Theme songs set the tone for a television series. They're often an audience's first exposure to a show, especially for shows that don't use a teaser before the opening credits. Even for those that do, the theme is how we tend to remember the show. Hum a few bars of the theme from any major television hit, and you can probably remember what show it's from - or at least you could, before modern shows began using old rock tracks, generic chord progressions, and whatever leftovers they had lying around the studio rather than trying for something iconic. To be fair, the reason a lot of theme songs are memorable is because the shows they were featured on became beloved hits, but there's no question that those themes added something to the show - and decades later, we still feel a nostalgic twinge when we hear them. They bring back fond memories of our childhood, or college years, or times sitting around the telly with family. It's that nostalgic twinge that got us thinking about old theme songs (and some new theme songs). Which ones are the most memorable? Which became huge hits outside of the shows themselves? Which became top singles on the radio, and which entered pop culture as truly iconic pieces of music? It's with that in mind that we take a walk down memory lane and take a look at twenty-one iconic theme songs throughout television history.
21. The Jetsons
Series Debut: 1962 Lets face it, The Jetsons were basically The Flintstones set in the future - but the premise was so simple, it worked, and the cartoon caught on and lasted years in syndication despite only having three seasons - two of which were produced specifically for syndication in the 80s (the original season ran in 1962 and was the first program broadcast in colour on ABC TV). The theme song to The Jetsons was composed by Hoyt Stoddard Curtin, who was responsible for many Hanna-Barbera theme songs, including The Jetsons, Superfriends, Jossie and the Pussycats, The Smurfs, and others. Curtin was the head musical director for Hanna-Barbera for the majority of the years between 1957 and 1986. With all that experience, he knew what worked - the tune was catchy, and the lyrics introduced you to the Jetson clan. The tune actually became a hit, and was included on 1985's Television`s Greatest Hits compilation, when sold in excess of 200,000 copies (not bad for a collection of TV theme songs). A re-recorded stereo version of the theme hit number 9 on tthe Billboard chart in 1986. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7BcpVGA0cg
Primarily covering the sport of MMA from Ontario, Canada, Jay Anderson has been writing for various publications covering sports, technology, and pop culture since 2001. Jay holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Guelph, and a Certificate in Leadership Skills from Humber College.
