That’s two songs in a row sung by actors in the show itself, so that’s pretty neat. There’s a charm in having the actors sing the song as if they were singing it in their own living room without anyone else listening.
35. The Twilight Zone
Composer: Marius Constant
This one is here just because I’m in love with Rod Serling’s voice. The intro from season 2 is my favorite. “That’s the signpost up ahead!”
Most Seinfeld fans already know that Wolff basically just synthesized 500 different sounds, including his own voice, to create this music. In fact, what sounds like a bass guitar is actually just the synthesizer. Crazy talented guy.
37. Frasier
Composer: Bruce Miller & Darryl Phinnesse
Artist: Kelsey Grammar
The long-version of this song is pretty bad, with backup singers for Kelsey that are pretty terrible. 40 seconds is the perfect length for this song that alludes to the theme of the show.
So who knew that the simple theme song for Kids in the Hall is not original?
Completely unrelated, I decided to throw Saved By The Bell in here. I just watched the Lifetime movie, which was surprisingly and unfortunately not as cheesy or stupid as the show. Great Saturday morning upbeat theme song which matches the tone of the show quite well.
Perhaps the most recognizable theme song across the pond, Dr. Who is an electronic heavy theme. The original actually grates on me a bit, and it sounds like it would fit more of a horror theme than sci-fi. But I do enjoy the 2000 renditions, including the one below.
Originally I had Growing Pains in this spot, but the more I listen to “Show Me That Smile” it just doesn’t work. I love Jennifer Warnes, but she’s only in one version of this generic theme song. Dusty Springfield ruins the one he’s in. Plus, the theme song just reminds me of Cameron’s religious fanaticism and the scripts that helped drive Gold to anorexia. So, eff, that show.
So, to something more innocent. My nineteen month old son loves this theme song, and I can’t blame him. Unlike most themes meant for pre-school kids, there’s no ear-piercing crescendo. And the theme of the show is driven home without connecting every dot. Like most kids themes, they name all of the characters in the song, but the melody isn’t ruined in order to do it. It’s a fun jingle without being an annoying earworm.
Never seen the show, but this song won Mancini an Emmy and two Grammys for whatever they’re worth. Hard to go wrong with orchestras including trumpets.
Title: The Ballad of Paladin Composer: Johnny Western, Richard Boone, and Sam Rolfe Performer: Johnny Western
I’ve seen perhaps five episodes of every TV western ever made, but I do like the music. I don’t really care for the theme to Bonanza (a bit too twangy), but I enjoy this ode to Paladin, which has more restraint than most.
I listen to theme songs. Like, I have an entire playlist devoted to them on my mp3 player. I think that qualifies me to prattle on about them for a month.
A lot of work used to go into creating catchy, original songs for the opening or closing credits of your favorite shows. These days, most shows either forgo songs all together (e.g. Lost) or they grab something already in existence that fits the show’s personality (e.g. Friends, Wonder Years, Scrubs).
For the next five weeks, we’ll cover two songs per day. These 50 are the ones most likely to get stuck in my head all day, but in a totally good way.
Bosses, especially in NES games, fall into one of two categories. They’re either insanely easy once you determine the trick to beating them, or they’re insanely hard, requiring perseverance and multiple hits. Wart is neither of those. While there are strategies to defeating him and avoiding getting hit, there’s no automatic road to victory. On the other hand, it is very possible to get very good at defeating him, taking no to minimal damage. In a way, he’s like Mike Tyson.
Death By Troggles 
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