How many TV theme songs have made the top 40 pop charts?
Rockford Files theme peaked at #10 on 5/17/75
Hill Street Blues theme peaked at #10 on 8/22/81
What others??
The theme from The Greatest American Hero (“Believe it or not, I’m walking on air…”)
“Hawaii Five-0,” by the Ventures, #4 in 1969.
“Long Lonesome Highway” [theme from Then Came Bronson], by Michael Parks, #20 in 1970.
“Welcome Back” [Kotter], by John Sebastian, #1 in 1976.
In addition to Rockford Files and Hill Street Blues, Mike Post also took “Theme from Magnum P.I.” to the charts (#25, 1982).
Hawaii Five-0 – The Ventures. #4
Welcom Back (from “Welcome Back, Kotter”) – John Sebastian, #1
S.W.A.T. – Rhythm Heritage, #1
Zorro – The Chordettes, #17
Dragnet – Ray Anthony Orchestra, #3
Peter Gunn – Ray Anthony Orchestra, #8, Duane Eddy, #27
Mission: Impossible – Lalo Schriffin, #41
Here Come the Brides (“Seattle”) – Perry Como, # 38
Laverne and Shirley (“Making Our Dreams Come True”) – Cyndi Greco, #25
Happy Days – Pratt and McClain, #5
I Love Lucy (Disco version) – Wilton Place Street Band, #24
Secret Agent (“Secret Agent Man”) – Johnny Rivers, #3
I would imagine the Friends & Miami Vice themes might qualify…
There’s a complete list in The Complete Directory to Prime-Time and Cable TV Shows 1947-Present by Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, also listing cover versions and some that didn’t make it to the top 40. Here’s the whole list of themes that made the top 40, including covers. The word “by” is used here to represent artist, not songwriter.
Addams Family (Addams Groove by Hammer), #7 1991
Ally McBeal (Searchin’ My Soul by Vonda Shepard) #16 on airplay chart (not single chart) 1998
Angie (Different Worlds by Maureen McGovern) #18 1979
Baretta (Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow by Rhythm Heritage)#20 1976
Batman (Batman by The Marketts) #17 1966
Batman (Batman by Neal Hefti Orchestra) #35 1966
Ben Casey (Ben Casey by Valjean) #38 1962
Bonanza (Bonanza by Al Caiola) #19 1961
Cops (Bad Boys by Inner Circle) #8 1993
Dr. Kildare (Three Stars Will Shine Tonight by Richard Chamberlain) #10 1962
Dragnet (Dragnet by Ray Anthony Orchestra) #3 1953
The Dukes of Hazzard (The Dukes of Hazzard by Waylon Jennings) #21 1980
Friends (I’ll Be There for You by the Rembrandts) #17 1995
The Greatest American Hero (Believe It or Not by Joey Scarbury) #2 1981
Happy Days (Happy Days by Pratt & McClain) #5 1976
Have Gun Will Travel (The Ballad of Paladin by Duane Eddy) #33 1962
Hawaii Five-O (Hawaii Five-0 by the Ventures) #4 1969
The Heights (How Do You Talk to an Angel by the Heights) #1 1992
Here Come The Brides (Seattle by Perry Como) #38 1969
Hill Street Blues (Hill Street Blues by Mike Post) #10 1981
I Love Lucy (*Disco Lucy by Wilton Place Street Band) #24 1977
Laverne and Shirley (Making Our Dreams Come True by Cyndi Grecco) #25 1976
Magnum, P.I. (Magnum, P.I. by Mike Post)#25 1982
Makin’ It (Makin’ It by David Naughton) #5 1979
Medic (Blue Star by Felicia Sanders) #29 1955
The Men (The Men by Issac Hayes) #38 1972
Miami Vice (Miami Vice by Jan Hammer) #1 1985
Mission Impossible (Mission Impossible by Lalo Schifrin) #41 1968
Mission Impossible (Mission Impossible by U2) #7 1996
Mr. Lucky (Mr. Lucky by Henry Mancini) #21 1960
Moonlighting (Moonlighting by Al Jarreau) #23 1987
Peter Gunn (Peter Gunn by Ray Anthony Orchestra) #8 1959
Peter Gunn (Peter Gunn by Duane Eddy) #27 1960
The Rockford Files (The Rockford Files by Mike Post) #10 1975
Route 66 (Route 66 by Nelson Riddle) #30 1962
SWAT (SWAT by Rhythm Heritage) #1 1975
Secret Agent (Secret Agent Man by Johnny Rivers) #3 1966
Then Came Bronson (Long Lonesome Highway by Michael Parks) #20 1970
Welcome Back Kotter (Welcome Back by John Sebastian) #1 1976
Zorro (Zorro by the Chordettes) #17 1958
Considering it was on the radio enough to make me want to vomit, I’m going to have to figure that the Sopranos theme must’ve charted a couple of years ago.
No X-Files? No Twin Peaks? Surely they made some kind of easy listening chart…
How about My Life, by Billy Joel, which was used as the theme song for Bosom Buddies?
The X-Files as Easy Listening? For who? UFO fans?
This is a good opportunity for me to air the comment that got me on the SDMB in the first place–
Nobody seems to notice that the theme for The X-Files is the same as the theme for the 1960s Eve Arden/Kaye Ballard NBC sitcom The Mothers-inLaw, just slowed down and played more spookily.
AFAIK, “The Mothers-in-Law” theme didn’t make any charts, either.
I suppose we should have a sub catagory for movie theme songs to hit the top 40
like the Theme from A Summer Place
and thats gonna play in my head all day :smack:
In 1955, “The Ballad of Davy Crockett” was the #1 song for quite a while.
Didn’t the Cheers theme make the charts?
Married with Children used Frank Sinatra’s Love and Marriage , I’m sure that was on the charts, though probably decades before the show was on.
On youtube is Sammy Davis Jr. singing: Hawaii 5 0
It peaked at number 83 in 1983.
These are a bit of a reach, as these were original songs later adapted into TV themes.
“Faith Of The Heart,” written by Diane Warren for the Patch Adams soundtrack, was recorded by Rod Stewart and released as a single, but I don’t know if it charted. This song was later re-recorded by Russell Watson and used as the theme to Star Trek: Enterprise.
“Cleveland Rocks,” the Drew Carey theme recorded by The Presidents of the United States Of America originally was recorded by Ian Hunter on the album You’re Never Alone With A Schizophrenic. Hunter’s album charted at #35 in 1979.
If those are too much of a reach, how about “Secret Agent Man” by Johnny Rivers? #3 in 1966. It was the theme from the British TV show originally known as Danger Man, but retitled to Secret Agent Man when it was shown on U.S. television.