With it being confirmed that The Office will have more episodes (woot x mucho) this season, I was thinking…
The Office is one of the most Un-Singable theme songs (reminded while I did dishes tonight), which is weird for a sitcom. I believe that that fact helps maintain its mockumentary status (which, Devin, I purchased World War Z for the library)(I couldn’t wait to read it).
I provide to you the Top 7 Singable Sitcom Theme Songs
7. The Simpsons – MASH just got kicked off – Yes, it’s singable, but please don’t sing the lyrics. The “doo doo doo”s do just fine.
6. Full House – We all know about “the milkman, the paperboy, and evening TV”. But what DID happen to predictability? (The big question is can you make it past “Everywhere you look…” and not mumble a lyric?)
5. The Garry Shandling Show – Probably the easiest to remember, it has the added benefit of the Toy Story guy (except when the Turtles covered it) telling us exactly what he’s doing. “This is the part where I start to whistle. [whistling]”
4. Saved by the Bell – This show raised me. At today’s faculty meeting the teachers were wondering why I was talking past them to my own audience. It was awkward, so I called Time Out to freeze the teachers and avoid any other rude comments. I wanted to be Zach, but judging from the tag cloud you can see my Dustin Diamond-ness.
3. Cheers - This almost got second, but as the general TV audience is shifting in demographic, this slightly nostalgic song got bumped down a notch. Is it just me, or is the song kinda depressing, too? (I get stressed about mortgages and the declining state of health care in the US.) If you listen to the second verse that is not featured in the credits you will be utterly disturbed by the narrator’s poor turn of events.
2. Friends – In the same style as the ‘your life really does stink’ genre made popular by Cheers, this song reminds you that even if “your job’s a joke, you’re broke” and “your love life’s DOA”, drinking some coffee with a bunch of self-absorbed twenty-somethings will get you out of second gear. Even if it hasn’t been your day, your month…
1. The Fresh Prince of Bel Air – I used to play a TV theme CD in the classroom while students wrote. This song was the most recognized, and most sung-alonged, even though the show was done before they were born. (Scary to think of, huh?) White suburbanites are instantly from West Philadelphia, “born and raised”. Just like when we read The Outsiders, they don’t get that they’re more Carlton and less Will.
I can’t imagine The Office being sung: “And here is Jim, he is smarmy/and poor Dwight, misunderstood – ’cause it’s the Office/la la we all want to stay late at/ The Office”
Song that I sing but no one else probably does: Seinfeld.
Ones that didn’t fit the sitcom genre: Star Trek, Twilight Zone, and the “dah du dah dah (dunh duh dunh)” A-Team.
Ones that my brother wishes were on the list: “There’s a time for love and a time for hate (I guess it really says “there’s a path we take and a path not take”…just like my “make you feel like corn flakes” Gettin’ Jiggy lyrics)/ the choice is up to you, my friend” and “what’ll we do, baby, with our love? Sha la la la la”
The Haiku
Have our non-vocal
theme songs signaled the crux of
our cynicism?
In other news:
The Jordan 23s are crazy.
The 6′8″ high school girls basketball star is awesome.
And Uno may make my dog, Indiana, popular. We shall see.
Semi-related posts:
My favorite that doesn’t fit the sitcom theme: Firefly. They can’t take the sky from me… Special mention goes to Psych: a few weeks ago, they had an episode that took place on the set of a Mexican soap opera. The theme song for that episode was in Spanish, which made me laugh. Though I claim that the Office theme song is just as singable as the Simpsons or the (lyric-free) M*A*S*H theme. But I also will sing the Doctor Who theme, so I may not be the most reliable source for this.
There should be no argument about the most singable theme of all time, though. Iiiiiiiiin West Philadelphia, born and raised….
It’s funny. I can do Simpsons. I can do Trek. But when I sit down for The Office it’s a jumble. Maybe it’s a birth defect in me.
But FIREFLY! HOW DID I LEAVE OFF FIREFLY?
I walked around for an entire semester with a pen hanging out of my pocket for a quick draw and a swagger.
That theme song made me appreciate a new genre of music: space cowboy bluegrass.
The word that comes to mind, when describing such an error, is egregious. That is not a word I get to use much, really, so I appreciate the opportunity.
Firefly really does trounce other sci-fi shows when it comes to singable music, I think. Part of me wants to learn to play guitar so I can play the Ballad of Jayne.
Just thinking about the Firefly theme got it stuck in my head… I’ll have to admit that I skip it every time I watch it. It bugs me. Haha.
I was always more a fan of the Growing Pains theme myself…
“There’s a time for love and a time for living.
You take a chance and face the wind.
An open road and a road that’s hidden
A brand new life around the bend.
There were times when I lost a dream or two.
Found the trail, and at the end was you.
There’s a path you take and a path untaken
The choice is up to you my friend.
Nights are long but you’re on your way
To a brand new life,
Brand new life,
Brand new life around the bend.”
- CAN YOU DIG IT
I’ll admit, I didn’t like the Firefly theme the first time. By the time I finished the second disk, though, I was hooked on it. I’ll sing it at the slightest provocation- including singing the guitar intro.
Yes, I’m weird.
Put that on a $9.99 shirt, Slade.