Not all telly theme tunes are written or performed by people we never really hear about. Some shows employ artists who already have a visible musical career behind them (quite a long way behind them in a few cases, but still), while others use a track from an established artist but rework it, as with the theme to The Golden Girls.
With that in mind, do you have a favourite theme tune by an established artist or act? I’d definitely include shows using part of existing songs in this category: Part of The Chain by Fleetwood Mac was used for the BBC’s Formula 1 coverage for so long that it became synonymous with the sport and was used even after a different broadcaster got the rights to the racing; Top of the Pops used a recording of Led Zeppelin’s Whole Lotta Love made by Alexis Korner’s band CCS; and there are many others.
To kick us off, my choice is Boss of Me by They Might Be Giants, the theme from Malcolm in the Middle.
I could do a big list if I mentioned all the good songs used in anime. Two of my favourite bands, Hanabie and Tricot, have both done songs for anime, but both shows turned out to be crap.
A recent standout was the track Band-Maid did for Rock is a Lady’s Modesty (and they did the rest of the band’s music in the show as well).
A couple of surprising realisations: I didn’t properly get into Depeche Mode until later in life, so imagine my surprise when I first listened to People Are People and I was immediately catapulted back to being a kid watching the opening of It’ll Never Work.
Enjoying the opening of iZombie, I looked up the band (Deadboy and the Elephantmen) and realised I best knew their singer/guitarist as member of the much heavier Acid Bath.
Songs that haven’t already been mentioned that immediately come to mind for me, are:
I’ll Be There for You, a.k.a. the theme song from Friends, which a cursory amount of research on my part suggests was mostly written by established songwriter Allee Willis.
Connection by Elastica was used as the theme song for Trigger Happy TV, which was the first place I encountered it.
Soul Limbo by Booker T. & the M.G.s. Like the BBC Formula 1 coverage mentioned above, this song is the sound of Test Match Cricket.
Moving outside the sphere of TV, the Borderlands series of video games sticks in my head for the intro music they choose. One of my friends went to see Cage the Elephant live solely for the reason that Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked was used as the theme song to the original Borderlands, knowing absolutely nothing else about the band.
That brief season or two where ITV brought the rights to the Premier League highlights, and used U2’s “Beautiful Day” as the theme tune.
Oxygene part IV (I think) being used for the theme to 70s/80s UK medical/science show “Where There’s Life”.
And, while not the theme tune, I have very fond memories of NFL highlight shows in the UK back in 1989 or 1990 using Quincy Jones’ production of “Birdland”, mostly over slowed down clips of Barry Sanders.
Who apparently were a big influence on Nanawo Akari, whose song Kien Romance was used for Otaku Elf.
All the songs used for Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury were good (including an opening by Yoasobi, who also did the first opening song for Frieren, among many others). But Red: Birthmark by AiNA THE END is incredible (and made me cry multiple times).
The Borderlands intro songs are so good. Frustratingly so, because the songs for the “Tales from the Borderlands” narrative games are (or at least were) tricky to track down, but incredible.
Just banger after banger… I get goosebumps just thinkin’ about them.
Re: Anime openings… I mean, if somebody doesn’t mention Tank and the opening to Trigun we have all failed as a society. Just sayin’.
