Top Ten TV Tunes

Let's play a quick game of name that tune. I'll tell you a few lyrics, and you pick out the show. 1) Give us any chance we'll take it, read us any rule we'll break it, we're gonna make our dreams come true. 2) Where everybody knows your name, and they're always glad you came. 3) So no one told you life was gonna be this way. Your jobs a joke, you're broke, your love life's D.O.A. 

I'll bet you didn't have any problem picking out the theme songs from Laverne & Shirley, Cheers and Friends. Not surprising when most people can't recite a single poem, but can sing the theme song from The Flintstones word-for-word. Why is that? That's the magical memory enhancing power of music.

It's not really magic, of course. Study after study has shown that music stimulates parts of the brain that aid in storage and recall of information. No wonder we can't seem to get those theme songs out of our heads. My top ten list contains some of the catchiest tunes and lyrics in TV history. 

• The Beverly Hillbillies: "Swimmin' pools, movie stars." Nuff said.

• Bonanza: Technically no lyrics, but we all sing, "Bum bada bum bada bum bada bum ba-dah-bum.

• The Brady Bunch: Admit it, no one can resist "the youngest one in curls."

• Cheers: We all long for that place where everybody knows your name. We finally got it.

• Gilligan's Island: All it takes is, "Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale," and we get swept away. 

The Flintsones: The best part of the song? Yelling "Wilma!" at the end of the closing credits.

Green Acres: "The chores! The stores! Fresh air! Time Square!" A darling duet of opposites attracting.

The Jeffersons: Who didn't want to go "movin' on up" with George and Weezie?

The Jetsons: A major part of this theme is actually "chopsticks." No wonder we eat it up.

Speed Racer: He's not just a demon on wheels. His theme song is also my ring tone.

Of course music plays a bigger role than introducing a TV show. Music has also been shown to reduce stress, and influence emotion and behavior. Which explains why music has been so integral to the most memorable advertising campaigns. Who'll every forget "my balogna has a first name, it's o-s-c-a-r"? Or, "I'd like to buy the world a coke..." You can probably even guess the tune to "meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow..." 

I'm always excited when the opportunity comes up to write a jingle for a client. It's a great way to provide a lot of information in a fun and entertaining way. And it's nice to create spots that people actually enjoy listening to. Some of my favorites include this jazzy number for Mattress Gallery, this folksy warning to speeding drivers and this springy little number for the Spring Fair.

So, now you've got my pics for TVs Top Ten Tunes. Click on the comments section below and let me know which ones you can't help but sing along to.