TV Theme Songs - Remember the classics
The days of the original series might be over, but there is a link that connects us to the classics; TV theme songs. Who could forget those shows like the Brady Bunch, or Gilligan Island? What do we remember most? The TV theme songs. It really doesn’t matter if they were in color or black and white, the smart writers of the classics knew if they could provide a catchy tune, we would return to watch again and again. The first version of Happy Days, ‘Rock Around the Clock’, was so popular that it rose to the height of the charts in 1955. The popular lyrics for the second version, ‘Happy Days’, became a hit single the summer of 1976, and #5 nationally.
Vic Mizzy wrote the lyrics ‘Addams Family’. This very talented writer also composed the world famous music that we remember so well. Some unknown trivia for this song is Filmways didn’t want to pay singers to record the song, so Vic Mizzy overdubbed his own voice three times to simulate a trio. Vic also wrote the TV theme songs such as ‘Green Acres’. Remember ‘Bewitched’? The lyrics and music for this song were written by Howard Greenfield and Jack Keller. In the pilot for this series the song ‘Witch Craft’ was sung by Frank Sinatra himself. However, the Sinatra tune was too expensive to license for an on-going series.
TV theme songs have had many variations. Depending on the season you watch of the ‘Brady Bunch’, you will hear a difference in the songs. For each of the five seasons, America learned a different version. The talented composers Frank DeVol and Sherwood Schwartz also wrote the TV theme songs for ‘The Dick van Dyke’ show, the ‘Mod Squad’, ‘Gomer Pyle’ & ‘That Girl’.
At times, even the actual actors helped with TV theme songs. The ‘Cosby Show’ tune entitled “Kiss me”, was written with the help of Bill Cosby himself. Remember “Don’t Worry, Be happy” by Bobby McFerrin? This is the same frequently heard singer you hear on ‘Cosby Show’ TV theme songs.
Another example of the quality of these writers comes from the Christmas selection, “Silver Bells”. The same writers, Ray Evans & Jay Livingston, also wrote one of the famous TV theme songs, ‘Mr. Ed’.
Not only do the tunes of these TV theme songs of yesterday hold memories for many of us, the words stick with us as well. Let’s pass on these fond memories to our children so these wonderful writers & composers of the past live on in the future.