#74 SLEDGE HAMMER!
COMPOSED BY DANNY ELFMAN (1986)
Sledge Hammer! starring David Rasche was one of the funniest and most underrated TV shows ever made.  The shoot first, ask questions later style of the title character was a hilarious send up of the popular Dirty Harry films of the time.  Danny Elfman's goofy techno action theme was the perfect choice to set the mood for the show, which was capped with Rasche saying, "Trust me, I know what I'm doing" followed by a gunshot.  You can CLICK HERE to listen to the theme, and while you're out it, check out the incredible SLEDGE HAMMER ONLINE, which is run by the show's creator, Alan Spencer, and includes an exciting story, The Return of Sledge Hammer, that's a great read as well.

#73 THE ROOKIES
COMPOSED BY ELMER BERNSTEIN (1972)
Elmer Bernstein's theme for The Rookies is about the perfect 70s funky tough guy theme of them all.  Great deep horns, wah-wah guitar, and some crazy crazy jazz riffing at the end that seems almost too good to be true.  It's certainly the most memorable thing about the show.  Bernstein, who just passed away in August of 2004, is an Oscar winning composer who is famous for his work in the films The Great Escape and The Ten Commandments, but cut his teeth on low budget trash goodness like Robot Monster in 1953.  Busy up until the time of his death, his resume is jaw-dropping (CLICK HERE to see everything he's ever done).  In 1972, The Rookies was one of the early TV dramas to feature just good solid cop stories, and it helped spawn classics like Starsky and Hutch, Barretta, SWAT, and even Charlie's Angels.  You can CLICK HERE to listen to the song, and read more about the show.

#72 SESAME STREET
COMPOSED BY  JOE RAPOSO (1969)
Few songs capture the spirit of childhood as well as the theme from Sesame Street.  The music is original and playful, while the lyrics are brilliant poetry.  This is one of those rare shows that nearly everyone who grew up with it has fond memories of, and that the theme song still makes me feel good when I hear it.  CLICK HERE to sing along in the comfort of your own home.  As mentioned in #77, Joe Raposo also composed the Three's Company and swell Electric Company theme, too.

#71 HILL STREET BLUES
COMPOSED BY  MIKE POST (1981)
Like Bob James' theme for Taxi, Mike Post's theme for Hill Street Blues is a wonderful and calming piano instrumental that almost makes you forget you're about to watch a cop show.  Mike Post is one of those all time TV theme super-composers with several legendary themes like "The Rockford Files", "CHiPS", "Magnum PI", and "Law and Order" to his credit.  He has had a varied music career prior to TV, and even played guitar on the Sonny and Cher hit, "I Got You Babe."  According to IMDB.com, Post has composed more than 2,000 hours of soundtrack work (more than half of which are from the ill-fated "1437 hours of Blossom" fiasco from 1992.  You can CLICK HERE to visit a fun little HSB fan page with lots of pictures and sound clips.

#70 THE MICKEY MOUSE CLUB
COMPOSED BY  JIMMIE DODD (1955)
The Mickey Mouse Club march is one of those perfect theme songs that gets the name of the show in, is catchy and easy to remember, and stays in your head for hours after hearing it.  Written and performed by adult cast member Jimmie Dodd (they never quite explained why a grown man would wear mouse ears and hang out with annoying kids all day), the opening and closing themes of this show are forever classics.  I always dug the part when Donald Duck heckled the opening number.  And that ending with "M-I-C... see ya really soon!" was a sad goodbye to each show.  My dad told me he used to have a crush on Annette Funnicello and even wrote her letters frequently, not stopping until the restraining order was made official.  You can CLICK HERE to listen to the them song, and a ton of other TV themes, as well.  TV ACRES has a swell article on Mouseketeers.

#69 RAWHIDE
COMPOSED BY  DIMITRI TIOMPKIN (1959)
LYRICS BY NED WASHINGTON (1959)
VOCALS BY FRANKIE LAINE (1959)
"Rain and wind and weather...hell-bent for leather!" seems like it'd be in the lyrics of a Village People song, but it's the mighty theme to Rawhide where it became famous.  Anyway with that wonderful cracking whip, sounds of cows mooing, and those tough guy vocals from Frankie Laine, it certainly sets the tone for the show.  It may be the best song with cow sounds in it since the debut album from Wilson Phillips.  The song reached it's pop culture zenith when Jake and Elwood Blues sang it in The Blues Brothers behind a cyclone fence screen to calm down a bar full of rowdy rednecks.  You can read more about the show and see the lyrics if you CLICK HERE.

#68 THE REN & STIMPY SHOW
THEME BY SCOTT HUML, JOHN KRICFALUSI,
CHRIS RECCARDI, and JIM SMITH (1991)
There's much mystery about the "Dog Pound Hop" theme used in the original Ren & Stimpy show.  Some sources credit just Jim Smith with the theme while others quote all four folks mentioned above.  Either way, it's a fun and swingin' song full of cool-cat guitar, big ol' string bass, bongo drums, and pure fun that sets the tone for the great show.  For a super swell ultimate guide to Ren & Stimpy, CLICK HERE.

#67 THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW
COMPOSED BY  EARL HAGEN (1961)
The most endearing thing about the opening theme of The Dick Van Dyke show is watching Dick trip over the ottoman in his living room timed perfectly with a xylophone and drum beat.  Dick Van Dyke was a genius on this show, and Mary Tyler Moore as Laura Petrie was one of the most gorgeous women to ever appear on television.  The theme by Earl Hagen was a perfect compliment.  Hagen is a TV theme legend through many eras, creating the tunes for "Gomer Pyle", "Andy Griffith", "The Mod Squad", "Eight Is Enough" and tons more.  Carl Reiner and the other creative geniuses behind this show have made an OFFICIAL SITE that's worth checking out.  You can hear the theme song, and even download a sound file of Mary Tyler Moore shouting, "Ohhh, Robbbb".  I have to admit that since my name is Robert, it's quite a treat to turn off the lights, put out some candles, and play that sound on an endless loop. 

#66 DIFF'RENT STROKES
COMPOSED BY  ALAN THICKE (1978)
Alan Thicke is one of the most versatile performers out there.  Not only can he act equally well among animals and humans, but he can write a pretty damn good TV theme song while he's at it!  In addition to "Diff'rent Strokes", Alan wrote the theme to the original "Wheel of Fortune", and "The Facts of Life" (but amazingly did not write the theme to "Growing Pains", which was actually written by Stephen Dorff's father, Steve Dorff).  The theme to Diff'rent Strokes is a rousing tune that tells the whole setup story in the grand tradition of "Gilligan's Island" and "The Brady Bunch."  I really view Alan Thicke as the Lennon/McCartney of the TV lyrics world, only not as successful and he's just one guy.  His work on the Diff'rent Strokes theme is no exception.  I tried to capture the soulful side of this song that was ignored when recorded for the show, with this SPECIAL COVER VERSION that I hope you enjoy.  And as a special added treat, here's THE FACTS OF LIFE THEME sung by none other than Chewbacca (yes, it's not on the Top 100 by itself, so let the hate mail commence).

#65 THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JOHNNY CARSON
COMPOSED BY  PAUL ANKA (1962)
This theme song is so perfectly tied to the brilliance of Johnny Carson, that you can't help but think of him walking out and waving to the crowd with that sheepish grin.  Man I miss the hell out of this guy.  He's stayed true to his promise to not be on TV again, even refusing to appear on an NBC anniversary special, but just once I wish he'd walk out on The Tonight Show and tell Jay Leno to take a hike.  He is without a doubt the funniest and classiest late TV host that'll ever be.  It's sad to miss out on his brilliant monologues year after year, but at least he's enjoying a well-deserved retirement.  One of the fun things about putting this feature together is learning all the geeky tidbits of TV show themes, like that fact that Paul "She's Having My Baby" Anka composed this awesome intro.  If you'd like to book Paul Anka to sing in your back yard, CLICK HERE.  The Official Tonight Show With Johnny Carson site, has a tremendously cool MONOLOGUE ARCHIVE that's worth checking out, too.

#64 WKRP IN CINCINNATI
COMPOSED BY  TOM WELLS, VOCALS BY STEVE CARLISLE (1978)
"WKRP" is another snappy feel-good theme from the 70s that has appeal long since it's been on the air.  It's a story-telling theme that gives you the background of the show, but it's unclear who's perspective the song is being told from.  I always figured it was about Andy Travis (played by Gary Sandy, who had a habit of wearing faded jeans so tight you could see his circumcision), but it could also be from Johnny Fever (one of the great TV characters of them all, played masterfully by Howard Hessman).  Tom Wells, who composed the theme, also did the theme for the reasonably good "The New WKRP in Cincinnati" and the unusual 1983 Jim Carrey show, "The Duck Factory."  For a super swell WKRP page, CLICK HERE, it's full of a ton of info, and obscure sound files.  Of course the best reason to watch WKRP was Jan Smithers, as the smoldering glasses-clad Bailey Quarters.  CLICK HERE for a fantastic fan site that goes in to so much cool detail about her and the show that you'd be hard pressed to find anything else to say about them.

#63 SOUTH PARK
COMPOSED BY  LES CLAYPOOL (1997)
The South Park Theme is almost an anti-theme song.  At first listen, it's like a broken mess, with out of tune instruments and lyrics that are hard to decipher, but it grows on you and becomes incredibly catchy.  The coolest secret about the song is that as the characters sing their lines, Kenny, who's voice is muffled with his puffy orange hooded coat, actually sings lyrics like "I like girls with big vagina, I like girls with fat titties" (In Seasons 1 and 2) and other naughty things in the other seasons of the show.  The show's creators and life-force, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, are not only comedy geniuses, but the music they put together for this show (and their movies, for that matter) are some of the most consistently funny and entertaining songs ever written.  For the ultimate South Park Website with trivia, sounds, pictures, and more, why not go to the source and visit SOUTH PARK STUDIOS?

#62 THE SIMPSONS
COMPOSED BY  DANNY ELFMAN (1989)
Danny Elfman's theme to The Simpsons is an epic piece of work that's fun and powerful and gets you in a fun exciting mood for the rest of the show.  But I'll stop babbling and give you a quote from Simpson's creator Matt Groening himself, who had this to say about the theme in the liner notes of "Songs in the Key of Springfield". 

"The trend in TV themes for the previous 15 years had been this namby-pamby synthesizer schlock, modest in both ambition and execution. These noodly, ersatz-sentimental themes all seemed to whimper, "We can't offer you much, but please like our pathetic little show!" I wanted a big, fully orchestrated, obnoxious, arrogant theme that promised you the best time of your life.

We approached Danny Elfman, whose career I'd been following since I saw him perform as the leader of The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo (best described as an avant-garde Cab Calloway-on-Mars vaudeville ensemble) at the Whisky-a-Go-Go on the Sunset Strip in the late 70's. Elfman had recently composed the soundtrack to Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, and I knew he'd be perfect.

I gave Elfman what I called a "flavors" tape, featuring the kind of sound I wanted for The Simpsons theme. The tape included The Jetsons theme, selections from Nino Rota's Juliet of the Spirits, a Remington electric shaver jingle by Frank Zappa, some easy-listening music by Esquivel, and a teach-your-parrot-to-talk record.

Elfman gave it a listen and said, "I know exactly what you're looking for."

A month later we were recording the now-famous Simpsons theme on the 20th Century Fox lot with a huge orchestra. I think all the producers were a little nervous and fidgety about the untrendy audacity of the music. But then-executive producer James L. Brooks came in, listened a bit, then said, "My God! This is great! This is lemmings-marching-to-their-death music!"

#61 LEAVE IT TO BEAVER
COMPOSED BY  DAVE KAHN (1957)
Let it be known that Leave It To Beaver is one of the best shows ever made.  I love this show, have seen every episode numerous times, and think Eddie Haskell is the best TV villain of them all.  Needless to say, the theme song has a lot of charm to it as well.  It's a simple affair, with the narrator simply reading the cast list while a happy muted trumpet plays in the background, ending with the climactic, "...and Jerry Mathers, as 'The Beaver'."  There were actually lyrics written for this song, "The Toy Parade", but they have nothing whatsoever to do with the actual show (READ THEM HERE).  By the way, I can't find out who the narrator of the theme song was to save my life, so if you could help a brother out, I'd appreciate it!  (email me at rberry@retrocrush.com).

#60 THE LOVE BOAT
COMPOSED BY  CHARLES FOX and PAUL WILLIAMS,
PERFORMED BY JACK JONES (1976)
How could you not like The Love Boat theme?  Why only if you hate good songs, that's how!  Charles Fox must have been crazy when he wrote it, crazy like a FOX if you know what I mean!  Of course, it's the golden vocals of night club legend Jack Jones that really makes the difference with this epic tune.  Jones has a great cameo in Airplane 2 that's worth looking for, where he gets to sing The Love Boat theme during an escape from a mental institution. I think that's a great metaphor for life's struggles, if you really think about it. If you want to hear a rare original version of this theme song, sung by myself while I'm half asleep, drunk, and thinking I have a good singing voice, CLICK HERE (warning it's not funny, just sad).

#59 CHiPS
COMPOSED BY  JOHN PARKER (1977)
When you get Erik Estrada and Larry Wilcox in the same place, you just gotta have a rockin' cool theme song to convey they're incredible coolness.  The first season version of the song was good, but once the second season started, it got a great funky background rhythm that's hard to deny.  I always loved the opening sequence that showed off all the parts of their uniform.  "Here's the gloves", "here's the sunglasses", here's...THE CHIPS!  My buddy John Marcotte got to meet and EVEN KISS Erik Estrada while writing for a California Highway Patrol newsletter.  You can CLICK HERE to visit CHiPS ONLINE, an incredibly thorough CHiPS fan site with a ton of sound files, images, and ancient AOL chat transcripts.

#58 I DREAM OF JEANNIE
COMPOSED BY  HUGO MONTENEGRO (1966)
The best use of samba music in a TV theme, second only to the little seen "Gabe Kaplan's World of Samba" back in 1978.  It's a sexy and fun theme befitting a show featuring the goddesslike beauty of Barbara Eden.  Hugo also worked on episode specific music for The Monkees, The Partridge Family, and Mission Impossible, but perhaps his biggest commercial success was a #2 selling single for his version of "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" theme he recorded.   By the way, I like a good movie based on a TV show (Brady Bunch), but THIS FILM VERSION of Jeannie stars somebody who doesn't even come close to filling the shoes of the original star.  "Jeannie" is another one of those instrumental themes, that for some odd reason also had lyrics written for it that were never aired.  With the opening line, "Jeannie, fresh as a daisy...", the words seem better suited for a douche commercial, than a TV sitcom.  The famous theme became even more famous when Matthew Broderick danced to the tune during in a scene of Ferris Bueller's Day Off.  You can CLICK HERE for a fun story about how Barbara Eden kept and almost lost the Genie Bottle from the show, and CLICK HERE to listen to the theme.

#57 THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW
COMPOSED AND PERFORMED BY  SONNY CURTIS (1970)
"Who could turn the world on with a smile?"  Why it was Mary Tyler Moore, that's who!  This great theme, that was both written and performed by Sonny Curtis still brings a smile to my face.  Syndicated radio personalities "Don and Mike" even close their daily show out with the theme music because it's so cool.  Sonny is also famous for writing the song "I Fought The Law", "More Than I Can Say" (which became a big hit for Leo Sayer), and for being a founding member of Buddy Holly's band, "The Crickets". Visit SONNYCURTIS.com where you can learn amazing things about the man, including the fact that he's so ornery (man, that's one hard word to spell) he once shot a man for snoring!  The MTM theme actually changes with the show, with the 1st season starting with "How will you make it on your own?", but after a year, it was clear she did make it, so the smile line was thrown in, instead.  If you scroll to the bottom of THIS PAGE you can hear ever incarnation of the song, including a rockin' version by Joan Jett.

#56 THE STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO
COMPOSED BY  PAT WILLIAMS (1972)
This early 70s cop classic has it all, a snazzy beat, cool keyboards, swingin' horns, and a wicked rhythm guitar.  It makes you want to race around San Francisco and hang out with Karl Malden.  Streets was a great show with a ton of good stories and guest stars (one with Maureen "Marcia Brady" as a hooker!), which I'm surprised that it hasn't been remade as a new series or movie yet.  You'd at least think the star power of Michael Douglas would be enough to get it released on DVD.  Pat Williams, the show's theme composer, has an impressive body of work that includes music for "The Bob Newhart Show", "Lou Grant", "Cannon", "Monk", and over 150 other TV shows and movies.  You can read a bit more about the show and listen to the theme if you CLICK HERE.

#55 GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE
COMPOSED BY  SHELDON ALLMAN (1967)
Sheldon Allman makes his second appearance on our list (he's also at #76 with his brilliant "Mister Ed" theme) with his incredible theme to "George of The Jungle".  This cartoon song is a blast, with the the deep booming drums, fun vocals and lyrics, and the great screaming sound punctuated with the classic line "Watch out for that tree!".  Though only 17 episodes of the cartoon were made, it's still one of America's most beloved, largely thanks to the wonderful theme song.  Allman was also responsible for the great themes for Super Chicken and Tom Slick as well.  You can look at some swell pictures of the show and hear the theme if you CLICK HERE.

#54 LOST IN SPACE
COMPOSED BY  JOHN WILLIAMS (1965)
Though better known for doing small indie film soundtracks for movies like Jaws, Star Wars, ET, and Raiders of the Lost Ark, composer John Williams did quite a bit of TV work before going the motion picture route.  His work on Lost In Space was fantastic, and unusual in that he composed an entirely new theme as of the 3rd season that was just as cool.  The Irreverent Guide to Lost In Space is a pretty fun LIS site to check out.  Amazon's pages for SEASON 1 and SEASON 3 music CD's have pretty extensive sample tracks (even though they've been out of print for some time) to listen to if you'd like to hear for yourself.

#53 KUNG FU
COMPOSED BY  JIM HELMS (1972)
Jim Helms' theme for the 70s classic Kung Fu did a great job of mixing the Far East with the Old West to set the tone for the great show featuring David Carradine as Caine, the wandering Shaolin priest.   Check out the Kung-Fu Episode Guide for a lot of cool info about the show, including a FAQ that debunks the info that the show was stolen from a Bruce Lee idea.  You can listen to Kung Fu and a bunch of other cool TV themes if you CLICK HERE.  I can't find too much information about Jim Helms, the IMDB entry for him shows that he's alive, but a NY times article refers to him as "late composer".  If you happen to know anything more, I'd love to hear from you at rberry@retrocrush.com.  He not only did the theme, but scored the entire series with some beautiful and haunting music throughout.

#52 HAPPY DAYS
MUSIC BY CHARLES FOX, LYRICS BY NORMAN GIMBEL
PERFORMED BY  TRUETT PRATT and JERRY McCLAIN (1976)
Truett Pratt and Jerry McClain had the unenviable task of performing a new theme song to Happy Days that was already associated with Bill Haley and the Comets' "Rock Around The Clock" to viewers of the first two seasons.  The result was a very catchy 50s style song that even became a top 10 single, which made the duo a true one hit wonder with no follow up hits.  Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel, who wrote the new Happy Days theme, are also known for putting together the title tunes for "Wonder Woman", "The Love Boat" and "Laverne and Shirley".  TVLAND has a very nice Happy Days site with a lot of information, sounds, and of course the theme song to listen to.

#51 ULTRAMAN
COMPOSED BY  KUNIO MIYAUCHI (1967)
I love the hell out of this song.  The crazy weird creaky noises at the beginning followed by insane blaring horns, then the 60s rockin' guitar with goofy vocals singing about our hero make it complete.  The lyrics say it all, "Ultraman, Ultraman, here he comes from the sky!  Ultraman, Ultraman, watch our hero fly!  In a super jet he comes from a billion miles away from a distant planet land, our hero Ultraman!"  What more do you need to know?  Ultraman was always one of my favorite superheroes growing up, and whenever we'd choose characters to fight as, I'd always be Ultraman, because it was so easy to blast away Spider-Man and Batman with those cool hand lasers. To hear the Ultraman theme, CLICK HERE.  Hopefully they'll get around to releasing the 1967 series on DVD someday, instead of just the numerous revamps of the character, because it's one of the most fun and kickass kids' shows ever made.  I used to run home every day and make sure I could watch him on this great San Francisco Bay Area produced show called Captain Cosmic that totally rocked (CLICK HERE to visit a cool tribute site to that show, and be jealous that I got to watch such a cool show growing up, and you didn't!)

#50 THE COSBY SHOW
COMPOSED BY  STU GARDNER AND BILL COSBY (1984)
Bill Cosby is clearly a man of many talents, from his standup, to books, to creating Fat Albert, and Leonard Part Six (well, he's usually on the money), he rarely fails to deliver.  Many people don't realize that he's the co-composer of the theme song of his famous 80s series.  The theme, (titled "Kiss Me") is upbeat and versatile with many different incarnations as the years went on, starting with an upbeat jazz horn version, soon replaced with a take by Bobby McFerrin, a cool version by Tito Puente, and ultimately an over the top orchestral version.  Of course, the best thing about the Cosby Show, is RIGHT HERE.