Theme songs; sometimes they help you get in the mood for the series, and sometimes you skip them as soon as that magical ‘skip intro’ button appears (best invention ever). Most cases fall into the second category. We want to quickly continue with binge-watching, after all. There are certain intros that I personally never skip though. They hype me up and bring me into the right mood for what’s to come.
Here are 10 influential intros, where in some cases it’s almost sacrilege to skip them.
10. The Flintstones
Yabba-Dabba-Dooooo! At number 10 we find a true classic from the 60s. The comedy cartoon series The Flintstones is about a working-class family and their adventures in the prehistoric town of Bedrock. The series combines modern technology and cultural references with a prehistoric twist.
The theme song “Meet the Flintstones” was written by the show’s creators, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Hoyt Curtin composed the music for the version we all know.
The world-famous theme song was only heard for the first time in the third season (the series eventually ran for 6 seasons).
It is thought that the theme song was inspired by the second movement of Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 17 (The “Tempest”). It does indeed sound similar, listen for yourself!”
9. The Sopranos
The Sopranos is about mafia boss Tony Soprano and how he tries to deal with his personal and professional issues. And there are quite a few of them!
The theme song “Woke Up This Morning” was made by Alabama 3. Songwriter Larry Love (real name Rob Spragg) told Ladbible that the song was based on a real-life murder trial. Sara Thornton murdered her abusive husband in the late 80s.
Larry Love said: “She stabbed him to death. After years of abuse, she just had enough. So she woke up one morning and decided to go and get herself a knife. That would have been the lyric, but it didn’t quite sound right, so we changed it to gun. The rest is history.”
Larry Love: “She stabbed him to death. After years of abuse, she just had enough. So she woke up one morning and decided to go and get herself a knife. That would have been the lyric, but it didn’t quite sound right, so we changed it to gun. The rest is history.” Yes Larry, yes it is.
Unfortunately for Alabama 3, they sold the song to HBO for only $500. Larry doesn’t really mind though. “It’s been nice to watch the song take on its own life. It belongs to the show now.”
8. Stranger Things
Netflix’s hit series Stranger Things is about a girl with telepathic and psychokinetic powers, and her nerdy friends. When an experimentation facility opens a gateway between the normal world and the mysterious alternate dimension Upside Down, inexplicable things begin to happen in the normally calm town of Hawkins.
The series has a nostalgic 80s vibe, and the theme song draws a lot of inspiration from that. The song was composed by Michael Stein and Kyle Dixon of the band SURVIVE, who are also responsible for the rest of the music from the first two seasons. They made a version of 30 seconds, 45 seconds, and a version of one minute. Fans of the intro can be happy that the longest version was ultimately chosen. The theme song of Stranger Things is a perfect mix of synth-heavy and sounds that we know from the 80s.
The creators received an Emmy for their work in 2017. That’s of course great, but they will undoubtedly be even happier with position 8 on this list.
7. The Office
The theme song of The Office is as iconic as the comedy series itself. During the COVID-19 pandemic year of 2020, the series with Steve Carell was streamed for a whopping 57.1 billion minutes. The Office is about eccentric regional manager Michael Scott and his diverse, hilarious Dunder Mifflin employees.
The music was composed by James Ferguson, an American rock and pop musician and friend of producer Greg Daniels. However, the well-known theme song almost didn’t make it. A week before The Office premiered, the makers still had the song “Mr. Blue Sky” by ELO in mind (after winning a cast vote).
At the last minute, another show called LAX came out, and you guessed it, it featured the song “Mr. Blue Sky”. James Ferguson (I can call him Jay) was called and composed the final theme song in a week.
6. Succession
The black comedy-drama Succession is about the powerful Roy family. They own the largest media and entertainment company in the world, and to say that that has an effect on the family would be an understatement. It’s a dysfunctional family and each member has particularly twisted behavior. The family members all compete for a seat at the head of the table and all of this leads to many dramatic, but also hilarious moments.
The theme song, created by Nicholas Britell, conveys the powerful feeling well. The mix of the chosen instruments makes it sound like you’re part of something big, something dramatic. It’s dark classical music with a touch of hip-hop. Britell chose this because of Kendall Roy’s (an important character) love for the rap scene.
In just under two weeks, the final season of HBO’s hit series will begin. We can enjoy one more season of this exciting tune that deserves this high ranking in this top, if I may say so myself.
5. Prison Break
Prison Break is one of the first series I became completely addicted to, so this might not be entirely objective. Especially season 1 of this series was unprecedentedly good.
In Prison Break, Michael Scofield voluntarily gets himself locked up in prison in the hope of breaking out his brother Lincoln. The story is full of plot twists, cliffhangers and thrilling moments.
The theme song perfectly complements these moments. It creates the feeling that something exciting is about to happen. The tones almost seem to tell you that you yourself are in danger, rather than safe under your blanket on the couch.
The song was composed by Ramin Djawadi, who you can always count on. It’s no wonder we find this familiar name again, further up this list. Pardon the spoiler, I hope I didn’t ruin your day.
4. Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Iiiiin West Philadelphia, born and raised… most people can probably recite the lyrics to “Yo home to Bel-Air” by Will Smith and his friend DJ Jazzy Jeff. The young rapper wrote the lyrics based on the script of the pilot episode. Yo home to Bel-Air was composed by Quincy Jones.
The theme song tells the life story of Will. After a violent escapade, he is sent to Bel-Air by his mother, where he moves in with his Uncle Phil and Aunt Viv. What follows are 6 successful seasons that launched Will Smith’s acting career.
I have to admit that I don’t sit through this one anymore. It’s a pretty long theme song, and after hearing it a hundred times or so, I think I’ve earned the right. That being said, it’s an absolute classic among theme songs.
3. The Wire
Gospel song “Way Down in the Hole” was written by singer-songwriter Tom Waits and later perfectly covered by The Blind Boys of Alabama, an American gospel group.
The Wire is considered by many (including myself, if that means anything) as one of the best TV series of all time. It still holds a 9.3 rating on IMDb. The HBO series zooms in on the drug scene in Baltimore, offering viewers perspectives from both the police and the drug dealers themselves. Each season focuses on a different facet of the city, from the illegal drug trade to the school system.
It was always a pleasure to be greeted by The Blind Boys of Alabama when I started an episode. My disappointment was great when I found out that each season featured a different version of the song. None of the others came close to the first theme song, in my opinion. Fact of the day: it even earned a place in my Spotify playlist. What more could The Blind Boys of Alabama want?
2. Friends
“I’ll be here for you” by The Rembrandts is, of course, a must on this list. Everyone knows the comedy series Friends and undoubtedly also the theme song that goes with it. Let me give a brief description for those who have been living under a rock during the 90s (or were not yet in their parents plans).
The title covers it pretty well, because Friends is about the 6 friends Chandler, Ross, Joey, Monica, Rachel, and Phoebe. The show follows their adventures in New York. Their friendship is at the center, which results in many beautiful, touching, but above all funny moments.
Friends grew into one of the most popular series of all time, and with it, the fame of The Rembrandts skyrocketed. Funny enough, they initially wanted to remain anonymous. The band was working on a rock album, and the cheerful notes of “I’ll be here for you” didn’t really fit in. Given the success of the series, they will be glad they changed their minds on that decision.
Just like The Office, Friends ALSO almost had a different theme song, namely “Shiny Happy People” by R.E.M.
1. Game of Thrones
Here’s the promised second entry for composer Ramin Djawadi. The epic Game of Thrones is about the struggle between different families for the Iron Throne. The series is full of intrigue, violence, lust and much more.
Series creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss asked Ramin Djawadi to avoid flutes and violins, which they believed were overused in the fantasy genre. As a viewer, you get to see all corners and crevices of the world, and the theme song gives you the feeling of being part of the adventures the characters are embarking on.
Ramin Djawadi was shown the series’ intro before he created his music so that he could build his music around it to perfection.
Third’s a charm: yet another series which almost had a different theme song. David Benioff wanted “The Rains of Castamere” in the intro. Luckily, D.B. Weiss didn’t agree.
Fans often criticize D.B. Weiss for the disappointing later seasons. However, this was a fantastic decision!
