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Author Topic: Remembering the think music better than the theme song  (Read 7485 times)

ActualRetailMike

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Remembering the think music better than the theme song
« on: April 01, 2014, 07:32:37 PM »
How many game shows can you think of where the "think music", or even the music from another cue, is remembered better by most people than the main theme?

The definitive example is Jeopardy!.  Few people, other than GS fans, seem to remember the theme music from the Art Fleming years.  Indeed, when "Take Ten" was played as a clue on a Trebek show, none of the contestants recognized it (though granted it was not the original, probably just a MIDI arrangement).  But so many people remembered the think music, that when J! was revived in 1984, they used a “jazzed up” version of it as the main theme. Ironically, they continued to use the exact same think music arrangement from the original show until 1996, I think.

One reason that think music might be remembered better is that unlike theme music, it's typically played start to finish, and without any host or announcer’s voice or audience noises.  In some cases, and especially over time, viewers might remember the think music as the show's theme; I read somewhere that was exactly why J! chose as they did.

Other game shows where I remember the think music better than the theme music:

  • The Who What or Where Game - I remember hearing a complete different version of this think music at least once, mostly  on acoustic guitar.  Someone said that they quickly returned to the original music after enough viewers complained.
  • $128,000 Question - a sort of creepy piece IMHO
  • You Bet Your Life - hosted by Groucho Marx
  • Sale of the Century (Jack Kelly, maybe Joe G. as well.)  The “think” part wasn’t to answer a question, but to decide on a prize.  The “music” was sort of a repeater: "BOONK-a-binka BOONK-a-binka..." with each BOONK being a camera cut to a different prize, cycling around the 3 (or was it 4?) prizes.

An example of a different cue taking center stage in viewer memory would be The Dating Game.  Everyone seems to remember the intro cues of “Whipped Cream” for women and “Spanish Flea” for men, both by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass.  What's impressive about these is the fact that they never played more than a few bars of either, and that the host was always talking over it.  Heck, a reference to the latter even made it into the second Beverly Hills Cop movie. TDG did have think music for when they decided which bachelor/ette they were going to pick, but I don’t remember that being typical “catchy” GS music, more like easy listening or background music.  I’m also not sure that their think music was consistent across shows; did they once use an instrumental cover of “Michelle” by The Beatles?  But again, few seem to remember the two DG themes; Chuck Barris’ in the 60s-70s, and that other jazz one used in the later ‘70s (syndicated?) run.
« Last Edit: April 02, 2014, 10:54:09 PM by ActualRetailMike »

ActualRetailMike

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Re: Remembering the think music better than the theme song
« Reply #1 on: April 02, 2014, 11:03:42 PM »
Just made an edit -- I incorrectly listed the host of "You Bet Your Life" as Jack Benny.  Actually, the honor went to Groucho Marx.  And it seems that the think music is actually Groucho Marx's theme, and has lyrics:
"Hooray for Captain Spaulding! The African Explorer!"

thewhammy_2000

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Re: Remembering the think music better than the theme song
« Reply #2 on: April 02, 2014, 11:52:39 PM »
Maybe Millionaire during those upper tier questions.
Maybe Match Game with all those cues after Gene says a question.
Maybe original Twenty One (I remember humming that thinking cue a few times before).

BrandonFG

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Re: Remembering the think music better than the theme song
« Reply #3 on: April 02, 2014, 11:57:10 PM »
I'd say Match Game is prolly the best example outside of Jeopardy...
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Thunder

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Re: Remembering the think music better than the theme song
« Reply #4 on: April 04, 2014, 01:37:13 AM »
This topic is right in my wheelhouse because I love music theory, timing and time signatures. I also love mentally analyzing any music to determine the rhythmic patterns.

All of the Tier 2 & 3 "think music" cues during the clock era of "Millionaire" - The composers were able to keep the distinctive style of the original untimed cues and also add a countdown timer tick into the music pattern. All of the cues also had a very audible crescendo as the clock neared zero. On the "Fastest Finger" think music, you may not have noticed that every 8 sixteenth notes (which were duplicated twenty times) was timed for 1 second.

"Weakest Link" - Space-type music with plenty of open space with lots of time on the clock. However once the clock got down to 60 seconds, you got an strong audible timer click on the downbeat with the crescendo. Key changes at the 30 second and 15 second mark intensified it.  It could have been mixed better for weird times like 1:50 or 1:20, as the editing made the music clash some. The time's up part of the music did seem to completely bust in out of nowhere.

I love this topic.

I do have a side question: On "Millionaire" & "Weakest Link", were the contestants able to hear that music as they played the game or was it added in post-production? Since the composers built some timer clues into the melodies, it seem it would help contestants that knew that in their gameplay.

chad1m

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Re: Remembering the think music better than the theme song
« Reply #5 on: April 04, 2014, 01:49:05 AM »
On "Millionaire" & "Weakest Link", were the contestants able to hear that music as they played the game or was it added in post-production?
Modern Millionaire plays the underlying "heartbeat" portion of the music, to allow post-production editing without jarring musical changes. I can't answer for the clock version, however.

DjohnsonCB

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Re: Remembering the think music better than the theme song
« Reply #6 on: April 04, 2014, 02:31:38 AM »
To this day, if I have to time something for 10 seconds, I always use the music from the Vin Scully version of It Takes Two as the couples were writing down their answers.
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PYLdude

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Re: Remembering the think music better than the theme song
« Reply #7 on: April 04, 2014, 03:05:51 AM »
On "Millionaire" & "Weakest Link", were the contestants able to hear that music as they played the game or was it added in post-production?
Modern Millionaire plays the underlying "heartbeat" portion of the music, to allow post-production editing without jarring musical changes. I can't answer for the clock version, however.

I'll vouch. I could hear the music as well as the time's up horn but not as loudly.

For some reason during the runthrough I think they turned the volume up for the round two questions. Don't quote me on that.
« Last Edit: April 04, 2014, 01:25:40 PM by PYLdude »
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vtown7

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Re: Remembering the think music better than the theme song
« Reply #8 on: April 04, 2014, 05:51:10 PM »
On "Millionaire" & "Weakest Link", were the contestants able to hear that music as they played the game or was it added in post-production?
Modern Millionaire plays the underlying "heartbeat" portion of the music, to allow post-production editing without jarring musical changes. I can't answer for the clock version, however.

I saw the clock version in s8 in studio - the first five questions didn't have the background music, but starting with the second tier we could hear it.
Ryan.

WhirlieBird74

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Re: Remembering the think music better than the theme song
« Reply #9 on: April 05, 2014, 12:11:00 AM »
I always liked the seven-second think music, when a team called for a conference on 'The Cross-Wits'.   8)

SRIV94

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Re: Remembering the think music better than the theme song
« Reply #10 on: April 05, 2014, 02:17:41 PM »
How about the Who's Who? music on WML?  (Which itself was the HSSS theme.)
Doug
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Jay Temple

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Re: Remembering the think music better than the theme song
« Reply #11 on: April 06, 2014, 06:18:22 PM »
I should probably know this, but HSSS = "He Said, She Said"?
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Prizes

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Re: Remembering the think music better than the theme song
« Reply #12 on: April 06, 2014, 10:02:10 PM »
I should probably know this, but HSSS = "He Said, She Said"?

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Don Howard

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Re: Remembering the think music better than the theme song
« Reply #13 on: April 07, 2014, 05:02:58 AM »
I've been hearing that 3Ws cue ever since reading the OP. Thanks for that.

I should probably know this, but HSSS = "He Said, She Said"?

No, one of Pat Hodgins' pets.

Ha!  :'(

SRIV94

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Re: Remembering the think music better than the theme song
« Reply #14 on: April 07, 2014, 10:58:10 AM »
I should probably know this, but HSSS = "He Said, She Said"?

That is what I intended.
Doug
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"When you see the crawl at the end of the show you will see a group of talented people who will all be moving over to other shows...the cameramen aren't are on that list, but they're not talented people."  John Davidson, TIME MACHINE (4/26/85)