The Savage Animal 10.10.07: The Greatness of TV Themes
Posted by Mikey MiGo on 10.10.2007
Do you know all the words to the “Fresh Prince of Bel Air” theme? How about “The Brady Bunch”, “Welcome Back, Kotter”, or even “Full House”? Can you hum every note of the themes to “The Simpsons”, “The Honeymooners”, or “Sanford and Son”? If so, this is the column for you. In this week’s edition of “The Savage Animal”, 411’s Mikey MiGo takes a look at some of the more memorable television theme songs of today and the past.
After seven days, I return with the thunder. This past weekend was a long one, but also a very good one. Other than confirming more bands for the "The Moving Men" soundtrack, it was the normal post production hell.
On Friday, my associate and I went out to the Abbey in Chicago. We were there to see and film Modern Day Savage. We finally got around to getting multiple plugs and adaptors so we can pipe the show in from the sound board. The sound guy was the rudest person I've ever met working a concert. Seriously, I'm not a confrontation person and am always as polite and respectable as possible. Yet, this guy first tells me "leave me alone, I have work to do" and then a flat "No!". It wasn't that I was upset that he said no, but it was just the fact that he was a COMPLETE ASSHOLE about it. I need to find out his name so I can call ahead and see if this douche is working or not. If so, I'll pass on whatever show I was planning on seeing or filming. All of that would soon be a footnote as Modern Day Savage saved the day with a GREAT performance. It was my first time seeing them live and from the good times that were had, definitely not the last. While some of their lyrics and antics are fun (and very entertaining), they are all top notch musicians. I know you'll say, "What/Who do they sound like?" and well, it's a bit tough to put my finger on it. It's like a buffet of awesomeness. I guess it would be shades of The Flaming Lips, Tenacious D, and Queen to name just a few of many ingredients that make up their music and stage show. Bathe in their freshness at their myspace page HERE.
Check out "Working Out In America" by Modern Day Savage:
Saturday night we hit up O'Malleys in Alsip, Illinois. This time we were there to rock out to and film Habit of Force. I saw them before around six months ago and enjoyed the hell out of it. Since then the shows they've had in the area have always conflicted with other things on my schedule and in life. Believe me I say I regret not switching things around a bit more because they've only gotten better since the last time. They recently released their first EP, which I'll be reviewing sometime soon, and it's some of the best ass kicking rock I've heard in a long time. There's a thin line between good metal bands and metal bands that are all growls and thrash. Habit of Force is a rare breed of aggressive metal with tight hooks and near perfect execution. They're another reason why I feel that Chicago's rock scene is an untapped market. Check out their myspace and pick up their debut EP "Hybrid" HERE.
Check out "Sugar Tongue" by Habit of Force:
I also had the pleasure of attending WWE's No Mercy this past Sunday. I've read reviews on this very page and it's nothing but negative whining. If you've read any of my past columns you'd know that I tend to look at things on the positive side of things, but things are getting unbareable. Did anyone REALLY think that they'd only go with two weeks of clues and videos to hype the return of Jericho/someone or the debut of whomever? The opening title angle and match were a surprise, but not the ones the smarks wanted. If the smarks had it their way the cruiser weight title would be the top title. Because we all know being over stiff with your opponent and flippity-do-da totally equals workrate. I was a bit upset they made Umaga look so weak, but there were obvious time constraints they had to deal with. The Last Man Standing Title Match #3 was damn good. Despite not having the build up the Cena match would have had, I think it's safe to say that this one went a lot better than one would imagine the original would have been. There's tons of bitching about the "non-finish" for the Finlay/Mysterio(yeah, it's a "y" not an "i" anymore) match, but COULD it be a start of a program between the two? Nah, never. We need a winner and loser, dammit! Screw the fact that Finlay's fake injury got the loudest heel reaction of the night. The Punjabi Prison match was boring and after the night was over, I had blocked most of it out. The Women's Title match was decent and not the crap fest that people are saying. I attended Wrestlemania 23 this past April and I can honestly say I had a better time at No Mercy than there. It's just really hard to read show reviews when it's almost always negative. Do what others have done (including me); when you're not satisfied with the wrestling on television… start your own company. Your toleration, respect, and outlook become completely different.
THE GREATNESS OF TV THEME SONGS
While television is mainly mindless entertainment set to let our minds at rest from our everyday lives, it does have many redeeming values. The best shows allow you to connect with characters, follow closely along, and give you something to do for a half hour or hour on a weekday night.
Since the creation of the picture box, we've been blessed with some great entertainment. A lot of these shows have one thing in common, a very memorable theme song. If it's not a song you know all the words to, it's one you can whistle or hum along with. Like a top radio single or entrance music for a pro wrestler, the best TV theme songs instantly pop out at you and stick in your head. Go to any bar on karaoke night and look at their selections. I guarantee that you'll find a slew of TV theme songs to attempt to "sing" a long to. These songs have become apart of Americana and I don't see that changing in the future.
I had originally planned to do my Top 10 theme songs of all time, but that's too tough of a task. Instead, I'm going to look at some of the more memorable theme songs from television history.
TV Theme: MASH
411: Originally written by Robert Altman's son Mike for the movie. It was sung by Johnny Mandel in the opening sequence, but then by XXX in the movie as part of the Dentist's character's attempted suicide scene. The movie would then be adapted to what I consider one of, if not THEE best television show of all time. The words to the original song were a bit too depressing for a national television audience so they went with an instrumental version of the song. Marilyn Manson went on to cover the song for Blair Witch 2 and even he considers it more depressing and offensive than anything he ever did. That says a lot, but in reality the timeless show always starts off with a familiar tune that readies you for one of the best.
TV Theme: Fresh Prince of Bel Air
411: Who would of thought that the "Fresh Prince" would go on to become one of the hottest box office draws of all time. The likeability, charm, and charisma of Will Smith have a huge part in all of that. This is why the theme song is probably so memorable. In one of the rare cases in TV history, Smith performs the theme song to this show himself with the help of long time ally DJ Jazzy Jeff. I'm fairly certain that anyone with a pulse and a television know most of the words and make asses out of themselves when singing a long. What's more fun than that?
TV Theme: The Simpsons
411: This show is also considered one of the greatest television shows of all time, and with great reason. The fade in of the clouds with the choir-like "The Simpsons" is the only lyrics to this Danny Elfman classic. Since the shows inception in the late 80's, there has been a plethora of famous musicians to "revamp" the song including Sonic Youth, Phish and most recently Green Day for the movie just to name a few. If bands like that want to cover this animated sitcom's theme song then it goes to show the importance of the show and it's theme.
TV Theme: All In The Family
411: Based off the UK show "Till Death Us Do Part", Norman Lear brought the rights and made it into the TV land classic that we all know and (should) love. This groundbreaking show featured Carroll O'Connor and Jean Stapleton singing in character the song "Those Were The Days" at a piano in the house. What was originally done as a cost cutting measure turned out to be one of my most remembered opening theme songs in television history.
TV Theme: Threes Company
411: Of course we all love John Ritter and miss him dearly. I remember watching this show all the time when I was younger and still find myself watching it whenever I find it on syndication. One thing about this ahead of it's time show, was the theme song. It's one of those songs that you should all know just from watching it so much. "Come and knock on my door. We've been waiting for you. Where the kisses are hers and hers and his. Threes Company too!" It's that easy.
TV Theme: Friends
411: I've seen a lot of episodes, but for some reason it just never really clicked with me. Yet, I still know the theme song thanks to it being played like crazy on the radio in the 90s. It was specifically written for the show and was offered to REM and They Might Be Giants, but was finally given to The Rembrandts to record. It was originally just supposed to be a theme song, but the popularity was so big that they had to finish the song and release it on their next album. Off the top of my head, I can't think of any theme song from that period of time that had that much commercial success. With commercial success comes being played on constant rotation. I'm not sure if I like the song, but dammit I know it.
TV Theme: Happy Days
411: In the first few seasons it was "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Hailey and His Comets, but was then changed to the more known "Happy Days" song done by mainly studio musicians. I have no problems with the later theme, but I'll always remember the show with the Bill Hailey tune more so than what would last the majority of the show's run. This was one of those songs you hear as kid on a TV show and always relate back to where you first heard it. For me, this is where I heard "Rock Around the Clock" for the first time.
TV Theme: The Honeymooners
411: Despite there not being words to this classic theme song, it's oddly enough the first song I knew the words to. I know that makes no sense, but let me explain. The song was actually composed by Mr. Jackie Gleason himself and was done by Ray Bloch and his orchestra. The opening of the show was like the Simpsons to the effect that the title of the show was said. But the words that I remembered was from the announcer(Gaylord Avery) saying the names of each actor out loud. "The Honeymooners! Starring Jackie Gleason, Art Carney, Audrey Meadows, and Joyce Randolf". Lame? Sure. But I was five and there's a lot worst things to remember. I bought my father the DVD set for Christmas a few years ago and it's still a great show to watch.
TV Theme: Cheers
411: NORM! Okay, now that I got that out of my system I can get to the theme song. It's often parodied and always remembered, but it was actually performed by Gary Portnoy. The last line heard in the theme is "where everybody knows your name" actually went on to become the show's tagline. The piano playing and voice of this song is perfect for the Boston bar setting and complimented the show as much as any other great theme song.
TV Theme: Married With Children
411: This is another famous song that I remember more because of a TV show than the actual artist's work on it. Of course it's "Love and Marriage" by Frank Sinatra. I've just recently started watching this show in syndication again and I think it might of sparked this entire column's idea. The song is catchy, classy, and has great melody. Which is, if you ever watched this cult classic, the exact opposite of the Bundy family. Sadly, the company putting out the seasons on DVD didn't get the rights to the Chairman of the Board's classic.
What are your favorite TV Theme Songs? I'm sure I had to miss a few of your favorites, what are they and why?
MY "MINDLESS SELF INDULGENCE:YOUR PAIN, OUR GAIN" DVD REVIEW IN 304 WORDS OR LESS
I picked this up the day it came out. I was under the impression that since it was a DVD it would be in a standard DVD case. After an hour of looking through every DVD Best Buy carried more than twice, we found it in the CD section. After all that mildly entertaining nonsense, it was time to go home and watch the DVD. The DVD is a great example of what to expect when attending a MSI concert. Weird, yet cool fans, more energetic than Brittney Spears after a "bathroom" visit, and some of the most unique and awesome music you'll find. This one covers all the fan favorites including "Straight To Video", "Jimmy Paige", "Two Hookers", and my personal favorite a cover of Method Man's "Bring The Pain". It's not every day a vulgar skinny white guy with pink tipped liberty spikes covers a Wu-Tang classic. They're far from a one tricky pony, because you'll find yourself dancing around to each track on this DVD. The extras are their two videos from the LP "You'll Rebel to Anything" and a few more oddball items. If you're looking for something different or a visual seizure get this DVD as soon as you can.
That's all for this week's rants and rambles. Hopefully the few minutes you spent reading this was worthwhile and a good distraction from the horrors of the outside world. I'm currently drawing a blank right now for what next week's column will be about, but I do have a few eventual items coming up that I'm sure will spark some topics of discussion. Until then… Have a Great Week!
