10 Best TV Theme Songs Of The ’80s

The 1980s was a peak decade for television theme songs. Shows often devoted several minutes of airtime to these introductory tunes that are so cherished by fans. The theme songs set the tone of the show, introduced the actors and characters, and sometimes even explained the show’s premise. Most importantly, they hooked viewers into a show by establishing a reliable sense of familiarity each and every week.

As commercial blocks expanded, however, the time devoted to theme song sequences was deemed expendable and they largely fell out of use by the late 1990s. Despite their diminished presence in newer shows, fondness for theme songs from the eighties has not faded over time. The best of these tunes hold a special place in the hearts of television viewers and remain ingrained in popular culture.

“Reading Rainbow Song” (Reading Rainbow)

“Butterfly in the sky. I can go twice as high.” These lyrics sung by Tina Fabrique opened each episode of Reading Rainbow, which debuted on PBS in 1983. The LeVar Burton-hosted show helped introduce a generation of kids to the joys of reading and its theme song is unforgettable. Its distinctive musical sound features the use of a Buchla synthesizer that today feels futuristic and purely eighties at the same time.

The theme plays over live-action scenes of children reading interweaved with the animated vistas of their imagination, and it is an appropriately fanciful opening to a program promoting the boundless potential of literacy. For many that grew up in the eighties and nineties, the show and its theme song are indelibly tied to their childhood.

“Nothing’s Gonna Stop Me Now” (Perfect Strangers)

In the late 1980s, ABC debuted its TGIF lineup of sitcoms that became so popular in the decade that followed. These family-oriented shows included many of the most memorable TV theme songs of the decade. Some of the nostalgic themes from the early years of the TGIF roster of shows include “Everywhere You Look” from Full House and “As Days Go By” from Family Matters.

Arguably the best TGIF theme song is “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Me Now” from the buddy comedy Perfect Strangers. The lyrics and soaring melody of the inspirational tune fit the theme of the show about two cousins chasing their dreams in Chicago. If all of these TGIF theme songs sound similar, it’s because most of them were composed by the same writing team, Jesse Frederick and Bennett Salvay. Like the shows and characters themselves, the theme songs seem to all be a part of the same TGIF universe.

“As Long As We Got Each Other” (Growing Pains)

Family sitcoms were the source of so many of the most-loved theme songs in the 1980s, and the Growing Pains theme was one of the best of the decade. It hits all of the right emotional notes with its optimistic tone and lyrics about the power of loving relationships. The opening montage compliments the sentiment of the song, featuring photographs of the Seaver family at different ages throughout their life, including a young Leonardo DiCaprio in season seven.

Ironically, Growing Pains star Alan Thicke, who wrote the theme songs for The Facts of Life and Different Strokes, did not write the theme to his own show. It was instead composed by veteran songwriters John Bettis and Steve Dorff and was performed in different configurations by B. J. Thomas, Jennifer Warnes, and Dusty Springfield.

“Theme from The Greatest American Hero (Believe It or Not)” (The Greatest American Hero)

This is a case where the theme song is more famous than the show it is associated with. The Greatest American Hero was a short-lived dramedy about a teacher who is granted superpowers when he wears a red suit given to him by aliens. The popular theme, “Believe It Or Not,” was co-written by prolific TV theme song composer Mike Post, who was also responsible for the opening songs on Magnum, P.I., Hill Street Blues, and The A-Team.

The feel-good tune hit a chord with audiences living through a recession and reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart when it was released as a single in 1981. The Greatest American Hero produced some fan favorite episodes, but it could not match the lasting popularity of its theme, which later cemented itself in television history when Seinfeld’s George Costanza recorded a parody for his answering machine message with the lyrics “Believe it or not, George isn’t at home.”

“Miami Vice Theme” (Miami Vice)

The “Miami Vice Theme” epitomizes the music of the ’80s. The Jan Hammer instrumental is a synthesizer-driven celebration of the excesses of the decade that was the perfect fit for the action-packed police drama. The song was a smash commercial hit, reaching the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1985 and winning two Grammy awards the following year, making it one of the most successful pop instrumentals of all time.

The opening montage that accompanies the song is a fast-paced, glitzy look at the lavishness of Miami in the eighties. It ends on a grim pounding note and a view of the skyline of the city at night that foretells the dark underbelly the Miami Vice detectives face in each episode.

“Without Us” (Family Ties)

Family Ties was one of the most popular shows on television in the eighties and it featured an opening theme that set the standard for family sitcoms that followed. The adult contemporary style of “Without Us” performed by Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams established the tone for a heartwarming comedy that wasn’t afraid to take itself seriously.

The song was accompanied by a family portrait and a montage of clips of the Keaton family hugging, kissing, and lovingly interacting with each other. The Keatons are a suburban family led by former hippies who raised a conservative son (played by Michael J. Fox) and represented a fun and optimistic view of family life in the ’80s. Its theme song is a fitting opening to a half-hour of feel-good family television. Plus, who can forget the tune’s memorable ending? “Sha la la la.”

“With A Little Help From My Friends” (The Wonder Years)

Music is an important element to the feel of The Wonder Years, a show that debuted in 1988 but is set in the late 1960s. Its soundtrack immerses viewers in a reminiscent time and place and denotes a mood of bittersweet nostalgia that was central to the series. The theme song, Joe Cocker’s cover of the Beatles’ “With a Little Help from My Friends,” starts each episode off with a 1960s bang.

Cocker’s soulful vocals transported viewers into the past each week and introduced a new generation of children to one of the better cover songs ever recorded. The opening theme doubles down on the sixties nostalgia by playing over a montage of Super 8 home movie footage of the Arnold family barbecuing and playing in the yard. It creates an emotional longing for the best parts of a bygone era. The opening theme and the ’60s soundtrack have helped The Wonder Years remain a cult classic ’80s TV show.

“This Is The Theme To Garry’s Show” (It’s Garry Shandling’s Show)

The theme to It’s Garry Shandling’s Show may be the funniest television opening of all time. What makes it so good is that it is a theme song about a theme song. The lyrics are from the point of view of the songwriter who describes the tune’s creation with lyrics like “Garry called me up and asked if I would write his theme song.” Singer Bill Lynch even engages with the viewers by asking if they like the song.

The meta approach to the theme is fitting for a show in which Shandling’s character constantly breaks the fourth wall and speaks directly to the audience. While the Showtime series was a critical success, it may not be familiar to the average viewer, but despite the show’s lack of popular attention, its theme song is among the best of the decade.

“Thank You For Being A Friend” (Golden Girls)

TheGolden Girls theme is an example of a song that has significantly increased in popularity after the initial run of the show. In the era of streaming, a new generation of viewers discovered The Golden Girls, and it has grown to become one of television’s best-loved sitcoms. Its theme, “Thank You For Being A Friend,” has also enjoyed a renaissance in the twenty-first century. It is a quintessential friendship tune that has been used in countless other movies and television shows, including a metal cover by cultural icon Betty White on Saturday Night Live.

Audiences have also embraced the song and fans have used it in video tributes across the internet. Interestingly, Andrew Gold, who composed the Golden Girls theme, also wrote and performed “Spooky Scary Skeletons,” which famously became a TikTok meme in recent years.

“Where Everybody Knows Your Name” (Cheers)

One of the most beloved TV theme songs of the 1980s is “Where Everybody Knows Your Name,” the opening melody to Cheers. It is a heartwarming tune that welcomes viewers into the camaraderie of a neighborhood bar. The opening credit sequence famously uses a montage of historical images of bar and saloon scenes, rather than featuring photographs of the actual cast.

It gives the introduction a more timeless feel than some of the cornier opening montages found on other sitcoms in the ’80s. Although Gary Portnoy and Judy Hart-Angelo also composed the theme songs for Punky Brewster and Mr. Belvedere, the Cheers theme is considered an iconic achievement and one of the most beloved theme songs in television history.

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