Over the last few months I've been talking to people at work and people wonder what the big deal about a good theme song is. This gets brought up because people think the opening of Big Bang Theory takes too long because of the song by the Barenaked Ladies. But I have to remind them that because of that theme, it makes the show more well known. This is something that has been bothering me for years. Nowadays where are all the cool theme songs for TV shows, especially comedies.
Back in the day, the TGIF era especially, every comedy had a good catchy song. Even the TGIF block had it's own theme song (you remember it if you watched it regularly like I did "It's Friday night and the mood is right. Gonna have some fun, show you how it's done, TGIF!") From Perfect Strangers to Family Matters to Full House to Boy Meets World (who changed to a better song in later years), every show was memorable. Even scores like Dinosaurs is still in people's memory banks.
Two of the most famous theme songs ever were on NBC, the Cheers theme (Everybody Knows Your Name, if you have never heard the full version, look it up it's awesome!) and the Friends theme (who doesn't remember I'll Be There For You even if you didn't like the show).
The problem is nowadays older audiences have become too impatient. Even kids shows, whose auidences have the attention spans of fruit-flies, will sit and get excited when the theme song for their favorite show comes on. (Disney and PBS shows all have theme songs, Disney followed tradition from my generation's Disney Afternoon block.)
Most shows nowadays have a very short intro with like a little music and then ALL the credits roll during the opening sequence of the show. Sometimes there isn't even that much. It's a wonder why people detest the length of the BBT theme so much. They actually have to sit through a 60 second fast paced, very recognizable song.
I've heard the argument that the networks cut theme songs for more commercials, while at times that is true, the networks can't be that stupid. I think, to be honest, if more shows had theme songs again, then more people will remember the show and say to themselves, that show was funny I wanna watch it again. Music sticks in people's minds longer than the show itself at times. If you have a good show and associate with music, like the old days, then more people will remember it and put together "that theme song is stuck in my head, but that show was funny I wanna watch it again".
It worked in the past, it can work nowadays.
On that note I will leave you with a tribute to my Grandpa, because I would be remiss not to mention or include this when talking about this topic:
"Boy the way Glen Miller played, songs that made the hit parade, guys like us we had it made, those were the days, and you know where you were then, girls were girls and men were men, mister we could use a man like Herbert Hoover again, didn't need no welfare states everybody pulled his weight, gee our old Lasalle ran great, those were the days!"
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