Memorable TV Theme Songs, 4-7

Our list of memorable TV theme songs continues with the theme to Gilligan's Island.

4. "Ballad of Gilligan's Isle" (Gilligan's Island)

All you have to do is listen to the theme song -- it's all there! But here it is in a coconut shell: Five passengers went on a boating expedition that was supposed to last only three hours, but there was a storm, and the S.S. Minnow shipwrecked. The Skipper, his goofy first mate, and the passengers set up house on an island and made various futile attempts to be rescued.

True Gilligan's Island aficionados know that there were two versions of the theme song, which was written by George Wyle and the show's creator Sherwood Schwartz. The first version specifically mentions five of the cast members, then lumps two other characters together, referring to them as "the rest." But Bob Denver (aka Gilligan) thought the song should be rewritten to include "The Professor and Mary Ann." Denver may have played the doofus on camera, but he used his star power to get equal billing for his fellow cast mates. He truly was everyone's "little buddy."

5. "Meet the Flintstones" (The Flintstones)

During the first two seasons there was no theme song! Then show creators William Hanna and Joseph Barbera wrote lyrics for a tune by Hoyt Curtin. The show, which took place in the prehistoric town of Bedrock, was a parody on contemporary suburbia. There were no brakes on cars, just bare feet to slow things down. Cameras were primitive -- birds feverishly chiseled slabs of rock to capture various images. And instead of a garbage disposal, people just kept a hungry reptile under the sink. Still, it was a "yabba-dabba-doo time. A dabba-doo time." In fact, it was a ". . . gay old time!"

6. "I'll Be There for You" (Friends)

Written and performed by The Rembrandts, "I'll Be There for You" pretty much sums up the premise of these loyal friends who supported each other through life's ups and downs. The intensely popular sitcom showed just how funny it is to be in your twenties (eventually thirties), single, and living in New York City. Three guys and three girls formed a special bond as they roomed together, sometimes dated each other, and always entertained audiences worldwide. The song wasn't intended to be a full-length track, but eventually the band went back into the studio and recorded a longer version of the song, which topped U.S. charts and reached number two in the U.K.

7. "Those Were the Days" (All in the Family)

Longing for a less complicated time, "Those Were the Days" was written by Charles Strouse and Lee Adams and was performed at the family piano by bigoted, blue-collar Archie Bunker and his screechingly off-key "dingbat" wife, Edith. In the show, which aired from 1971 to 1979, staunchly conservative Archie is forced to live with a liberal when his "little goil" Gloria and her husband, Michael, move in with the Bunkers. The resulting discussions shed light on two sides of politics and earned Michael the nickname "Meathead."

Find more of TV's most memorable theme songs on the next page.