Tune into It: A Look at Popular Television Theme Songs

There is just something about your favorite television show's theme song that grows on you. Be it a cartoon, serious drama, or nightly news program, you know the song when you hear it. It probably wouldn't be too much to ask of anyone to have them recite the first few lines of the Flintstones theme song. Say the word "Batman" in a certain tone, and you're bound to get a delightful chorus of "na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na . . ." (or some variation thereof). What follows here is a list of my personal picks for the top ten television theme songs of all time.

"Now this is the story all about how my life got twist-turned upside down . . ." Thus starts the theme at spot ten on this list. The theme to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is not particularly remarkable . . . only memorable. In Elementary School and Junior High, there were arguments over the precise lyrics to the classic rap theme by Will Smith. My freshman year of college, we were charged to run around campus on a scavenger hunt, chanting the words to this song as we went. During one of my college years I lived next door to a fraternity house in Philadelphia, and not a Thursday night party went by without the playing of this song; about half-way through, the D.J. would cut out the music, leaving party-goers to continue without help screaming the lyrics at the top of their lungs. The great thing about all this is that most people don't know the full theme, which only played for the first three episodes; after that, two verses were cut out. For those of you who may feel robbed of full-knowledge of one of your favorite shows, here they are:

I begged and pleaded with her day after day

But she packed my suitcase and sent me on my way

She gave me a kiss and she gave me my ticket

I put my walkman on and said I might as well kick it

First class, yo, this is bad,

Drinking orange juice out of a champagne glass

Is this what the people of Bel-Air live like

Hmm this might be alright