TV Themes

Like a catchphrase that filters into everyday lingo, TV theme songs have the power to infiltrate our national brainwaves until they stand for something all their own. Fire up the super pop of "I'll Be There for You" by the Rembrandts and you can feel the warm fuzzies of Friends well up inside. Press play on theme great Vic Mizzy's altogether ooky song for The Addams Family and the urge to snap your fingers becomes irresistible. Unleash Mark Snow's "Materia Primoris," the Main Title Theme from The X-Files, and all of a sudden it's paranormal creepy time.

There're lots more great TV Themes — check 'em out in Next Steps.

For something that flies by papered over by credits and shots of good-looking people, TV themes sure have attracted a lot of musical masters. Maybe it's the lure of creating cultural moments, like Lalo Schifrin did with the bold-and-brassy jazz of his instantly recognizable theme for Mission: Impossible; or the Ventures did with their drum-solo surf monster "Hawaii Five-O." These days, you can hear rock genius Pete Townshend and the Who calling episodes of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation to order with "Who Are You," and British electronica wizards Massive Attack launching the weird and wonderful world of House with the moody sounds of their song "Teardrop."

Tune in to Deep Cuts for more great TV themes.

Some songs are written specially for a show, and then — like José Feliciano's chord-striking Main Theme for Chico and the Man — become smash hits in their own right. But that works the other way around, too, as existing tunes find new life as TV themes. Witness "Bad Reputation," the raucous Joan Jett & the Blackhearts anthem that became a picture-perfect opener for the late, great series Freaks and Geeks. Or "We Used to Be Friends," a rocker by the Dandy Warhols that found a new entrée on Veronica Mars. Malvina Reynolds' "Little Boxes" gets a fresh start over and over, as a new version of the folk standard opens each episode of Weeds.

Here's a story of a lovely theme song, a catchy little ditty sung by three girls and three boys about their blended video family — it never became a chart buster, it never won a GRAMMY®, but the "Theme From The Brady Bunch" wrapped up the goofy innocence of the TV show in one scant musical minute, and wound up a beloved nugget of American pop culture. Our TV Themes Essentials is packed with these small-screen wonders, from Danny Elfman's fantastic, bombastic "Main Title Theme from The Simpsons" (performed by the Alf Clausen Orchestra), to the criminally underrated super-pop of the Partridge Family and "Come On Get Happy," to the work of TV theme maestro Mike Post, including his saucy "Theme from the Rockford Files" and his sultry "Theme from Hill Street Blues."