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John Estrada Part 2/ What is the BEST TV theme song? · Best/Most

• Jose: Welcome to Best Most. I'm your host, Jose Jogo Gonzalez. This is the podcast where we ask the questions, what is the best or what is the most? For example, we ask questions like, what are the best movie foods and drinks to help you enjoy a movie at the theater? Or what is the most impressive Beatles song? Before each episode, I ask our online community a question that our guests had chosen as our topic. I then go over the community's answers with our guests and we also discuss our own answers. You can check out and answer the questions on the best.most.pod Instagram page. Join the conversation. very technical dude who has been trying to get me to watch Heat, which I will at some point. plays guitar in Ben Conductora, does jiu-jitsu, and loves his coffee. Also, he has had great answers from our previous episodes, and I'm so stoked to welcome back to best most, John Estrada. What's up, John Estrada? John Estrada: What's up, JoGo? Glad to be back. Jose: yeah. today we answer the question, ⁓ what is best TV theme song? chose this question. John Estrada, what made you this one? John Estrada: You know, I think there's just so much to get into with this category. And I like a challenge. I know we should do a disclaimer. We're gonna omit and miss out on so many songs that listeners are gonna be like, what about this one? They never talked about it. Like, we know we're gonna miss some songs. That's okay. I think we're still gonna have a pretty good conversation. Jose: Yeah, that's true. We are going to miss out on a few of them. So, John, let's go into your community picks. John Estrada: Got a couple. Again, thank you to everyone who answered. I'll just kind of rattle them off here. First one from my buddy, Brandon Michael Quantum Leap. Great, sort of a late 80s, early 90s show, starring Scott Bakula. Jose: Mmm, damn. John Estrada: It took me while. actually did have to re-listen to it, but I forgot there was like a, it kind of has like a spoken word and then let the song comes in, but we'll kind of touch on that theme. ⁓ Matt McClory next, ⁓ out some good ones. Taxi, Night Court, MASH, again, just sort of like iconic, like theme songs from like the era that they... ⁓ Jose: Triple threat. John Estrada: right there, yeah. For sure. ⁓ this next one, I know some people are gonna be like, ⁓ yeah, ⁓ a good friend Yanné put Golden Girls, ⁓ which is kind of like a song. We always kind of sing in our family every now and then. My late grandmother loved that show, so that was always like a... a nice sort of like song to hear for like sort of those memories to trigger back. ⁓ Cousin Kaylee Jose: Yeah. John Estrada: put a really good one, Wonder Years, the Joe Cocker cover of A Little Help From My Friends, ⁓ know, that show when it came out, like think that was like a really good intro. Jose: Mm. John Estrada: ⁓ And talking with my brother last night, Steve, ⁓ he had a great one, ⁓ The Greatest American Hero, I of only know, I remember the show when it came out, I thought it was a little bit silly, maybe I was too young for it, but for those who are like blindfold heads, they'll remember the episode where George records his answering machine to the theme, where he goes, believe it or not, but George is at home. I love sort of like play that clip in my head. But those are, that's a short list of my community responses. ⁓ What do you got? Jose: Yeah Well, let's go into your community answers real quick. So Golden Girls, that's a good one. I feel like I know all the lyrics to that song. The Joe Cocker cover Just a Little Help from My Friends. Solid cover, dude. Really good too. And it sets the tone of the show really well too. One thing I think about a really good... theme song is that it sets the tone of the show. I think that one does a great job of doing so. good answers, really good answers. my community answers, Altered Vince the Cheers theme. It captures the mood and tone the bar setting and the show. It feels good. Within the show, someone could jump on the piano in Cheers play the theme, and the patrons would sing along. Yeah, I agree. I kind of butchered that ⁓ Sure. John Estrada: You know what? I to cut in. No, I have to cut in. That was one of my community, I forgot, that was a community of answer from my buddy AJ as well. He threw in cheers and I can't think of a better answer from the 80s. Jose: yeah, good job AJ and Altered Vince see, ⁓ Tristan the Audio Guy chose Wonder Woman from the 70s. Nice, John Estrada: Wow, that's a deep cut. Jose: Yeah, I don't remember that but sure it's amazing. Hiran C chose Golden Girls. Great minds think alike. Steven Joseph Craig, ⁓ He said, gotta be cheers. Also shout out to I Love Lucy and The Twilight Zone. Wait, maybe my answer is The Twilight Zone. great answers. I'll just go and say that. Hello Becca chose Facts of That song You just listen to it like, the facts of life, and just sticks in your head all And then if anybody else hears you singing it, it's kind of a. bounces from person to person. my friend, Katherine, she chose Batman Superman Adventures. And I don't think I've watched I don't know why I haven't watched it. I haven't told you. I watch a lot of like DC and Marvel animated features and stuff. So I think I'm kind of late to the party on that one too. my brother, chose Pee Wee Herman's Playhouse. Just weird funny, loved that show as a kid. theme song is really good too, for sure. Kinda John Estrada: That is good answer. Jose: Vi De Leon, she chose Where Everybody Knows Your Name. Cheers. So everyone loves that show's theme, which is great. John Estrada: Yeah. Jose: David Antonio Garcia chose Twin Peaks, such beautiful chords and such eerie I love that theme song. John Estrada: Great answer. Jose: It sets up the show also well. Kind of a little moody, but also a little hokey some way too, just like the show. seems like there's ⁓ a lot than the surface. and that's how the show is. Nina chose Game of Thrones. ⁓ John Estrada: Catch you soon. Jose: So those are ⁓ community answers. Let's go into your answers. John Estrada: Okay, I really overprepared for this one, man. I gotta tell you. It got me thinking and I was like, I don't know how I should go about this. And I was like, well, what is the TV theme song? What did they start from? The first ones, when TV started, all that was available for mass entertainment before that was like radio and cinema. So, it's kind of like if you... study these early themes, most of the composers worked in either radio or cinema, like doing scoring or jingle writing. So, you know, I kind of wanted to start in that era of kind of like, where do we come from? And, you know, where is it now kind of experiencing and sort of like looking at all of these like TV theme shows, because it's it's, is, it's not quite a jingle used for a commercial, right? But you need it to be short enough to remember and not be sort of like its own song in itself. Although we talked about right now with like Wonder Years, some of them are their own songs and their own right, you know, there's always going to be rule breakers at work, right? So I guess to kind of like start off, with ⁓ a show we talked about last podcast, but sort of like one of the ultimate like heavy hitter theme songs is the I Love Lucy theme song, right? You hear it, you automatically know what you're watching if you've watched the whole series. If you've never seen Jose: Yeah. Sure. Yeah. John Estrada: the series, I would argue that it's a pretty good song in and of itself, right? And sort of researching this song, I learned that the guy who wrote it just kind of like wrote it as a one and done and didn't think the show was going to survive. Jose: ⁓ wow, really? John Estrada: So ⁓ yeah, what does that tell you? Like he kind of just figured that ⁓ I'm just going to like crank this one out, you know, from his think he had he had more a career doing film scores and whatnot. So the fact that he just kind of like turned that out and it becomes like this iconic song, of like sets the stage, ⁓ Jose: Yeah. John Estrada: and I Love Lucy came out in 1951, so that's a long time ago. ⁓ the ⁓ Jose: ⁓ John Estrada: when TV shows were coming out, really get some other ⁓ songs ⁓ that are sort of like imprinted in ⁓ people's minds, if they were born ⁓ before 2000, the next show I'm talk about is Dragnet, which came out in But that song is the famous dum dum dum dum ⁓ Like, that's where comes from. Like a ⁓ procedural show about, like, know, detectives, Jose: ⁓ yeah. you John Estrada: So there's that show the 50s. ⁓ The next show be Jose: Yeah, John Estrada: Alfred Hitchcock Presents, which has the Funeral March of the Marriott song. And that kind of falls into the category, well, that was its own song, but I think the story is that Alfred Hitchcock heard it and he knew he had to have it as part of his work. And then sort of rounding out Jose: ⁓ John Estrada: the 50s, you get the Leave It to Beaver song. That's kind of like a happy-go-lucky song about 1950s family life. And the guy who wrote that song, he actually wrote some other pretty famous TV songs. ⁓ Mr. Ed, the Addams Family song, ⁓ Jose: yeah. John Estrada: Yeah, Jose: Famous Mr. Ed John Estrada: the Beverly Hillbillies song. Jose: That's a good one John Estrada: But yeah, definitely. mean, the guy knew what he was doing. And then the last two, I know you mentioned this one, ⁓ to round out the 50s, would be Bonanza, Jose: allow me? dundugdundundundundun John Estrada: Yes. Right, exactly. and then ⁓ here's banger, the Twilight Zone, which doing some history, think in the ⁓ first or the first episode, they had a different theme written by Bernard Herrmann, who did all of Welles's like famous ⁓ scores. But then this French named Marius Constant He did the classic one that we came to know and love with the crazy atonal dissonance and the pauses and then the bongos. Such a great song. ⁓ But those are kind of my top picks of the 50s, right? And kind of like in looking at all those, they're kind of a... Jose: ⁓ yeah. Yeah, yeah. John Estrada: You know, kind of to that theme I just said, like, yeah, it makes sense that they would sort of be written by people who work in cinema, kind of like a lot of orchestral sounds, like scoring and whatnot. But then like when you get into the sixties, that's where it starts to kind of like change a lot. And this, this classic show that came out in 1960 has a very iconic theme song, the Andy Griffith show, where it's just like snapping and whistling, but it's, it's a good theme song because it kind of fits like the simplicity of like the characters and like the theme. Jose: ⁓ yeah. John Estrada: So I thought that one definitely stood out the beginning of the next era. And the guy who wrote that song, I think he wrote some other pretty good songs. He wrote the Dick Van Dyke show theme song, That Girl, which is another 60s show, and then The Mod Squad, which I'll get into later, and Harlem Nocturne, which is this hard-boiled detective show. Jose: Mmm. John Estrada: there Jose: Yeah, John Estrada: now we're kind like playing with ⁓ jazz in a little bit. Latin jazz would be I Dream a the famous song we know is actually from season two onwards. There was another different song for the first Jose: so, Dream of Jeannie, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, was from season two? John Estrada: Yeah, first season had a different song that wasn't as ⁓ catchy, I think. ⁓ who knows why they made the decision to change it. But ⁓ it's interesting how these decisions are made regardless because I think they're made the right way because now everyone knows that song. ⁓ Jose: Okay. that's a banger of a theme John Estrada: Well, and then we sort of to get into sort of like the times of like music, right? Like you think of like 60s, like guitar sounds, like the Munsters kind of has like that like surf guitar, like jangled to it written by Jack Marshall, Jose: Yeah. John Estrada: a catchy theme. And then of the same year, you get Batman, right? Another catchy. Jose: Good one. John Estrada: ⁓ theme, right? It's like that surf guitar kind of like vibe to it, right? Everyone loves that song. Jose: Yeah. Do want me to sing it? John Estrada: if you to sing, this is your podcast. Go ahead and sing it. ⁓ Jose: Let's see. Batman. Batman. Batman. Batman. There you go. You're welcome, everyone. John Estrada: Great lyrics. Yeah, I loved it. I loved it. You have to see this next one. And it's of the same year. And again, going with that theme of music of the times, experimental Latin jazz, surf guitar, Mission Impossible. Jose: Okay. John Estrada: That's an iconic theme, Came out in the 60s. Written by a jazz composer named Lalo Schifrin. Jose: Yes. John Estrada: love its use in Ace Ventura, by the way. Such a great scene for those that know what I'm talking about. ⁓ I know I'm kind of like in ⁓ sort of over glossing here, but I was like going for like, like what also stands out. There's a ⁓ police show called Adam 12 and has like a very dramatic score that could have been from a movie as well. But, know, kind of the tone for like, Jose: Mm-hmm. John Estrada: most TV shows that came out afterwards about like law enforcement in uniform because every like show on TV before that where it's like about like law or like police it was like a detective in like a suit or something or like I think it was a show called like the Highwaymen or like the Highway Patrol but it was not as like in your face as like Adam 12 was and what's funny is that like I think the contrast of that you get a different TV show called The Mod Squad Jose: Okay. John Estrada: and that That theme song's pretty cool. It's got this psych rock sound with the organ's and horns and a ⁓ break beat jam going on. It's like a sound, like, ⁓ yeah, I could totally see a psych band covering this. And that whole show is a different sort of antithesis to Adam 12 where it taps into the counterculture. ⁓ Kind of like a side note too, starts a very young Peggy Lipton who ends up being in a very important show. Jose: That's cool. John Estrada: 1990 called Twin Peaks. Jose: nice. you all these shows too? out of John Estrada: Great question. I think the I watched least were probably Mod Squad and Adam 12. But you know, Mission Impossible was like on his sometimes as kid like we definitely watched bits of Andy Griffith show, hear Mugenie, Batman. And this one show actually see as but definitely deserves its place in like 1960s. top TV theme songs and that's Hawaii Five-O, which has been covered a lot. Now hear that song, you kind of know what it's about and ⁓ been, like I think it said, covered by the Ventures and... Jose: ⁓ yeah. John Estrada: Just like a great jam. Jose: Yeah, I can see that. John Estrada: So how about you, have you seen any of these shows? Jose: I've seen a few of those shows, like a few episodes here and there. I didn't really watch Adam 12 or Mod Squad. I think those are more like my parents' shows, probably when they were younger too as But yeah, those are all really good. And also, I owe you Mission Impossible, so let's see. Alright, that's all. ⁓ But yeah, thanks. Some of those I was like, ⁓ yeah, like Hawaii Five-O, and I'm like, wait, I was blanking, so was glad you didn't ask me to sing that one. John Estrada: That's good. Yeah, we won't go there. ⁓ Jose: Great shows. John Estrada: you ready for the 70s? ⁓ Jose: Yes, let's go into it. John Estrada: I have a small list here. Again, as I was preparing for this show, ran out of we talked about the show in the last podcast, it's MASH. I think that's a really good song. Jose: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Suicide is painless. John Estrada: Yeah, very fitting song. And it's funny too, because it's like a comedy, right? But it's got this very somber theme to it. Jose: quick. song is called Suicide is Painless. I'm not just saying like, hey, suicide is painless. It's the title of the song, just a disclaimer. Sorry, go ahead. John Estrada: Yes. I understand. Yes, thank you. Thank you. I don't know what the title of this next song is other than it's for Charlie's Angels. But that one's like that one's kind of like a banger song. It kind of has like the 70s disco arrangement, like a melody with the horns written by this person named Alan Ferguson in 1976. But he also wrote this other theme song for a really less known show called Barney Miller. It's like a New York cop show in the 70s. Jose: you Mm-hmm. John Estrada: But look up Barney Miller and listen to that theme song, just like a really great funk jam. Jose: Check it out. John Estrada: Yeah, the last one I came up with like in the Laverne and Shirley, ⁓ I think is like kind of like one of those iconic songs. Jose: ⁓ yeah. John Estrada: Had a nice callback from Wayne's World when they go to Milwaukee. But yeah, ⁓ it's funny because Laverne and Shirley is a spin-off from Happy Days. ⁓ And I think that song is better than the Happy Days song. I tried to get into Happy Days as a kid. It's funny, ⁓ not my cup of tea, but I understand sort of like the cultural significance that it had. ⁓ That's also a spin-off from a great movie, American Graffiti, which is a great film. But it's funny how like the tone between American Graffiti and Happy Days is like so different. But those are like my 70s picks. don't know any thoughts on those. Jose: Yeah. ⁓ yeah. American Graffiti. I haven't seen all of it. I Harrison Ford's in that movie. Ron Howard, which was, yeah, he played the same character, I believe. that's a good movie from what I've seen. Yeah, I used to love Happy Days. I don't know, it is a pretty square kind of show, but it's kind of like a fun show, John Estrada: It's a safe show. Jose: it also had a spinoff. For sure. there was also a spin-off, what's it, Joni Loves Chachi. I think that was a spin-off to that show too as John Estrada: Yeah. Jose: I totally forgot that theme song though, Laverne and Shirley, that we're gonna do it. John Estrada: Yeah, making our dreams come true. Jose: Yeah, John Estrada: now gonna get to sort of a decade known as the 1980s. like whole new standards. Jose: ⁓ John Estrada: ⁓ ⁓ feel like the apex set in the 80s. gotta off some like, they're not but ⁓ I don't think I have time to into them, but. I think we mentioned this in sort of like, community Answers, right? We have Facts of Life, great song. Growing Pains. Uh, not that we found each other. Come on. Great song. Yeah. Family Ties. Jose: ⁓ yeah, yeah. ⁓ Family ties. fuck dude. ⁓ man, a real quick thing on that one. So one of my buddies and John Estrada: Remember the Family Ties song? What would you do, baby, without us? Jose: shout out to Arredondo, he and I to sing ⁓ that song just like randomly, because we used to go to practice. were in a band called Stocking years ⁓ we used carpool. John Estrada: I've heard of stocking Roxy. Jose: ⁓ heck yeah. ⁓ the first bassist, not best one, but the first one. Yeah, and I would carpool and we used to do the harmony to that song. The, do we do, baby? ⁓ And ⁓ like do like the full on harmony and really take it seriously. was amazing. John Estrada: Yeah, Jose: Yeah, all I got for that. ⁓ John Estrada: still lives Another good one that just, quick quick mention, Nightcourt. Just a great sort of like smooth jazzy, jazz blues kind of vibe. Cheers, we talked about that. And I don't know, I just remember this song as a kid, because my parents watched it, Dallas. Just like a very, I don't know, it's just a fun theme, just kind of a feel good theme, but. Jose: Hmm. Yeah. you John Estrada: yeah, so those are like the quick lists. Again, just to kind of, because I didn't really get into the wheeze with those. They're honorable mentions, they're really good ones, but going back, you know, through the whole 80s, I really think these stand out starting in 1980 with a show called Magnum P.I. with Tom Selleck. Do you remember that show as a kid? Jose: Yeah, I do. remember ⁓ the mustache, the ⁓ very iconic mustache that Tom Selleck had. So that was really cool in the Hawaiian shirt. John Estrada: Yeah, just great song. You get that like, that little flying helicopter. It's like, oh yeah, this guy just plays by his own rules and this is his theme music. But again, good song written by this guy Jose: Yeah. John Estrada: Mike Post, some notable notables. He wrote for the theme song for a little show called Law and Order. which has that classic sort of like j- yeah, that little jazzy thing, like you hear that- you know there's like certain people who hear that show like, ⁓ drop everything, I need to see this show right now. ⁓ Also, same guy wrote 18, love that song as a kid. Jose: Doon doon doon doon doon doon. Bam, bam, bam. Yeah. Yeah, so good. John Estrada: Definitely. He also wrote Quantum Leap. I think we mentioned that in the last podcast. Jose: Damn. This really, killing John Estrada: ⁓ He wrote Hill Street Blues as well, which is a pretty cool intro. And then another show he wrote for the theme song for LA I'm telling you eighties is another sort of like level of new standards where people are like, you kind of get like one guy writing for like shows and they're pretty good. So yeah, there's that. And then we kind of go into the mid-80s. I had to throw out Golden Girls. I think that one again, that was mentioned earlier, I think in our community responses, but that's just like a standout song. just Jose: Yeah. John Estrada: kind of resonates with the show. And ⁓ looking at the history of apparently it was written by someone named Andrew Gold, who wrote it as an actual song that we released on an LP or an EP. And someone found it and then we recorded it with a... ⁓ the version that you hear on the show and that became like the iconic song for the series. then not too long ago, I posted on Instagram ⁓ and it just came out of nowhere. And I think that's possibly I also selected this category. But ⁓ there's a TV mid-80s called Valerie, which then was named ⁓ Valerie's Family. And then it got renamed to the Hogan Family. but it's got this song called Together Through the Years Jose: ⁓ okay. John Estrada: Roberta Flack is singing on and just like a great song that just like cuts through. Jose: I John Estrada: But you know, that's all going back to like mid eighties, like theme song, just, ⁓ just like, just a banger. making case that there's new standards here, Apex is set. ⁓ Already the song for Hogan Family, Together Through Years, production. Then you kind of get these other songs. Mr. Belvedere had a good song. Jose: so good. John Estrada: Yeah, right? Performed by another kind of like Together Through the Years. Leon Redbone was like the guy who did the vocals on that. Kind of like that ragtime feel in there here. And those set the stage for the... I'm gonna get to like a sort of a trifecta here where... These guys named Jesse Frederick and Bennett Salve write three theme songs. Nothing's gonna stop me now for Perfect Strangers, Everywhere Look for Full House, and As Days Go By for Family Matters. They get an encore in the 90s for Step by Step, ⁓ but I think ⁓ Perfect Strangers ⁓ is like, again, ⁓ this show's theme song is ⁓ Jose: Okay. Mmm. ⁓ shit. John Estrada: Arguably better than the show. The show is great. I watched it as a kid. I think I watched it to the very end. I love that show. ⁓ But then you have Full House, right? Which takes off and becomes its own thing and everyone loves that intro. And Family Matters, I thought was like a really good song as well ⁓ for like TV jingles or TV theme songs, I should say. So again, the 80s is just like setting the standard where I don't think it ever gets as high really because Jose: Yeah. No. Yeah. John Estrada: Kind of rounding out the 80s, theme for a show that you hear and you're like, oh, I know what this is, a 1988 or 89 is Bad Boys by Inner Circle for cops. Right? I if you want to talk about like theme songs for TV shows, like that one is like cemented in the legacy, I want to say. And again, it goes into that category where it's a song by itself. Jose: Yeah. you Yeah. John Estrada: but used for this purpose, kind of makes a new meaning. And then Jose: Yeah. John Estrada: finishing the ⁓ 80s, we have a little show where the theme song is all mimicking a guitar and instruments. And it's not really a theme song, but it's kind of music that of like Jose: me. John Estrada: sets the stage for a comedian who opens every episode of little TV called Seinfeld. where it's kind of like the anti-theme song, if you think about it. Yeah, it's just a quick little instrumental thing. ⁓ And ⁓ again, you have to, know, everyone thinks Seinfeld is ⁓ 90s, but I threw in the 80s, because I think it kind of to the time and how music technology was, how production values were. ⁓ Jose: Yeah. John Estrada: and whatnot. yeah, those are kind of like my picks in the 80s. But we're almost done with my rant here because I want to get into the 90s in the 2000s. I'm going to start the 90s with Twin Peaks by Angelo Badalamenti. I think Twin Peaks Jose: Yeah. Mm-hmm. John Estrada: does a lot for television that no one realizes. And even in this theme song, the theme song is like so great and it does fit the mood. I think you mentioned this earlier, right? It kind of like sets this like ominous, mysterious, like where are we kind of fantasy dreamlike thing. ⁓ I threw out this next song there's a TV show called Picket Fences. Had a nice little ⁓ piano intro Jose: ⁓ yeah. John Estrada: starring Kathy Baker and Tom Yeah, small town, police officer. Don Cheadle got a start in that show, I wanna say. Not a start, but remember he was ⁓ in Jose: I kind of loosely remember that show, but yeah. ⁓ I didn't know that, damn. John Estrada: And ⁓ Lauren who would become ⁓ in... Yeah, and Dumber, before Dumb and Dumber. Yep. Jose: ⁓ dumb dumber. Right? There you John Estrada: So ⁓ 90s again, than the ⁓ 80s, ⁓ of there's newer stuff coming out and sort of like the theme And want to say this is of the last decade where ⁓ you have theme songs with words. you have shows like In Living Color, great intro, written and performed by Heavy D and Eddie Jose: That's right, yeah. John Estrada: Yeah, and then like, know, Frasier, great theme song with lyrics. But then we sort of kind of like detour, we get like these like electric guitar kind of like jams like Beverly Hills 90210. Here's one, Power Rangers. Jose: you ⁓ yeah, a lot of guitar on that one. John Estrada: I think it's good theme song. Jose: ever watch Northern Exposure? John Estrada: You know I did not. Jose: a really good song too. show actually too. think it ⁓ on after Picket Fences. That's of what made me think about that, for sure, ⁓ John Estrada: Ah, that makes sense. Yeah. And you know what's funny is like I started going through these and I should have opened with this. I'm omitting a lot of animated TV shows or kids shows, but it wasn't until I got to like Power Rangers that I started to think like, know what, yeah, there's a lot of kids shows. I the reason why I didn't want to talk about them as much is that I feel like kids shows in like the 80s, 90s, like... Jose: ⁓ yeah. John Estrada: or even in the last like 10-15 years, like they're all into like a narrow view of like a generation, you know? ⁓ But one Jose: Yeah. John Estrada: show I felt like was worth noting is the Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers and DuckTales theme song written by the same guys. Jose: you Yeah. John Estrada: songs. Jose: ⁓ really? Damn, Or Darkwing John Estrada: guy, I think. Jose: ⁓ ⁓ ⁓ Gosh damn. ⁓ right there. Gosh John Estrada: I think so, yeah. Right there, exactly. I'm saying it's like raising the stakes, good right? Jose: Yeah. John Estrada: But then we start sort of, ⁓ now we're in 1993. X-Files is all instrumental, ⁓ setting the mood. kind of like Twin And then, sort of the last one that I was like, thinking of in the mid-90s, cause that's kind of like when I sort of like stopped as much television that was new to a degree. You have Friends, iconic theme song. And doing the research of this one, apparently they were gonna try to get Shiny Happy People off by R.A.M. out of Time album, but instead use this track. Jose: really? ⁓ don't know if people would have that as much, really. I love... John Estrada: I think they made the right decision. Jose: REM is great. I love that too. of the members from right? But it's like... You also kind of connect that song from hearing it previously, but like I've never heard the Friends theme before. So it's so distinct to that show, you know what I mean? John Estrada: Right, it's like, can we get more 90s? Just kidding. Jose: Yeah. John Estrada: again, as I mentioned earlier, I sort of like couldn't really think as much. I started looking at some lists and I'm like, mm-mm. yeah and then like you sort of getting to the late 90s and like the big tv shows that are out like the theme songs are like they're good but it's not like are really like in the public consciousness as much like South Park's theme song thing is really good. I love Primus. I think it works perfect for the show, right? But you're really just speaking sort of like of like a narrow audience on that one, right? They're not as like ubiquitous as like all the other like ⁓ Theme songs Jose: ⁓ yeah. John Estrada: from shows everyone remembers And so I'm just Jose: Yeah John Estrada: gonna like ⁓ finish my diatribe here. unless you have, ⁓ Jose: Yeah, yeah, good. John Estrada: actually, ⁓ don't you into like the late nineties, if you could fill some out for me, if you have any things that come to your Jose: Well, I'll say ⁓ one that comes to my head. ⁓ It's or America's Funniest Videos. John Estrada: Great, great choice. Jose: That... yeah... That smoky, ⁓ That smoky of the singer. ⁓ John Estrada: Yeah. Jose: Gosh damn. ⁓ But yeah, that was so good. ⁓ Step by step we mentioned earlier. by step ⁓ One thing okay TGIF ⁓ Like all of those theme songs ⁓ were bangers John Estrada: Yeah. Jose: I can sing those songs effortlessly, I'm not gonna do it right but But yeah, I think those also kind like enhanced the show in some like they they already kind of like ⁓ queued you into the fun that you're gonna have, you know, in the episode or the show. it's almost like John Estrada: Yeah. Jose: different theme songs get you ready for different tones of the which is probably a no-brainer, but Law ⁓ and Order that, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. John Estrada: Yeah. Jose: You're not gonna have fun. You're not gonna have fun in that show, but it's gonna be compelling, you know? You're gonna be like, fuck dude, we're gonna go into some weird John Estrada: Yeah. Jose: case and we're gonna dive deep. That's what that song is saying, right? ⁓ But that step-by-step ⁓ theme song just like, okay, turn your brain off, we're gonna have a great time ⁓ and enjoy, you know? John Estrada: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, mean, It's just in talking about step by step, I was like, yeah, it's kind of like the new wave Brady Bunch of the 90s. I was like, oh, Brady Bunch. That was a theme song. But then I remembered, I'm like, that's when I probably left out. Jose: ⁓ yeah. John Estrada: a classic song. But again, I know some people love it. Now I'm going to sort of like finish off with like the 2000s and beyond. Jose: Yeah. Yeah, okay. John Estrada: Yeah, and I feel like this is kind of where like the words show up less and less in the TV theme songs and one of them that stands out is the office. It's got that classic like quick little jingle. ⁓ It's a great little, great little like intro kind of feeds into the vibe like, hey, you're about to watch like a feel good zany sort of environment, right? Yeah. Jose: Mm. Yeah. Yeah, kind of quirky a little. John Estrada: Right, and then every now and then it like really surprises you with some of the antics that Steve Carell would do that were just, I don't think you can do anymore, but he definitely pushed the envelope in like some of the things he would say and do. Jose: What was it? Prison Mike it is or yeah, something that, right? Prison ⁓ John Estrada: Yeah, or just one of my favorite episodes is the Dundies. don't remember that episode. A lot of stuff. It's not age well, but the fact that he went for it. And then this is a song. Jose: ⁓ yeah, Damn. John Estrada: Another great intro, Game of Thrones. I know it's kind of jumping Jose: Yeah. John Estrada: five years ahead, 10 years. But in that same vein, you have Walking Dead. Jose: Yeah, compelling. ⁓ yeah, good one too, Yeah, again, you're not gonna have fun. but it's gonna be compelling, it's gonna be ⁓ exciting, right? So yeah, great song. John Estrada: Yeah. Right. a great show on HBO called The Leftovers. Again, ⁓ not a lot of people, I think, tuned into it, ⁓ wife and I watched it and just, can't recommend it enough. like a very somber show, very philosophical. ⁓ Highly recommend it if you're not religious, if you are religious, because it just forces you to ponder of what the hell's going on here. ⁓ And then moving on to sort of the that I have on my list of 2000s, I like the Better Call Saul theme. It's super simple. It's got that bluesy guitar again, as a guitar player. Like, ⁓ that sounds pretty cool. My wife, I was like talking to her and she's like, what about Narcos? I was like, actually that is a banger intro. You hear that one and you're like, oh, I know what I'm signing up for. And, know, Jose: ⁓ yeah, John Estrada: yeah. Jose: that was a good one. John Estrada: It was called Tulio. Jose: you know like now that you can things right, do ⁓ you skip the intro a lot of times? John Estrada: Mm-hmm. Honestly, I do because if I'm rewatching it's probably just to like fill time and I know my time is short sometimes but every now and then I'll watch it. The show that I don't is Halt and Catch Fire, which I didn't put on this list but it could it definitely belongs on this list in 2000s and beyond because it's just a quick like electronic music kind of little jam that they do. Jose: Okay. Okay. John Estrada: But that... Jose: I for me, I But yeah, sorry, go John Estrada: I was like, that's my list. Jose: So I appreciate you of going into the history of theme songs which that's a deep thank you for researching that. That's pretty I find myself kind skipping a lot of theme songs when I watch shows. The picks I have, I kinda don't one of them I do. This is really fuckin' So, my honorable mention is the Stranger Things theme. John Estrada: Good pick. Jose: yeah, and I don't skip that one. I play that fuckin' song single time. It's a great song. Runner Up is Tales from the Crypt, Tales from the Crypt Show. ⁓ I'll sing really quick, it's amazing. ⁓ Nunu nu nu nu nu nu nu nu nu nu nu nu Nudududud John Estrada: You forgot the laughing of the Cryptkeeper. ⁓ thought of that one too and I forgot to ⁓ list it, definitely an honorable mention in the whole list of things. Jose: Yeah, and again, setting up danger, setting up like a creepy time, you know? ⁓ Although I would say like Stranger Things theme, I don't think it really sets up like danger. It sets up like a fucking dance party. It's such a good song, dude. I love that song. ⁓ John Estrada: It's also meant to like hearken back to the era it's trying to like, you know, ⁓ evoke. Jose: True, true. It's a great song. And then my main pick is The Twilight It's just like that show, evokes this feeling of like, get ready for something serious ⁓ and something like important. Important scary and serious and I really like that about that that theme song ⁓ a few different things about Twilight Zone came out 1959 Ran for five seasons 156 episodes created and hosted by Rod Serling, which that guy is amazing Very cool vibe to him Sci-fi horror suspense anthology series with social commentary The iconic guitar driven theme that they started using in season two's opening theme was written by French Romanium composer Marius Constant, which you mentioned before. And then also the piece was part of a library of cues commissioned by CBS for the series. The season one theme was composed by Bernard Herrmann. You know, I initially forgot about that initial, the season one theme. Like I was like, what did it sound like? But I remember more flourishes in this kind of a creepy John Estrada: It's good. Yeah, it's not a bad theme. Jose: It's really It's like just more dreamlike and like It feels more sci-fi the piece for season two is titled Epitaph for Twilight Zone. And it was part of a work made for hire for the library of CBS. fact, Orson Welles was almost the host, but was too expensive. John Estrada: Wow. Jose: The title is a military term for the point a plane can no longer the horizon. Which I thought that was interesting. ⁓ The show was a launching pad for actors like William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Robert Redford, Ron Howard, and George Takei, as noted by Sci-Fi Wire. So yeah, that's all I got. Do you have anything else to say about any of the pics? John Estrada: You know, ⁓ some honorable mentions, I think I mentioned one of them already, is like you have those like categories of TV shows that have themes that are already songs. We talked about Wonder Years right? We got the Joe Cocker version of With the Little Lone and My Friends. We got the Alfred Hitchcock funeral march of a ⁓ We all forget Marriage of Children. It's got the Frank Sinatra hit, Love and Marriage, right? It's funny because... Jose: Mm-hmm. ⁓ yeah. Yeah. John Estrada: You know, you grow up in the 80s, you forget that it was an actual song by Frank Sinatra, but instead I just think of Al Bundy and his family. And then the copycat show that came out after that was Unhappily Ever After. I don't remember one, but they used Hit the Road Jack by Ray Charles. ⁓ Jose: haha Yeah, it was with Bobcat Golds, whatever his name is, right? Gold with or as the rabbit. John Estrada: Yeah, way. Yeah. Yeah, not very good show from what I remember. ⁓ Jose: Yeah, that was a good show. And then It wasn't a great show, but I remember having a crush on the daughter at the time. The one who was like, ⁓ I forgot her name. But yeah, she kind of looks like Yeah, Nikki Cox. Jenny Lewis. John Estrada: Nikki Cox. think a lot of young guys from our generation remember Nikki Cox from that show. Jose: ⁓ yeah, for sure. Kinda like Kelly Bundy too. She was definitely like a crush for many people. But yeah, those are good pulls too as well. So that has been our episode. John, again, thanks joining us on this journey. Thanks for bringing it with research and everything. Would you like to plug anything or give any shout outs? John Estrada: Again, I shout out last time, out to my band, Connektora, all the members, Jen, Jonathan, Daisy, shout out to Jen especially. I'm using her studio to record this episode, because when you're a father of two kids in a small house, it's hard to find a quiet space for more than five minutes. So that's where I'm gonna hold up right now, making this awesome podcast episode with you. But yeah, you can find our music Conductora on Apple Music. I'm trying not to plug Spotify anymore for ethical reasons, but that's just my own stuff. ⁓ And yeah, ⁓ hope to be back playing shows, Jose: Thank John Estrada: help you, JoGo get back into music as well, see you up on stage. Definitely talented. ⁓ And who knows, maybe we'll collaborate on music one day. We already did a podcast together, so I think it went well. Jose: Yeah, I appreciate Yeah, we'll see. I've been getting that itch to ⁓ play music lately. kind of hit up a couple of people just to kind of like get together, possibly. But you know that goes. ⁓ John Estrada: Yeah, definitely. Jose: thank you to online community for taking the time to answer the questions on the best.most.pod page. ⁓ You make this even more fun and add to the conversation of the show. Thank you for listening. And also ⁓ thank you to John because you have been like consistently answering these questions ⁓ and truly appreciate it, man. ⁓ Yeah, thank so much, man. John Estrada: For sure. Jose: again, remember There are no guilty pleasures when it to music, movies and all art preferences. Love what you love and enjoy what enjoy. That connection is such a gift. Until next time. Take care and take care of each other. Bye bye.