What's Happening to the Theme Songs?

Just about everyone has had a favorite T.V show at one point or another. And just as much as we loved the characters on the show, we also loved the way the show came on. The theme song to a good T.V. show is like the icing on the cake. Hearing certain songs now can bring back memories of television shows you watched decades ago. Catchy theme songs were able to sum up a show in less than 2 minutes. Think back to The Brady Bunch..."Here's a story, of a lovely lady/who was bringing up three very lovely girls..." Or how about The Jefferson's, "Movin' on Up" theme song? Everybody remembered the deluxe apartment in the sky.

There is power in good TV theme music. Not to say that a show without a catchy theme song will not be a hit, but there's something special about the shows whose theme songs are remembered for years to come. These days networks are cutting the length of theme songs, if there is really a song at all. Remember "Seinfeld"? When that sitcom opened it had nothing more than a bass line for it's' theme. No catchy tune or lyrics to sing along to. The show still went on to be a hit. But compare that to "Friends" "I'll Be There For You" tune by The Rembrandts. ("Your job's a joke, you're broke/Your love life's DOA"). Just from the theme song alone, you were brought up to speed to what the show was about. "Seinfeld," on the other hand, has been frequently referred to as "the show about nothing."

Perhaps network executives worry that lengthy theme songs can leave viewers reaching for the remote. But contrary to that belief, many viewers love theme music. Why else would we still be singing theme songs from years ago. Those of us who weren't even born in the 60s or 70s still know the theme music to the most popular shows. I can attest to that. I was born in 1983 but I know the theme music from shows such as "Leave it to Beaver," "The Brady Bunch," The Andy Griffith Show," "I Love Lucy," "Good Times," "Sanford and Son," "The Jefferson's," "All in the Family," "Happy Days," and other shows that were before my time. I have become an avid watcher of many older sitcoms in addition to more recent ones. One of my favorite parts of the show is hearing the way it comes on. "Now this is a story all about how my life got twist-turned upside down..." I'm sure everyone recognizes that as the opening line from the 90s hit sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." Theme songs tend to serve as an element that bonds the audience to the show. Just like we become attached to these shows, we also become attached to the theme music.

In addition to being catchy, theme songs also provide references to different cultures. Think about the theme songs from shows such as "Good Times," "The Wonder Years," and "The Facts of Life." The theme song brought you into the world and experiences of the characters in the show. Surely the plot of the shows did as well, but the themes were the first thing you heard and that is what drew you in. Even cartoons have benefited from theme songs. Intros to cartoons such as "The Simpsons," "South Park," "King of the Hill," "Family Guy," and even older cartoons like "Captain Planet," "Duck Tales," "The Flintstones" and "The Jetsons" all have infectious music. Some of these themes have even been nominated for Emmy's. So, if theme songs are being nominated for awards, that should tell us something-people like them! A show lacking a theme song leaves a void that can't be filled by the show alone. Even with television dramas such as "ER," theme music is very important.

With theme songs being cut to about a minute to a minute in a half in length down to about 10 or 11 seconds, they aren't summing up the shows at all. And even more importantly, they aren't catchy enough to remember. There's no need to diminish theme songs. They helped make television shows as popular as they are today. Theme songs have been very resilient over the years and although we're not hearing them as much on Primetime anymore, we still have our memories of those unforgettable themes on some of our equally unforgettable sitcoms.