Earliest TV cartoons with a rock music theme song

Cafe Society
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1

I’ve been thinking lately about classic TV cartoon theme songs and the variety of genres they span. The jazz themes of The Flintstones, The Pink Panther Show, Spider-Man, and Family Guy are all particularly memorable, as is the Johnny Mathis-style The Mighty Hercules. For catchy rock or pop-rock themes, there’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!.

This got me wondering about the following:

  1. What’s the earliest TV cartoon that used rock music for its theme song?

  2. If the earliest such cartoon didn’t use an original theme tune (but rather repurposed it from a previous film score, album, etc.), what’s the earliest TV cartoon that used an original rock song for its theme?

  3. If the earliest such cartoon wasn’t a superhero cartoon, what’s the earliest superhero cartoon that used rock music for its theme song?

2

First thing that comes to mind is The Beatles, 1965-1967 made for TV animated series. The theme song was “Can’t Buy Me Love” by the Beatles.

3

Indeed. That might be the answer to my question #1, unless someone can come up with an earlier example.

4

This album is cartoon music covered my modern alternative rock bands. Some cartoons back then had ‘Rock’ themes. Some of the songs on this album I would not consider ‘Rock’.

5

I was going to say The Monkees but that beat them by a year.

6

The Monkees had a cartoon?

7

Sorry, I missed that this was about cartoons. Not sure how I missed it 'cuz every other word in the OP was “cartoon.” :grimacing:

8

I don’t know that it was ‘rock’ music, but the theme to “Johnny Quest” was definitely not “kids” music, with a strong jazz-type flavor not often seen in TV in 1964-65. IMHO as always. YMMV.

9

The next one I find is The Jackson 5ive, 1971-1972, which featured a medley of their songs as its theme. That may be more pop than rock, though.

10

It didn’t have a rock theme, but The Flintstones may well have been the first cartoon series to feature rock music. The first example is from 1960; the second, from 1962:

I include “Bedrock Twitch” because I heard the tune being played the other day on another show. It was coming out of Eb’s radio on Green Acres.

Took me a second to identify it, but there was no mistaking the instrumental melody.

11

Naturally.

12

The Alvin Show premiered in 1961, it was the first animated series of Alvin and the Chipmunks. Their theme song wouldn’t be considered rock but on Dec. 6th 1961 they featured their original single Witch Doctor which certainly is rock because it’s been played on rock radio stations many times.

13

Jet Screamer did his thing on The Jetsons in September of 1962.

14

So it seems that we’re currently at the following:

  1. Earliest cartoon with a rock music theme: The Beatles (1965)

  2. Earliest cartoon with an original rock music theme: Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! (1969)

  3. Earliest superhero cartoon with a rock music theme: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987)

Can anyone find earlier examples? Surely there’s some show earlier than 1987 that fits the bill for #3.

15

The Super 6, created 1966, had a theme song written and performed by Gary Lewis & the Playboys.

Link: super 6 theme - Bing video

16

Good catch! That sets the earliest examples for questions #2 and #3 back to 1966.

17

1967