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tv theme songs on the radio

Corky Marlowe said:
How about theme songs to classic Christmas specials? Radio started playing them when the all-Christmas-for-a-whole-month practice caught fire in the early 2000s.
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"Linus and Lucy" (nothing even "Christmas-y" about the title) gets played only at Christmas time, even though "Linus and Lucy" turns up on Peanuts specials year-round.
skippercollector said:
The Dating Game/Spanish Flea by Herb Alpert
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Someone else also heard the American Top 40 retro countdown this past weekend. Good catch!
 
Hard to forget the Star Trek series and some of their memorable melodies.
Pat Valentino does a instrumental medley which could be often heard on
KAHM, FM 102.1 here in Prescott, AZ.
 
Actually, The Dating Game used a number of Herb Alpert themes. In addition, to "Spanish Flea", another tune called "Whipped Cream" was used as the bacheloretts came on stage. Also listen for "The Mexican Shuffle" all Alpert themes.
 
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Bonus question: Without looking it up, what TV theme is the all-time highest on the billboard chart, (based on airplay) in history? (If this was already answered, my apologies).
 
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'Angela (Theme from Taxi)' Bob James sometimes airs on KOAZ/The Oasis in Albuquerque (Smooth Jazz).
I also have an old aircheck of WJSJ-105.3 Jacksonville, FL when they were still running smooth jazz (sat-fed). One song they played was the theme song to 'Midnight Caller,' played by trumpeter Rick Braun (a staple of the smooth jazz genre).
 
crainbebo said:
'Angela (Theme from Taxi)' Bob James sometimes airs on KOAZ/The Oasis in Albuquerque (Smooth Jazz).
I also have an old aircheck of WJSJ-105.3 Jacksonville, FL when they were still running smooth jazz (sat-fed). One song they played was the theme song to 'Midnight Caller,' played by trumpeter Rick Braun (a staple of the smooth jazz genre).
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No. Think TV themes that became top40 hits. My question is based on billboard airplay, not sales.
 
"Bonus question: Without looking it up, what TV theme is the all-time highest on the billboard chart, (based on airplay) in history? (If this was already answered, my apologies)."

Hmmmm...I'm gonna go way back and guess "The Ballad Of Davy Crockett" by Bill Hayes, which hit #1 in 1955 when this weird rock & roll stuff was just starting to become a thing.
 
I still personally enjoy the Angela/Taxi theme. That's what brought Bob James into a key member of the smooth jazz genre.
 
The answer to my question is: "Ill Be There For You" by The Rembrandts, the theme from "Friends". Was #1 in airplay for several weeks, but only peaked at #17 on the overall billboard charts.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIBGOajwtQg

Good Morning Houston KTRK-TV the ABC O&O back in the late 1980's used the theme song from Back to the Future.

Huey Lewis and the News Power of Love. The song was originally used in the movie, then the song had some success on Top 40/CHR radio for some time and became a theme song for a Houston Morning talk show.
 
RadioPatrol said:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOWkPk2ETXc

Yes Don't forget Cool Hand Luke the Tar Sequence! It started out as movie scene with Paul Newman but was also used on the ABC O&O's as a News Theme. the former ABC Radio Stations aired Cool Hand Luke as part of news promo's to tune to their then respective ABC Owned TV Stations at the time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9z-QoB6MHgU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6udrmVPJiM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3Bhcep-HqM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4QrCztu3Nc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBYLomu_6FI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDXywU6iuGQ
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMGaX3jYuvs

Interestingly 50 years after Cool Hand Luke the tar sequence was used in the movie and on ABC O&O's. 9 News Australia use a modified edition of "The Tar Sequence" as its opening theme.
 
seatownmedia said:
Yes, or as some call it the Hot 100. Billboard started to breakdown their charts in the 80's, maybe even earlier. But my question was about their "airplay" chart, which I believe started sometime around '90.
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The Airplay chart was around long before 1990 and was the 1st chart where a song would debut as it was released to radio before being made available as a single. Up until 1998 if a song was unavailable as a single it wasn't eligible for the Hot 100 so the theme from Friends charted MUCH lower than it would have because by the time it was released as a single(on the b-side of another track) its airplay was way down. Billboard dropped the single policy in the late 1990's and made radio only songs eligible for the Hot 100.
 
paulsonj72 said:
The Airplay chart was around long before 1990 and was the 1st chart where a song would debut as it was released to radio before being made available as a single. Up until 1998 if a song was unavailable as a single it wasn't eligible for the Hot 100 so the theme from Friends charted MUCH lower than it would have because by the time it was released as a single(on the b-side of another track) its airplay was way down. Billboard dropped the single policy in the late 1990's and made radio only songs eligible for the Hot 100.
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Thank you for that clarification. It just confirms that The Rembrandts were the king of tv sitcom radio hits!
 
paulsonj72 said:
The Airplay chart was around long before 1990 and was the 1st chart where a song would debut as it was released to radio before being made available as a single.
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The thing about Billboard's Airplay chart is it uses BDS technology to monitor spins of songs, rather than depending on program directors physically reporting spins. Its much more accurate. Billboard began using BDS in January 1990.
 
"The Hunt" background music

I watched an episode of The Twilight Zone called "The Hunt" about a dead man and his dog and their entrance into heaven. The background music was the same as what was used for Last of the Summer Wine. I wonder--is that a much older tune, such as a classical melody or a folk song?
 
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