144 Fun Facts About TV & Movie Theme Songs

'Suicide Is Painless', sung in Robert Altman's 1970 war comedy, became the theme of which TV series?

Robert Altman wanted 'the stupidest song ever written' for his M*A*S*H film, and when he couldn't write it, he handed the lyrics to his teenage son Mike.

Which sitcom's theme song tells of a 'three-hour tour'?

Gilligan's Island's first-season theme lumped two castaways in as 'the rest'; 'the Professor and Mary Ann' were written into the lyric from season two.

Who wrote and rapped his own 1990 NBC sitcom's theme song?

Will Smith wrote it for his first acting job, which he took on after the IRS had seized his belongings over unpaid taxes.

Which new wave frontman composed The Simpsons' main theme?

Danny Elfman, then fronting Oingo Boingo, suggested 'something retro' after Matt Groening showed him a rough cut of the opening.

R.E.M. refused to let which sitcom use 'Shiny Happy People' as its theme song?

Friends commissioned 'I'll Be There for You' instead, and when radio stations played the minute-long TV version, The Rembrandts expanded it into a full single.

The two-note "dun-dun" sound is the signature of which TV franchise?

Law & Order's scene-change sound was created by composer Mike Post, who calls it 'the clang' and imagined it as a jail cell locking.

Which film's theme made Steven Spielberg laugh because he thought John Williams was joking?

Jaws' shark theme was no joke: Spielberg later said Williams's score was responsible for half the film's success.

Cindy Fee's cover of 'Thank You for Being a Friend' was the theme of which sitcom?

The Golden Girls' theme came from a 1978 song that Andrew Gold dismissed as 'just this little throwaway thing'.

Which instrument carries the Seinfeld theme that Jonathan Wolff reworked to fit each episode?

Slap bass, topped with finger snaps and lip noises, because Wolff wanted something as organic as the human rhythm of Jerry's standup voice.

Which Disney animated film's opening song begins with a chant sung in Zulu?

The Lion King's 'Circle of Life' was nominated for the Oscar but lost to 'Can You Feel the Love Tonight', a song from the same film.

Simon & Garfunkel's 'Mrs. Robinson' was written for which 1967 film?

The Graduate got 'Mrs. Robinson' from a song Paul Simon had been writing as 'Mrs. Roosevelt', which director Mike Nichols had him rework.

Which slasher film's piano theme did its own director compose and perform?

Halloween's score came after an early screening without music left a young executive unscared, so John Carpenter set out to save the film with music.

Who composed the main title theme for HBO's Westeros saga, and scored all eight seasons?

Ramin Djawadi made the cello the lead because the showrunners had a 'no-flute rule', wanting to avoid the usual fantasy sound.

"Gonna Fly Now" is the inspirational theme from which sports film?

Rocky's music was first offered to David Shire, star Talia Shire's husband, who turned it down because he was already busy on other films.

Vince Guaraldi's jazz trio scored which comic strip's Christmas TV special?

Peanuts' signature tune, 'Linus and Lucy', was first written for a Charlie Brown documentary that never made it to TV.

The instrumental theme for the US version of The Office was performed by which group?

Producer Greg Daniels had considered using The Kinks' 'Better Things' and Modest Mouse's 'Float On' before commissioning Jay Ferguson's tune.

Adele won an Oscar for which film's song?

Skyfall's theme made Adele 'a little hesitant' at first, because of the instant spotlight and pressure that come with a Bond song.

Which film series' signature theme, first heard in 2001, opens on a solo celesta?

Harry Potter's 'Hedwig's Theme' is named after Harry's owl; John Williams scored only the first three films, but later composers kept developing it.

Which sitcom's theme recaps a Philadelphia teen's move to rich relatives?

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was later rebooted as the drama Bel-Air, which grew out of Morgan Cooper's short fan film reimagining the sitcom.

Which composer is known for the scores of The Dark Knight, Inception, and Interstellar?

Hans Zimmer began Interstellar's score from a one-page letter Christopher Nolan wrote about a father leaving his child, before hearing any plot.

Which 1980s TV show opened with 'Believe it or not, I'm walking on air'?

The Greatest American Hero's teacher-hero was named Ralph Hinkley, so the show hastily dubbed out his surname after John Hinckley Jr. shot President Reagan.

The "Imperial March" (Darth Vader's theme) first appeared in which Star Wars film?

Nothing like it appears in the 1977 original; the 1980 sequel introduced both the march and Yoda's theme.

Randy Newman's 'You've Got a Friend in Me' is the theme of which Pixar franchise, starting with its 1995 original?

Toy Story's song is a duet with Lyle Lovett in the first film, and the Gipsy Kings did a Spanish-language version for the third.

Which TV drama's theme song is "Woke Up This Morning" by Alabama 3?

The Sopranos' theme was written after Alabama 3's frontman read about Sara Thornton, who had killed her husband.

'(I've Had) The Time of My Life' plays over which 1987 film's finale?

Dirty Dancing's finale was filmed to the songwriter's demo, after choreographer Kenny Ortega chose this song over a planned Lionel Richie track.

Which band recorded 'Eye of the Tiger' after Queen denied Sylvester Stallone 'Another One Bites the Dust'?

Survivor wrote it after Stallone asked for 'something street' with a pulse, then timed the song's chord changes to the film's punches.

Which cartoon's opening theme is built on a sped-up sample of Clyde Stubblefield's 'Funky Drummer' break?

The Powerpuff Girls' opening borrows a much-sampled break that earned Clyde Stubblefield little in royalties, since he wasn't credited as a songwriter.

The Stranger Things theme is built mainly on which kind of instrument?

Synthesizers: Austin analog-synth collectors Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein got the job after their band's music caught the Duffer brothers' attention.

Which film introduced the twanging guitar 'James Bond Theme'?

Dr. No introduced it in 1962; composer Monty Norman later won libel damages from The Sunday Times over a claim that John Barry wrote it.

Which TV series opens with "Tank!", the Seatbelts' theme?

Cowboy Bebop's composer Yoko Kanno formed the Seatbelts specifically to record the show's jazz-and-blues score.

Howard Shore won three Oscars for which film trilogy's music?

The Lord of the Rings earned Shore a song Oscar for 'Into the West', inspired in part by young filmmaker Cameron Duncan's death from cancer.

Who wrote the Mission: Impossible theme for the 1966 TV series?

He wrote it for the original 1966 TV series; the film versions since 1996 have reused it every time.

'Making your way in the world today takes everything you've got' opens the theme of which sitcom?

Cheers' producers turned down earlier songs by Gary Portnoy and Judy Hart Angelo before this one became the theme.

Which fantasy series features an ominous piano-and-choir piece titled "Light of the Seven"?

Game of Thrones had never used piano in its music until 'Light of the Seven' in the season six finale; its composer felt piano wasn't part of the show's sound.

'It's time to play the music, it's time to light the lights' opens which TV show?

The Muppet Show was made in England for Lew Grade's ATV after the American networks turned Jim Henson's variety series down.

Which anthology series' theme was stitched together from two CBS library music cues?

The Twilight Zone's theme spared CBS new royalty fees, because the network already owned Marius Constant's library cues.

Harry Nilsson's hit "Everybody's Talkin'" was featured in which 1969 film?

Midnight Cowboy's famous song wasn't written for the film: folk singer Fred Neil wrote and first recorded 'Everybody's Talkin''.

Which Wisconsin-set sitcom's theme song is a cover of Big Star's 'In the Street'?

That '70s Show revived a song from Big Star's acclaimed 1972 debut, which flopped because its label, Stax, failed to market it.

Who wrote the shrieking strings for Psycho's shower scene?

He scored the whole film for strings alone, muted everywhere except the shower scene so its screeching would cut through.

Which Morricone score opens with a two-note coyote howl and gives each lead a different instrument?

The whistling was by Alessandro Alessandroni: flute for Blondie, arghilofono for Angel Eyes and human voices for Tuco.

Which Grammy-winning composer wrote The Mandalorian's bass-recorder theme?

Jon Favreau hired Ludwig Göransson knowing his Black Panther score and their shared collaborator, Donald Glover.

Which TV show's banjo-driven theme is "The Ballad of Jed Clampett"?

The Beverly Hillbillies' theme became a single at manager Louise Scruggs's suggestion, and Flatt and Scruggs's record topped the country chart.

Which time signature gives the Mission: Impossible theme its off-kilter pulse?

5/4 gives it that lurch; its composer once joked he wrote it for people with five legs.

'Tossed Salads and Scrambled Eggs', sung by its star over the closing credits, belongs to which sitcom?

Frasier's closing song avoids radio and psychiatry on purpose; lyricist Darryl Phinnesse picked a title that was 'mixed up', like Frasier Crane's patients.

Which TV show's theme song includes the lyric "Love is all around, no need to waste it"?

The Mary Tyler Moore Show's first-season lyric said Mary 'might just make it after all'; from season two, it promised she was 'gonna make it'.

"The Pink Panther Theme" was composed by which legendary film scorer?

Henry Mancini composed "The Pink Panther Theme" for the 1963 film. The jazzy saxophone melody became so popular it spawned an entire animated franchise based on the animated panther from the opening credits.

Which 1960s sci-fi show's theme was written by Alexander Courage and features a wordless soprano line?

Star Trek's creator Gene Roddenberry wrote lyrics to the theme, not to be sung, but so he could claim half the performance royalties.

Which 1980s NBC action show has a militaristic march theme composed by Mike Post and Pete Carpenter?

The A-Team's march outlived the series: the 2010 film version re-recorded Mike Post and Pete Carpenter's theme in a new arrangement.

Who realised Ron Grainer's Doctor Who theme at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop in 1963?

Delia Derbyshire built every sound from tape and oscillators; when Ron Grainer heard the result, he reportedly asked, 'Did I really write that?'

Which 1950s hit served as Happy Days' opening theme in its first season?

Bill Haley & His Comets re-recorded it in 1973 for the show; the 'Happy Days' song replaced it from season three and cracked the Top 5 in 1976.

Which instrument dominates the Addams Family TV theme alongside a bass clarinet?

Vic Mizzy improvised the finger snaps while pitching the song for approval, and they stuck as part of the percussion.

Which Canadian band wrote The Big Bang Theory's theme about the universe's history?

Barenaked Ladies got the job after frontman Ed Robertson improvised a rap about the universe's origins at a concert the show's creators attended.

'Boss of Me', the Malcolm in the Middle theme, won a Grammy for which band?

They Might Be Giants' theme got its line 'Life is unfair' from Malcolm in the Middle's creator, Linwood Boomer.

Which sitcom opened with a Frank Sinatra song?

Married... with Children's Sony DVDs from season three dropped Sinatra's recording because the song cost too much to license.

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' 'Red Right Hand' is the theme of which crime drama?

Peaky Blinders' theme was already a soundtrack favorite: Nick Cave's 'Red Right Hand' had played in the first three Scream films.

Whose cover of a Beatles song opens The Wonder Years?

Joe Cocker's cover opened a show so full of costly licensed songs that the complete series didn't reach DVD until 2014.

Which TV figure wrote Jeopardy!'s 'Think!' music as a lullaby for his son?

Merv Griffin first called it 'A Time for Tony', and the tune has since spread far beyond the show into everyday life.

Who wrote 'Won't You Be My Neighbor?', the opener of a long-running PBS children's show?

Fred Rogers's zip-up cardigans became so identified with him that the Smithsonian put one of them on display.

Whose 'Chariots of Fire' theme reached No. 1 on the Hot 100 in 1982?

Vangelis's piece was called 'Titles' on the soundtrack because it played over the opening titles, and it entered the Hot 100 under that name.

Harold Faltermeyer's instrumental hit 'Axel F' is the theme of which 1984 film?

Beverly Hills Cop's theme became a chart-topping hit in 2005 as a cover by the ringtone character Crazy Frog.

Which composer's 'Also sprach Zarathustra' fanfare opens 2001: A Space Odyssey?

Richard Strauss's fanfare later served as Elvis Presley's entrance music at his 1970s concerts.

Who wrote 'I Will Always Love You', which Whitney Houston made The Bodyguard's theme?

Dolly Parton wrote it in 1973 as a farewell to her mentor and duet partner Porter Wagoner, when she decided to go solo.

Which actress first performed 'Moon River' on screen in 1961?

Audrey Hepburn sang it in Breakfast at Tiffany's, and a waterway in lyricist Johnny Mercer's hometown, Savannah, was named Moon River in the song's honor.

Which band's 'Live and Let Die' was the first Bond theme nominated for an Oscar?

Wings' 'Live and Let Die' earned that first nomination but lost the Oscar to Barbra Streisand's 'The Way We Were'.

Which instrumental band took the Hawaii Five-O theme to No. 4 on the Hot 100?

The Ventures covered Morton Stevens's theme, and the 2010 Hawaii Five-0 reboot re-recorded it with players from the original series.

Whose 'Miami Vice Theme' hit No. 1 in 1985, the last instrumental to do so until 2013?

Jan Hammer scored Miami Vice week after week with free rein from Michael Mann, who told him after the pilot to run with it.

Who composed The X-Files' whistling theme?

Mark Snow found the echo by accident, resting an elbow on his keyboard, and half the famous whistle is his wife Glynn's, blended with an old sound-module sample.

Who wrote the 'na na na na' theme for the 1966 Batman TV series?

Neal Hefti's theme has one word, 'Batman!', sung by eight singers, although Adam West later misremembered the chorus as horns.

Who wrote 'Way Down in the Hole', recorded by a different act for each season of The Wire?

Tom Waits's song got a new performer each season; for season four, The Wire sought Baltimore middle-schoolers to voice its young characters.

Which singer belted out the whip-cracking Rawhide theme?

Frankie Laine's 'Rawhide' later turned up in The Blues Brothers, played by the band at a honky-tonk while posing as the booked country act.

Who composed 'The Streetbeater', the funky Sanford and Son theme?

Quincy Jones's 'The Streetbeater' outlived Sanford and Son, later turning up on The Simpsons.

Whose 'Welcome Back' sitcom theme topped the Hot 100 in 1976?

John Sebastian could rhyme 'Kotter' only with 'otter', so he skipped the name, and the show, first called Kotter, was renamed to match his lyrics.

Randy Newman's 'It's a Jungle Out There' became the theme of which TV detective show?

Monk's new song won an Emmy, though a New York Daily News critic had said the show didn't need a new theme.

Which film's theme was reused for The Next Generation's opening?

The Motion Picture's march exists because director Robert Wise rejected Jerry Goldsmith's first music, which evoked sailing ships to him.

Which band was originally intended to record Top Gun's 'Danger Zone' before legal trouble?

Kenny Loggins eventually got it; the same recording returns in 2022's Top Gun: Maverick.

Who sued Ray Parker Jr. claiming the Ghostbusters theme copied 'I Want a New Drug'?

Huey Lewis had turned down writing for Ghostbusters, and the producers then asked Ray Parker Jr. for a theme using 'I Want a New Drug' as a reference.

Whose 'Theme from Shaft' made him the first Black winner of a non-acting Oscar?

Isaac Hayes agreed to score Shaft after being promised a shot at the lead role, but he never even got an audition.

Bono and the Edge wrote which Bond theme, sung by Tina Turner?

Ace of Base began their own GoldenEye theme until their label, Arista, pulled them out, and the song became 'The Juvenile'.

Which violinist performed the main theme of Schindler's List?

Itzhak Perlman plays a score John Williams hesitated to write: he told Spielberg he needed a better composer, and Spielberg replied, 'I know, but they're all dead.'

Mike Post's Grammy-winning theme opened which police drama?

Hill Street Blues languished in the bottom third of the ratings in its first season, yet NBC renewed it anyway.

An instrumental of which Julee Cruise song became the Twin Peaks theme?

Falling's singer, Julee Cruise, began working with David Lynch when he couldn't afford 'Song to the Siren' for Blue Velvet and she sang its replacement.

Which Hanna-Barbera show opened with "Rise and Shine" before its famous sung theme?

The Flintstones borrowed so openly from The Honeymooners that Jackie Gleason reportedly thought of suing, but decided to let it pass.

Which future sitcom producer co-wrote the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme?

Chuck Lorre and Dennis Challen Brown had just 48 hours and a $2,000 budget, so they turned to the original comic books for inspiration.

RJD2's instrumental 'A Beautiful Mine' plays over which AMC drama's opening titles?

Mad Men's credits end on Don Draper's seated silhouette, and in 2015 AMC turned that final frame into a bench outside New York's Time & Life Building.

Jace Everett's 'Bad Things' became the opening theme of which HBO drama?

True Blood made a hit of 'Bad Things', a song that hadn't even reached country radio's Top 50 before the show chose it.

Which cast member suggested Lazlo Bane's 'Superman' as the Scrubs theme?

Creator Bill Lawrence liked the 'I'm no Superman' lyric as a nod to the characters' fallibility; WAZ re-recorded it for season nine.

Luciano Michelini's "Frolic" opens which HBO comedy?

Curb Your Enthusiasm got 'Frolic' because Larry David had once heard it in a bank commercial that was quickly taken off the air.

Brad Fiedel's lurching odd-meter theme belongs to which 1984 film?

The Terminator's odd meter was an accident: Fiedel's sequencer loop came out a little short of a full measure, and a transcriber counted it as 13/16.

Which 1939 film's Oscar-winning song did studio executives nearly cut?

The Wizard of Oz nearly lost 'Over the Rainbow' because MGM executives felt the slow ballad held up the story too early.

Jack Marshall's instrumental rock theme opened which 1960s sitcom?

The Munsters' theme lived on when Fall Out Boy built their 2015 single 'Uma Thurman' on its guitar riff.

Rolfe Kent's main title theme opens which TV drama about a serial killer?

Dexter reached broadcast TV when the 2007-08 writers' strike sent its first season to CBS.

Busta Rhymes' 1998 hit 'Turn It Up (Remix)/Fire It Up' is built on a sample of which TV theme?

Knight Rider's theme traveled on: Panjabi MC's bhangra hit 'Mundian To Bach Ke' samples it too.

Kenny Loggins' 'Footloose' lost the Oscar to Stevie Wonder's song from which film?

The Woman in Red's song won Stevie Wonder the Oscar, which he accepted in the name of the imprisoned Nelson Mandela.

Cristobal Tapia de Veer's Emmy-winning main title theme opens which HBO series?

The White Lotus's composer later reworked season one's 'Aloha!' theme into season two's 'Renaissance', adding a dance beat that builds and drops.

Which future Growing Pains star co-wrote the theme songs of Diff'rent Strokes and The Facts of Life?

Alan Thicke wrote TV themes long before he played a sitcom dad, often with his then-wife Gloria Loring, and also composed music for game shows such as The Joker's Wild.

Which British rock band's songs open CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and all of its spin-off series?

The Who supplied the opening themes of all five CSI series, each a remix of one of the band's songs, beginning with 'Who Are You' for the Las Vegas original.

Which CBS drama of the 1990s had a Tirk Wilder theme song performed by the lead actor, a martial artist?

Walker, Texas Ranger opened with a song that its star, Chuck Norris, performed himself. Tirk Wilder wrote it, and the later reunion TV movie left it out.

Which rock and roll pioneer sang the theme song of the 1990s PBS cartoon The Magic School Bus?

Little Richard performed 'Ride on the Magic School Bus', written by Peter Lurye, for a science cartoon that starred Lily Tomlin as the voice of Ms. Frizzle.

Which outlaw country singer wrote and sang The Dukes of Hazzard's theme while narrating as the Balladeer?

Waylon Jennings took 'Good Ol' Boys' to No. 1 on the country chart in 1980, yet the opening credits showed only his hands on a guitar, never his face.

Which Italian composer's William Tell Overture gave The Lone Ranger a galloping theme on radio and television?

Rossini wrote the overture for his final opera in 1829. Its finale became so tied to the masked hero that it is hard to hear without picturing a horse.

Which singer-songwriter re-recorded 'Where You Lead' with her daughter as the theme of Gilmore Girls?

Carole King cut the duet with daughter Louise Goffin, revising the words to fit a mother-daughter story, and later turned up on screen as music shop owner Sophie Bloom.

Which teen idol co-wrote 'Johnny's Theme', which opened The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years?

Paul Anka reworked 'Toot Sweet', a pop instrumental he had written in 1959, into the Carson theme, which played from 1962 until the host's farewell in 1992.

Which Entertainment Tonight host composed 'Roundball Rock', the theme of NBC's NBA coverage in the 1990s?

John Tesh thought of the melody in a French hotel room with no instruments to hand, so he phoned his own answering machine and sang it to save it.

Which soap opera's theme became the hit 'Nadia's Theme' after ABC used it in an Olympic gymnastics montage?

The Young and the Restless theme reached No. 8 in 1976, yet Nadia Comăneci never performed to it: ABC simply laid it over footage of her routines.

Which 1970s Norman Lear sitcom opened every episode with the two lead actors singing together at a piano?

All in the Family used the piano scene because the budget left nothing for an elaborate title sequence, so Lear simply filmed Archie and Edith Bunker singing.

Good Times actress Ja'Net DuBois co-wrote and sang 'Movin' On Up', the theme of which 1970s sitcom?

The Jeffersons got its gospel-style opener from DuBois, who was playing Willona Woods on another CBS sitcom when she co-wrote the song with Jeff Barry.

Composer Earle Hagen personally whistled the theme of which 1960s sitcom, heard as a father and son go fishing?

The Andy Griffith Show theme only gained words in 1961, when guest actor Everett Sloane learned it had none and wrote some. That sung version was titled 'The Fishin' Hole'.

Which 1960s sitcom's Vic Mizzy theme has a husband and wife trading lines about farm life versus city life?

Green Acres broke with custom by having its stars, Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor, sing the theme themselves instead of anonymous session vocalists.

Jay Livingston, co-writer of 'Que Sera, Sera', sang which 1960s sitcom's theme himself as a stopgap?

Mister Ed needed a singer, and Livingston agreed to fill in only until a professional could be found. The producers liked his take and kept it.

Which Las Vegas headliner sang 'Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow', the theme of the 1970s cop show Baretta?

Sammy Davis Jr. sang the theme, which Dave Grusin and Morgan Ames composed, and the same tune also became a chart hit for two other acts.

Which 1970s police drama's instrumental theme, recorded by Rhythm Heritage, hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100?

S.W.A.T. gave composer Barry De Vorzon a chart-topper in February 1976, in a funk version taken from Rhythm Heritage's debut album, Disco-Fied.

Jack Jones sang which ABC series' theme for eight seasons before Dionne Warwick took over for the ninth?

The Love Boat theme paired composer Charles Fox with lyricist Paul Williams, the songwriter who also co-wrote 'Rainbow Connection' for Kermit the Frog.

Which Puerto Rican guitarist, famous for 'Feliz Navidad', wrote and sang the theme of Chico and the Man?

José Feliciano wrote the theme for the NBC sitcom starring Freddie Prinze, and later guest-starred in an episode as Chico's singing cousin Pepe.

Songwriters Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart wrote the theme song for which 1960s NBC sitcom about a pop group?

The Monkees theme features Micky Dolenz on lead vocals, and its writers later admitted modelling it on the Dave Clark Five hit 'Catch Us If You Can'.

Which jazz vocalist co-wrote and sang the theme of Moonlighting, the 1980s Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd series?

Al Jarreau wrote the song with composer Lee Holdridge. It topped the Adult Contemporary chart and earned two Grammy nominations in 1988.

Which rapper wrote and performed the theme of Living Single, the 1990s Fox sitcom in which she starred?

Queen Latifah played magazine publisher Khadijah James on the sitcom and rapped its opening herself during a run on Fox from 1993 to 1998.

Which soul legend sang the theme of the Cosby Show spin-off A Different World for four of six seasons?

Aretha Franklin sang it from seasons two to five, on a sitcom whose cast included her former husband, Glynn Turman, as Colonel Taylor.

Ann Hampton Callaway wrote and sang which 1990s sitcom's theme, set to an animated retelling of the heroine's backstory?

The Nanny gained its theme after the pilot, when Callaway's song, performed with her sister Liz, replaced a Broadway show tune and brought in the cartoon titles.

Which sitcom's opening theme changed from 'Moon Over Parma' to 'Five O'Clock World' and then 'Cleveland Rocks'?

The Drew Carey Show began with its star singing the first theme himself, then settled on a cover of an Ian Hunter song by The Presidents of the United States of America.

Which California pop-punk band wrote and performed the guitar-driven theme of Buffy the Vampire Slayer?

Nerf Herder took their name from an insult Princess Leia throws at Han Solo, and broke through with a 1997 single paying tribute to Van Halen.

Which Manchester band first recorded 'How Soon Is Now?', the song covered by Love Spit Love for the Charmed theme?

The Smiths wrote it, but the cover was first made for the 1996 witch film The Craft, before the TV drama adopted it for all eight seasons.

Which singer performed the Ally McBeal theme 'Searchin' My Soul' and played a version of herself on screen?

Vonda Shepard was chosen by creator David E. Kelley after he watched her perform, as he wanted a singer to voice the lead character's inner thoughts.

Which Jamaican reggae band recorded 'Bad Boys', the opening theme of the police documentary series Cops?

Inner Circle got the slot because a field producer on the programme was a fan, and the 1987 song became a Top 10 US hit when it was re-released in 1993.

Which Fox drama's cast took 'How Do You Talk to an Angel' to No. 1 in 1992, shortly before cancellation?

The Heights followed a fictional band, and Fox axed it within days of the single, sung by cast member Jamie Walters, falling from the top spot.

Which Bristol trip-hop group's 'Teardrop', sung by Elizabeth Fraser, opens the Hugh Laurie medical drama House?

Massive Attack built the track around Cocteau Twins singer Elizabeth Fraser, who also wrote its lyrics, and its video shows a foetus singing in the womb.

Which singer-songwriter wrote 'You've Got Time' at Jenji Kohan's request as the theme of Orange Is the New Black?

Regina Spektor wrote the song specifically for the Netflix prison drama, and it earned a Grammy nomination for Best Song Written for Visual Media.

The married songwriters behind which Disney film wrote a different sitcom-style theme for each era of WandaVision?

Frozen's Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez tied their decade-hopping themes together with a four-note motif that works in every style.

Which sitcom's theme is a clip of 'Hey Beautiful' by The Solids, a band featuring its two creators?

How I Met Your Mother creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas play in The Solids, so the brief opening is an excerpt from their own band's song.

Which band, co-founded by actor Jason Schwartzman as drummer, recorded 'California', the theme of The O.C.?

Phantom Planet scored a top-10 hit in the UK, Ireland, Italy and Austria once the Fox teen drama began playing the song over its opening titles.

Whose single 'I Don't Want to Be', from the album Chariot, was the opening theme of teen drama One Tree Hill?

Gavin DeGraw also appeared in the drama's finale in 2012, which sent the song to its highest UK chart position eight years after its release.

Which Showtime comedy opened with Malvina Reynolds's 1962 folk song 'Little Boxes', a satire of suburban conformity?

Weeds played Reynolds's own recording in its first season, then had various artists perform the song across the next two seasons.

Which composer won an Emmy for the main title theme of HBO's Succession, a blend of classical music and hip hop?

Nicholas Britell had never scored a television series before the Roy family saga, having made his name with the film Moonlight.

Which Portland alternative rock band's single became the theme of the teen detective series Veronica Mars?

The Dandy Warhols took the song from their album Welcome to the Monkey House, and it also turned up on the FIFA Football 2004 video game soundtrack.

Which band, fronted by bassist Les Claypool, performs the theme song of the animated series South Park?

Primus recorded the theme with Les Claypool trading lines with the four boys, and the band later appeared in the 1998 episode 'Chef Aid'.

Which American composer wrote 'The Liberty Bell', the 1893 march that opens Monty Python's Flying Circus?

John Philip Sousa's march got the job because Terry Gilliam pointed out it was in the public domain, so the troupe could use it without paying royalties.

Which French composer's 'Funeral March of a Marionette' introduced each episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents?

Charles Gounod wrote it in London in the early 1870s for a piano suite he then abandoned, and Hitchcock had heard it in the 1927 silent film Sunrise.

Which 1963 Boots Randolph instrumental became famous as the frantic chase music closing The Benny Hill Show?

Yakety Sax was co-written by Randolph and James 'Spider' Rich, and it played under the speeded-up silent chase that ended almost every episode.

Johnny Pearson's 'Heavy Action', written for a British music library, became which American sports broadcast's theme?

Monday Night Football began using the brassy fanfare in 1975, though British viewers knew it first as the music of the BBC contest Superstars.

The 1937 pop song 'The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down' became the signature theme of which classic cartoon series?

Looney Tunes adopted the tune within months of its publication, starting with the short Rover's Rival in October 1937. An instrumental version became the staple opening and closing music.

The children's TV theme 'Barney Is a Dinosaur' borrows the melody of which traditional American tune?

Yankee Doodle supplies the opening tune, while the purple dinosaur's closing song, 'I Love You', is set to the nursery rhyme 'This Old Man'.

Which composer's 'In the Hall of the Mountain King' inspired Shuki Levy's theme for the cartoon Inspector Gadget?

Edvard Grieg wrote the piece in 1875 for Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt, and it was later lifted out to close the first Peer Gynt concert suite.

Which composer, a regular collaborator of David Lynch, won a Grammy for the slow, dreamlike theme of Twin Peaks?

Angelo Badalamenti first worked with Lynch as Isabella Rossellini's singing coach on Blue Velvet, and even appears in that film as a club pianist.

Which jazz keyboardist and Fourplay founder wrote 'Angela', the mellow theme of the sitcom Taxi?

Bob James composed all of the sitcom's music, later collecting some of it on the 1983 album The Genie: Themes & Variations from the TV Series Taxi.

Which singer's 'Secret Agent Man' opened American broadcasts of the British spy series Danger Man in the 1960s?

Johnny Rivers took the song, written by P. F. Sloan and Steve Barri, to No. 3 on the Hot 100, one of the biggest hits of his career.