TV Hits We Love – Part Three

A good theme song or single associated with a TV show will help viewers identify the shoe, while help the artist of that song is good enough to be on the charts. Often times it’s the best of both worlds. Here’s part three of “TV Hits We Love.”

“Happy Days” and “Welcome Back Kotter” by the Lovin’ Spoonful’s John Sebastian was a certified good song which happened to be the theme to the popular show. Yes, John Travolta made the TV series a hit, but the credibility of Sebastian gave it all the prominence it was due.

“Inner Circle” is a Jamaican reggae band that gave us the theme from the mid-90s TV show ‘Cops’ called “Bad Boys.” The song was barely on the charts for a few weeks, but interestingly enough the band makes a lyrical reference to the Eric Clapton Sherriff from Eric’s “I Shot the Sherriff.”

“Woke up This Morning,” the very funky theme song from the wildly popular HBO series ‘Sopranos’ hit the charts in by a band from England called Alabama 3. The song has also been used in various films and animation projects.

“Miami Vice” from Jan Hammer was a short instrumental that captured the teal and pastels of the benchmark show, while showing the audience that Jan could do much more than score the show. “Miami Vice” was the launching pad for the day’s biggest songs, from Phil Collins to John Parr, Greg Kin to Sheena Easton.