What is the greatest television theme song of all time? Christopher Gates posted this question on Twitter.
I was born in the early 1990s so I apologize in advance to the older crowd for missing theme songs from the 1950s-1990s. I respect Happy Days, The Jeffersons, The Brady Bunch, M*A*S*H, and Cheers (which could be #1 on a lot of lists), but I rarely watched those shows so therefore, I never made a connection to their theme songs.
With so many theme songs, I’m going to forget many of the great themes so please take hit me up on Twitter, @danny_giro, and let me know what song should be added to the list.
Honorable Mention
Full House
Whatever happened to predictability?
Law & Order
DUN DUN.
One Tree Hill
Gavin DeGraw has a sneaky-good discography and this anthem will live on in the lives of many teenagers.
Gilmore Girls
Whenever I think of the Gilmore Girls theme song, the word, “delightful,” comes to mind.
The Wire
This might ruffle some feathers. The Wire is one of the greatest television shows of all time. However, I view the theme as an experience, not as a song. Most of the songs on this list were made to be catchy. The Wire‘s theme was made to tell a story about what to expect in the upcoming season. It served a purpose and didn’t care about making the Billboard Hot 100. Every season has a different recording of “Way Down in the Hole.” My rankings for each recording by Season: 1, 4, 2, 5, 3.
Friends
Even if the opening theme for Friends is allowed on the list, it misses my top 5 by a hair. It’s still a jam at any ’90s bar.
The Golden Girls
An instant smile on my face whenever I hear “Thank You for Being a Friend.”
My Top 5
5a/5b. Game Of Thrones/The Office
I wanted to include at least one instrumental theme song on the list, but I cheated and named two. The Game of Thrones theme opening song is a long, intricate masterpiece. The graphics are superb, highlighting the regions that would be covered in the episode. When that cello hit on a Sunday night at 9 PM, you knew it was time to visit Westeros. On the flip side, The Office theme is a short, uplifting tune that’s a head-bopper. When a theme is good enough to be remixed by Lil Wayne, then it’s a flat out winner.
4. The O.C.
I fully expect to be in the minority on this one. First of all, The O.C. Season 1 is as close to perfection as you can get. The pilot is top 10 in my book. Without The O.C., there are no MTV reality shows like Laguna Beach. There’s no Real Housewives of any city, and “The Californians” on SNL ceases to exits. When the drums start to build and you’re about to belt out “California” as loud as you can, that’s when you know it’s special.
3. The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air
Finish the lyric: “Now this is a story all about how…” I’m a betting man by nature so I’d venture to say that if you walked up to 10 strangers under the age of 50, seven of them would be able to finish the lyric with “my life got flipped-turned upside down.” You’re a true Fresh Prince fan if you can rap the longer version with “First class, yo this is bad, drinking orange juice out of a champagne glass.”
2. Family Matters
This is my favorite piano opening to a television theme. It makes me want to pull out my keyboard and tickle some keys. (I’m not good at playing the piano.) Fun fact: Steve Urkel was not featured in the original opening credits. Urkel appeared midway through the first season as a one-time appearance. However, Urkel was so beloved that he eventually became a main cast member and the show’s most memorable character.
1. Growing Pains
The reigning, defending, undisputed television theme song champion of the world is Growing Pains. Once “show me that smile again” hits my ears, without hesitation, I reply with “show me that smile.” Everything about this theme song is perfect. The show’s premise revolves around growing up so adding pictures of the cast at various stages of their lives was a genius move. “As Long As We Got Each Other” is a beautiful duet that will always hold a special place in my heart.
What is the greatest television theme song? Leave your thoughts in the comments below or tweet us your answers, @unafraidshow.
