TPIR Cliffhangers music:

[KrisW73]

[quote name=\'Mike Tennant\' date=\'Jun 26 2003, 12:24 PM\']
If someone could oblige by explaining what "We're close as a quarter after three" means, I'd appreciate it!

 [/quote]
 Look at a clock with hands at quarter after three...

[Mike Tennant]

[quote name=\'KrisW73\' date=\'Jun 26 2003, 01:51 PM\']Look at a clock with hands at quarter after three...[/quote]
Ahhhhh. . .I get it now.  Usually I'm pretty sharp with these kinds of things, too.  Thanks.

[tomobrien]

[quote name=\'tvrandywest\' date=\'Jun 26 2003, 09:49 AM\']After a fascinating conversation with the Oscar winning songwriting team Livingston-Evans (hundreds of compositions - everything from Doris Day's \"Buttons and Bows\" to the \"Mr. Ed\" theme!) Ray Evans mailed me an autographed copy of their original lyrics to.... TV's BONANZA theme! He writes: \"You are now one of the few people of the world to know that there are lyrics to BONANZA, and what they are.\" Did anyone know about this one? I sure didn't. It starts:

\"We got a right to pick a little fight,
Bonanza!
If anyone fights anyone of us
He's gotta fight with me.\"


Randy
tvrandywest.com[/quote]
If memory serves, the end of the 'Bonanza' pilot features the Cartwrights actually riding and singing the theme as they ride along.  (I can't recall if it's that exact theme or something similar to it.)  Hey, what else was there to do in the old West but ride around the range with your brothers, singing show tunes?

[tomobrien]

[quote name=\'MyronMMeyer\' date=\'Jun 26 2003, 01:10 PM\']The books you want for this are John Javna's TV Theme Song Singalong Song Book, Volumes 1 and 2.  These books will make you king of the trivia.

If Rhino Records hasn't done this compilation, they should.  Lyrical versions of instrumental theme songs.  I'd buy it.
[/quote]
Rhino did do a vinyl version of the Javna book years ago. It does have some of the vocal versions mentioned in previous posts (like the Arnaz \"I Love Lucy\") but most of them (like \"Hogan's Heroes\" and \"Leave it to Beaver\") are just instrumentals.

[DrBear]

This post is going to lose 90 percent of its effectiveness because I can't sing on this board - Work on this, Matt! - but I do remember seeing Rob Reiner on one of the late night talk shows - possibly Carson - singing the words to the theme from \"Lawman.\" Very dramatic.

Getting back to game shows very slightly...

Doesn't it seem that themes for game shows always seem to have one motif with a number of beats matching the number of syllables in the show's title: Example, \"Swingin' Safari\" for
The Match Game, The Match Game, The Match Game, The Match Game...\"

or the four-note fanfare for TPIR or even the eight-note dramatic motif for \"Millionaire\"

So even without lyrics, the thought is there.

[SRIV94]

[quote name=\'tvrandywest\' date=\'Jun 26 2003, 09:49 AM\']After a fascinating conversation with the Oscar winning songwriting team Livingston-Evans (hundreds of compositions - everything from Doris Day's \"Buttons and Bows\" to the \"Mr. Ed\" theme!) Ray Evans mailed me an autographed copy of their original lyrics to.... TV's BONANZA theme! He writes: \"You are now one of the few people of the world to know that there are lyrics to BONANZA, and what they are.\" Did anyone know about this one? I sure didn't. It starts:

\"We got a right to pick a little fight,
Bonanza!
If anyone fights anyone of us
He's gotta fight with me.\"[/quote]

So that I don't step on anyone's toes by quoting things without permission, I bring this website to everyone's attention:

http://ponderosascenery.homestead.com/lyrics.html

While it shows the lyrics that Randy posted from Ray Evans (albeit at the end rather than at the beginning), it also shows a set of lyrics that I seem to recall hearing a Lorne Greene recording of at one time or another.  Not saying this is the definitive authority (in other words, not necessarily Dr. Reason A. Goodwin), but I found it interesting nevertheless.

Doug

[uncamark]

Now, this begs a question.  I Dream of Jeannie has two themes -- one for the first season, and one for seasons 2-5.  Which one has lyrics?
---
I believe they both do.  Gerry Goffin and Carole King wrote the first one, which seems to imply that there were lyrics, though I haven't been able to find them anywhere.

Dave Mackey, who I tend to trust more on these sort of things, says that a gentleman named Richard Wess wrote the first season theme, not Goffin and King.  As far as we know, no lyrics (although the first part of the theme seems like it was written for someone to sing \"Jeannie, Jeannie...\").

[mmb5]

[quote name=\'DrBear\' date=\'Jun 26 2003, 03:37 PM\'] Getting back to game shows very slightly...

Doesn't it seem that themes for game shows always seem to have one motif with a number of beats matching the number of syllables in the show's title: Example, "Swingin' Safari" for
The Match Game, The Match Game, The Match Game, The Match Game..."

or the four-note fanfare for TPIR or even the eight-note dramatic motif for "Millionaire"

So even without lyrics, the thought is there. [/quote]
 I always thought this on two others: Break the Bank ('70s) and Now You See It.  Johnny O helped out by attempting to put Now You See It in rythym.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'mmb5\' date=\'Jun 26 2003, 03:46 PM\'] I always thought this on two others: Break the Bank ('70s) and Now You See It.  Johnny O helped out by attempting to put Now You See It in rythym. [/quote]
 The Millionaire fanfare HAS to have been written with The Phrase in mind. Just HAS to be.

As for NYSI, remember that \"Chump Change\" was originally used on \"The New Bill Cosby Show\" and released on a Quincy Jones album before it was tapped for NYSI. So I think that is just a case of fortunate happenstance.

[PeterMarshallFan]

If you've ever heard the crappy alternate NYSI theme that was only used for one week in 1975, that's quite blatantly got the title in its music.


Now you see it...now you see it....now you see-e it....Now you see it....Now you see it...Now you see-e it...

[Brandon Brooks]

[quote name=\'mmb5\' date=\'Jun 26 2003, 05:46 PM\'] So even without lyrics, the thought is there. [/QUOTE]
I always thought this on two others: Break the Bank ('70s) and Now You See It.  Johnny O helped out by attempting to put Now You See It in rythym. [/QUOTE]
That's weird too, especially since \"Chump Change\" was made a while before NYSI was thought of.  But when they found the right song, it was unmistakably fitting.

EDIT: Chris beat me to this statement... by about an hour.  Oops.

Brandon Brooks

[bossjock967]

I have one of a different sort...

The theme to American Bandstand was originally composed by Les Algart and Charlie Albertine, and was and instrumental.  It was used on the show from the fifties to 1969, then again in the 70s.

Then around 1975, Barry Manilow took the theme, and wrote lyrics to it almost 20 years later.  He recorded it, then Mr. Clark decided to use THAT theme for the opening and closing to Bandstand until the late 80s.

A

[trainman]

[quote name=\'DrBear\' date=\'Jun 26 2003, 01:37 PM\'] Example, "Swingin' Safari" for
The Match Game, The Match Game, The Match Game, The Match Game..." [/quote]
 We won't lose our way, learn
The rules and Gene Rayburn
Will have to agree
If Goodson and Todman
Will give us the nod, then
It's Match Game '73!

For what it's worth, the \"Bonanza\" lyrics were also quoted on \"Mystery Science Theater 3000,\" although I assume Joel Hodgson et al. learned them from the aforementioned \"Cheers\" episode.

[tvrandywest]

[quote name=\'SRIV94\' date=\'Jun 26 2003, 03:42 PM\'] While it shows the lyrics that Randy posted from Ray Evans (albeit at the end rather than at the beginning), it also shows a set of lyrics that I seem to recall hearing a Lorne Greene recording of at one time or another.  Not saying this is the definitive authority (in other words, not necessarily Dr. Reason A. Goodwin), but I found it interesting nevertheless.

 [/quote]
 Ray's got 'em in a different order than that site alright, but it's the same lyrics. They could easily have been transposed somewhere along the line. The sheet music marked copyright 1959 has 'em as Ray gave 'em to me. But no big deal.

Among Ray and his partner Jay Livingston's stories include how their theme for \"Mister Ed\" was first rejected because the vocalist and arranger had taken such liberties with their original. Confident in their work, Jay then sent a simple demo of the song with him singing to demonstrate how they they intended it to sound. THAT is the version (yes, the demo sung by the composer) that you hear on the show.

Among my travels I also came across this ditty from composer Howard Greenfield (Neil Sedaka's partner in hitmaking through the 60's, and co-author of the Captain and Tenille's \"Love Will Keep Us Together\":

\"Bewitched, bewitched,
You got me in your spell.
Bewitched, bewitched,
You know your craft so well...\"

And for bonus points, can you name the classic sitcom that featured an instrumental theme song that was originally written with these lyrics:

\"Well now, take down the fishin' pole
and meet me at the fishin' hole.
We may not get a bite all day,
but don't you rush away....\"

:-)

Randy
tvrandywest

[GS Warehouse]

[quote name=\'tvrandywest\' date=\'Jun 26 2003, 10:27 PM\'] "Well now, take down the fishin' pole
and meet me at the fishin' hole.
We may not get a bite all day,
but don't you rush away...." [/quote]
 [buzzes in like an excited FtM contestant] I got it!

The Andy Griffith Show!