Queen

100 Memorable TV Theme Songs – Part 1

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!!

The 30 Day Song Challenge – Part 1

Y’all know I’m a rebel, right?? You also know that on previous occasions I have been inspired by things I see on social media. I saw this challenge on Facebook awhile back and immediately knew it was something I wanted to dive into. However, not only do I not have the patience to post a different song every day for an entire month, but I also didn’t want to be flippant in my answers…I feel like it is important to provide context. I have been listening to a lot of music the past few months, so I’ve taken some time to really ponder my responses. I have added the extra stipulation…just as a fun obstacle for myself…that no artist can have more than one song (although there is one exception to that rule). I could do this challenge several more times and choose totally different songs, but I’m pretty satisfied with the list presented. Enjoy.  

 

 

 

 

1       A song you like with a color in the title…

Purple Rain (Prince)

I have to be honest…I was never a huge Prince fan when I was a kid & he was popular. It wasn’t until I grew up that I really understood the depth of his talent. His performance at the Super Bowl halftime show in 2007 is certainly one of the best ever. In 1984 the film Purple Rain was released in theaters, but let’s be real…all anyone remembers about that movie is Prince’s love interest Apollonia Kotero appearing topless, which 12 year old Me was rather psyched about. The song is much more memorable. There are dozens of tunes with a color in the title, but this one popped into my head almost immediately.

 

 

2       A song you like with a number in the title…

1812 Overture (Tchaikovsky)

Countless songs come to mind. I could pick any of several dozen tunes, but I’ve chosen to go off the beaten path. It seems odd that a song written over 120 years ago to commemorate a Russian military victory could become a staple of America’s celebration of independence, but it is one of my favorite moments every July 4th, especially when played by the Boston Pops. The song is about 16 minutes long, and I encourage everyone to enjoy every single second of it.

 

 

3       A song that reminds you of summertime…

Summer Wind (Frank Sinatra)

Ol’ Blue Eyes!! Summer is my favorite season, and there is no shortage of songs out there that symbolize it in various ways. Having said that, one can’t go wrong listening to The Chairman croon about painted kites, golden sand, & a blue umbrella sky.

 

 

4       A song that reminds you of someone you’d rather forget…

Bad Bad Leroy Brown (Jim Croce)

This one is really difficult for me because I associate music with happiness & good memories, and I’m not sure I even bother to connect music with people I don’t like. However, after much ponderation I did recall a funny story. About two decades ago I spent seven years as a supervisor at a teleservices company. We always played music during the call session, and then we’d turn up the volume at break time. One day a busybody from the corporate office was lurking and questioned whether or not Bad Bad Leroy Brown was “call center appropriate” because of the lyric “baddest man in the whole damn town”. The company liked to represent itself as having “Christian values”, although in my experience that wasn’t exactly true. At any rate, I am a Christian myself but far from a prude, so I found her opinion laughable. I wonder what she would have thought had she heard us playing Brick House by The Commodores (which was a regular part of the rotation)?? I have more than one reason to dislike this person, but the Leroy Brown story fits the present criteria just fine.

 

 

5       A song that needs to be played loud…

Paradise by the Dashboard Light (Meat Loaf)

I have a lot of great college memories, especially when it comes to Greek life. Paradise was kind of an unofficial theme song for one of the sororities on campus, and things always got a little bit rowdy when the song came on. Meat Loaf enjoyed a brief career renaissance in the early 90’s, so I suppose that was part of it too.

 

 

6       A song that makes you want to dance…

Gimme Some Lovin’ (The Blues Brothers)

Forgive me, but another college story. This is our fraternity’s unofficial theme song, accompanied by a well-choreographed dance (always sublimely performed once we were…comfortably numb) and a bawdy post-dance chant that I cannot repeat within the family friendly confines of The Manofesto.

 

 

7       A song to drive to…

I Can’t Drive ‘55 (Sammy Hagar)

Has it aged well?? I don’t know. Certainly driving 55MPH seems like a quaint idea in these days of 65/70 miles per hour speed limits. But when the song was released way back in 1984 exceeding 55MPH seemed cool & edgy. Actually Sammy Hagar could easily update it to I Can’t Drive ’85 and wouldn’t have to change anything else.

 

 

8       A song about drugs/alcohol…

Cocaine (Eric Clapton)

I have never been into drugs myself with the exception of a few adventures with weed, and my drunken frat boy days are way in the rear view mirror. However, there are a ton of superb songs about such activities, and this one immediately sprang to mind. Clapton is truly one of the all-time greats.

 

 

9       A song that makes you happy…

Footloose (Kenny Loggins)

I can’t dance myself, but how can one not love a snappy tune that just makes you want to shake your groove thing?? If I’m in my vehicle and Footloose comes on the radio I’m turning up the volume and rockin’ out, and I’m not shutting off the engine ‘til the song is over.

 

 

10     A song that makes you sad…

I Will Always Love You (Whitney Houston)

I’m a sucker for a good romance. 1992’s The Bodyguard starred not only one of my favorite actors in Kevin Costner, but was the film debut of songstress Whitney Houston, a longtime teenage crush. Houston was enchanting, and her premature death devastating. At any rate, for The Bodyguard she remade what had originally been a hit for Dolly Parton in the early 70’s. I am a person who is always rooting for the guy & girl to end up together at the end, so a song about things not quite working out makes me sad anyway. Add in Whitney Houston’s haunting rendition of the song and her tragic demise and…well…I’m a little verklempt.

 

 

11     A song you never tire of…

Leave a Tender Moment Alone (Billy Joel)

I’m a huge Billy Joel fan, so I could listen to practically his entire catalogue all day every day. However, given the task of choosing just one song things become clear. Joel’s vocals are so good on this tune, and my heart longs to meet a gal that can make me feel what he expresses.

 

 

12     A song from your preteen years…

Billie Jean (Michael Jackson)

No one was bigger than Michael Jackson in the 1980’s. Billie Jean was released in January 1983, before I turned 11 years old. It was a catchy song with a cool video, and that spring Jackson performed the song on a Motown TV special, introducing the masses to The Moonwalk. My childhood was full of pop culture moments like that.

 

 

13     A song you like from the 70’s…

Somebody to Love (Queen)

I almost hate broad questions like this. Can you narrow it down for me?? The 70’s were such a great decade for music, so it’s hard to make a definitive choice. Using my own self-directed parameters makes things a little easier, and I feel like I really need to include a song from Queen. You can have Bohemian Rhapsody, We Are the Champions, & We Will Rock You (all fine songs…don’t misunderstand)…for my money it doesn’t get much better than this. Queen’s combination of beautiful lead vocals by Freddie Mercury, impeccable musicianship, and melodic harmonies is unmatched in rock music.

 

 

14     A song you’d love to be played at your wedding…

Now & Forever (Richard Marx) & From This Moment On (Shania Twain)

I can’t choose just one. I suppose one could be played during the ceremony and the other as a first dance, although to be honest I’ve never been enamored with the whole idea of a bride & groom’s first dance for obvious reasons. Anyway, I think both songs are perfect for such an occasion.

 

 

15     A song you like that’s a cover from another artist…

To Make You Feel My Love (Garth Brooks)

About a year ago I was laid up in the hospital and kind of tired of television (the more things change…yada yada yada), so I began listening to a lot of music via the Amazon Music app on my phone. I’m not a country music guy, but I do enjoy some Garth Brooks and stumbled onto this one, much to my everlasting pleasure. What I didn’t know until later was that Brooks recorded the cover in 1998…the original had been written by Bob Dylan a year or so earlier, and even though it was on one of his albums he never released it as a single. A few months before Dylan’s album dropped my man Billy Joel recorded the song for his Greatest Hits Volume III. As much as I love Billy Joel I have to say that I enjoy the Garth Brooks version better.

 

 

 

This feel like an appropriate time to take a break. Stay tuned for Part 2!