#65

Sesame Street

Title: “Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street?” (aka “Sunny Days”)

Composed: Joe Raposo

Written by: Joe Raposo, Jon Stone, and Bruce Hart

Performed: a mix of children’s choir and jazz musicians, including harmonicist Jean “Toots” Thielemans.

Some instruments used include such unlikely instruments like electric keyboards such as the Fender Rhodes and hard-headed mallets on the vibraphone.

One of the most iconic children’s shows of all time, Sesame Street required a theme song that would be fun and whimsical to engage the learning and the opening of minds. The Sesame Street theme song is known worldwide and blends perfectly the goal of the program.

Joe Raposo also wrote songs for Sesame Street such as “Bein’ Green,” “C is for Cookie,” and “Sing (a Song).”

The song is so big that even The Tonight Show used it in their “Class Instruments” bit.

#66

Batman: The Animated Series

Composed: Danny Elfman. Elfman was inspired by the music from the Tim Burton Batman film from 1989.

The opening theme song for Batman: The Animated Series is an iconic piece of music that absolutley catches the spirit and the feel of this era of Batman. Gone from this version is Adm West and Burt Ward’s campy, humorous versions. The dark and brooding theme built a real energy with the show.

#67

Malcolm in the Middle

Title: “Boss of Me”

Written and Performed: They Might Be Giants

TMBG originally wrote the chorus for a Philadelphia radio contest, using lines like “Who’s gonna guess the dead guy in the envelope,” before adapting it for the show (Google)

The song is a great fit for the tone of Malcom in the Middle, with its wild and chaotic sound.

#68

The Facts of Life

Composed By: Alan Thicke, Gloria Loring & Al Burton

Performed: Gloria Loring; Charlotte Rae (only season 1)

Spun off from Diff’rent Strokes, The Facts of Life was very successful. Thicke and Loring have done many themes for TV in their careers, believing that the TV theme song is important and a lost art.

#69

The Drew Carey Show

“Cleveland Rocks”

Written and composed: Ian Hunter

Performed: The Presidents of the United States

The cover of the song “Cleveland Rocks” by the Presidents of the United States became the regular theme of the show from 1997 and remained until the end of the show. The energy of the song was a perfect match for the show. Drew Carey was from Cleveland and the song’s homage to the city appealed to the star.

#70

Pinky and the Brain

Composed: Richard Stone

Lyrics: Tom Ruegger

Performed: Rob Paulsen (Pinky) and Jess Harnell (The Brain), and Dorian Harewood, with Jim Cummings. 

“What are we going to do tonight, Brain?”

“The same thing we do every night, Pinky… try to take over the world!”

Pinky and the Brain was spun off from The Animaniacs because they had become so popular.

#71

Mission: Impossible

Composed: Lalo Schifrin

The famous 5/4 time signature helps build tension, signifying impending action.

This is a theme song that everyone recognizes and you do not have to be a fan of the TV show, thanks to the franchise series of films starring Tom Cruise.

Schifrin was told to “make something exciting” by TV show producer Bruce Geller, and Scrifrin certain knocked that assignment out of the park.

Mission: Impossible is another TV show that I did not watch much. Of course, I had to see it in repeats as the original show aired before I was born. Despite this, I have become a fan of the theme and it certainly belongs on any list of bets TV show themes.

#72

Spider-Man (1967)

“Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a spider can!”

Composed: Paul Francis Webster (lyrics) and Robert “Bob” Harris (music)

Performed: Canadian pop/easy listening vocal group The Billy Van Singers and Canadian vocl group The Laurie Bower Singers

This is a show that I have never actually seen. However, the theme song has become so iconic that is has been used in other areas, including the first Toby Maguire Spider-Man live action movie.

#73

True Detective: Night Country

“Bury a Friend”

Written by : Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell

Performed: Billie Eilish

This is True Detective season four from HBO. This theme really helped me get into the show. I have not watched other seasons of True Detective after season 1 (and part of 2) but those themes do not stick out for me like this song does. Showrunner Issa López thought the lyrics of the song fit in with the overall dark themes of the show. Billie Eilish stated that the song was written about the monster beneath the bed, which turned out to be her.

#74

The Munsters

Composed: Jack Marshall

Lyrics: (Unaired): Bob Mosher

The Munsters’ theme is a blend of spooky sounds and a 60’s style surf song. Jack marshall also arranged the theme, which may not be as well known as the Addams Family, but was still a perfect fit in tone for the Munsters.

#75

The Simpsons

Composed: Danny Elfman

Series creator Matt Groening approached Elfman and asked him to compose a theme to the new show. Elfman has said that he was looking for something like The Flintstones theme or other Hanna-Barbera classic cartoons.

The opening sequence of the show changed a little over the years, specifically with Bart writing something different on the chalkboard as a punishment and the family having something different happen to them hen thye jumped on the couch.

#76

The Tick (animated)

Composed/Performed: Doug Katsaros

“Da-da dweee! Da-da dwee dowww!”

The animated version of the Tick introduced me to one of my favorite characters. The Tick was special in the world of superheroes… a satire of the genre that showed how much it loved it as well.

The theme of the animated series was catchy and stuck in your head. Kicking off with an alarm clock, the scatting done by composer Doug Katsaros was intriguing and fun. The horns in the theme were in your face, much like the character of The Tick.

#77

Benson

Composed: George Aliceson Tipton

George Tipton had composed the theme from Soap, the show that Benson was spun off from, so it made sense that he also composed the them to Benson.

#78

Orange is the New Black

Title: “You’ve Got Time”

Written, Composed, Performed: Regina Spektor

This series was on Netflix and was actually pretty good. The theme just really rocked and provided the perfect tone for this series set inside a prison for women. It never failed to get my head a bobbing and set up the mood for this comedy/drama.

#79

The Lone Ranger

“Hi-Yo Silver, AWAY!”

Musical Origin: Composed by Gioachino Rossini for his final opera, William Tell (1829).

First used for the radio show in 1933

The piece features rapid, galloping rhythms, trumpet fanfares, and timpanis, evoking a sense of action and justice