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Songs that Could Have Been Great TV Show/Commercial Themes but Weren't Used As Such

T

Tim from Springfield IL

Anyone know of any popular songs (past and present) that could have made either great TV show, commercial, or even as Local News themes, but weren't used as such? (At least not yet).

I can think of two:

1) The B-side to Bryan Ferry's 1977 single, "This is Tomorrow." The name of the B-side: "As the World Turns." I think that B-side could have made a new ATWT soap opera theme, had Proctor and Gamble decided to discontinue the original ATWT Charles Paul theme 2-3 years earlier than they did in late 1981 real life:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8rdwLNl8q4

However, I couldn't see that theme lasting much later than 1983 or so on ATWT, however--perhaps a delayed start to their 1981-93 theme by about another 2-3 years.


2) Dizzy Gillespie w/Charlie Parker, "Salt Peanuts" (originally recorded 1945): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gg1Wl-NmzWg

Ever since becoming acquainted with that tune when Ken Burns' "Jazz" series first aired in 2001 via the corresponding CD set, I've always thought "Salt Peanuts" would have made a GREAT 50s/60s-era game show theme. I think it would have made an AWESOME original theme song for "Let's Make a Deal" when it premiered on NBC in December 1963. Maybe even into the first part of its ABC run as well. (Even though suggesting any other theme song for LMAD other than the one we know and love might be "heresy" among some on this board :) ). I could have also seen "Salt Peanuts" as a good theme for Bill Cullen's "The Price is Right" sometime during its 1956-65 run.

What other popular songs out there could have made, in your opinion, great TV/commercial/news theme songs/opens, but it never materialized--yet?
 
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Tim from Springfield said:
Anyone know of any popular songs (past and present) that could have made either great TV show, commercial, or even as Local News themes, but weren't used as such? (At least not yet).

I can think of two:

1) The B-side to Bryan Ferry's 1977 single, "This is Tomorrow." The name of the B-side: "As the World Turns." I think that B-side could have made a new ATWT soap opera theme, had Proctor and Gamble decided to discontinue the original ATWT Charles Paul theme 2-3 years earlier than they did in late 1981 real life:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8rdwLNl8q4

However, I couldn't see that theme lasting much later than 1983 or so on ATWT, however--perhaps a delayed start to their 1981-93 theme by about another 2-3 years.


2) Dizzy Gillespie w/Charlie Parker, "Salt Peanuts" (originally recorded 1945): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gg1Wl-NmzWg

Ever since becoming acquainted with that tune when Ken Burns' "Jazz" series first aired in 2001 (then once owning some of the corresponding CDs which I have since sold to a local record shop that buys most used CDs), I've always thought "Salt Peanuts" would have made a GREAT 50s/60s-era game show theme. I think it would have made an AWESOME original theme song for "Let's Make a Deal" when it premiered on NBC in December 1963. Maybe even into the first part of its ABC run as well. (Even though suggesting any other theme song for LMAD other than the one we know and love might be "heresy" among some on this board :) ). I could have also seen "Salt Peanuts" as a good theme for Bill Cullen's "The Price is Right" sometime during its 1956-65 run.

What other popular songs out there could have made, in your opinion, great TV or commercial theme songs/opens, but it never materialized--yet?
Click to expand...

I thought of a third example since my original post, concerning a public domain disco song that was played about a third of the way into the Dec. 27, 1979 pilot episode of "Knots Landing." When we were introduced to the characters of Ginger and Kenny Ward (Kim Lankford and James Houghton). Kenny, an aspiring record producer, was playing this disco theme when Sid Fairgate's troubled daughter Annie (who only appeared in the pilot) arrived at the Ward home. The song appears at about the 15:07 mark of the KL pilot, which someone has actually posted on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBJfEbdSY7I

IMO that public domain disco theme could have made a great early 80s-era game show, talk show, or even local news theme.
 
If anyone had a chance to see Buzzr's "Lost and Found" block of game show pilots from last year (if not, the shows are on YouTube), three of the shows featured--"Star Words", "On a Roll", and "Body Language" all used "Working Girl March", a song from the "Tootsie" soundtrack (with the entire album scored by Dave Grusin). If the Goodson people were able to, that would have been a better theme for either BL or even "Super Password".
 
Phil Keaggy, my favorite Christian artist, had a mostly instrumental song called Happy on his 1982 album Play Thru Me that I always thought would make a great theme song for a sitcom. The original version had one vocal verse toward the end of the song, but it was also redone as a full instrumental later in Phil's Time compilation album in 1995:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZayKz9hhuFM&list=PLAF455DCC0944F6DF

I've heard it used as background music for radio commercials.
 
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"Constipation Blues" by Screamin' Jay Hawkins for Ex-Lax...Or has another similar product used it already?

"It's Hard" by The Who for...Culligan. Why, where did you think I was going with this?
 
Tim from Springfield said:
2) Dizzy Gillespie w/Charlie Parker, "Salt Peanuts" (originally recorded 1945): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gg1Wl-NmzWg

Ever since becoming acquainted with that tune when Ken Burns' "Jazz" series first aired in 2001 via the corresponding CD set, I've always thought "Salt Peanuts" would have made a GREAT 50s/60s-era game show theme. I think it would have made an AWESOME original theme song for "Let's Make a Deal" when it premiered on NBC in December 1963. Maybe even into the first part of its ABC run as well.
Click to expand...

Interestingly, the cymbal refrain in the first 3 seconds of the LMAD theme from this May 1976 syndicated episode on YouTube (taped off GSN) sounds similar to the first 3 seconds of "Salt Peanuts." And turn down the LMAD audio in the opening while playing "Salt Peanuts"--the two go perfectly together (perhaps use the "Salt Peanuts, Salt Peanuts" parts of the song for the Zonk scenes).

May 1976 LMAD episode mentioned above: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCxvPu_1w_U
 
heart to heart, hart to hart

John Denver had a song called "Heart to Heart" on his 1982 album Seasons of the Heart. I always thought it could have been the theme song for Hart to Hart, which was airing at the same time.
 
Corky Marlowe said:
"It's Hard" by The Who for...Culligan. Why, where did you think I was going with this?
Click to expand...

I'll go there: Easy to be Hard, from the musical Hair, and a hit for Three Dog Night, for Viagra.

Jean Knight's Mister Big Stuff for "male enhancement" products. I can think of several 1950s songs that are even less appropriate for broadcast use, with titles I probably can't include here. ;)

Another Three Dog Night hit, Liar, for any and all political campaigns' negative ads. Other appropriate songs would be Elvin Bishop's Don't You Lie to Me, The Castaways' Liar, Liar, and Thompson Twins' Lies.
 
Aerosmith's 1977 tune "Draw The Line"..the opening would had made a great local news intro. Same with Ratt's "Round and Round" as well... actually that tune was used for a time as the opening for the local newscast on KVOR-AM in Colorado Springs. KVOR however no longer use that tune as an opening though.
 
KeithE4 said:
Another Three Dog Night hit, Liar, for any and all political campaigns' negative ads. Other appropriate songs would be Elvin Bishop's Don't You Lie to Me, The Castaways' Liar, Liar, and Thompson Twins' Lies.
Click to expand...

Those could also be used for a lot of lawyer ads, infomercials, or "As seen on TV" type junk as well. :rolleyes:
 
A Canadian hit by the Cooper Brothers called "Show Some Emotion"> The beginning sounds like it could be a commercial for a clothing line, make-up, a bank, whatever....
 
Unless it's already been done in some markets, Herb Alpert's 1980 tune "Beyond" sounds like it would have made a great local news theme. Especially the opening of the song (either for the intro or local news inserts):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLPppW4vlhk

Although I do recall our market's CBS affiliate, WCIA-3 Champaign, IL, using the opening of "Beyond" as theme music for a Sunday late night local sports program around the summer of 1999.
 
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