Wasn’t the theme from “Taxi” called “Angela” or something like that?
Cops – Bad Boys
Laverne and Shirley – Making Our Dreams Come True
Andy Griffith Show – The Fishin’ Hole
In its early episodes Happy Days used Rock Around the Clock as a theme before switching to its own music.
For some reason I thought that song preceded the series, but I’m probably thinking of “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered”. I’ve heard instrumental jazz versions of “Bewitched” that aren’t bad.
Yes. Angela. By Bob James.
Cold Case’s theme song is Nara by E.S. Posthumus
Friends is I’ll Be There For You by The Rembrandts
The original theme song for Happy Days was a little known ditty called “Rock Around the Clock.”
And yes, I’m being sarcastic.
Oh, yes. BB&B is fine. It’s that 3’s Co. that inhales.
The theme song to The Beverly Hillbillies is titled The Ballad of Jed Clampett. I can’t think of any more that haven’t already been mentioned off the top of my head right now.
After the first coupla seasons, Monk’s theme is It’s A Jungle Out There, written and performed by Randy Newman. A classic, if you don’t mind my saying so.
“Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer” (with Stacy Keach) – Harlem Nocturne, written by Earle Hagen (one of the great themes)
"M.A.S.H " – Suicide is Painless
As a total obscurity from Scotland, the current sitcom, The Old Guys, has an Ivor Cutler song as it’s theme - I’m Happy, which he first recorded in 1967!
Not your conventional theme music!
The Adventures of Pete & Pete had Hey Sandy, by Polaris, notorious for the unintelligibility of some of its lyrics.
Thanks for the Spillane mention. I used to listen to Mike Hammer – before TV days – on the radio. Ted de Corsia(pictured here)played Hammer and the music (at least as effective and evocative as Harlem Nocturne) was the opening credits theme to A Streetcar Named Desire by Alex North.
Having never been able to locate the theme elsewhere, imagine my thrill locating http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMWdvWR_Z28&feature=PlayList&p=09F74BDFF0E596DD&index=0&playnext=1 (you can see the whole movie in ten-minute chunks if you wish). First minute of this clip is the radio show’s music.
I had been hoping for a way to share this jewel with The Dope, but now’s the time!
From the “Drew Carey Show” - Cleveland Rocks, a fine song in its own right (first recorded by Ian Hunter) and a semi-anthem for the city.
“Take Ten” composed by Merv Griffin - Jeopardy! (1964)
“Time for Tony” composed by Merv Griffin - Jeopardy! (1983) and Final Jeopardy think music
“Chump Change” by Quincy Jones - The New Bill Cosby Show and Now You See It
“Changing Keys” composed by Merv Griffin - Wheel of Fortune (1975)
“Bicentennial Funk” - Password (1976)
On a different note, anime does this a lot…I’d wager most of the time - certainly on the series I find the music interesting enough to look…
A random sampling of some of my favourites:
Neon Genesis Evangelion’s OP (opening theme) was called Cruel Angel’s Thesis, and for an ED (Ending), they used covers of Fly Me To The Moon, which changed as the series progressed.
Death Note had 2 OP/ED combos, the better of the two being What’s Up People!/Zetsubou Billy by Maximum the Hormone (both on their album Buiikikaesu).
Naruto’s first OP was Rocks, the first ED Wind.
Tenjou Tenge’s OP was called Bomb-a-Head! by MC.a.T (and was the best part of the series).
At least one season of Dragonball Z had a song called Cha-La Head-Cha-La as an OP - not a great song, really, but the cover of it used as an ED for Lucky Star (which used anime OPs sung by the characters, for EDs of the first half of the TV series) was pretty damn awesome (specifically the full version on the ED album).
Speaking of Lucky Star, their OP was called Mokette! Sailor Fuku (Take it! Sailor Fuku (typical sailor-style girl’s school uniform)). Their EDs, aside from Cha-La Head-Cha-La included a terribly entertaining rendition* of Monkey Magic, the OP for the UK-made English dub of one of the various (live action) Japanese series based on The Journey to the West, called Monkey in English.
- Sung by Konata (who also does Cha-La Head-Cha-La), who gives up when she realizes it’s in English on the show, but soldiers through on the album. Konata does not know English, and she is terrible at it.
Full Metal Alchemist had 4 each OP and ED in Japan (2 each in NA, due to deals with the bands that did them) - my favourites being the second set, the OP, Ready Steady Go!, by L’Arc~en~Ciel, and ED, Tobira no Mukou He, by Yellow Generation.
Chokotto Sister had the OP Doki Doki My Sister Soul and ED Neko Nyan Dance, both by Harenchi Punch.
And I’ll leave it at that…it’s clear enough I’m a geek and a half as it is. >_>
Third Watch had a Crystal Method tune, “Keep Hope Alive,” as its theme song. Never saw an episode all the way through, as the show came on right when I was heading off for my own third-shift job, but I did enjoy getting a to hear the Crystal Method.
The Soprano’s theme is Woke up this Morning by Alabama 3.