I get these stuck in my head all of the time. I partially blame repetition--if I've listened to a t.v. theme song a few hundred times, it's no wonder I've worn a groove in my head that coughs up one of these tunes on "instant replay" whenever I hear some key word or phrase. Also I blame age. I'm just not forming synaptic connections at the rate I used to. And then again, these songs are too often deviously crafted with no mere "hooks"--they've got tentacles!
This is the reason I whistle when I work, even when I am not happy.
This is the Three's Company theme performed by Richard Cheese:
"Life is a frolic and laughter is calling for you...."
For many years, the following line "Down at our rendez-vous" was incomprehensible to me. I could not make it out. I suspected there was French involved. But it's a theme song--you don't ask people "Say, um, do you have any idea what they're singing at this point?" This is why I am glad the Internet was invented, so that people would put up whole web-sites with lyrics to even t.v. themes. I truly think kids will learn about the birds and the bees this way, and not just about t.v. theme show lyrics from the '70's. I'm optimistic about our species' survival, now.
The WKRP theme:
Man, I just had this stuck in my head when I wrote about the Big Butter Jesus fire on my other blog--I found a link to the story from WKRC and my head instantly supplied "in Cincinaa--aaa-tiiii". And a persistent earworm was born. I like this theme song because it's kind of a nice soft-rock song, and the "in Cincinaa-aa-tii" bit echoes the kind of call sign jingles that used to be more popular with FM stations.
Now, I haven't had this stuck in my head--lately:
I like this one because it tells the premise of the show in a nice way. John Sebastian, who did this song, is a little better known as a founder of the Lovin' Spoonful if, like me, you are either old or really into '60's rock. You can see him giving an instruction on one of the Spoonful's hits here. I provide this commentary just because, you know, history is good.
The Good Times theme might count as social commentary. But it's also catchy:
Listen to the lyrics. It's about being ripped off and hassled. But it's so bouncy! But no--listen to the lyrics. Why are there some people just getting by? "Temporary lay-offs!" "Easy credit rip-offs!" It also has some history: hangin' in a chow line!
Just saying.
You know, I started watching The Facts of Life right about when I was supposed to be learning them? I also right around then finished Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. Whether the show was The Facts of Life, Golden Girls or Designing Women, I found myself trying to figure out who was "the Meg", "the Jo", "the Beth" and "the Amy". This is a stupid game that I invite anyone to play. Obviously, Blair is a shallower "Meg" (consider the "Vanity Fair" chapter of Little Women). Jo is Jo--which makes me think the writers of the show had Little Women in mind, and Natalie is Beth because....um fat? In the '80's you just weren't supposed to be. And Tootie was ebullient and talented, so she was Amy.
Does this theory carry over to Sex in the City? I could never stand that show, but maybe someone else could fit the characters into Little Women for me.
It is so cheesy. So, so, so cheesy. I don't recall either Love Boat or Fantasy Island really ever being so popular in syndication--they owed a lot to being in that one, magical time slot, in a magical time when people watched really amazingly schlocky things. It would be neat to watch Love Boat now for the t.v. history, though. Legendary has-beens found love on the Leto deck.
Let me leave you with a great ear-worm--an actually good piece of music from t.v. themes that is a pretty neat ear-worm:
The Brian Setzer Orchestra does the Hawaii Five O Theme Song:
That's awesome!
Okay--bonus:
Which reminds me that whenever I get around to seeing the A-Team movie, I'll probably put the review here.
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