Iconic TV Show Theme Songs from the 80s

The Inspector Gadget theme song was written by Shuki Levi. He also penned the iconic theme songs to the shows Power Rangers and Digimon.

This theme song was heavily inspired Edvard Grieg’s “In The Hall of the Mountain King.” Once you know that, it’s impossible to get it out of your head when listening to this song.

The song is considered a classic for a reason, as it’s incredibly catchy. They just don’t make theme songs like this one anymore!

Anyone who grew up in the 1980s will remember watching Saved By The Bell on Saturday mornings!

The show’s iconic theme song was written by Scott Gayle, who also wrote the theme song for the TV show Blossom. Gayle was reportedly explicitly told not to include the show’s title in the theme song, but he decided to do it anyway.

The results of his efforts couldn’t be better, as the song still holds up to this day. No wonder fans still love this legendary show!

This may not be the most memorable 1980s show. It centered around a substitute teacher who gets a super-powered suit from aliens, with chaos ensuing from there.

The show may not be remembered, but its theme song is an entirely different story. Written by Mike Post and Stephen Geyer, The Greatest American Hero theme song made it all the way to number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The song is still used on television to this day, most notably on shows like Seinfeld and Family Guy. You may be surprised to learn that the show ran for three seasons, yet it’s largely forgotten. If only it could have lived up to its theme song!

Full House was a crucial part of the epic “TGIF Lineup” that ruled many an ’80s child’s Fridays. The show’s theme song “Everywhere You Look” was written by Jesse Frederick and Bennett Salvay, and it tends to get stuck in your head for hours whenever you hear it!

Frederick performed the song himself, and it still holds up all these years later. When the sitcom was rebooted as Fuller House for Netflix in 2016, a new version of the song was recorded by the Canadian singer Carly Rae Jepson.

While the new version is fun, it’s the original that will live on in our hearts forever!

Who could forget the futuristic synth sound of Knight Rider?!

This legendary theme song was written by  Stu Phillips and Glen A. Larson, and it was sampled from a classical song by Léo Delibes. Surprisingly enough, a total of SIX synthesizers were used to make this song. This led to it becoming the epitomy of cool in the eyes of 80s kids everywhere.

The song opens with a short narrative explanation, which was a popular technique in the older days of television. This was a show that the whole family could enjoy together. If only there were more programs like it on TV today!

Related: 10 Classic Songs Inspired by Classic Movies

Reading Rainbow was a show that encouraged literacy among children, and it was incredibly popular. The show’s theme song had three different versions during the show’s decades-long run, but it’s the original that stands out in the minds of 80s kids.

Written by Steve Horelick, and Dennis Neil Kleinman, the theme song was sung by Tina Fabrique. Her version was used until Chaka Kahn recorded a new one in 1999.

“Butterfly in the sky, I can go twice as high…Take a look, it’s in a book…A Reading Rainbow!” the song’s legendary lyrics go.

What child of the 80s could forget this classic theme song?!

There wasn’t any cooler team around in the 1980s than The A-Team. The show’s theme song was written by Pete Carpenter and TV theme genius Mike Post, the latter of whom has written many songs used in television.

This theme song has stood the test of time. In fact, TODAY host Al Roker revealed back in 2013 that he enjoys playing it in the morning to get him “jazzed” for his day. The song also continues to pop up in other shows as well, showing how iconic it has always been.

Give it another listen and you’ll immediately see why it’s so popular!

Here’s another theme song that is sure to get stuck in your head!

The tune was written by Mark Mueller, who wrote various songs for pop stars and TV around this time period. The theme song introduced 80s kids to the fictional town of Duckburg, where they got the opportunity to join Scrooge McDuck and his grand-nephews as they both solved mysteries and rewrote history!

Like many other songs on this list, this one has stood the test of time. For the 2017 Duck Tales reboot, it was re-recorded with no changes. The next year, it was covered by Panic at the Disco’s frontman Brendon Urie on The Tonight Show.

Related: Here Are the Top 10 Classic Sitcoms That Have Aged Well

Cheers is one of the most popular sitcoms not only of the 1980s, but of all time.

The iconic theme song was written by Gary Portnoy and Judy Hart Angelo after their initial two song submissions were rejected by producers. This one, however, hit just right!

“Where Everybody Knows Your Name” made us all feel like we too were patrons at the show’s beloved Boston bar. Decades later, the song still has a nostalgic quality that makes us long to be back in the ’80s again.

Sometimes, it really does feel good to be where everybody knows your name!

This is one 1980s TV theme song that could never be forgotten!

“Thank You For Being A Friend” was initially recorded in 1978 as a single by the artist Andrew Gold, who claimed he wrote it in just one hour. It was later re-recorded by the singer Cynthia Fee, and it was this version that was eventually used in The Golden Girls.

The song evoke the power of friendship, and gets fans in the mood to enjoy a half-hour of hijinks with our favorite four golden girls! The song is still both remembered and beloved to this day.

Thank you for being a friend, and we hope you enjoyed this walk down memory lane!