The 10 Best TV Sitcom Theme Songs Ever

TV Sitcoms in the 1980s and early 1990s were awesome for mainly one reason, their theme songs. Some of them were quite good from the standpoint of material as well, but for the most part what made the shows so great was the effort put into their theme songs. Here now are my ten favorite sitcom theme songs of all time. I should point out that all these songs are the properties of their respective copyright holders.

#10. "Perfect Strangers" (1985-1993) - Larry (Mark Linn-Baker) and Balki (Bronson Pinchot). These two lit up the small screen together with great chemistry. To me though, the show's pinnacle was every Friday night when the theme song would start. The synths vamped a little with the harmonica jamming a bit and then the soulful singer came in "Sometimes the world looks perfect, nothing to rearrange." I mean come on! The show's called "Perfect Strangers" and the songwriter snuck the word perfect in there right off the bat! Brilliant! The chorus of "Standing tall, on the wings of my dreams" has a truly soaring quality about it, and all ironic tone aside, is quite beautifully sung. The best part is that nothing really did stop Larry or Balki, except of course when ABC canceled the show.

Listen to the Perfect Strangers theme song on YouTube.

#9. "Punky Brewster" (1984-1989) - Anyone who doesn't like this cute little ditty is probably a terrorist. After all, maybe the world is blind or just a little unkind, right? Whether or not you enjoyed this sitcom about a young orphaned girl Punky (Soleil Frye) and her adoptive father Henry (George Gaynes), you can help but root for her thanks to this uplifting little tune. It starts sort of slow, but certainly kicks it into high gear by the time the chorus comes in. And every time you turn around you just want to tap your toes to the funky little bass line being laid down.

Listen to the Punky Brewster theme song on YouTube.

#8. "Family Ties" (1982-1989) - I defy you to listen to this song and not feel compelled to start making a family right then and there. It's got a sexy groove and the two singers sure do sound like they were on the way to the love shack when they tracked it. This tale of family triumph and tribulation starring Michael J. Fox and Justine Bateman was made infinitely better by the sweetly sung tune that kicked it off every week. To this day I sometimes want to end conversations with "Sha-na-na-nah!"

Listen to the Family Ties theme song on YouTube.

#7. "Silver Spoons" (1982-1987) - Orphans, adoption and single parented households were a huge theme of sitcoms of the 1980s. "Silver Spoons" was no exception. It followed the story of a divorcee and his 12 year old son computer-whiz-kid played by Rick Schroeder. The show also featured Alfonso "Carlton" Ribeiro as Ricky Stratton's best friend, Alfonso. (Seriously, their characters' names were the same as their real life names, both of them) I love this theme song because the show itself was so goofy, and not all that serious, but the theme song almost sounds romantic nature. Though once that awesome guitar solo kicks in, it just becomes a classic 1980s theme tune with just the right amount of chutzpah.

Listen to the Silver Spoons theme song on YouTube.

#6. "Full House" (1987-1995) - We all know this theme song, admit it. You might not want to now, but back in the day you were all about this show. Now, years later my favorite part about this show is that Danny Tanner, the squeaky clean widower was played by Bob Saget; one of the most blue, foul-mouthed, dirty and genius minds of our time. Sometimes real-life irony is just too sweet.

Listen to the Full House theme song on YouTube.

#5. "The Facts of Life" (1979-1988) - Another show about parent-less kids, this time teen-aged girls, under the care of a single adult. Honestly my favorite part about this theme song is that it was written by Alan Thicke, who played Ben Seaver on another awesome 1980s sitcom with a great theme song. We'll cover that one a little on down the list.

Listen to the Facts of Life theme song on YouTube.

#4. "Gimme a Break" (1981-1987) - The late great Nell Carter both starred in and sang the theme song for this show that once again featured a woman taking care of a group of kids, especially once the actor who played their father passed away. This show also featured a young Joe Lawrence and Jonathan Silverman. I just love Nell's singing so much on this theme song, so much passion and soul.

Listen to the Gimme a Break theme song on YouTube.

#3. "Growing Pains" (1985-1992) - Sung my BJ Thomas, this theme song is absolutely pitch perfect in every way. Show me that smile again, indeed. Alan Thicke and Kirk Cameron starred in this show about a therapist and his family. The weird part about this show was why Ben would practice in his own house. The montage of the actors' real-life pictures growing up adds a nice touch and really does drive home the "Growing" part of "Growing Pains" doesn't it?

Listen to the Growing Pains theme song on YouTube.

#2. "Cheers" (1982-1993) - Anyone alive in the 1980s knows how great this show. The story of former Red Sox pitcher Sam Malone (Ted Danson) turned bar owner. Week after week millions of would tune in to see what kind of trouble Sam would get in with Carla, Woody, Coach, Cliff and Norm. The theme song is instantly recognizable and a standard by which all other sitcom theme songs are measured; but it's not my favorite.

Listen to the Cheers theme song on YouTube.

#1. "The Greatest American Hero" (1981-1986) - True, this show was short on much more than a gimmick. The tale of a man who finds an alien suit that gives him superpowers that he can't always quite control, "The Greatest American Hero" was a passable sitcom with some fun action, but it was not anything that would end up in the Smithsonian as a shining example of the medium. It did however have the greatest American theme song though. Pianos, passionately sung "I can be awesome" lyrics and a blazing guitar solo; yes it has everything you need in an 80s sitcom theme song. It's also my ring tone; that's how much I love this song.

Listen to the The Greatest American Hero theme song on YouTube.