# Popular music borrowing from TV/Movie themes
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-music-borrowing-from-tv-movie-themes/503966
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [July 23, 2009, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-music-borrowing-from-tv-movie-themes/503966 "2009-07-23T04:28:24Z")
**Posts on this page:** 12
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Headrush042](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Headrush042)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2009, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-music-borrowing-from-tv-movie-themes/503966/1 "2009-07-23T04:28:24Z")
A lot of TV shows and movies borrow popular music in their soundtracks, but what musicians do the reverse? I can think of two examples off the top of my head:
Venus Hum - [Fighting for Love](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqGmRTSxxlU) uses thematic material from _Alias_ (this entire EP was a collaboration with JJ Abrams, natch)
Bliss N Eso - [The Dark Tower](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yx35rN_58cE) liberal use of thematic material from _Dexter_ throughout (to great effect, IMHO)
I’m sure there’s at least a half dozen borrowing the X-Files theme, but for the life of me I can’t think of any right now.
---
### Author:  [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2009, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-music-borrowing-from-tv-movie-themes/503966/2 "2009-07-23T12:20:24Z")
The Doors “Touch Me” quotes from an Ajax Laundry Detergent jingle (“Stronger Than Dirt”).
---
### Author:  [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2009, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-music-borrowing-from-tv-movie-themes/503966/3 "2009-07-23T18:07:54Z")
There has been at least two novelty songs about “The Twilight Zone” both of which prominently use the theme from the show.
---
### Author:  [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2009, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-music-borrowing-from-tv-movie-themes/503966/4 "2009-07-23T18:15:57Z")
Didn’t Husker Du do a cover of Paul Williams’ Love is All Around? (Mary Tyler Moore Show)
---
### Author:  [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2009, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-music-borrowing-from-tv-movie-themes/503966/5 "2009-07-23T18:26:44Z")
Frank Zappa quoted TV themes here and there, including a full-length cover of “The Untouchables.” Among other quotes, he used the “Tonight Show” theme as a leitmotif for New York on "Billy the Mountain; “Twilight Zone” popped up occasionally, notably on “Jesus Thinks You’re a Jerk”; and the version of “The Torture Never Stops” on _The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life_ incorporates “My Three Sons,” “I Love Lucy,” “Bonanza,” and “The Addams Family.”
Eric Burdon and the Animals opened “San Franciscan Nights” with the “Dragnet” theme.
---
### Author:  [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2009, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-music-borrowing-from-tv-movie-themes/503966/6 "2009-07-23T19:22:55Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#):
>
> Frank Zappa quoted TV themes here and there, including a full-length cover of “The Untouchables.” Among other quotes, he used the “Tonight Show” theme as a leitmotif for New York on "Billy the Mountain; “Twilight Zone” popped up occasionally, notably on “Jesus Thinks You’re a Jerk”; and the version of “The Torture Never Stops” on _The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life_ incorporates “My Three Sons,” “I Love Lucy,” “Bonanza,” and “The Addams Family.”
>
> Eric Burdon and the Animals opened “San Franciscan Nights” with the “Dragnet” theme.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer often opened shows with the “Peter Gunn” theme.
Ozzy Osbourne had a song called “Perry Mason,” which used the “Perry Mason” TV theme at the beginning.
---
### Author:  [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2009, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-music-borrowing-from-tv-movie-themes/503966/7 "2009-07-23T19:40:47Z")
Moby’s first hit _Go_ used parts of Laura Palmer’s Theme from _Twin Peaks_.
---
### Author:  [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2009, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-music-borrowing-from-tv-movie-themes/503966/8 "2009-07-23T19:49:00Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#):
>
> the version of “The Torture Never Stops” on _The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life_ incorporates “My Three Sons,” “I Love Lucy,” “Bonanza,” and “The Addams Family.”
Just listened to it; I forgot that “Mission Impossible” was in there too.
---
### Author:  [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2009, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-music-borrowing-from-tv-movie-themes/503966/9 "2009-07-23T20:12:51Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#):
>
> and the version of “The Torture Never Stops” on _The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life_ incorporates “My Three Sons,” “I Love Lucy,” “Bonanza,” and “The Addams Family.”
Oh man, that just brought back a memory. When I was in a band decades back, we had a medley we would play in bars. It started with Leave it to Beaver, then go into The Addams Family, then The Munsters, Batman, then… I forget the rest. It actually ended with a real song.
---
### Author:  [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2009, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-music-borrowing-from-tv-movie-themes/503966/10 "2009-07-23T20:32:52Z")
> [@tdn](#):
>
> Oh man, that just brought back a memory. When I was in a band decades back, we had a medley we would play in bars. It started with Leave it to Beaver, then go into The Addams Family, then The Munsters, Batman, then… I forget the rest. It actually ended with a real song.
At different times, both the Kinks and the Who recorded versions of the “Batman” theme song.
---
### Author:  [@Talon\_Karrde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Talon_Karrde)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2009, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-music-borrowing-from-tv-movie-themes/503966/11 "2009-07-24T07:32:30Z")
The Radio Birdman song Aloha Steve and Danno has a guitar solo that’s basically a cover of the theme to Hawaii 5-0. The whole song is great. There’s a good live version on youtube here: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kuvg1TD6CU](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kuvg1TD6CU)
---
### Author:  [@Talon\_Karrde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Talon_Karrde)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2009, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-music-borrowing-from-tv-movie-themes/503966/12 "2009-07-24T07:39:35Z")
> [@tdn](#):
>
> Didn’t Husker Du do a cover of Paul Williams’ Love is All Around? (Mary Tyler Moore Show)
Yes, and it’s really good. I didn’t know about it until someone here linked to a live version of it: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYxFD9YyknI&fmt=18](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYxFD9YyknI&fmt=18)
There’s also the studio version, which I don’t like as much but I love the video for: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFyy3XB\_3Y4&fmt=18](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFyy3XB_3Y4&fmt=18)