Television theme songs can’t seem to find the middle ground. They are either campy 80’s music that overuses words like “family” and “heart,” or they bastardize snippets of real songs, thereby ruining that song forever. When a television show uses a real song as its theme, that song is forever to be associated with that show, meaning it completely loses its identity. The following are the ten best examples of real songs ruined by their TV counterparts.
10. “Superhero”
BAND: Jane’s Addiction
TV SHOW: Entourage
Jane’s Addiction has been around since 1985. A rock band filled with rock stars like Dave Navarro and perennial front man Perry Farrell, Jane’s Addiction is responsible for launching Lollapalooza in 1991. Although they enjoy tremendous underground success, their biggest mainstream hit can be heard Sunday nights on HBO.
“Superhero,” otherwise known as the theme from Entourage, will forever be associated with a show about hot shot agents, big time stars, and one night stands. Although it was actually released off of their third studio album, “Strays,” the majority of the public will always know it as Vincent Chase’s theme song.
9. “Straight Up and Down”
BAND: Brian Jonestown Massacre
TV SHOW: Boardwalk Empire
Since Entourage is only on for 1/3rd of the year, HBO needs other programming to fill the void once summer has ended. The recent Fall smash Boardwalk Empire has done more than an adequate job of not only filling that void, but also of permanently claiming another song to HBO.
“Straight Up and Down” from Brian Jonestown Massacre was originally released in 1996, though many people had never heard it until 2010. Although this song has technically been “ruined,” it has also been revitalized: it’s getting radio play and being digitally downloaded more in two months than it had been in almost two decades.
8. “Bad Things”
BAND: Jace Everett
TV SHOW: True Blood
Country music and vampires have never really gone together, but when the producers of True Blood chose this theme song they must have done something right. True Blood become the second most popular vampire franchise of the 2000’s.
A song that was plucked from relative obscurity, “Bad Things” has been the anthem of True Blood since 2008 when the show debuted, and will presumably continue now that the show has been renewed for a fourth season. Though it loses some of its country charm, the song is enjoying more popularity than ever before.
7. “Teardrop”
BAND: Massive Attack
TV SHOW: House
“Teardrop” is a compelling song with touching lyrics written by an experimental British band that has been around (in one form or another) since 1988. Although Elizabeth Fraser performed the vocals on the song, the majority of Americans have never heard the words. This is because the intro of the song is most recognizable: it’s the theme song of FOX’s House.
With its steady, heartbeat-like rhythm, “Teardrop” provides the perfect background music for a medical show and though the show helped the song become more recognizable, it has actually been around since 1998. People now believe it was created just for Dr. House.
6. “Bad Boys”
BAND: Inner Circle
TV SHOW: Cops
To be fair, this song probably never had a future. Nevertheless, Inner Circle’s one and only hit has been claimed by not one, but two major entertainment franchises.
Cops, the most notable show to use the song, has aired almost 950 episodes in over 20 years on television, all of which featured the Inner Circle jam as their theme. The movies Bad Boys and Bad Boys 2 also used the song. Although this Jamaican reggae band has done little before or after, Bad Boys will remain a piece of pop culture history forever.
5. “A Little Help From My Friends”
SINGER: Joe Cocker
SHOW: Wonder Years
Fans of music know this song as the greatest cover song ever performed. Fans of television know it best as the Wonder Years theme song.
Although The Beatles excelled at covering classic songs and making them their own, few people have covered The Beatles with the same success. Nevertheless, Joe Cocker’s version of the tune originally released on Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is one of the greatest ever, which is why it’s such a shame that more people know it as Kevin Arnold’s theme.
4. “Love and Marriage”
SINGER: Frank Sinatra
TV SHOW: Married… with Children
The one true immortal crooner, Sinatra’s voice is instantly recognizable, but one of his songs that is far more recognizable in another context.
“Love and Marriage” is better known as the theme song to Married… with Children, a sitcom that ran on FOX for ten seasons during the 80’s and 90’s. Although any song Ol’ Blue Eyes touched immediately became his forever, Al Bundy was able to steal one back, forever claiming “Love and Marriage” as his own.
3. “I Don’t Want to Wait”
SINGER: Paula Cole
TV SHOW: Dawson’s Creek
The only way to make an annoyingly overplayed song worse is to choose it as the annoyingly overplayed theme of a television drama.
A prime time superpower for six seasons, Dawson’s Creek, which still runs in syndication, claimed the Paula Cole hit as its own. By the time the dust had settled, over 14 million people had heard the tune. By then it had lost all meaning, becoming melodic white noise to a generation of depressed teens.
2. “I’ll Be There for You”
BAND: The Rembrandts
TV SHOW: Friends
In what is perhaps the least separatable band and TV theme ever, the Rembrandts actually invited the cast of Friends to be a part of their music video.
The video featured the cast of friends sitting in a coffee shop and splashing around in a fountain… or was that the television intro? David Schwimmer definitely wore sunglasses in one… unless that was Matthew Perry. Either way, the song (as well as the band) was doomed from that moment on.
1. “Baba O’Riley”
BAND: The Who
TV SHOW: CSI: NY
In the biggest sellout move of all-time, The Who began packaging their greatest hits albums in the form of CSI season boxed sets.
From “Baba O’Reily” in New York, to Miami’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” The Who is all over CSI. The CSI Franchise also used “Who are You” by The Who in their original show. The band may have sold out, but at least it was for a long term partnership.
It may seem like a good idea for increasing the popularity of an album, but bands who lend their songs to television shows are willingly throwing away the identity of that song forever. While many bands have no problem with that, many hardcore fans aren’t nearly as forgiving.
