When I first sat down to start creating the second part of my list of greatest theme songs I thought I would have a lot of difficulty coming up with a list of great themes from the 90s. In fact I thought I would originally have to lower it to just the 20 greatest themes.
Once I got to work on the list, I realized that there may have been more amazing theme songs in the 90s than there were the in 80s, and that is saying a lot. Not only were the shows a lot grittier, more realistic and mature, but the theme songs seemed to be as well. So, without further delay, here are your 25 greatest theme songs of the 90s.
25. Rosanne 1988-1997
I’m going to come right out and say that I was never a big fan of Rosanne. I’m not sure why. I think it was mostly her and I’m a huge fan of “Second Becky” Sarah Chalke (I loved Scrubs). That being said, the show was a huge hit and a lot of people loved it. The theme song was a bluesy instrumental that was composed by WG Snuffy Walden, who also composed the themes for shows such as My So Called Life and thirtysomething.
24. Party of Five (Closer to Free) 1994-2000
Party of Five introduced us to some really good looking women, Neve Campbell, Jennifer Love Hewitt, and Lacey Chabert (Yea, I know she was a kid then, but she’s hot now) And who knows if Lost would have been a hit had Matthew Fox not done Party of Five first. The theme song, Closer to Free by the BoDeans would go on to reach #16 on the US Hot 100 chart.
23. NYPD Blue 1993-2005
NYPD Blue was a gritty crime drama that pulled no punches. From nudity to alcoholism, not much seemed off limits. The theme is another classic by Mike Post.
22. Step By Step (Second Time Around) 1991-1998
Step by Step featured TV veterans Patrick Duffy of Dallas, Suzanne Somers of Three’s Company, and Stacy Keanan of My Two Dads. Step By Step was part of the TGIF lineup until its final season when it switched networks and moved from ABC to CBS.
21. Martin 1992-1997
Martin introduced most of America to Martin Lawrence in the form of Martin Payne, and a number of other characters, most notably, Sheneneh. The theme song was basically simple music with the only vocals being the name Martin repeated over and over. Occasionally, someone dropped in a “He’s so crazy.” Simple, but it worked for the show.
20. Dawson’s Creek (I Don’t Wanna Wait) 1998-2003
While I can’t say that I ever watched Dawson’s Creek. I was a fan of the theme song, I Don’t Wanna Wait by Grammy winner Paula Cole if only for the reason that I first listened to her when I discovered her debut CD in a free stuff box in my college radio station. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that I was one of the first DJs in New England to play her song Where Have All the Cowboys Gone? Do I deserve credit for her Grammy? You make the call.
19. South Park 1997-Present
South Park is another show, which while it is still going strong, really peaked pop-culturally in the late 90s. The theme song was written and performed by Primus. And, I’m sure many of you are aware of what Kenny’s muffled lines in the song are. “I like girls with big fat titties. I like girls with big vaginas.” Too bad he never lived long enough to really enjoy any of them.
18. Full House (Everywhere You Look) 1987-1995
The show that started the craze. Not for the Olson twins, but for Jesse and Rippers of course. All-in-all, I think it’s a pretty good theme that does a good job setting the stage for what was a pretty good show.
17. Blossom (My Opinionation) 1991-1995
Composed again by the great Mike Post and performed by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Dr. John, the theme to Blossom accompanies the show intro of Mayim Bialik dancing with each of her co-stars. Whoa!
16. The Wonder Years (With a Little Help From My Friends) 1988-1993
The theme to The Wonder Years is a cover by Joe Cocker of The Beatles’ “With a Little Help From My Friends” Of course, any song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney deserves consideration on any “Best Of” list.
15. ER 1994-2009
Yes, ER did air most of its seasons after the 90s, but to me, the show peaked in the 90s, so I am going to include it on this list. Its theme song was composed by James Newton Howard. He composed the scores for countless movies, including Batman Begins and the Dark Knight. The show itself did a great job carrying on the torch of the TV medical drama.
14. Saved By the Bell 1989-1993
What child of the 80s didn’t watch Saved By the Bell growing up? Bayside must have been a pretty small school for all of them to have their classes together like that.
13. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1987-1996
Arguably the best action figure line and cartoon of the 90s. The theme song, to me, is most memorable for how it introduces us to the turtles, “Leonardo leads, Donatello does machines. Raphael is cool but rude, Michelangelo is a party dude.” A little known fact is that the theme was composed by Chuck Lorre, producer of super hits such as Rosanne, Two and a Half Men, and The Big Bang Theory.
12. Family Matters 1989-1998
The original theme to Family Matters, episodes 1-5, was What A Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong. It was changed due to the fact that it didn’t really fit the upbeat feeling of the show. (Or was it a conspiracy? Check out the Cold Slither Podcast for more details about this.) The theme most of us remember was called As Days Go By and was composed by Jesse Frederick, composer of the 18th ranked song on this list, Full House’s Everywhere You Look, number 22, Step by Step’s Second Time Around and Perfect Strangers’ Nothing’s Gonna Stop Me Now (Which, I will admit that I woefully omitted from my 80s list.)
11. The X-Files 1993-2002
The X-Files were probably the biggest cult program of the 90s. Its theme was a dark ambient instrumental that received a lot of commercial success overseas, reaching #2 on the UK Singles chart.
See the Top 10 90s TV Themes >>>
Thank you for featuring the original Martin theme and not the second one, which was also decent, but just not the same. Man, them Miller/Milkis/Boyett shows were corny as all be damned, but they had some catchy themes. Roseanne surprised me, because her theme had that soulful saxophone, which was the official instrument of the 80s and 90s IMO.
I think Rosanne’s position was based on my personal bias because I can’t stand the woman.
This is awesome – everyone blindly salutes all things 80s but the 90s had some good things to offer too. I like that this is not a “retro” site per se, but being “children of the 80s” you examine everything from our lifetime.
WHERES DUCK TALES???????