# Theme Songs in TV shows **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 25, 2005, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theme-songs-in-tv-shows/300959 "2005-04-25T02:28:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2005, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theme-songs-in-tv-shows/300959/1 "2005-04-25T02:28:45Z")
How exactly does using recognizable themes work in TV? I suspect it invovles paying a fee to the owner for it, though I’m not sure. I ask because I’ve noticed something interesting in the past week. -In an episode of the simpsons where Marge spends a weekend with her now ultra-rich prom date, Arnie Ziff, there’s a very close parody of the ending of the MASH Finale(with the rocks and the helicopter and the theme song). They play the instrumental of “Suicide is Painless” -In “War is the H word” episode of Futurama, there’s a parody of MASH, but this time they use an intstrumental that’s close to “Suicide is painless” but not exactly. The fact is, Both shows are made by the same network and many of the same people, so I find it interesting that in some cases, they use the exact song but in others, they use a knock-off. South Park does this too, but they usally go with a knock-off. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2005, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theme-songs-in-tv-shows/300959/2 "2005-04-25T02:42:19Z")
The fee isn’t really an issue – it’s only a very small part of a TV show’s budget. More likely, they’re are going for a joke: to make you think it’s a particular song, but changing it just enough to avoid matching it. ---
**Author:** ![DooWahDiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2005, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theme-songs-in-tv-shows/300959/3 "2005-04-25T04:14:57Z")
Well, let’s be honest here: Yes, I’m sure they’re trying to make a joke, but the bottom line is that depending on the song, it could potentially cost them a buttload of money to use it, however briefly. So what they do is they ask their resident composer to come up with something _just similar enough_ to make viewers get the joke, but different enough to avoid having to pay royalties. It’s extremely common, because the average person isn’t going to notice the difference. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2005, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theme-songs-in-tv-shows/300959/4 "2005-04-25T12:21:37Z")
It shouldn’t cost them all that much. In fact, since they do use existing songs from time to time, they probably have an ASCAP license already, so there’d be no additional cost to use the song. ---
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2005, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theme-songs-in-tv-shows/300959/5 "2005-04-25T13:16:56Z")
Simpson! Homer Simpson! He’s the greatest guy in history. From the, town of Springfield, he’s about to hit a chestnut tree. Aaaaah! ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2005, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theme-songs-in-tv-shows/300959/6 "2005-04-25T17:29:43Z")
I remember a comment on one of the _Simpsons_ DVD commentaries regarding TV theme songs. I believe they said that it isn’t as hard in terms of ownership as other songs usually are, because in most cases the song is owned by the studio that produced the show. (They also mentioned that Fox asked them from time to time, "Why don’t you use the _Batman_ theme? We own that!) The _M_A_S_H\* theme was originally from the motion picture of the same name. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2005, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theme-songs-in-tv-shows/300959/7 "2005-04-25T17:31:15Z")
I pressed the “reply button” before I was finished. I was going to say, for those who are curious, ASCAP points out _Song from MASH (Suicide is Painless_ was written by Michael Altman and John Mandel, and rights are administered by WB Music Corp. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2005, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theme-songs-in-tv-shows/300959/8 "2005-04-25T18:59:35Z")
heh. The Simpsons TV-theme-in-an-episode that always comes to mind is the one from the episode where Homer ran for sanitation commissioner. When Steve Martin’s character stepped out on stage to speak, the on-screen band greeted him with a chunk of the theme to “Sanford And Son”. ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2005, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theme-songs-in-tv-shows/300959/9 "2005-04-25T20:15:35Z")
I rather doubt they’re changing the songs only for the comedy value. It seems to be a pretty widespread practice to avoid paying fees. I’ve heard of lawsuits being filed over this kind of thing, so the amount of money involved can’t be insignificant. ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2005, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theme-songs-in-tv-shows/300959/10 "2005-04-25T20:52:27Z")
As has been said, often, the company producing the show has the rights to earlier theme songs. So why not use them? I believe the answer is: People are stupid, when in groups. Or perhaps, individuals can forget import facts, easily. Venture Bros. is not a parody of Johnny Quest. Sure, so the creator wanted it to be a parody, and is is made as a parody, but ever since the writter qwanted to insert a Race Bannon parody into the show, and started to make tha episode, it has creased to be. You see, some from the network reminded him they have to rights to Johnny Quest, so he inserted him into the show. Sure, hte fact will never again come up, ever, but it is no longer a parody, but a funny show which takes place in the world of Johny Quest. On reflection, I supose the real anwer to the OP is that people’s minds don’t work with the concepts of cross-overs, since they are so weird. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2005, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theme-songs-in-tv-shows/300959/11 "2005-04-25T20:59:16Z")
> [@mobo85](#): > > They also mentioned that Fox asked them from time to time, "Why don’t you use the _Batman_ theme? We own that! Nana-nana-nana-nana-nana fishing! ---
**Author:** ![DooWahDiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2005, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theme-songs-in-tv-shows/300959/12 "2005-04-25T23:05:59Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > It shouldn’t cost them all that much. In fact, since they do use existing songs from time to time, they probably have an ASCAP license already, so there’d be no additional cost to use the song. An ASCAP liscense is not all-encompassing. It depends on the song whether or not the price is going to be substantial. It’s going to cost a lot more for a show to use a snippet of “Every Breath You Take” than it is to use one of my songs, for example (although you just wait, buddy).