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What makes a television series sought after? For viewers, it can be a myriad of things. Perhaps it’s an interesting, well-written script that causes viewers to indulge in endless binge-watching. Or perhaps it’s the compelling characters and the actors who bring them to life. It could simply come down to the name of the show: as simple as Netflix’s psychological thriller You, ambiguously poetic as the comedy-drama series The White Lotus or as bone-chillingly eerie as the mystery thriller The Watcher.
It could be true that most addictive shows are the ones that keep the attention of viewers while things change from season to season, but the answer could also lie in the exact opposite. Sometimes it’s the ever-constant that people grow more comfortable with—there’s often got to be that one thing about a series that, when viewers tune in, they are confident they will always find. That thing can, more often than not, be the show’s iconic theme song. These well-known shows wouldn’t be half as remembered without the help of the cherry on top that is their signature tune.
8 The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air’s ‘Yo Home To Bel-Air’
Picture this: you’re sitting in front of the television, gearing up to watch The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air for the first time, and have no idea what you’re in for. The NBC sitcom’s theme song “Yo Home to Bel-Air” ushers you into the plot immediately, with the lyrics taking a narrative storytelling approach that lets you catch up with the series’ main character, Will, and how he ended up in the suburbs of Bel-Air from West Philadelphia. The iconic theme song’s lyrics were composed by actor Will Smith and produced by Jeffrey Townes when they were known as DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince. The sitcom’s co-creator, Andy Borowitz spoke to Entertainment Weekly in 2017 about the song’s legacy.
“I don’t think at the time anyone at the time would’ve guessed that it was going to have this kind of [legacy]. Because when you decide to do anything, you never say, “Oh, and 30 years from now people are going to be rapping this at bar mitzvahs.” You just don’t imagine that.”
7 One Tree Hill’s ‘I Don’t Want To Be’
Three chords—three chords played right before crooner Gavin Degraw sang the opening theme to the CW’s (then-The WB’s) teen drama series One Tree Hill. Degraw opened up in an interview on the Bobby Bones Show about his initial apprehension with having his song “I Don’t Want to Be” be the opening song for the show. Initially he wanted the song to be his first single off his album debut album Chariot, but the label chose to go his single “Follow Through” first. After he agreed to let the song be the series’ theme, the song took off and had, subsequently, been deemed his official second single. The piano-driven pop rock tune became so heavily associated with the show that Degraw even guest starred on the series to perform it. According to him, it helped his career immensely.
“The association, at first, certainly was a great idea.” he said on the Bobby Bones Show. “It opened doors that were welded shut to me.”
When asked if he was bothered that fans remember him and his music from a teen show, Degraw said no.
“No, I say ‘that’s awesome’… The fact that, 20 years later, someone is coming up to me telling me that they know me from a teen show. But they’re still coming to my shows, that means that somehow the music is making them feel good still.”
6 The Golden Girls’ ‘Thank You For Being A Friend’
It’s not completely uncommon, while in conversation about The Golden Girls, for someone to begin singing the sitcom’s heart-warming theme “Thank You For Being A Friend”. The song was originally written and recorded by Andrew Gold in 1978. It would later go on to be sung by jingle singer Cynthia Fee, who covered the song for the NBC sitcom. The song became a nationwide success after being featured as the sitcom’s opening them and has been featured in a collection of advertisements and commercials since then including a 2013 Super Bowl ad for the National Football League, a commercial for the New York Lottery and a trailer for the movie Deadpool 2.
The song became so closely associated with the late Betty White, who was widely known for her role on the sitcom as Rose Nylund. Upon her passing in December 2021, celebrities like John Mayer and Cher paid tribute to the actress by performing a rendition of the song.
5 The Jeffersons’ ‘Movin’ On Up’
Fans of The Jeffersons know that it’s theme song “Movin’ On Up” was more than a spirited, catchy tune that commemorated the Jeffersons, a Black couple in New York City who, because of their successful dry-cleaning business, are able to relocate from a working-class area of Queens to Manhattan. The song, written by Ja’Net DuBois became an ode to Black Success. The song accurately captures the struggle that many African Americans endured at the time to ascend up the social ladder of success in the 1970s with lyrics like: “Took a whole lotta tryin’ / Just to get up that hill,”.
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It is a prime example of how a theme song can transcend a show, becoming a more widely known symbol of a historical moment for a specific demographic of viewers at the time.
4 7th Heaven’s ‘7th Heaven’
Sometimes, the titular route of a show’s opening theme is the perfect way to go, especially in the case of American family drama series 7th Heaven. The show’s theme is appropriately titled “7th Heaven” and is short, heart-warming song that centers around family, home and togetherness.
The song was co-written Dan Foliart and Steve Plunkett and sung by Plunkett whose brassy voice delivers one of most iconic themes to ever grace a television show. It serves as the backdrop to a montage of the show’s cast who play the Camden family which is time-and-time again concluded with a shot of the family pup Happy.
3 Dawson’s Creek’s ‘I Don’t Want To Wait’
There’s one theme that gives 7th Heaven‘s theme a run for its money on the CW, and it’s the iconic Dawson’s Creek theme “I Don’t Want to Wait”. The song, written and performed by singer Paula Cole, was released in 1997 as second single from her second studio album This Fire, a year before the teen drama television series premiered. The song is known for the breathy melodic delivery of ““do do do do do do…” and its lyrical focus around embracing joy without regret.
Cole had actually re-recorded the tune in order to be compensated for it, since she hadn’t previously had rights to it when it was initially released. She celebrated the re-recording in a tweet that read, “It’s true. I re-recorded ‘I Don’t Want To Wait’, and they are using the master. All artists should be compensated for their intellectual work.” She added thank-you shout-outs to Sony TV and Netflix, “and most of all the fans who made this happen. That’s the power of patience & persistence. Grateful.”
2 Gilmore Girls’ ‘Where You Lead’
No matter which season you watch of Gilmore Girls, Carole King’s “Where You Lead” is somehow intertwined in the plot of the show. Remember when Lorelai took Rory (dressed in the iconic outfit) to Chilton, or when she made it her business to take a campus tour, and embarrass Rory when moving her into her dorm at Yale? The show literally banks on the inseverable thread that exists between mother and daughter. The song opened up every episode of the show until it’s end, and became the heart-warming ode to the fictional town on Stars Hollow and its residents.
Mirroring the importance of mother-daughter dynamics that the show centered around, King and her daughter, Louise Goffin re-recorded the song in 2000 for the show, which was originally recorded in 1971 on Carole King’s album Tapestry.
1 Friends’ ‘I’ll Be There For You’
Easily one of the most recognizable television theme songs is the Friends theme “I’ll Be There for You”. Sung by the band, The Rembrandts, the power pop rock song became the perfect theme for six friends in their twenties navigating their lives in New York City. The song is the perfect addition to the intro, where the cast dances around a couch and fountain on the Warner Bros set, in matching black and white apparel. Lyrically the song communicates the idea of being there for friends who are there for you, accommodating the series all too well.
The music video for the song fortuitously features the cast of the show, who wander around the set, attempting to play instruments and seem somewhat professional alongside the band.
