BY MIKEY MIGO
If there's anything I love as much as music, its cinema and television is part of that. Art can be good no matter what the medium is, but in music videos and TV show opening credits the chance is provided to have an outlet to combine different mediums.
In the history of TV a fun topic has always been "What's the best TV show theme song of all time?" There are so many that stand out. "Cheers", "Seinfeld", "All In The Family", "Sanford and Son" and so many more. These short little theme songs become part of pop culture and are going to be remembered forever. I wanted to put a small twist on this and focus on the theme songs on TV that are still currently airing. In many ways, I'm more satisfied with the ongoing series of many shows than I am with most recent movies. Judging on the ratings, DVD sales, and overall success of television shows these days I'm not the only one. I know there are people out there that are too good for television. They're simply above it and are the douche-nozzles who say "I don't watch TV". These people suck and are missing out. Here are about a dozen opening themes of current TV….
Big Bang Theory
[2007-Present – "The History of Everything" by Barenaked Ladies] The show is about "nerds" so the theme fits perfectly. I never knew Barenaked Ladies did this though. The song is a description of the universe and the chanced that Earth and humans have gone through since the big bang. I only casually watched this until they moved it from the Monday's after "How I Met Your Mother" timeslot. It's a fun song though and catchy.
Two and Half Men
[2003-Present – "Two and Half Men" by Studio Muscians] The song is written by the show's executive producer Chuck Lorre, that's the only thing honest here. This is one of the most popular shows on TV and the song is so catchy that it could be deemed evil by those who deem things. The fact of the matter is that this song is NOT sung by Sheen, Cryer, and Jones. I know I feel betrayed, how about you?
True Blood
[2008-Present – "Bag Things" by Jace Everett] It's hard to think of any songs on this list that are as bad ass as this one. In 2005 a country music singer released a single that didn't do him much good. A few years later it won him a Scream Award for "Best Scream Song of the Year" and now part of television history because I'm fairly certain people like this True Blood show. I know I do. One thing about it IS the theme song. I can think of like four or five times where I've played this song for someone who had never seen the show. It's a great "tone setter" and the footage that accompanies it makes for a perfect taste of what's to come.
COPS
[1989-Present – "Bad Boys" by Inner Circle] This is one of the pioneers of reality TV, proving that cops drag down the coolness of everything. This show has been on for about as long as The Simpsons and is still a favorite on the FOX network. It's become a forgotten part of pop culture in recent years. I remember so many parodies of COPS back in the day and the song was the easy way to do it. Get some cops, a shaky camera, crank this song, and bam… you're telling your friends that "COPS is a filmed on location with the men and women of law enforcement. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in the court of law". I recently saw a standup comedian joke about how it was weird that this show had a reggae band doing their theme. Yeah, I kind of agree.
Fringe
[2008-Present – "Fringe Theme" by JJ Abrams] Couldn't find much information on this one other than this short melody was written by show creator and mastermind JJ Abrams. So when he's not directing movies, writing movies, making little shows like Felicity, Alias, and Lost… and movies like Cloverfield, MI:III, and the new Star Trek he's also a composer. There is just something about this theme that's addicting and enthralling. I am not ashamed to admit that there has been an exquisite dance choreographed to this tune. I might even like the song more than the show.
The Simpsons
[1989-Present – "The Simpsons Theme" by Danny Elfman] The Simpsons are timeless and one of the best shows of all time. Danny Elfman has scored some of the biggest and best movies of all time, but when it's said and done it's clear that THIS song is his most heard and celebrated work. The impact this show has had on pop culture is immeasurable. There are multiple generations of the human race who can hum, whistle, or even play this song for you. I don't think I really even have to say ANYTHING about this one. It's The Simpsons, for crying out loud. Even if you ARE one of those "it's sucked since season 4" jerks… you know this song.
Entourage
[2004-Present – "Superhero" by Jane's Addiction] It's insane to think this show has already wrapped on seven seasons. A lot of people complain about this song and I don't get it. It's pretty rare that a television show will have a theme song by a band as cool as Jane's Addiction. If they changed it now, it would hurt the show's overall quality. The show is often said to be "Sex In The City" for men and I guess I can see that. However you want to label it, it's a great show and a fun ride.
Curb Your Enthusiasm
[2000-Present – "Frolic" by Luciano Michelini] This show is gloomy, ho-hum, and pretty much a dark comedy. It's great, one of the best of all time in fact, but the tone of the show can be pretty downcast at times. So Larry David picked this song, a song he heard in a commercial years before the show, to balance it out because this song is much more lighthearted and joyful than mostly anything that's happened on this show. Never the less, you should watch it and learn for yourself. This ALMOST didn't make this list but they are coming back with a new season!
Bored to Death
[2009-Present – by Jason Schwartzman] This is one of the catchiest new show themes I've heard in awhile. Schwartzman was the drummer for Phantom Planet for awhile and his musical endeavors are out there for those who are interested. In this particular case, he co-wrote the song with the creator of the show Jonathan Ames. It's a catchy song. I think you'd have to call it a "ditty"… and a damn good one at that.
The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson
[2005-Present – by Craig Ferguson] I guess back in the day Craig used to be in a band. Once he took the reigns over of this show, he recorded his own theme song. It's gone through a few variations and had to be rerecorded once the show switched to HD, but it's undeniably Craig. He not only sings the song, but he's responsible for the drumming at the beginning. No other talk show host rocks this hard.
Chuck
[2007-Present – "Short Skirt/Long Jacket" by Cake] I keep hearing how awesome this show is, but I've still not watched it. I'm sure I will some day. The theme they use is an instrumental version of Cake's song "Short Skirt/Long Jacket". I like Cake and watching this just makes me antsy to hear the lyrics. Without the lyrics, it's not the same… it's just not the same! This kind of deception is enough to never watch this show. *shakes fist*
Big Love
[2006-Present – "Home" by Engineers] For the first three seasons they used "God Only Knows" by The Beach Boys. It worked and made for an enjoyable opening. It has to be one of the best love songs of all time and with a show like this, it just made sense. But as the show evolved and moved forward into the fourth season, they changed it up with this song by the British band Engineers. The result is one of the coolest and most dramatic openings to a show in a long time. It's cool that a show uses their opening credits to present something artistic. This could have been a music video. Big Love? Big fan!
Dexter
[2006-Present – "Dexter Main Title" by Rolfe Kent] This song sounds so pleasant and happy, yet sinister and unsettling at the same time. I'm a huge fan of Dexter so it's hard to judge the song based solely on merit. It's good stuff and sets a bouncy tone for what's probably the bloodiest show on television that doesn't include the word "True" or "Blood" in the title. The majority of Kent's work is scoring movies. He's scored a great variety of very good movies like Election, The Matador, Reign Over Me, Thank You For Smoking, Wedding Crashers, and others. If that's any indication of his work, then I'm sure me loving this song isn't JUST based on the love for the show and does in fact get some props because of merit.
Treme
[2010-Present – "Treme Song" by John Boutte] Of all the shows I ran through on this list, Treme is the one show that gives the most love and respect to the art that is music. For a show based out of New Orleans, the strong hearted vibe of jazz is heard loudly throughout. Unknown, famous, local, and lost and now found musicians are cast and perform their asses off on the show. But before we can get into this, we have to get through the credits. In this case, each episode presents us with this John Boutte song. Watch a few episodes of this show and I can all but guarantee that this song will be stuck in your head for a few days.
There's only so much time in a day and everyone has their tastes, so obviously I'm going to miss some shows that you think are great. That's fine, but I ask instead of bitching about it to constructively share your picks.
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