Good people, I'm going to get to the meat of it right now. The game is missing something so small that it's hard to recognize its absence -- a dangerous thing in the musical world.
Television theme songs. Like seriously. It also happens to be missing decent original black programming, but that's something I've covered before. With the exception of BET's new sitcom, Reed Between the Lines, I can't think of any fictionalized TV program that captures black life in a meaningful, non-Tyler Perry way. Sadly, Reed has the potential for greatness, but it's sorely lacking a theme song (or even catchy theme music) to go with the opening credits and resonate with you long after an episode is done. That's a problem.
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So I have gathered together a list of black television shows that had the best theme songs of all time in the hopes it will inspire a return to the good old days with the theme songs of the future:
Five Best Black Television Theme Songs, Ever:
- The Jeffersons
This was (and is) the quintessential ditty for people who successfully make it out of the hood. It outlines a checklist of all the things the nouveau riche need to do to ensure they are living that good life: acquire a de-luxe apartment in the sky, move to the good part of town, refraining from burning beans on the grill. This song was actually penned and sung by Willona (Ja'Net DuBois) from Good Times, which is another good-theme-song-having show, but we'll get to that later. - Moesha
"Mo to tha, E to tha..." So I'm a '90's baby, and in the '90s we watched Moesha, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Martin, and The Box music video channel religiously. Brandy was the be all to end all to me; she had babyhair and braids, she had big gums and little teeth. Basically she was me living in LA, but I couldn't sing. But I sure was sittin' up in my room watching this sitcom every week. - Good Times
A classic mainly because nobody can understand the verses. I guarantee that even if you read the lyrics, you will still believe in your heart that "hanging in the chow line" is "hangin' and-a jivin'." This song is essential for those of us who haven't made it to George Jefferson status yet and need an outlet for our woe. You ever open your refrigerator and see only a box of baking soda? That's the Good Times theme song. #Strugglemusic - Living Single
This was a good one. A jam about being young, having good homegirls, and just, well, living single! Before Friends there was Khadijah, Regine, Maxine, and Sinclair. Queen Latifah laid the perfect verses for the opening credits, but what made it particularly slammin' was the silhouette choreography, which I'm sure everyone tried to master. No? OK, maybe that was just me.
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- Sanford and Son
Sanford and Son has a special place in my heart because Fred Sanford was the king of haters and he had a secondhand collection that rivaled my grandfather's. This theme song was funkier than a collection of farts and fit particularly well with the trash man theme. You knew when that joint cranked up Fred & Lamont were getting ready for foolishness.
So, Bouncers, what do you think of my selections? Quite frankly, the list of TV shows with great theme music is endless -- Diff'rent Strokes, The Facts of Life, The Cosby Show, A Different World, In Living Color. I could go on, but I'd only get more depressed. What are some of your favorite television theme songs that you remember, love, and still sing or hum along to to this day? Television theme songs may be a thing of the past, but they need to be brought back to life.
