Theme Song Thursday: ‘Perfect Strangers’ touts a perfect theme song

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Ryan Johnson

Much of my childhood, at least on Friday nights, revolved around ABC’s TGIF lineup in the early 1990s. Everyone had a favorite sitcom during the two-hour weekly programming block, whether it was “Full House,” “Family Matters” or “Step by Step.”

Cousin Larry and Cousin Balki

But my favorite, then and now, is “Perfect Strangers,” a perfect sitcom for its odd couple pairing of Larry Appleton (Mark Linn-Baker) and his previously unknown distant cousin Balki Bartokomous (Bronson Pinchot), who hailed from the Mediterranean island of Mypos.

The show revolves around Balki’s failures and successes as he tries to adapt to the American way of life while living in his cousin’s Chicago apartment. When things went right, Balki would bust out his signature “Dance of Joy”; when things went wrong, it usually turned out Balki was more right than his stressed-out, neurotic cousin Larry when it come down to being a good guy and doing the right thing.

“Perfect Strangers” came from the production dream team Miller-Boyett, who also were behind pretty much every other good sitcom at the time, including “Full House,” “Perfect Strangers” spinoff “Family Matters” and “Step by Step.” And these guys really knew the value of having an awesome theme song, which explains why they relied on songwriting duo Jesse Frederick and Bennett Salvay to write the themdes for all the shows I just mentioned (and that explains why they all have somewhat similar themes).

But for whatever reason, I think it all came together perfectly in the minute or so of awesomeness in “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Me Now,” an optimistic song about not giving up that’s a great intro to each episode of “Perfect Strangers.” The song, performed by David Pomeranz, went through several small edits and cuts through the show’s eight-season run from 1986 to 1993 but always kept the focus on the original theme’s inspiring lyrics:

Standing tall, on the wings of my dream.
Rise and fall, on the wings of my dream.
The rain and thunder
The wind and haze
I’m bound for better days.
It’s my life and my dream,
Nothing’s gonna stop me now.

Don’t get me wrong, “Full House” and “Family Matters” have classic theme songs, and I have always loved the catchy little ditty that kicked off each episode of “Step by Step.” But “Perfect Strangers” was the most solid sitcom ever developed by Miller-Boyett, and the show’s theme also stands above the rest of a pretty amazing pack of shows and songs that stemmed from these television geniuses.

But you don’t have to take my word for it:

And here’s the infamous “Dance of Joy”:

Awesome.

Theme Song Thursday is a weekly look back at memorable, not-so-influential, nostalgia-inducing theme songs by the Heralds Melinda Lavine and Ryan Johnson. Click here to read previous entries, and feel free to share!

Theme Song Thursday: Who. Is. The Masser?

Posted on July 26, 2011 by Melinda M. Lavine

Bruce Leroy. The Glow. The Sho-Gun of Harlem. Any of these ring a bell? If not, you might be missing out on a cult classic.

“The Last Dragon” came out in 1985 and has been described as a martial arts, dance movie. If you haven’t seen it, it might be too late. It’s pretty campy and one of those movies that gets immediate amnesty if you grew up with it. It features your typical characters: A black belt trying to reach the “Final Level” who eats popcorn with chopsticks; the damsel in distressed played by 80′s seductress Vanity; and the bully in martial arts garb made complete with black Converse sneakers and shoulder pads.

Sho-Nuff discovers who the REAL master is.

Having said that, “The Last Dragon” may be best known for its music, which was supervised by Motown Records founder, Berry Gordon. The soundtrack featured “Rhythm of the Night,” which hit No. 3 on Billboard’s Top 100, Stevie Wonder’s “Upset Stomach,” Vanity’s “7th Heaven” and the immortal theme, “The Last Dragon,” by Dwight David.

All a “Last Dragon” die-hard need do to weed out like-minded people is to sing a couple of words from this theme.

Take life one day at a time
That’s what a wise man said to me.
He said, “Life, in all it’s complexity
Is the ultimate test for you and me.”

When you walk holding your head up high
For the masters watching you from the sky
I know not what trouble lies ahead
Before you fight, use your head.

It’s time to leave my nest where you were born
This journey you must make alone.
(Spread your wings and fly)
There’s a power deep inside you, an inner strength
You’ll find in time of need.
(The Glow)

Like the seasons, love will come and go
If it’s right, you’ll automatically know.
The world of mystery exists only in your head.
When you become one with yourself
The wall will fall

The journey now before you is the final test
You’ve learned your lesson well.
(I can teach you no more)
There’s a power deep inside you, an inner strength
You’ll find in time of need.
(The Glow)

You are the Last Dragon
You posess the power of the Glow

“The Last Dragon,” theme song by Dwight David

“The Glow,” by Willie Hutch

“7th Heaven,” performed by Vanity

Theme Song Thursday extra: The character Sho’Nuff makes a cameo in Busta Rhymes’ 1997 music video for “Dangerous”:

Theme Song Thursday is a weekly look back at memorable, not-so-influential, nostalgia-inducing theme songs by the Herald’s Melinda Lavine and Ryan Johnson. Click here to read other Theme Song Thursday posts and feel free to share!

Theme Song Thursday: Louie Louie you’re gonna cry

Posted on July 14, 2011 by Ryan Johnson

I like plenty of TV show theme songs that are instrumentals – “30 Rock” has a pretty good theme, and the music that kicks off each episode of “MacGyver” gets me pumped up and ready to watch Mac’s practical wisdom save the day.

Louie (Louis C.K.)

But I really prefer a theme that has words because, let’s face it, there’s nothing better than a catchy song to sing along with, especially if you’re loyally watching the show and will be forced to hear the song over and over again.

That’s why I love “Brother Louie,” the 1970s Hot Chocolate song that serves as the theme of the hilariously smart FX comedy “Louie.” The original song is about 4 minutes long, dealing with the topic of interracial romance and a couple faced with racism. That might seem at odds with a comedy stemming from the twisted yet somehow relatable mind of Louis C.K. But mixed into the original song is a repeated chorus that works perfectly for a show about a depressed white dude named Louie:

“Louie Louie Louie, Louie
Louie Louie Lou-i
Louie Louie Louie
Louie Louie you’re gonna cry”

Hot Chocolate didn’t get much attention for this song – you probably know them for “You Sexy Thing,” their 1975 classic. But “Brother Louie” rose to the top of the charts in 1973 when it was expertly covered by one-hit wonder Stories.

Here’s the song, as performed by Stories:

http://youtu.be/exl0oSfTSoY

And here’s a clip from “Louie,” a show you should definitely start watching if you haven’t already:

Theme Song Thursday: Clarissa explains, well, not very much

Posted on June 30, 2011 by Ryan Johnson

“Clarissa Explains It All” gave the world Melissa Joan Hart and was somewhat ahead of its time, being the first Nickelodeon television series to feature a female lead character.

Sam and Clarissa

But this early 1990s show really only made one contribution that matters – its amazingly simple theme song.

Rachel Sweet expertly performs this series of one repeated syllable with an occasional “way cool! or “just do it!” thrown in for good measure. Don’t look for any meaning in this theme; it is, literally, just a series of “na-na-na-na” with a few phrases added to it so there’s at least a few sections with lyrics.

My parent’s cable plan didn’t include Nickelodeon, so it’s not like I closely followed the exploits of Clarissa or grew up learning from her explanations of it all. Still, I seem to randomly think of the theme song once every few months and then spend the next week trying to get the tune out of my head. I don’t always need meaning, or actual words, in my music – sometimes all I look for in a good theme song is a little “na-na-na.”

http://youtu.be/m9gQD6i4htU

Theme Song Thursday: How DO you talk to an angel? This band doesn’t know either

Posted on June 2, 2011 by Ryan Johnson

The 1990s were a time of introspection, and every now and then someone would try to answer some of the great existential questions of their time. But one of those mysteries still persists today: “How do you talk to an angel?”

That’s a tough question to answer, especially considering that doing so is like “trying to catch a falling star.”

The Heights at their height of fame (bad pun)

Those are about the only pearls of wisdom in The Heights’ “How Do You Talk to an Angel,” the chart-topping theme song for the 1990s teen drama “The Heights.”

No doubt this is a shallow song — a quick look at the lyrics shows it really is only a few sentences repeated over and over to make sure you understand just how difficult it is to talk to an angel. But the tune actually packs quite a bit of sappy charm into a few minutes, and this is definitely one of my favorite 1990s power ballads. I’d much rather endure The Heights than listen to Poison’s “Every Rose Has its Thorn,” probably the lamest power ballad of all time.

But I didn’t even realize that “How Do You Talk to an Angel” was a TV theme song — every time I heard it was on the radio, and I just assumed it was from some random one-hit wonder.

It was only during a recent conversation with my friend that I found out this classic got its start on the TV airwaves. And I’ve got a feeling most people think of this more as a radio hit than a TV theme. The short-lived series “The Heights” premiered in August 1992 and never gained a substantial audience. While it’s true “How Do You Talk to an Angel” was a huge success, becoming the first song from a TV show to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart in seven years and garnering a 1993 Emmy nomination, Fox canceled the show less than a week after the theme fell from the top of the charts.

We can mourn the passing of this cheesy 1990s drama, which according to Wikipedia is “centered on a fictional band (also called The Heights) made up of mostly middle-class young adults.” Sounds like a compelling plot…

While the show is long forgotten, and probably for good reason, at least we can take comfort in the fact that its theme song will still have a place at high school proms and wedding dances for decades to come.

Theme Song Thursday is a weekly look back at memorable, not-so-influential, nostalgia-inducing theme songs by the Herald’s Melinda Lavine and Ryan Johnson. Click here to read previous entries, and feel free to share!

Theme song Thursday: The dream of the 90′s is alive in Portland

Posted on May 19, 2011 by Melinda M. Lavine

The theme song to IFC’s show “Portlandia” is a comedy bit in itself. It’s all about an era that anyone who’s lived through will remember (with fondness or disdain). The show’s a satire created by SNL’s Fred Armisen and band Sleater-Kinney’s Carrie Brownstein. It’s produced by SNL mastermind Lorne Michaels and co-written by Allison Silverman, a writer for the “The Daily Show.”

“Portlandia” touts cameos from SNL’s Jason Sudeikis, Steve Buscemi, Heather Graham, Selma Blair, Aubrey Plaza (from “Parks and Recreation”), musician Aimee Mann, Sarah McLachlan, Colin Meloy of The Decembrists, director Gus Van Sant and Kyle MacLachlan has a recurring role as Portland’s mayor, and in one episode, Portland’s real mayor, Sam Adams, plays his assistant.

All of these elements make for a hilarious TV show, and they needed to create a theme song that could keep up …. they succeeded.

ARMISEN, BROWNSTEIN, SUDEIKIS

The theme is part song, part conversation. Armisen’s character lists off the wonders of Portland with cuts to him walking down its streets with Portland’s residents in tow. (Oh, so 90′s.) Here’s the breakdown.

————————————————————————–

Do you remember the 90′s, people were talking about getting piercings and tribal tattoos, people were singing about saving the planet and forming bands. There’s a place where that idea still exists as a reality and I’ve been there.

The dream of the 90′s is alive in Portland
The dream of the 90′s is alive in Portland
The tattoo ink never runs dry.

Remember when people were content to be unambitious, sleep til 11 and hang out with their friends. You had no occupation whatsoever, you’d be working a couple hours a week at a coffee shop. Portland’s a city where young people go to retire.

The dream of the 90′s is alive in Portland
All the hot girls wear glasses — yeah!

Remember the 90s when they encouraged you to be weird, it was just an amazing time. You could grow up to wanna be a clown, like people went to clown school.

The dream of the 90′s is alive in Portland
Sleep til 11, you’ll be in heaven
The dream of the 90′s is alive in Portland
The dream is a-liii-ve.

So what I can surmise from what you’re positing, it’s like Portland’s an alternative universe. It’s like Gore won. The Bush administration never happened. In Portland’s, it’s almost like cars don’t exist. People ride bikes or double-decker bikes or unicycles.

The dream of the 90′s is alive in Portland
My flannel shirt still looks fly
The dream of the 90′s is alive in Portland
Turn that dirty clown frown, right upside down

In Portland, you can go to a record store and sell your CDs. You could put a bird on something and call it art.

The dream of the 90′s is alive in Portland
The dream of the 90′s is alive in Portland, Portland, Portland.

————————————————————————–

I’ve heard the how described as one that makes fun of “hipsters,” and here’s one negative review:

Brian Lowry noted the show was “clearly on a shoestring budget”, and said it featured an “array of tiresome characters” that provided “further proof not everyone deserves a sketch comedy showcase — especially when the premise cuts no deeper than vignettes inspired by the wheat-germy, hippie-ish environs of Portland, Ore.”

But I disagree. If you’re down with satire and you like sketch comedy, this show’s for you. And the theme song is just another testament to the caliber of humor the writers and actors bring.

Here’s Portlandia’s website.

According to Wikipedia, Portlandia’s theme song is “Feel it All Around,” by Washed Out, but that’s just the tune that accompanies the credits.

Theme Song Thursday: The Brady Bunch of the ’90s

Posted on April 28, 2011 by Ryan Johnson

“We’ll make it better, the second time around.”

That’s the gist of “Second Time Around,” the awesome theme song to the not-so-awesome 1990s sitcom “Step by Step” about a newly blended family trying to take things “step by step, day by day.”

The cast of "Step by Step"

This show could best be described as a 1990s version of “The Brady Bunch” – divorced contractor Frank Lambert (Patrick Duffy) impulsively marries widowed beautician Carol Foster (Suzanne Somers), who return from a Jamaican vacation to tell their three kids (each!) that they now have step-brothers, step-sisters and step-parents.

Besides being on ABC’s TGIF lineup, “Step by Step” – and its theme song – has a lot in common with other classic 1990s family sitcoms.

The series was developed and executive produced by Thomas L. Miller and Robert L. Boyett, the TV dream team who also produced “Family Matters,” “Full House” and “Perfect Strangers.”

And “Second Time Around” was performed and co-written by Jesse Frederick, who along with Bennett Salvay wrote the themes for the three Miller-Boyett sitcoms I just mentioned. (In case you’re wondering, this explains why all four theme songs sound like they could be looped into one awesome early ’90s track. I’m still hoping to try that experiment some day).

Here are the lyrics to this classic theme song:

The dream got broken
Seemed like all was lost
What would be the future
Could you pay the cost
You wonder,
Will there ever be
a second time around?

Woah-a, woah-a
When the tears are over
And the moment has come
Say “My lord,
I think I found someone”
And no one would be better
To be putting it together
For the second time around

We got the woman and man
We got the kids in a clan
Only time will tell
If all these dreams fit under one umbrella

Step by step
Day by day
A fresh start over
A different hand to play
The deeper we fall
The stronger we stay
And we’ll be better
The second time around

Step by step
Day by day
{Day by day}
A fresh start over
A different hand to play
Only time will tell
But you know what they say
We’ll make it better
The second time around

I’ll admit that I watched the show from time to time in the early 1990s, but “Step by Step” is not something that I would recommend watching today. I think it’s boring, predictable and loaded with bad acting – that’s not all that different from many other sitcoms of its era, but I’d much rather watch “Perfect Strangers” if I want to get my TGIF fix.

Still, “Second Time Around” is such a great song that it’s always stuck in my head, even if I haven’t heard it in years. The tune has a great early ’90s vibe, plus it’s a rockin’ duet between Jesse Frederick and a Bonnie Tyler-like Theresa James. I can’t defend the show it was featured on, but no one has to defend their love of “Second Time Around.”

Here’s the full version of the theme – I’m sure the amusement park intro will be familiar to anyone who grew up with TGIF:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5y42dFQizJ8

Theme Song Thursday: Believe it or not, this is a great answering machine message

Posted on April 14, 2011 by Ryan Johnson

It’s a great theme song that makes “Seinfeld”

Theme Song Thursday: Blossom’s ‘opinionation,’ courtesy of Dr. John

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Ryan Johnson

“In my opinionation, the sun is gonna surely shine.”

It’s a nonsense lyric, but these words of wisdom from the theme of the 1990s NBC sitcom “Blossom” are a prime example of the decade’s optimism-at-all-odds approach to life.

This might seem like a strange theme song to talk about in 2011 – after all, “Blossom” ended its five-year TV run in 1995. And other than Blossom’s love of ugly hats and Joey Lawrence’s “Woah!” catchphrase, any impact that this show had on American pop culture died out long ago.

But “My Opinionation” is a great theme song that deserves a listen, especially if you didn’t watch the show (which is probably for the best).

It’s performed by Dr. John, the New Orleans legend with an awesome voice that brings a sense of fun and excitement to the otherwise mundane sitcom situations that Blossom gets into.

And the track was written by composers Steve Geyer and Mike Post (yes, the guy behind the themes for everything from MacGyver to Law & Order). The lyrics are pretty cheesy, and kind of seem like lines out of a bad self-help book, but I still think the song is a good fit for the show:

“Don’t know about the future, that’s anybody’s guess
Ain’t no good reason for getting all depressed
Buy up your pad and pencil, I’ll give you a piece of my mind
In my opinionation, the sun is gonna surely shine

Stop all your fussin’
Slap on a smile
Come out and walk in the sun for a while

Don’t fight the feeling, you know you want to have a good time
And in my opinionation, the sun is gonna surely shine.”

Still not enough to convince you that this is a great theme song? Watch how much fun the cast of “Blossom” seems to be having as they dance along to the catchy tune.

Theme Song Thursday kicks off!

Posted on March 24, 2011 by Melinda M. Lavine

To kick off this series, I had to think of a theme song that I grew up with that always struck a chord with me, and the UNSOLVED MYSTERIES tune creeped into my head. I probably watched this show when I was too young, but back then, I was interested in anything frightening or supernatural. I used to read books about ghosts and UFOs and of course, R.L. Stine’s Fear Street novellas (pre-Goosebumps, and waaay better).

So naturally, to test my limits, I would watch UNSOLVED MYSTERIES, and I’d see how long I could listen to the theme song alone before having to change the channel, but it always freaked me out. I would scramble for the remote to change the channel before the song reached it’s climax, the loudest, most in-your-face point. Eeeesh, I’ve listened to it over and over now, and I’m proud to say, it no longer has that effect on me. (What a difference 20 years makes.)

Side note: You remember the host, Robert Stack, used to urge viewers to phone in if they had a lead on the criminals featured? I once rode out on my bike (likely into the sunset) convinced I’d find the perpetrator in my neighborhood and bring him to justice. I was 8. Delusions of grandeur? More like fleeting valor.

Here’s a link to the theme song.

NIELSEN, STACK (1980)

(Farther to the) side note: Have you ever seen the classic film, WRITTEN ON THE WIND circa 1956? Robert Stack co-stars, and I remember being amazed cause “the guy from UNSOLVED MYSTERIES” was in a film. (I’d obviously forgotten about AIRPLANE.)

Herald reporter Ryan Johnson and I will look back at memorable, not-so influential, nostalgia-inducing theme songs. Feel free to share!

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