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The Top 10 Television Theme Songs From My Childhood

I can’t sing worth a lick. But I love music. And when the right lyrics come together with the right tune…well, I can recognize when it’s something special. Especially when it comes to television theme songs.

top 10 television theme songsMy TV viewing habits have certainly changed over the years. I’m more select now in what watch, mostly focusing on news, sports and a select few programs I consider must-see TV (any Dr. Who fans out there?) However, back in the day like most youth, I tuned into any and every TV show my parents would allow me to watch.

Some of my favorite shows had incredible theme songs. So just for fun today, I decided to put together a list of my top 10 television theme songs from my childhood. For reference sake, the bulk of my childhood was lived during the 1970s and 80s, which will become obvious based on the selections I’ve chosen.

My Criteria for Television Theme Songs

I do have some criteria though for the television theme songs to meet in order to make this top ten list. The theme song:

  1. Must have words in some portion of the opening song (either spoken or sung). This excludes some of my all time favorite shows like Andy Griffith, M.A.S.H. and The Cosby Show.
  1. Had to have been a show that I watched. Sorry diehard Fresh Prince fans.
  1. Needed “sing-ability” – a catchy tune you might sing or hum in private when your friends weren’t looking (…or that gets stuck in your head ALL DAY LONG!)
  1. Had to open for a show I absolutely LOVED. In other words, there is a greater than average chance that if I passed this show today while channel surfing I’d stop and watch.

I’ll rank the television themes songs from 10 to 1 to build suspense. And just to wet your appetite and get your mind humming something, here are a few TV shows I watched whose theme song didn’t crack the list but have to be listed as honorable mention candidates:

Honorable Mention Television Theme Songs: The Addams Family, Transformers, Welcome Back Kotter, The Jeffersons, The Brady Bunch, The Beverly Hillbillies, Mr. Rogers, The Flintstones and Scooby-Doo.

My Top Ten Television Theme Songs With Words

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