Memorable TV Theme Songs, 8-12

Our list continues with the theme song for TV's kookiest family.

8. "Theme from The Addams Family" (The Addams Family)

TV and film composer Vic Mizzy wrote the music and engaging lyrics that helped to describe the "creepy . . . kooky . . . mysterious . . . spooky . . . and all together ooky" Addams Family. The show takes a peek at the bizarre family: Gomez and Morticia; their children, Pugsley and Wednesday; Cousin Itt; Uncle Fester; and servants, Lurch and Thing -- who all live together in a musty castle. The show lasted only two seasons, but it lives on in pop culture through reruns, cartoons, movies, and video games.

9. "Theme to Happy Days" (Happy Days)

Bill Haley and His Comets recorded a new version of their hit "Rock Around the Clock" for the theme song of the show about the middle-class Cunningham family and their life in Milwaukee in the 1950s and 1960s. After two seasons, the song "Theme to Happy Days," composed by Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel and performed by Truett Pratt and Jerry McClain, moved from the show's closing song to the opener. The song was released as a single in 1976 and cracked Billboard's top five. The final season of the show featured a more modern version of the song led by Bobby Avron, but it was unpopular with fans.

10. "Making Our Dreams Come True" (Laverne & Shirley)

Factory workers never had so much fun! Laverne and Shirley were two kooky girls who were introduced to TV audiences on Happy Days and ended up with their own hit show. They got into all kinds of trouble but always made it look like fun. The upbeat theme song was written by Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel and sung by Cyndi Grecco. The lyrics were empowering, but perhaps the most repeated line over the years was a mix of Yiddish and German words: "Schlemiel! Schlemazl! Hasenpfeffer Incorporated!"

11. "Sunny Day" (Sesame Street)

Sesame Street was the first TV show to merge entertainment and learning for the preschool set and is largely responsible for children starting kindergarten knowing their letters, numbers, and colors. The show, which airs in more than 120 countries, has won more than 100 Emmy Awards, making it the most award-winning TV series of all time. The cheerful and idyllic theme song was written by Joe Raposo, Jon Stone, and Bruce Hart, but the singers are all children. Or at least they were when the show debuted in 1969!

12. "Theme from The Monkees" (The Monkees)

Here they come. . . . The original "prefab" four, The Monkees were a mix of zany actors and musicians cast as a rock band for the 1960s TV show of the same name. "Theme from The Monkees" was written by Bobby Hart and Tommy Boyce, and once the band members were cast, they recorded the song. The band was so successful that they went on tour and three of their songs reached number one on U.S. charts. The show only lasted two seasons, but The Monkees are now best known for their musical success and occasionally get together for reunion tours.

Our list of memorable TV theme songs concludes on the next page.