van Dyke Show, MASH(written by a 16 year old).
For a genuine first edition copy of "So You Want To Be A Private Eye" by Luther Gillis, with a forward by Conch Republic, be the first to identify
these lyrics(and fair go, you can probably figure it out without doing a 'search'):

“Heroes, heroes, husky men of war,
Sons of all the heroes, of the war before.
We’re all heroes up to our ear-o’s
You ask questions, We make suggestions,
That’s what we’re heroes for.”


PS- I have no idea why the emoji appeared instead of the number 8 on my list

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Re: List of my favorite TV theme songs

#13 Post by Chris109 »

Luther's nephew Dobie wrote:
MHTR,
Thanks for that, very funny!
I will throw in my list:
1) Peter Gunn
2) Hawaii 5-0
3) Mike Hammer(Harlem Nocturne)
4) Route 66
5) The High Chaparral
6) Simon & Simon
7) Andy Griffith Show
8) Bonanza(I performed it at Second City, Chicago)
9) Jonny Quest
10) The Saint

PS- I have no idea why the emoji appeared instead of the number 8 on my list
Could it be cause you didn't sing it the way the Cartwrights did?

https://youtu.be/qpUd9KecPa4?t=15

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Re: List of my favorite TV theme songs

#14 Post by Laohu »

Luther's nephew Dobie wrote:
MHTR wrote:Good one, MagnumsLeftShoulder. Here's a link for everyone's listening pleasure:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ria37d9mInY
MHTR,
Thanks for that, very funny!
I will throw in my list:
1) Peter Gunn
2) Hawaii 5-0
3) Mike Hammer(Harlem Nocturne)
4) Route 66
5) The High Chaparral
6) Simon & Simon
7) Andy Griffith Show
8) Bonanza(I performed it at Second City, Chicago)
9) Jonny Quest
10) The Saint

One might be surprised to learn how many of your favorite TV themes have lyrics. Star Trek, the Dick Van Dyke Show, MASH(written by a 16 year old).
For a genuine first edition copy of "So You Want To Be A Private Eye" by Luther Gillis, with a forward by Conch Republic, be the first to identify
these lyrics(and fair go, you can probably figure it out without doing a 'search'):

“Heroes, heroes, husky men of war,
Sons of all the heroes, of the war before.
We’re all heroes up to our ear-o’s
You ask questions, We make suggestions,
That’s what we’re heroes for.”


PS- I have no idea why the emoji appeared instead of the number 8 on my list
Hogan’s Hero’s ?

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Luther's nephew Dobie
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Re: List of my favorite TV theme songs

#15 Post by Luther's nephew Dobie »

Chris109 wrote:
Luther's nephew Dobie wrote:
MHTR,
Thanks for that, very funny! I will throw in my list:
1) Peter Gunn
2) Hawaii 5-0
3) Mike Hammer(Harlem Nocturne)
4) Route 66
5) The High Chaparral
6) Simon & Simon
7) Andy Griffith Show
8) Bonanza(I performed it at Second City, Chicago)
9) Jonny Quest
10) The Saint
PS- I have no idea why the emoji appeared instead of the number 8 on my list
Could it be cause you didn't sing it the way the Cartwrights did?
https://youtu.be/qpUd9KecPa4?t=15
Chris,
True that. I did some patter first, "Bonanza! Where men are men, the women are scarce and Hop Sing sleeps with one eye open."
As I write this, on the above list the emoji is gone and the "8" is back. I'll see what happens after I post this note.
Computers still seem like Black Magic to me.

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Sybil: They all said, at one time or another, how on Earth did the two of us ever get together. "Black magic," my mother said.
Basil: Well, she'd know, wouldn't she? Her and that cat.
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