I recognize that I'm straying into dangerous territory by revisiting the topic of TV theme songs -- you all really let me have it for including "Quincy" in my best of the '70s theme song rundown. Who knew there were such strong opinions about these things?
Nevertheless, I am persisting.
This time around, we're hitting the '80s, when the synthesizer started to be replaced, inexplicably, by the saxophone. I've decided, in the interest of including as many of these bangers as possible, to split this into two posts, with today's roughly covering the 1980-1985 period. It may just be me, but music in general -- and I emphasize IN GENERAL! -- took a dip in listenability as we cruised into the later '80s.
Gen-X Files: The Best TV Theme Songs From the 1970s
Gen-X Files: The Movies All Gen-X Dudes Are Required to Love
Also, I also wanted to start doing a brief bio on some of the Gen Xers who are playing big roles in the new Trump administration. First up is Sean Duffy, Real World alum and new secretary of Transportation. Man, what a week he has had.
Top TV Theme Songs from the 1980s, Part 1
There's a lot of testosterone in this crop of theme songs. As always, hit me up in the comments to let me know what I got right, what I got wrong and what I totally forgot to include.
General Hospital
This one is thrown in merely for those of us who raced home from school to watch Luke & Laura and the Cassidines. Truly the glory days of soap operas and an epically-80s viewing experience.
Jacques "Jack" Urbont, Paul Glass, and Steve Hopkins composed the theme song.
Hill Street Blues
This is another Mike Post classic. Post took the top position in my 1970s rundown for "The Rockford Files."
The "Hill Street Blues" theme song apparently was on the charts for five months back in 1981, eventually reaching number 10 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Go figure.
St. Elsewhere
This show was my introduction to Denzel Washington. I honestly don't remember too much about it, but I can tell you that the theme was composed by jazz musician Dave Grusin.
The A-Team
Disclaimer: I didn't really watch "The A-Team," but I'm including it because: a. I know I'll catch heat for leaving it out, and b. I loved Dirk Benedict back in the day -- I was definitely a Starbuck gal.
This is another of Mike Post's classic theme songs. Something I learned while putting this list together: Mike Post admitted to ripping off Cream when composing this one.
Cheers
The full name of the Cheers theme song is apparently "Theme from Cheers (Where Everybody Knows Your Name)," and was written by Gary Portnoy and Judy Hart-Angelo, with Portnoy recording the song back in 1982.
This one has some serious staying power, and has been used in commercials for Michelob Ultra, Applebees and Frosted Flakes.
Magnum, P.I.
There were apparently two versions of the "Magnum, P.I." theme song. The first, a jazzy tune by Ian Freebairn-Smith, was used for the pilot and several episodes of season one. Then in rode Mike Post, assisted by Pete Carpenter, with this version, which took over halfway through the first season and became a Top 40 hit.
Greatest American Hero
My personal favorite of all the '80s theme songs. The show didn't last too long, but the song is a Certified Gen X Banger. It was composed by Mike Post, of course, with lyrics by Stephen Geyer and was sung by Joey Scarbury.
The song actually reached number 2 on the Top 40 in the summer of 1981, losing out on the number one spot to "Endless Love" by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie.
Gen X Goes to Washington - Sean Duffy, Secretary of Transportation
Sean Duffy would be somewhat of a Gen X icon even if he wasn't a part of President Trump's Cabinet. We first met him when reality TV was becoming a thing in the 90s, thanks to MTV's "Real World." Duffy came to fame when he was a cast member on "The Real World: Boston" in 1997, and he later appeared on "Road Rules" and "Real World/Road Rules Challenge." It was during his "Real World/Road Rules" days that he met his wife, Rachel Campos-Duffy, herself a reality star from "The Real World: San Francisco," where she was the token Republican.
Following his stint as a reality TV star, Duffy served as a prosecutor and district attorney in Ashland County, Wisconsin, before winning a seat in Congress in 2010. He left Congress in 2019 to focus on his family—he and Rachel have nine kids—and worked as a Fox News contributor. And then Donald Trump came calling, selecting Duffy to head the department of Transportation.
Mere hours after being sworn in by Vice President JD Vance, Duffy got some serious on-the-job training when a Black Hawk helicopter collided with a passenger jet over the Potomac River near Washington Reagan National Airport. On the heels of that disaster came the crash of a Medevac plane in Philadelphia.
Let's hope for all of our sakes that things ease up for Secretary Duffy very soon.
Honored and humbled to be officially sworn in as our country's 20th Secretary of Transportation. I’m ready to advance @POTUS’ agenda for safety and innovation in transportation. Thank you to Justice Thomas for administering the oath and spending time with our family. pic.twitter.com/D2BnxGl3Cg
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) January 29, 2025
NTSB: Army Chopper in Dreadful DC Crash Flying Too High
Gen X Meme of the Week
My Gen X meme of the week. And, yes, I had to do it. pic.twitter.com/dIlUQaYyva
— Teri (@TeriChristoph) February 5, 2025
