Top 5 TV Theme Songs

This week on The Ralph Report with Ralph Garman and Eddie Pence, the pair revealed their Top 3 Favorite Prime Time TV Theme Songs. Ralph's picks were Mission: Impossible, Batman, and The Rockford Files. Eddie, a few years younger, skewed to the 1980s with The A-Team, The Dukes of Hazzard, and The Fall Guy. While Ralph gave Eddie a hard time over The Fall Guy, I always enjoyed the tune, but then again, I enjoyed all six of their picks.

So what about mine? Well, I gave it some thought and here are my Top 5, in no particular order.

Gilligan's Island

I'm a big fan of old-fashioned theme songs that tell any new viewer what the show's about. Think also: The Brady Bunch, all three of Eddie's picks above,

The X-Files

With a show about weird things happening in a decade where conspiracy theories became mainstream, composer Mark Snow captured it all in this eerie theme.

Dallas

Why Dallas? I'm not sure. I was not an avid watcher. I latched onto the series when J.R. was shot, correctly guessed the culprit, and then slowly stopped watching soon there after. But that theme is one I catch myself singing frequently. Weird. But this song manages to snag both the modern west (guitar licks) and the classic western (those french horns) in one song.

The Greatest American Hero

There was a time when Mike Post was the go-to guy for TV theme songs. This is my favorite. It's a time-capsule song that not only tells you what year the show debuted but also the wistfully happy spirit of the show.

The Love Boat

Another song I catch myself singing. How can you not when "Love" is the first word? I'm a pretty dorky guy and sometimes, I'll speak the lyrics to my wife if it's been a few days since I've seen her roll her eyes.

As a kid in the late 1970s, when new programs were actually shown on TV, Saturday nights were The Love Boat and Fantasy Island.

To bring it back to story, The Love Boat was one of the first shows (not a Scooby-Doo cartoon or a TV sitcom) where I recognized a pattern. And that pattern was almost always by the clock.

First ten minutes: all characters introduced and on-board crew subplot presented.
Next twenty minutes (30-minute mark): antics of crew and new characters.
Next ten minutes (to 40-min mark): breaks-ups and trouble
Next ten minutes (to 50-min mark) make-ups
Final ten minutes: disembark the ship, arm in arm.