Some TV theme songs are iconic. The way you can tell if they’re iconic is, if it’s decades later and you know every word. If decades later that song is still used in some way shape or form in commercials or just sung at parties, it’s iconic. What are the best TV theme songs of all time? Let’s find out.
Best TV Theme Songs
How did Rolling Stone came up with its list of the best TV theme songs of all time? They put together a list of TV theme songs throughout history then broke it down by looking for diversity in terms of style of music, style of show, and era. Then, according to Rolling Stone: “1)How great is it as a song? 2)How well does it prepare you for the show that follows, in terms of mood and/or an explanation of the premise?”
Are TV theme songs a thing of the past?
Some people may argue that there really isn’t a need for theme songs anymore. This article in Looper made some valid points like: they don’t serve the same purpose of setting up the show, people have zero attention span at this point, and it takes time away from valuable storytelling. I don’t know about you, but when there’s an option to “skip intro,” I usually do. The only exceptions are when it’s the first episode, and the final episode. I feel like I have to experience the whole show front to back before I end it.
What follows is a list of the 100 Greatest TV Theme Songs of All Time according to Rolling Stone. Do we agree? Right away there is a glaring omission from the top 10 and that would be GOLDEN GIRLS! Other than that, this list looks pretty respectable. You can carry this debate over to the Getup Crew Facebook page.
