# TV theme songs that exist within the show's universe **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 25, 2017, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-theme-songs-that-exist-within-the-shows-universe/797309 "2017-09-25T23:27:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2017, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-theme-songs-that-exist-within-the-shows-universe/797309/21 "2017-09-26T15:18:31Z")
I don’t remember the particulars, but “Monk” did a chunk of an episode fooling around with the two theme songs–the snappy, jazzy-guitar instrumental and the Randy “Mumbly Joe” Newman, plodding version. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2017, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-theme-songs-that-exist-within-the-shows-universe/797309/22 "2017-09-26T15:28:34Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > I don’t remember the particulars, but “Monk” did a chunk of an episode fooling around with the two theme songs–the snappy, jazzy-guitar instrumental and the Randy “Mumbly Joe” Newman, plodding version. This happened in the episode in which Sarah Silverman’s character was complaining about another TV crime series changing its theme… (“Mr. Monk and the TV star”) ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2017, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-theme-songs-that-exist-within-the-shows-universe/797309/23 "2017-09-26T15:39:20Z")
^ Thanks, **Andy** , the check is in the mail. ---
**Author:** ![Srsly\_Dad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@Srsly\_Dad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Srsly_Dad)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2017, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-theme-songs-that-exist-within-the-shows-universe/797309/24 "2017-09-26T16:32:47Z")
The BBC show Midsomer Murders has a theme song featuring a theremin. The same tune (minus the theremin) has been played in the show by various community orchestras or bands. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2017, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-theme-songs-that-exist-within-the-shows-universe/797309/25 "2017-09-26T16:55:10Z")
In the movie of Veronica Mars, there was someone singing the theme song in one scene. I swear I’ve seen more, but nothing is coming to me right now. At least once, someone had a MIDI-like version as a cell phone ring tone. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2017, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-theme-songs-that-exist-within-the-shows-universe/797309/26 "2017-09-26T16:59:20Z")
The Kimmunicator ringtone is a distinctive four-note sequence from the _Kim Possible_ theme. ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2017, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-theme-songs-that-exist-within-the-shows-universe/797309/27 "2017-09-26T19:08:28Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > [Here is a list of TV “Them Tune Cameos”.](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/ThemeTuneCameo/LiveActionTV) > > Some of these fit the bill, I think. Missing from this list is _Community_. There was an episode where the cast participated in an elaborate multiplayer video game, [Journey to the Center of Hawthorne](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fgR7oeIXFA), and the opening section of the game featured an 8-bit tinny version of the show’s theme song. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2017, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-theme-songs-that-exist-within-the-shows-universe/797309/28 "2017-09-26T19:17:33Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > It’s not a TV show, but in the James Bond film _On Her Majesty’s Secret Service_ a janitor sweeping up in Draco’s offices is whistling the theme from _Goldfinger_ Another movie: In the movie version of _S.W.A.T._, the characters can be heard humming the theme from the TV show. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2017, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-theme-songs-that-exist-within-the-shows-universe/797309/29 "2017-09-26T19:19:35Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Jose Feliciano played a thinly disguised version of himself in an episode of “Chico and the Man,” and sang the theme song. Update: he appeared as a Mexican folk singer named Pepe Fernando, and during a fight between Chico and Ed Brown, he sang the theme song to calm both down. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2017, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-theme-songs-that-exist-within-the-shows-universe/797309/30 "2017-09-26T19:49:08Z")
[The theme](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Eats#Format) for _Good Eats_. > [@](#): > > Incidental music during the show is typically a variation of the show’s theme, which in turn was inspired by music from the film Get Shorty.[5] There are dozens of variations of the theme played throughout, crossing all genres of music, including the keypad tones in “Mission: Poachable” and nearly every incidence where a countdown of ten seconds is used. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2017, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-theme-songs-that-exist-within-the-shows-universe/797309/31 "2017-09-26T19:55:34Z")
> [@mcgato](#): > > The movie version of MASH includes the theme song for the TV show, Suicide is Painless. The lyrics are included in the movie, but not the TV theme. I don’t recall if the song was used as the theme song for the movie. It was, lyrics and all, about 97 verses. Fun fact: Mike Altman, the then-14-year-old son of director Robert Altman, wrote the lyrics. (I’d have been worried about a kid that age writing something so dark and hopeless.) ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2017, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-theme-songs-that-exist-within-the-shows-universe/797309/32 "2017-09-26T20:13:31Z")
Carroll O’Connor and Jean Stapleton sang “Those Were The Days” as Archie and Edith Bunker on the opening of _All In The Family_. I don’t know if it ever turned up in an episode, but since they performed it in character, I’m going to count that one as in-universe. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2017, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-theme-songs-that-exist-within-the-shows-universe/797309/33 "2017-09-26T20:16:45Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > It was, lyrics and all, about 97 verses. > > Fun fact: Mike Altman, the then-14-year-old son of director Robert Altman, wrote the lyrics. (I’d have been worried about a kid that age writing something so dark and hopeless.) Further fun fact: the kid made more than ten times as much money for writing the song as his dad did for directing the movie. ---
**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:** [September 26, 2017, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-theme-songs-that-exist-within-the-shows-universe/797309/34 "2017-09-26T20:18:25Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > It was, lyrics and all, about 97 verses. > > Fun fact: Mike Altman, the then-14-year-old son of director Robert Altman, wrote the lyrics. (I’d have been worried about a kid that age writing something so dark and hopeless.) Not so fun fact: Mike made more money from the movie than his father. ---
**Author:** ![SirRay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@SirRay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SirRay)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2017, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-theme-songs-that-exist-within-the-shows-universe/797309/35 "2017-09-26T20:48:52Z")
The early 1970s LWT series “Doctor In The House” occasionally reworked its regular intro music to different arrangements for use as incidental music (e.g. a sappy love theme for the First Series’s episode "All for Love… "). In the Second Series’ episode “Take Off Your Clothes… and Hide” the theme song was reworked in a Jazzy burlesque style which Rita the stripper “performed” to in-episode (in a St. Swithin’s nurse costume, of course). ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2017, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-theme-songs-that-exist-within-the-shows-universe/797309/36 "2017-09-26T22:23:42Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > It’s not a TV show, but in the James Bond film _On Her Majesty’s Secret Service_ a janitor sweeping up in Draco’s offices is whistling the theme from _Goldfinger_ Also happens in _Octopussy_. When Bond arrives in India, his local contact (played by Vijay Armitraj) is posing as a snake charmer and gets Bond’s attention by playing a few notes of the James Bond theme on his pungi. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-theme-songs-that-exist-within-the-shows-universe/797309/37 "2017-09-27T00:01:42Z")
> [@JohnGalt](#): > > There’s a recording of the Bonanza cast singing lyrics from their theme song. BUT - from [Me-TV](http://www.metv.com/lists/listen-to-12-different-versions-of-the-bonanza-theme) > Even though it wasn’t broadcast, I think this should count. Did you know the theme to “The Andy Griffith Show” has lyrics, too? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/VJgDE7frhXg/hqdefault.jpg "Henry Kaiser : The fishin' hole") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJgDE7frhXg) ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-theme-songs-that-exist-within-the-shows-universe/797309/38 "2017-09-27T00:07:04Z")
the original Scooby doo where are you theme song is sang a few times through out the years … ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-theme-songs-that-exist-within-the-shows-universe/797309/39 "2017-09-27T00:09:58Z")
The opening theme waltz from _Upstairs, Downstairs_ was never played in-show, but in the early episodes, Sarah sang a naughty musical-hall song “What Are We Going to do with Uncle Arthur?” which had the same tune as the closing credits music. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-theme-songs-that-exist-within-the-shows-universe/797309/40 "2017-09-27T00:10:39Z")
In one cartoon from the 70s, the theme to “Jabberjaw” is sung, torch-song style. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-theme-songs-that-exist-within-the-shows-universe/797309.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-theme-songs-that-exist-within-the-shows-universe/797309.md?page=3)