MY 50 TOP TV THEME TUNES! #44

Number 44: Danger Mouse
Myfanwy Talog sang this and it was her partner, David Jason’s most memorable role, giving the voice to Danger Mouse. I don’t much like Jason, frankly, so I pretend not to know it’s his voice.
I was in my twenties when this was on, so it’s probably quite shameful that I was such a fan. It was a triumph of surreal humour masquerading as a kids’ cartoon show and I loved the braggadocio of the theme tune, written by comedian Mike Harding.

MY 50 TOP TV THEME TUNES! #45

Number 45: Wagon Train
I chose this theme tune because it was the first and, to this day, only thing I ever learned to play on the piano. Taught myself, all on the black keys. It’s the first season theme (there were several others) and was written by Henri René and Bob Russell. I don’t remember much about the series and I don’t know much about René and Russell, although Wikipedia tells me the former made an album called “Music for Bachelors” and the latter later wrote the lyric to “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” for The Hollies (a song I have never liked).

MY 50 TOP TV THEME TUNES! #46

Number 46: The Monkees
I was a little Monkee fanboy and the first albums I owned were the Monkees’ “The Monkees” and “More of the Monkees”. I was still at Primary School and had no idea and couldn't have cared less that none of the boys was actually playing their instruments. I saw Davey Jones once on Princes Street, nearly three decades later. He was tiny. I still felt the tug of puppy love though!
Written by professional songwriters Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, as was Last Train to Clarksville. They also performed all of the backing tracks and vocals for the songs on the first few albums, with the Monkees adding lead vocals. In the 70s, Boyce and Hart teamed up with Davey Jones and Mickey Dolenz and toured a 'Golden Greats of the Monkees' show. Boyce moved to England for a while before returning to the US, where he killed himself in 1994.

MY 50 TOP TV THEME TUNES! #47

Number 47: Flintstones
"When you're with the Flintstones
Have a yabba dabba doo time
A dabba doo time
We'll have a gay old time..."
Thanks to this Flintstones FAQ, I now know that Hoyt S. Curtin wrote the music and William Hanna and Joseph Barbera wrote the lyrics. When I was a little boy, I thought a woman called Hanna Barbera made the cartoon. And that she couldn't spell her own name correctly.

MY 50 TOP TV THEME TUNES! #48

Number 48: Crossroads
Meg Richardson, Sandy, Jill, Miss Diane, Benny, Amy Turtle, the shadow of the Droitwich...
For so many years, ‘Crossroads’ and this tune accompanied our dinner, always served at 5.15, just as Dad got home from work. Macca reworked it with Wings but I liked this version best.
Written by Tony Hatch, a man with his finger in many musical pies. He wrote for and produced Petula Clark and even worked on Bowie’s juvenilia. With his wife, Jackie Trent, he wrote lots of other TV theme tunes, including ‘Neighbours’.
Hatch’s zenith, however, imo was when he composed Downtown and gave it to Pet Clark. How do I love that song! Forever associated now in my mind with the Police Raid at Gross Indecency last year.

MY 50 TOP TV THEME TUNES! #49

Number 49: Tomorrow's World
This programme ran for an eternity and there were other theme tunes in different epochs but this was the best, by the late Johnny Dankworth who produced several other classic tv theme tunes too (that may yet appear in this list).

MY 50 TOP TV THEME TUNES! #50

Going to resurrect my blog. This is a list of my top fifty favourite TV theme tunes that I created to amuse my Facebook friends. Not the best shows, nor necessarily the best music on TV, but they are my favourite TV theme tunes.



Number 50: The Persuaders
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t99QQIXez4M
John Barry's theme to The Persuaders. Never much liked the show but I liked the tune and I love the late, very great John Barry's work. I have come to like Roger Moore over the years but, for some reason, I couldn't abide him when I was younger. Always thought Tony Curtis was a shag though. Particularly when he played Houdini. And, obviously, when he wore a frock.