Theme songs that became more popular when repurposed

[silenus]

I always think of Totino’s Pizza Rolls.

[burpo_the_wonder_mutt]

@silenus

I always think of Totino’s Pizza Rolls.

Or the cops singing Happy Anniversary to Wilma Flintstone.

[Little_Nemo]

The theme music from the television series Ironside was used in the movie Kill Bill. I’m guessing more people have heard it in the movie than have watched the television series.

[Biggirl]

@pulykamell

Another one that may or may not make the cut (probably stretch it, I admit) is the so-called “Nadia’s Theme.” It was originally used as part of a movie soundtrack, but then became the theme song to “The Young And the Restless.” In 1976, ABC’s Wide World of Sports used it in a montage about Romanian Gymnast Nadia Comaneci, and it became tightly associated with her, so much so that the song became known as “Nadia’s Theme.” (The actual name is “Cotton’s Dream.”) It even peaked at #8 on the Billboard charts under the name “Nadia’s Theme (The Young and the Restless.)” I was only one at the time , but I remember the song for many years after that as “Nadia’s Theme” only discovering it to be the theme song to a soap opera much later.

Wow, I’d forgotten and now remember how much I was into Nadia and her theme and was a bit cheesed that the dumb soap opera co-opted it. Now I find out, Nadia was the last co-opter.

I fell in love with Ode to Joy when it was the theme to Brooke Shield’s sit-com Suddenly Susan and was again pretty cheesed when it was changed to some dumb indie chick singing a dumb song. This will also not count with the exacting standards of this thread since nobody but me remembers that synthed up version of Ode to Joy.

[terentii]

@WOOKINPANUB

Heh. I’m so uncultured, the first thing I think of is a stupid joke I heard as a kid where the punch line is “titty, rump, titty, rump, titty, rump, rump, rump”

I think that one was in Oui* magazine.

Here’s one from The Unknown Comic: Where does the Lone Ranger take his garbage?

To the dump, to the dump, to the dump, dump, dump…

*Pronounced “Ooo-wee” by an acquaintance. :rolleyes:

[terentii]

@silenus

I always think of Totino’s Pizza Rolls.

Jeno’s Pizza Rolls, preceded by

- YouTube

[Wheelz]

Maybe not what you’re looking for because it was recycled within the same franchise, but…

1979’s Star Trek: The Motion Picture featured an original theme by Jerry Goldsmith. Eight years later, when Star Trek: The Next Generation premiered, it had the same theme song. Surely more people relate it to the series rather than the film today.

[pulykamell]

@Biggirl

Wow, I’d forgotten and now remember how much I was into Nadia and her theme and was a bit cheesed that the dumb soap opera co-opted it. Now I find out, Nadia was the last co-opter.

The interesting thing about this was that Nadia never actually performed to that song. It’s all completely from a Wide World of Sports montage, and apparently, after requests from viewers about the song, they decided to release it as a single on A&M records.

Here’s the Wikipedia article on it.

It’s all a rather odd story to me.

[Doug_K]

@terentii

Truth be told, I know it from bits on Sesame Street.

But it was first popularized in the English speaking world by a recurring skit on The Red Skelton Show.

[Penfeather]

Yakety Sax, which was not actually written for The Benny Hill Show.

[GIGObuster]

@Doug_K

But it was first popularized in the English speaking world by a recurring skit on The Red Skelton Show.

Benny Hill also helped later.

- YouTube

(Video moved to a position to avoid the NSFW parts.)

[E-DUB]

With all these mentions of the “William Tell Overture”, I seem to remember a cartoon showing a man in a cowboy outfit and a mask holding a six gun in the air. He’s standing back to back with a man in Alpine dress holding a crossbow in the air. A third man, in the background says: “OK, winner gets rights to the themesong.”

[Annie-Xmas]

I remember a commercial with a man smoking a Lark cigarette. A masked man comes up to him and says “Who gave you the right to use my song?” A man with a crossbow comes up to the second guy and says “I was just going to ask you the same thing.”

[RealityChuck]

Another example: “Nice Work If You Can Get It” was written for the movie musical A Damsel in Distress and later used as the theme song for the TV Show Cybill (thought with Cybill Shepard singing it).

[terentii]

@E-DUB

With all these mentions of the “William Tell Overture”, I seem to remember a cartoon showing a man in a cowboy outfit and a mask holding a six gun in the air. He’s standing back to back with a man in Alpine dress holding a crossbow in the air. A third man, in the background says: “OK, winner gets rights to the themesong.”

I still find it interesting that the one piece of music most associated with the opera is not in the body of the opera itself. :smack:

[terentii]

nm

[Mk_VII]

“As Time Goes By” was written in 1931, several years before it was used in Casablanca, and made little impression on the public until then.

[mbh]

@Biggirl

I fell in love with Ode to Joy when it was the theme to Brooke Shield’s sit-com Suddenly Susan and was again pretty cheesed when it was changed to some dumb indie chick singing a dumb song. This will also not count with the exacting standards of this thread since nobody but me remembers that synthed up version of Ode to Joy.

The Republic of Rhodesia also stole the tune, wrote a new set of lyrics, and used it as their national anthem.

[silenus]

@Annie-Xmas

I remember a commercial with a man smoking a Lark cigarette. A masked man comes up to him and says “Who gave you the right to use my song?” A man with a crossbow comes up to the second guy and says “I was just going to ask you the same thing.”

See Post #21.

[Chefguy]

The second movement of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony was used for the Huntley Brinkley news report many years ago.