Chapter 1
The golden age of instrumental themes
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Chapter 2
The lyrical era of sitcom anthems
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Chapter 3
Global beats and regional icons
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Chapter 4
The modern shift to minimalist hooks
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YOUR GOAL
Master of Television theme songs
Ch 1 · The golden age of instrumental themes
schopenhauer Golden Age Instrumental Themes
An instrumental synth Drove it straight to number one!
schopenhauer A massive brass section and driving surf beats combined to create one of the most energetic instrumental hits in television history.
Fun Fact
Twilight Zone theme: Marius Constant never actually met show creator Rod Serling, as CBS bought his spooky theme directly from a generic music library.
schopenhauer The haunting, futuristic sounds of the British sci-fi classic were crafted using analog tape manipulation long before synthesizers were commercially available.
Glossary
instrumental (noun)
A musical composition or recording that features only instruments and no vocals. In 1985, Jan Hammer's Miami Vice theme topped the Billboard Hot 100 as a hit television instrumental.
A musical composition or recording that features only instruments and no vocals. In 1985, Jan Hammer's Miami Vice theme topped the Billboard Hot 100 as a hit television instrumental.
Quiz
What Morse code letters inspired the 5/4 time signature of Lalo Schifrin's Mission: Impossible theme?
schopenhauer Sort classic TV theme songs by decade to discover fascinating show and artist trivia.
Quiz
Which electronic music pioneer used tape loops and oscillators to realize the original 1963 Doctor Who theme?
Quiz
Which surf rock group scored a Billboard No. 4 hit in 1969 with their cover of the Hawaii Five-O theme?
Quiz
Which classic 1960s spy spoof series featured an instrumental theme song composed by Hugo Montenegro with real telephone sound effects?
Quiz
Which instrument plays the famous spooky lead melody in the 1960s theme song of The Addams Family?
Quiz
In 1959, Henry Mancini's soundtrack for which detective show became the first TV album to win the Grammy for Album of the Year?
Quiz
The iconic Jeopardy! theme song, titled 'Think!', was originally written by show creator Merv Griffin as what?
Quiz
The iconic four-note guitar riff of The Twilight Zone theme was composed by Marius Constant using what unusual technique?