13 Most Memorable TV Show Theme Songs

Theme songs from the '70s & '80s that still get stuck in our heads

My husband Terry and I often randomly sing old TV show theme songs. I’m not talking about karaoke or belting out a tune in the shower, I mean while we’re all getting our shoes on to head out the door or something like that. And it’s usually not the whole song, just the catchiest parts. It’s a quirk we share as GenXers that makes us laugh. Naturally, our 13-year-old son doesn’t recognize any of these tunes, so he just patiently lets us do our thing. One of these days I will remedy this by having him watch a few episodes of the shows that made it on this list, probably on one of those streaming services that are free with commercials for an authentic Gen X experience.

Out of all the TV show theme songs that pop into my head the most there’s only 1 that’s entirely instrumental. This, much to my chagrin, prevents me from singing it aloud and so it stays literally stuck in my head. But there were several awesome instrumental theme songs from the ‘70s and ‘80s, so I’ve included them because why should music with poetry get all the glory?

13—Taxi. I loved this show, probably mostly because I found Latka, Reverend Jim, and Louie De Palma hilariously weird. I do remember thinking the mood of the theme song was deceptively contemplative for a sitcom. When I saw the stars of the show later cast in other shows or movies, I remember still referring to them as their characters from Taxi. Tony Danza playing Tony Micelli in a new show called Who’s the Boss? “There’s Tony from Taxi!”

12—Laverne & Shirley. I had absolutely no idea what the ladies were saying at the very beginning of the credit sequence, when they bop up and down on that sidewalk, and I still have no clue. It sounded something like this, if I’m remembering correctly: “Shlameel, shlamozzle, shots and pep incorporated!” I’m guessing they’re referencing the beer factory they worked at. All I know is the rest is a total ear worm that inspired me as a little girl. “On your mark, get set, and go now…we’re gonna make our dreams come true! We’re gonna do it our way, yes, our way…make all our dreams come true…for me and you!” If I’m honest though, I also tuned in for Lenny and Squiggy.

11—Happy Days. “Sunday, Monday, happy days!” Longtime readers might remember my post all about this family favorite sitcom, where I mention the 2 different theme songs. The first couple of seasons they used a slightly altered version of the hit “Rock Around the Clock” by Bill Haley and the Comets for the credit sequences. They’re both memorable, but the one that makes this list is the eponymous theme song they used for the remaining seasons.

10—Knight Rider. This is the quintessential ‘80s synth theme song. My older brother watched this show but I only tuned in for Kitt, the talking car, because I was too young to know what the fuck was going on in the show half the time. Even now, when the narrator’s voice in the opening credits informed me of David Hasselhoff’s heroic role in the series, I was like oh, he was a crime fighter? Had no clue.

9—Miami Vice. Another quintessential ‘80s instrumental tune. I especially loved the drums in this one. I rewatched the opening credit sequence recently and was surprised that I remembered the boobs being much bigger on that lady the camera follows. It also felt like a relic of the times when women’s bodies were casually sexualized in entertainment, like, all the time. I’m not complaining, but it would’ve been nice if men’s bodies had been sexualized on the same level, like, all the time. Just sayin’.

8—Hill Street Blues. A moody instrumental song that prepared viewers for watching a crime drama. I have absolutely nothing to say about this show because I never saw a single episode. I heard the theme song incidentally whenever my mom and stepfather watched it, hence totally memorable.

7—What’s Happening? This theme song might only be memorable to me, since it seems to be a sitcom a lot of people don’t remember. It debuted in ‘76 and lasted 3 seasons, but I caught the reruns later. Speaking of reruns, one of the main characters was a lovable goofball named Rerun who’d do a funky dance that is now lovingly referred to as “The Rerun”. But my favorite character was Roger’s snarky little sister Dee. She could deliver a zinger and drop a mic like no one else.

6—Three’s Company. “Come and knock on our door…we’ve been waiting for you…where the kisses are hers and hers and his, three’s company, too!” This was my favorite show back in the day so my hubby got me the DVD box set last year. We’ve been watching it with our son and we’re on the last season, so I’m officially sick of the theme song. The DVDs don’t offer the option to skip the intro and it’s not worth trying to skip ahead with fast forward so we usually endure the song, but sometimes I’ll just mute the TV. Nonetheless, it remains one of the catchiest ditties from that era. Oh, and those unintelligible lyrics toward the end that sound remotely French? Our son knew what they were saying when my husband and I expressed confusion. “They’re saying ‘down on our rendezvous’, you guys can’t hear that?” Not only did I not hear that, I didn’t hear that for 40 years.

5—The Greatest American Hero. I loved this show and was bummed when it got canceled. I probably had a crush on William Katt, but the show itself was fun. The inspiring theme song makes it into the Top 5 because who could forget it? “Believe it or not, I’m walking on air…I never thought I could feel so free-ee-ee!”

4—Welcome Back, Kotter. Similar in mood to Taxi’s theme song, this one is a beautiful sentimental tune that could deceive new viewers into believing they’re about to watch an urban drama. I loved this show and watched it with my brother, who’d do funny impressions of the characters. The theme song, written by former Lovin’ Spoonful member John Sebastian, was No.1 on the pop charts in May of ‘76.

3—Sanford and Son. This is the instrumental ditty I mentioned earlier, the only instrumental theme song that pops into my head randomly, like, all the time. It’s not like I watched this show more often or anything, I guess my brain just prefers to remind me of it for some reason. Maybe there’s something about the horns in the song that make it stand out. I suspect it might have something more to do with how strongly my brain linked the song with that old truck they drove in the show; every time I see an old truck of some sort that jingle is activated.

2—Cheers. “Where everybody knows your name…and they’re always glad you came…” I was too young at the time to appreciate this show when it aired on prime time television. Whenever my stepdad watched it, I’d stick around just to hear the gorgeous piano piece accompanied by old-timey pub photos of people long dead and then I left as soon as the audience laughed at the first joke I didn’t get. It wasn’t until I watched the reruns in the ‘90s, spurred by the popularity of Frasier, that I enjoyed the show. Regardless of what anyone thinks of the show itself, this theme song will live on as one of the best.

1—The Jeffersons. This is THE song that pops into my head and my husband’s head the most often. It’s ridiculous, really. I mean, it’s ridiculously catchy! “Well we’re movin’ on up (movin’ on up!)” Maybe it’s because we’re dreaming of the day we “finally got a piece of the pie”, all I know is we’re shamelessly singing that chorus a few times a week. Our son doesn’t seem to mind, but if he gets sick of us belting that one out at random times of the day, I’ll just start calling him “Wheezy” for the helluvit. What I loved most about this All In the Family spin-off (a show with one of the worst theme songs, if you ask me) was watching George and the maid sling funny insults at each other. Now, I also appreciate that it had the first interracial couple on prime time television.

Honorable Mentions: I narrowed it down to 13 because I thought it would be fun since Generation X is the 13th generation. Then I realized I’d probably receive some strongly-worded letters about the theme songs I left out. So without further ado, the theme songs for Grizzly Adams, Family Ties, The Facts of Life, and The Brady Bunch deserve some recognition, too. (I was only listing series from the ‘70s and ‘80s, otherwise classic theme songs like Mr. Ed, The Beverly Hillbillies, The Addams Family, and Gilligan’s Island would’ve topped the list!)