Project 46: Kid’s Show Theme Song
Cover a kid’s show theme song. Pretty simple.
Fraggle Rock by Tom Stromsodt
Fraggle Rock was a luxury item. It was on cable! And not just any cable, HBO. I didn't have cable but my friend Mike Breidenbach did and sleepovers and Fraggle Rock were a preeeetty, pretty great.
The Muppet Show by Neil Fasen and Kelly Duclos
Kelly kindly suggested we cover the Muppet Show theme song. He knew I had an affinity for the show and also expressed some Muppet appreciation. At work I am often referred to as Kermit the Frog, because I often have to run large meetings that end up being comical in their corporate futility. I, in turn, am more like a squeaky Muppet, desperately attempting to keep things light and on the rails, than a corporate operator. I tell jokes and tap dance, despite the inevitable collapse of order that happens both in corporate America and every episode of the Muppet show. It’s still chaos in the end, but it feels better with Kermit and Fozzy trying their best to keep spirits high.
Sesame Street by Bill Fricke
As a kid who watched way more television than was probably healthy, I had many musical options to choose from. Endless Saturday morning cartoons, PBS shows, and re-runs. I had to choose the song that meant the most (second to Mr. Roger’s Theme) to me as a kid. Sesame Street gave me so many moments of joy, comedy, and cool music. I still quote some of the old sketches to this day. It was, and still is, a dream to become a Muppeteer. Although my back and legs couldn’t handle all the crouching these days.
Looking up the chords on the internets, I came across two options. One was in the correct key. The other was not and kind of suspect but still worked. I chose the suspect one as it lent itself to further exploration. I started out wanting a Galaxie 500 / Luna type of vibe. Start slow and spare, then build. As is my natural bent, it became bigger and busier.
Looking forward to hearing which show up in this project!
The Night Begins To Shine by Kelly Duclos and Family
Teen Titans Go! was a family favorite back in the mid to late 2010's and they had a multi-part special called The Night Begins to Shine and this song was essentially the theme of it. This sketch features us all singing the chorus, me and Henry singing the verses, Henry plays drums and Yamaha PSR-11 and Elsa plays violin. Very fun to get the family together and knock out some tracks!
Pee-Wee’s Music Space by David Cox and Kelly Duclos
This was a fun one, with me on guitar and kazoo and Kelly on everything else. We went for the one man band sound and took some liberties with the lyrics. If you haven’t made it to the Music Space yet, check it out.
Twin Peaks and Dr. Shrinker by Grant Eull
Well I have been pitching this idea to Neal for so long and I am super excited to hear what people do with it. I went down a huge rabbit hole of research and wanted to do so many, however I was only able to get to a couple. I was a big Sid and Marty Kroft fan and the catchy theme songs were likely the reason why. Wonderbug, Lidsville, H.R. Pufnstuf, Land of the Lost, and Sigmund and the Sea Monsters and I could go on and on on … but the theme song for Dr. Shrinker written and performed originally by the Osmonds was one I sang all the time as a kid? Not sure why as I didn't really like that show as much as the other. Anyway, here is an OMIEM take that I spun up quick on that kids show theme song. I had already started Twin Peaks before I double checked the theme of “kids show” … but hell I was still a kid when I watched the show in High School and it certainly wasn't a show for “parents”. I think David Lynch was aiming at a more sophisticated teen audience… so still kids :) anyway fun times - in the future I hope this idea comes back around because “real songs used for TV themes” was an epic treasure hunt I got caught in doing my research. Enjoy. Looking forward to a nostalgic journey listening to all the submissions.
Inspector Gadget by Pete Foss
A bit rough around the edges, but here's my take on the inspector gadget theme song, with guest vocals from Kate & June.