70’s Sit Com Theme Song Time
Because I don’t want to talk about what happened yesterday or what’s going to happen today, here’s an off topic thread for the blog:
I got into a pretty heated debate with a buddy yesterday about what was the best 70’s sitcom theme song of all time. He went “Welcome Back Kotter” hands down. I was like “Uh, I’ve got 2 hands up and I will debate the shit out of this with you”. I carefully laid out my argument that it had to be Three’s Company because you have to factor in EVERYTHING not just the song. Three’s Company had it all. John Ritter on a boat in those brilliant white pants. Lana tripping him on the pier trying to score some quick dick. Furley holding on for dear life to a barely moving ferris wheel stick while Jack did casual tricks next to him. Larry making a move on a random chick in the bumper car ride only to find out it was a dude. There was so much more. Could they have possibly packed more good times hilarity into 60 seconds??????
70’s sitcom’s were and still are the best. Their theme songs were the real deal. Night Court. WKRP. You never missed one. They were almost like mini rock concerts….
You be the judge. Feel free to post your favorite in the comment section. And no *wise guy* M*A*S*H uploads. That song always made me want to kill myself.
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
My all time favorite TV theme song is Quincy Jones’ “the Streetbeater” for Sanford and Sons. Love that bass line.
Ha! I posted before looking at any comments. I too picked Sanford and Son and also mentioned the funky bass line (and harmonica licks, and Hammond B3)…great minds think alike!
Clown, you are the music man and I should just blindly defer to you but may I submit this base line for your review? Plus that show had Markie Post, the most famous Lewis and Clark alumni next to me and Monica Lewinsky:
I forgot about Night Court, that is a good one. What about Barney Miller?
Oh HELL yeah! By the way, to Flappers far and wide, this thread is gonna have lots of youtube posts in it so if you don’t like that, look away……
This got me wondering if the best theme songs were only on sitcoms? Or maybe that was pretty much all I watched back then, hmmm.
Bozo you’re batting 1.000 btw Sanford and Barney Miller.
Yesterday is good to leave behind, bummer right from the start. Rox score and then SF flubs scoring chance. But it did bug me that Panik hit a flyball to LF after Blanco single/SB—you have to hit the ball to the right side and move him over. One of a few good hitters that had rough weekend.
And yeah the pink is flat awful–shoes bats wristbands whatever. I watched the start of the A’s-O’s game and saw Oaktown in gray with weird lettering and said wtf? Their game was worse than Giants–they went up 3-0 in first vs. Tillman and then gave up a 3 HRs. O’s hit 6 I think and A’s C wound up getting last 2 outs of the game.
Why this one, of course
I can’t believe this show wasn’t more popular. lulz.
Blame it on the rising popularity of the NFL.
Big Papi is on fire. epic. I was watching the game, they were tied in the nineth Han, with a chance to win, the UMP calls a low pitch a strike. Manager thrown out, Ortiz comes back out of the dugout and gets ejected. Yesterday he hits 2 more bombs.
It’s what you do when each day a piece of the puzzle doesn’t fit and your team is playing 500 ball.
Where is the 750 team I signed up for?
Papi too much.
Night Court debuted in 1984.
I know. Same ballpark tho
Great show.
How ’bout some HKF?
I liked the first Happy Days theme song, where they used Bill Haley and his Comets “Rock Around The Clock” for the first two seasons. No Scott Baio at that time, which was good.
However, for my money, the Futurama theme song was quite cool. Great song to kick off the adventures of Fry and Scruffy . . . This is the extended version.
Awesome show! Nowhere near the ’70s, though. 🙂
Yeah, I know. I need to stop running with scissors too.
Regarding Night Court, Markie Post was good, but some of us preferred the first blonde, punk rocker, Ellen Foley.
By the way, she can be heard singing on the Clash’s “The Hitsville Hit UK.”
Not a sitcom but Hawaii 5-0 was a good as it gets with their theme song!
Good Times . . . Chico and the Man . . . Get Smart as well. . .
I remember they almost got rid of that song because of the lyrics. Glad they didn’t . . . Great song by Feliciano.
http://www.letssingit.com/josé-feliciano-lyrics-chico-and-the-man-kss6qxd
Then there’s this slice of awesome:
This and the Ventures Hawaii 5-0 are the tops.
Good one Chuck. You must run with scissors too. lulz
Great one! I must run with scissors, too!
Several come to mind and Welcome Back isn’t one of them. The theme to Taxi was always a fave due to it’s melancholy tone, not to mention it’s arguably the best sitcom of the era, perhaps ever. It finished in the 80’s but started in the 70’s.
All in the Family. Not an original song but a classic sitcom opener nonetheless. Happy Days also falls into this category as well, not to mention that it introduced a new generation to Bill Haley and His Comets (Rock Around the Clock).
Someone mentioned Night Court and that’s a great selection also. Seriously underrated show also, IMOFO.
Barney Miller, yes.
Please note that these are all shows that I loved and classics in the sitcom genre back when they were really, really good.. Welcome Back Kotter was okay but never struck a chord with me.
Uh greatest sitcom ever? MASH was considered a sitcom, for me that was the greatest. IMO
MASH wasn’t considered a sitcom, it was a sitcom. Everything I stated was my opinion.
It’s cool, wasn’t trying to start something.
My ex bought me the Barney Miller series on DVD, That show thrived mostly on a single set format and deadpan delivery that few shows have ever tried, let alone succeeded at. Steve Landesberg, Ron Glass, Jack Soo, the venerable Abe Vigoda were all hilarious. Landesberg, in particular, could bring me to tears with his wisecracks.
It was so basic in many ways, but the writing and talent made it one for the ages.
GO WARRIORS! ICE THE BLAZERS!
I liked the Bob Newhart one:
I have not looked to see what any other Flappers posted (want to be totally unbiased).
I have to go with the theme song for Sanford and Son. Just the music in that was great…Hammomd B3 organ, some nasty harmonica licks in there, funky bass lines (Lisle), etc. I would give an honorable mention to “Good Times.” Dynomite!
BTW, Flav. Great thread! Just what the doctor ordered after yesterdays debacle.
Hoping like hell that Peavy and Cain surprise us (in a good way!)…
This one’s pretty cool as well.
I know we’re not doing dramatic series, buit if we were I’d have to go with “In The Heat of the Night”
Good one, Clown.
First of all people..Night Court was not a 1970s sitcom….but good side story. As a teenager, my parents took us on a summer trip to LA and we were cruising around Beverly Hills and we drive along side this classic convertible caddy. And there is the bald actor who played Bull. Of course we are shocked and start waving and he loved the attention (obviously a fairly well known actor cruising in an old convertible in Beverly Hills must like the attention) and waived back with a big smile. He seemed like a genuine friendly guy…
OKC and the Spurs are playing a real nice series. OKC just tied it up at 2-2. Home field in b-ball is very important. Which is why I think the Dubs take this one tonight, without Steph, and win out on Wednesday.
The Dubs rarely play 2 games in a row that terribly. The Dubs sucked across the board, yet were still in the game till the end.
Now for my argument of best theme song and why it is not Three’s Company. All fine points Flav about the opening credits and the homage images of the show (the Roepers were much better when they were on), but the sheer crapness of the song itself eliminates Three’s Company as best sitcom theme song.
Instead, the best song (and maybe the best show) was the theme song to the Mary Tyler Moore show!!!! As a 4-5 year old, I was in love with Mary Tyler Moore. She defined the modern woman in the 1970s and that who as a little kid with a crush wanted to pursue as a woman. You just knew Mary Tyler Moore would bang you as a single modern woman.
Of course, as a kid we could watch reruns of the Dick Van Dyke show and be that much more in love with Laura Petrie aka Mary Tyler Moore. And that may have been the best sitcom of the 60s.
How great of a theme song is it? Listen to Husker Du’s cover of the song from the 1980s and be amazed.
Winner winner chicken dinner….
Honorable Mention to the Jeffersons….
Great call on the Jeffersons
If I was not so technically inept I would add the Husker Du version but how the hell do you do a cut and paste with a you tube video???
Just paste the URL…
Via mobile device does not look like that is an option via you tube
The wipe out reel is worth the price of admission . . .
I think I said this before . . . Everyone at our school at Kaimuki intermediate high hated that little fucker (about 13 when I knew him, but he probably filmed this when he was 12). By the by, this was made in 1968 or 1969.
What little fucker? Jack Lord?
I have stories about Lord too, i.e., he chased my brother and I after we threw rocks at his trailer when the asshole wouldn’t give us an autograph. The kid at 28 or 29 seconds of the clip.
Hey, any bangable girl driving a Mustang was alright with me.
At this apartment we rented – mostly college kids lived there – our next door neighbors – two gorgeous blonds “adopted” Mike (my brother) and I. One of them had a convertible Mustang and would take us on trips around the island . . . The Supremes and other Motown songs blaring. Great times. In fact, we moved into another place, where my brother and I would bar tend for parties at our next door neighbors house – 4-5 college students. A couple of whom had been in Vietnam before ending their tours and going back to college. Unbelievable stories . . . They would kick us out of the parties when things got . . . umm, a bit “steamy.” My brother and I would do our peeping tom routine with milk crates. Sheesh, at 12 years old I saw things I wouldn’t revisit until I was in my 20s. The missionary position was one of the most mildest scenes. Ha. 🙂
I’m gonna have to go with Good Times. The call and response of “Temporary Lay-offs!” “Good Times!” etc was awesome. If I remember correctly, Happy Days and Good Times were both on at the same time. I want to say Tuesdays at 8:00. I was a Happy Days only guy, but I remember my neighborhood friend Marty Jones said he would alternate the shows from week to week.
I’m not a huge fan of the Welcome Back Kotter theme. Catchy of course, but doesn’t do much for me. It gets referenced a lot at my high school as our current principal is a graduate of the school and just came back this year. Plus, our Government teacher likes to refer to his 3rd period class as “The Sweathogs,” and claims he has to use a totally different teaching style for them.
Its actually pretty funny hearing him go on and on about it. He even identifies which is kid is Vinny Barbarino and Freddie Boom Boom” Washington etc and his match-ups are pretty much dead-on.
I heard the Welcome Back Kotter song hit #1 on billboards top 100 back in ’78. Is that true?
Markie Post went to myson’s (and wisco’s as well), LasLomas in the Creek.
markie post was the main reason I watched night court. that woman had a pair to draw to.
I have to go with welcome back kotter or Laverne and Shirley.
Shameel shamoozal?
Re Welcome Back: 40 years ago to the day yesterday:
https://weeklytop40.wordpress.com/1976/05/08/us-top-40-singles-week-ending-8th-may-1976/
Elvin Bishop in the top 10…whoop! (Not even close to one of my favorite Elvin Bishop songs, but WTF.)
blows my mind that the Kotter tune hit #1. People in the 70’s had it so bad in terms of things to do.
Yeah cheap drugs and cheap booze, we had it really rough!! Lutz
Re your M*A*S*H comment: Did you know the name of the song is “Suicide is Painless”?
Barney Miller was probably my fave. I only have vague memories of shows that were already syndicated when I started watching them. It’s funny I just had a conversation with a friend last week about how theme songs are dead and the 80’s shows were the best. (We’re both in our late 30’s, no disrespect to the 70’s but we were still babies)
As hard as it is to do, given that we will have Peavy on the bump tonight, I was curious so I took a look at some team stats.
Jays are hitting as follows: .234, .317, .392, .709. With all of their big boppers, they are not exactly setting the world on fire right now.
Their team pitching numbers look better. Collectively, their ERA IS 3.47 with a team WHIP of 1.24.
On the flip-side, our boys come in at 4.33 and 1.35. Both teams have given up 31 round-trippers.
Maybe that back-end 40% that makes the Flap Universe cringe surprises us the next two nights.
Hoping to see the Sharks close-out Nashville tonight, and for the Warriors to get a W, so they can close out the Blazers on Wednesday at the Oracle.
Speaking of the Oracle…anyone heard from Twin lately?
I thought about Twin when I noticed we were on the Ray Scott Highway somewhere in Alabama. Turns out t was named for a different guy, but still…
I never “got” Barney Miller. I just didn’t connect with it.
Re: Welcome Back, Kotter theme song, some of you might know that John Sebastian was the lead singer in the band The Lovin’ Spoonful.
Here’s that Husker Du cover of the Mary Tyler Moore show theme. Husker Du recorded it because of the Minneapolis connection. They probably used it as a “b” side to a single. I agree it’s a terrific theme song to a terrific show. Husker Du was mentioned the other day on the Flap when we were talking a lot about Prince.
I previously posted a tribute from Husker Du lead singer Bob Mould about Prince.
The song video has a clip of the First Avenue club that was mentioned about Prince and the Minneapolis music scene.
I will look for that Prince tribute. Bob Mould is an interesting dude. Some time after his solo career seemed to be ending or at least that he was deciding to disappear, he moved to DC and started DJing on dance nights at the great nightclub 9:30. Then some after that he came out of the closet…
Thanks Zum…how awesome is that version???
If I remember, the cover was at the end of another Husker Du song. So as the first song ended, it would flow into Love is All Around.
At times I would just play the cover part of the son on air at our campus station at SJSU mid-late 80s….
Now if we were talking just about television shows not just sitcoms, my all time fav theme song is Hill Street Blues.
A Mike Post tune. He did a lot of the cop show theme songs including my favorite cop show of all time “The Rockford Files”. The theme song for it was OK but I loved watching Rockfish smoking, boozing and getting the ladies while cracking the case (no puns intended there).
He also did Magnum PI, and that was pretty good too
Of course Miami Vice was fun to watch the opening credits, the song was okay http://youtu.be/jswHsTJQL_c
Irish, your 12:15 had me laughing. No shit to that! Back then, $15 bucks could get you a ticket to see AC/DC, Pat Travers, UFO, Foreigner, Cheap Trick, Peter Frampton, and Lynyrd Skynrd. Plus a free pass to the 3rd base dugout when you passed out.
They didn’t call ’em OD on the Green for nothing!
Ha ha yeah I wondered who, if anyone would read that!! Good times back then Charlie
Saw John Sebastian when he opened for Steve Martin at the Berkeley Community Theater. LET’S GET SMALL! Musta been around 77-78.
The MTM theme was written by the same guy who wrote “I Fought the Law”
I did not know that…great trivia
Got shit-faced drunk with Elvin Bishop (and Marshal Tucker) in Salt Lake City of all places . . .
this was fun you guys, thanks for playing along. I’ve had that damn Kotter song in my head all day tho. I’ll pop a game time thread up later so we don’t have to sift through all the bullshit.
I don’t know why, but I have been feeling all day today that Peavy IS NOT going to get blasted. Like he makes it through 6, giving up 2, something like that. Hope I’m right.
I didn’t know Hector Sanchez was with the White Sox, but I just saw he got DFA’d now that Alex Avila has been activated off the DL.
Macdaog, yes I know the song,
Parker up, Williamson down — perhaps a day late.
Ooops, Kev, that was meant for Flav.
I don’t get that. The guy barely has time to figure out where the toilet is, and he gets sent down. Fee Kreissakea give the guy two weeks or so at least to see if he can get in a groove at the plate…
The Courtship of Eddie’s Father started in 1969, and it had a nice theme song by Harry Nilsson, the guy who wrote several songs for “Midnight Cowboy,”- “Everbody’s Talkin'” being the biggest hit, and he had a big hit with “Without You.” His song for the sit-com was that “People let me tell you ’bout my best friend” song. It’s an excellent piece of songwriting, for what it accomplished in its 45 seconds to 1 minute running time. He was kind of under-rated, and messed up his career with alcohol abuse.
And that gets to why the era of the great theme songs kind of faded out- as the time for commercials lengthened, some of that time was cut from the theme songs. Now shows really speed up the theme song process, to where the themes are often just quick little riffs.
My favorite Nilsson song is “Spaceman”…
Gianthead, just click the share button below the video, then Ctrl C on your keyboard (copy). Then hit Ctrl V in the body of the post (paste). The video will embed in the post. If you’re on a Mac, substitute the command key for the ctrl key. Everything else is the same.
REM were big fans of David Letterman, and allowed Chris Elliott from the Letterman show to use an REM song as the theme song to his not-very-good sit-com called Get A Life. REM was probably appalled when they saw episodes of the show when it aired. I don’t think the show even lasted a full season.
Strasburg extended: 7 yrs/$175 million
Is Bumgarner’s agent paying attention?
Juego tiempo es aqui
Again I’ll raise a pet peeve — Pagan has been out over a week with a hammy, so they’ve been down one bench player sine they didn’t DL him. Now I hear he can probably PH now, but he’ll need a pinch runner. WTF? Why play down a roster spot to the oppo? I just don’t get it, especially in close games or extra inning tilts where bench players are needed to make moves. It’s total bull; I need somebody to tell me why it’s ok to go a week or more down a player to the other team…