It is rare that I peek into the ol’ vault and decide to delete something. I stand behind the things I’ve written, good or bad, even when my thoughts on the subject may have matured or evolved. Having said that, when one has been offering up little pieces of their own soul, no matter how trivial it may be, I suppose it is inevitable that the universe shifts in unexpected ways and the prism used to view topics a decade ago sheds new light. Such is the case today. Ten years ago I ranked my 25 Favorite TV Theme Songs, and while revisiting that whole thing I decided that I could do better and dive deeper. So the old entry is gone, to be replaced by this expanded series. Enjoy.

100 Dear John (Dear John)

Dear John

By the time you read these lines, I’ll be gone

Life goes on, right or wrong

Now it’s all been said and done, dear John

I love Judd Hirsch. Taxi. NUMB3RS. Independence Day. Guest starring on The Big Bang Theory. The man is an under appreciated treasure. In the late 80’s/early 90’s he starred in a quiet little sitcom about a middle-aged man & the support group for divorcees that he attends in Queens, NY. The theme song is a vaguely melancholy tune that explains the premise of the show. 

99 Bad Boys (Cops)

Bad boys, bad boys

Whatcha gonna do?

Whatcha gonna do when they come for you?

Be honest…more than once, in the past three decades, you have quoted the song when you see a police car or hear stories about a crime being committed. I don’t think I’ve ever watched a full episode of the show, but its theme is seared into my brain.

98 Dragnet (Dragnet)

Dum…de DUM DUM…..

The story you are about to see is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent.

It’s a show that came & went long before I was even born, but the terse, instrumental theme music with accompanying narration became ubiquitous. There is a 1987 big screen comedic adaptation starring Dan Aykroyd & Tom Hanks that is such a bad movie it is weirdly entertaining. 

97 Stand (Get A Life)

Stand in the place where you live

Now face north

Think about direction, wonder why you haven’t before

Now stand in the place where you work

Now face west, think about the place where you live

Very few people likely remember the unremarkable Fox sitcom starring Chris Elliott as a clueless paperboy still living with his parents in his 30s. It only lasted two seasons in the early 90’s. However, the theme song had been a Top 10 hit for alt rockers REM.

96 Superhero (Entourage)

My mind had been enabled

In a memory you overflowed

Want to be your superhero

Even if I tumble fall

I’m ok

You have that effect on me

But I need you desperately

I loved Entourage. It is undoubtedly one of HBO’s coolest original programs. Jane’s Addiction, best known for their Grammy nominated hit Been Caught Stealing, offered an edgy, rock theme song that fit the tone of the show nicely.

95 I Don’t Want to Be (One Tree Hill)

I don’t wanna be anything other

Than what I’ve been tryna be lately

All I have to do is think of me

I was not the target demographic for One Tree Hill. In the longstanding tradition of teen dramas like Beverly Hills 90210 and Dawson’s Creek, it explored the friendships, romances, family drama, and rivalries amongst a group of high school kids. Conversely, I was in my 30’s at the time. That being said, the show held my interest for perhaps the first 2 or 3 of its nine seasons, and the theme song by Gavin DeGraw was a banger that became a Top 10 hit.

94 Life Goes On (Empty Nest)

Rain or shine, I’ll be the one

To share it all as life goes on

We share it all, as life goes on

You might remember Billy Vera for his mid-80’s ballad At This Moment, which went to #1 on the charts. However, Vera also dabbled in acting and wrote a couple of television theme songs. Empty Nest was a Golden Girls spinoff about a widowed Miami doctor whose adult daughters move back in with him, and the song alludes to the importance of having people with whom to share life’s ups & downs.

93 Gimme A Break (Gimme a Break!)

Gimme a break

I sure deserve it

It’s time I made it to the top

Joey Lawrence achieved teen heartthrob success on 90’s sitcom Blossom, but he started several years earlier as a precocious child, the son of a widowed cop whose wife’s best friend moves in to care for the family. Series star Nell Carter, a Tony Award winning Broadway singer, belted out the upbeat theme song.

92 Princes of the Universe (Highlander)

Here we are, born to be kings

We’re the princes of the universe

Here we belong, fighting to survive

In a world with the darkest powers

Did you know that rock n’ roll royalty…British icons Queen…contributed to a television show?? Full disclosure…I never watched a single episode of Highlander, although I do have a vague recollection of seeing the movie on which it is based. It’s just not my cup o’ tea. However, who doesn’t love Queen?? I am surprised the song wasn’t a bigger hit, although I suspect that has something to do with the film & television show appealing to an eclectic yet narrow audience.

91 According to Our New Arrival (Mr. Belvedere)

All hands look out below

There’s a change in the status quo

Gonna need all the help that we can get

According to our new arrival

Life is more than mere survival

We just might live the good life yet

The show itself has a surprising pedigree. It is based on a 1947 novel, which was adapted into an Oscar nominated film starring Maureen O’Hara. It is likely that most people remember the television show because it co-starred baseball legend & beer pitchman Bob Uecker. The theme song was performed by Leon Redbone, who, in addition to having one of the coolest names in music, also had an unmistakable voice that was ubiquitous in the 80’s & 90’s.

Stay tuned for Part 2!!