My partner Sandra Puglielli is possibly the coolest person I know. Her TV knowledge is deep, and sometimes scary. In part two of an on-going series, these are her picks for greatest TV themes of all time:
The Rockford Files: “My ringtone forever. The buzzy synthesizer and breakout bass were ahead of their time on TV. My ultimate TV crush, James Garner, was an original; truly one-of-one.”
Doctor Who (2005) – Murray Gold & The BBC Orchestra: “A muscular, mind blowing re-imagining of this iconic theme. Big, big orchestration, sharp brass section, and electronic flourishes. The new franchise, launched with Christopher Eccleston and then David Tennant as the 9th and 10th Doctors, gave us aging geeks a place to belong.”
Coronation Street: “Love that horn. To me, this is the sound of an annoying, but much beloved member of the family.”
The Friendly Giant: “Sweet memories of being transported and comforted. Learned to play this badly on both the recorder and autoharp in the folky 70s.”
The Littlest Hobo: “It’s a well known fact that two of God’s best inventions are TV and German Shepherds. That is all. The song is sublime, better than anything Ian & Sylvia ever sang for making me feel proud of my country.”
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Rhoda: “The combo of the spoken word intro plus “Na-Na NA Na-Na…” musical cue is the anti-theme song of the era, but it’s perfectly wrapped up – like one of Valerie Harper’s totally awesome head scarves.”
The Jeffersons, Good Times and Chico & The Man: “Knowing no shame, I was awarded with many free drinks in university (and sadly, in later life too) for knowing all the words to these three absolutely perfect songs. Many years ago I was lucky enough to stand a few feet away from Jose Feliciano while he performed an impromptu set, including the iconic“Chico & The Man” in a small Toronto bar. How does life even get better than this?”
Outlander: “Haunting new blend of classic 18th century folk music and poetry. I feel manipulated, and really don’t want to love it, but I must!”
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾: “Punk icon and cooler than shit ‘Blockheads’ frontman Ian Dury wrote the song Profoundly In Love With Pandora especially for this series. The song, and the show, were so good I could not believe it was on Canadian TV in the 80s.”
2 Comments
The Littlesest Hobo definitely deserves a place at the top. That song just brings up feelings of nostalgia like no other. I also agree about the Outlander theme song, when I’m watching that show my 3-year-old always runs into the room and stands there captivated as it’s playing. I absolutely hate that a lot of tv shows no longer have an opening theme, to me it set up the show so well in terms of mood and I loved seeing the actors in the opening credits. My Top 12 theme songs that I think are truly great:
1) I Don’t Want to Wait – Dawson’s Creek – That song was great in the 90s but when I hear it now, 20 some years later, it holds a whole other enriched meaning. Now that I’m far removed from teenagehood, I appreciate just how fleeting that time in your life is.
2) The Littlest Hobo – Maybe Tomorrow – As a kid this was great and now it’s even greater to hear. In Brandon in the early 2000s, I recall this song coming on in a bar full of college kids and everyone went crazy singing it.
3) North of 60 – Theme Song – No lyrics but just so iconic. Now, I grew up in a 2-channel household, so North of 60 was well-watched. Not only that, but my mom had visited NWT many times as a kid and had a big connection to the north so loved that show. When I hear that song now it brings back memories of visiting the Northwest Territories as a kid.
4) Fraggle Rock – Down at Fraggle Rock – With a great beat, this song was always bopped to by kids and adults alike. “Throw your cares away, worries for another day, let the music play, down at Fraggle Rock.” Just such a well-written song.
5) The Raccoons – Run with Us – I haven’t watched that show in years upon years but I still remember the theme song.
6) Fresh Prince of Belair – The song just speaks for itself, it’s just one of those great songs that needs to be on this list.
7) Buffy the Vampire Slayer – Another lyricless song, it just fit so well in the opening credits and portrayed the attitude of the key characters and their badassness perfectly. It’s also my phone ringtone which just says how much I live that song.
8) Full House – Everywhere You Look – Reminds me well of my life as an early 90s kid.
9) Golden Girls – Thank You for Being a Friend – I’m shocked this didn’t make the above list. I have this song on my MP3 list and my kids just shake their heads at me when I start singing outloud to it.
10) Party of Five – Closer to Free – Reminds me of the 90s. And my dad grounding me from tv and me being devastated because I missed an episode of Party of Five and thought it was the end of the world. He wouldn’t even let me tape it on the VCR.
11) Gilmore Girls – Where You Lead – Great show. Great song. Still impatiently waiting for another sequel.
12) Veronica Mars – We Used to Be Friends – Hearing this song now holds a lot of meaning because it reminds me of all the people I used to be friends with back in the day who I no longer even talk to.
Meant to respond quicker Alicia but thank you for you TV theme song picks. Terrific choices and a great summary — I might run it as a column if you have no objection. All best, Bill