BILLBOARD'S TOP 10 TV THEME SONGS (1980-2011)

[gregg75]

Now that I think about it, I think the post was on this board, not the national TV board.
I'll repeat it for this board.

Got an email from BB today and it contains their top 10 song written for TV and ranked
by how high they peaked (1980-2011). This goes with the post last month about TV theme songs.
Maybe they saw it on here??? Anyway, can't say as I agree with them, but here they are.......


1. How Do You Talk To An Angel from THE HEIGHTS (1992 #1 two weeks)
2. Miami Vice Theme (#1 one week 1985)
3. Theme From Greatest American Hero (1981 peaked at #2)
4. Hill Street Blues (1981 peaked at #10)
5. I'll Be There For You from FRIENDS (1995 peaked at #17)
6. Theme From The Dukes Of Hazzard (1980 peaked at #21)
7. Moonlighting Theme (1987 peaked at #23)
8. Theme From Magnum P.I. (1982 peaked at #25)
9. Theme From Dynasty (1982 peaked at #52)
10. WKRP In Cincinnati (1981 peaked at #65)

 

[cd637299]

Were these their *personal* favorites, or chart-peak-wise order?

What about "Happy Days" (Pratt & McClain, #5, 1976) or "Rockford Files" (Mike Post, #10, 1975)? Were they not written for TV?

cd

 

[bpatrick]

He's not going back before 1980 in this list, and it appears
to be accurate.

 

[cd637299]

As usual, I did not read....sorry.

Also I thought it was a TV Guide thingy, not Billboard. Oops.

cd

 

[gregg75]

Right. They only went back to 1980. Their methodology has changed so much over the
years I guess this was their only fair way to lump all those years together.

 

[firepoint525]

Seems to me that the '70s, and in particular, the mid-'70s, were the "golden age" of TV themes. So I would like to see a list that goes further back. And for that matter, a deeper list, maybe 40-50 positions.

With that in mind, I must ask, how many TV theme songs were specifically written for their respective shows, and how many were adopted as theme songs long after they were hits? A couple of Billy Joel songs ("You May Be Right" and "My Life") later turned up as TV theme songs, as did "Thank You for Being a Friend" by Andrew Gold. And a number of Beatles songs were later used (cover versions, of course) as TV themes.

It's also worth asking, how many of these never had a chance to win a popularity contest like this, just because they were never released as singles to radio?

 

[Markxxx]

Billboard changed it's methodology in 1994. This explains the huge number of #1 hits over 10 weeks, when it only happened a few times before.

I recall when they did an estimation in the change, hits like Olivia Newton-John's "Physical" (#1-10 weeks) and Kim Carnes's "Bette Davis Eyes" (#1-9 weeks), would have easily ranked over 26 weeks at number one using the new formulas.

So they should've used 1994 as their base year

 

[firepoint525]

Actually, it was 1992. That was the year for "End of the Road" by Boyz II Men. 13 weeks at #1! Then almost immediately topped by Whitney Houston, 14 weeks at #1 for "I Will Always Love You," which stayed #1 well into February 1993!

 

[cd637299]

And let's not forget the couple of songs that debuted at #1, like "You Are Not Alone" by Michael Jackson & "Shoop" by Whitney (only 1 week at #1 I think)....bizarre....

Didn't "One Sweet Day" debut at #1 and stay there 16 weeks? How would it rank amongst the classic oldies today? Hmmmm

cd

 

[firepoint525]

And let's not forget the couple of songs that debuted at #1, like "You Are Not Alone" by Michael Jackson & "Shoop" by Whitney (only 1 week at #1 I think)....bizarre....
Didn't "One Sweet Day" debut at #1 and stay there 16 weeks? How would it rank amongst the classic oldies today? Hmmmm
cd

"Fantasy" by Mariah Carey also debuted at #1. I believe that "You Are Not Alone" was also a single-week chart-topper.

"One Sweet Day" apparently holds the record for 16 weeks at #1. I thought "Macarena" was the record-holder, but it stayed at #1 for "only" 14 weeks. Slackers! ;D

 

[cd637299]

And let's not forget the couple of songs that debuted at #1, like "You Are Not Alone" by Michael Jackson & "Shoop" by Whitney (only 1 week at #1 I think)....bizarre....
Didn't "One Sweet Day" debut at #1 and stay there 16 weeks? How would it rank amongst the classic oldies today? Hmmmm
cd

"Fantasy" by Mariah Carey also debuted at #1. I believe that "You Are Not Alone" was also a single-week chart-topper.

"One Sweet Day" apparently holds the record for 16 weeks at #1. I thought "Macarena" was the record-holder, but it stayed at #1 for "only" 14 weeks. Slackers! ;D

Yah but "Macarena" was on the Hot 100 for 60 weeks!

The Billboard AC chart got much worse....songs lasting over a year I believe, on a chart with---what---only 20 songs?

I don't even listen to today's music....

Sorry to go so OT.

cd

 

[gregg75]

I've often thought their charts aren't that accuate. It is the best they can do I guess. One
year they add this ingredient to the charts and then another next year, and so on and so
on. Now that "everything" is thrown into the Top 100, it's just a big mess in my book.

 

[firepoint525]

And let's not forget the couple of songs that debuted at #1, like "You Are Not Alone" by Michael Jackson & "Shoop" by Whitney (only 1 week at #1 I think)....bizarre....
Didn't "One Sweet Day" debut at #1 and stay there 16 weeks? How would it rank amongst the classic oldies today? Hmmmm

"Fantasy" by Mariah Carey also debuted at #1. I believe that "You Are Not Alone" was also a single-week chart-topper.
"One Sweet Day" apparently holds the record for 16 weeks at #1. I thought "Macarena" was the record-holder, but it stayed at #1 for "only" 14 weeks. Slackers! ;D

Yah but "Macarena" was on the Hot 100 for 60 weeks!
The Billboard AC chart got much worse....songs lasting over a year I believe, on a chart with---what---only 20 songs?
I don't even listen to today's music....
Sorry to go so OT.

"How Do I Live" (the Rimes version) was in the top 40 for over a year! You are correct about the AC charts. "Game of Love" by Santana was on the AC charts for probably close to TWO years!

Don't worry about going OT. Happens to us all the time.

 

[Corky Marlowe]

The strangest one on the list may be #1..."The Heights" lasted a season if that, and never really generated any major buzz that I remember. The song itself? Forgettable at best.

 

[gregg75]

Agreed. My first thought was what is that, as I didn't watch THE HEIGHTS.

 

[firepoint525]

The strangest one on the list may be #1..."The Heights" lasted a season if that, and never really generated any major buzz that I remember. The song itself? Forgettable at best.

Agreed. My first thought was what is that, as I didn't watch THE HEIGHTS.

Well, at least it had the distinction of finally taking "End of the Road" out of #1, although it was in turn bumped out of #1 by Whitney Houston's version of "I Will Always Love You." :

And the leader of the Heights was playing Ray on 90210 just a couple of years later.