Guitar-based TV Theme Tunes

Dontgiveupyourdayjob

Favourite more recent one - Better Call Saul



I've often thrown it in when doing a line check at gigs, just to see people's reactions!

Bennyboy-UK

Thundercats.

jimification

25 years later - I can't believe this hasn't been mentioned yet!

Also Blackadder II

tone1

My favs are…

1. Better Call Saul - Little Barrie 
https://youtu.be/5AI44gnaLxY?si=zSCqmx1TE9vFrS5I

2. Kids in the hall - Having an average weekend by Shadowy men on a shadowy plant 
https://youtu.be/cmU3FYlRZNM?si=X-za2fzvpSDIUEd4

swiller

MARVlN

I don't think anyone's mentioned it, but the first that came to mind was TOTP - CCS's recording of Whole Lotta Love.

Having just read Wiki I'm surprised how little of its history did actually have a that as a theme tune (i.e. not from 1981 - 1997 at least), yet I associate it so closely (and I was born in the 90s...).

https://youtube.com/watch?v=c9GS3SofhdU  

KevS

Star Cycle by Jeff Beck for Music programme The Tube..

Run like Hell by Pink Floyd for Scotsport..

The Funky Guitar Intro from Grange Hill..

The Tune for Murphy's Mob by Gary Holton.

Weekend World ..Quartz covering Mountain's Nantucket Sleighride..

robinbowes

KevS said:

Star Cycle by Jeff Beck for Music programme The Tube..

Run like Hell by Pink Floyd for Scotsport..

The Funky Guitar Intro from Grange Hill..

The Tune for Murphy's Mob by Gary Holton.

Weekend World ..Quartz covering Mountain's Nantucket Sleighride..

The World In Action theme has a very similar feel, although doesn't use guitars:

skunkwerx

Well.. theres been a tv show of it.. so therefore Halo 2... 
Gotta be the greatest theme tune to ever exist! 

Think it was Steve Vai who did it.
https://youtu.be/Qz7EhV4t4Es?si=ODqLZqps7XjeQYFq

InactiveX

KevS said:

Star Cycle by Jeff Beck for Music programme The Tube..

Run like Hell by Pink Floyd for Scotsport..

The Funky Guitar Intro from Grange Hill..

The Tune for Murphy's Mob by Gary Holton.

Weekend World ..Quartz covering Mountain's Nantucket Sleighride..

The Grange Hill theme is called Chicken Man, and was written by Alan Hawkshaw. He also did the Countdown theme.

Some great responses here, so thank you everybody.

paulnb57

TFI Friday

Teyeplayer

swiller said:

I’ve a few mates in a country band who play this because it pisses the Stetson wearers off. 

guitarjack66

Roland said:

This is what started me wanting to play guitar. The realisation that I could play melody and accompaniment at the same time:
https://youtu.be/dXpO7FiYOeE

Hammy Hamster and chums are a real blast from the past for me.

InactiveX

I used to think, as a small boy, that the melody sound on the Rainbow theme was really cosy. I figured out a good few years later that it was an electric guitar (2mins 28secs in):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15_q-UxEI7I 

Some more good'uns: Cheggers Plays Pop:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xrx-bPgYUjI 

Arena (by Brian Eno):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GuzqPEcx5Q

guitarjack66

KevS said:

Star Cycle by Jeff Beck for Music programme The Tube..

Run like Hell by Pink Floyd for Scotsport..

The Funky Guitar Intro from Grange Hill..

The Tune for Murphy's Mob by Gary Holton.

Weekend World ..Quartz covering Mountain's Nantucket Sleighride..

I had no idea that Gary Holton did the Murphy's Mob theme. Every day is a school day. Well it was back then!

HerrMetal

Litterick

Howard Roberts on guitar for the Twilight Zone theme.

Litterick

Cleveland Rocks, Ian Hunter

Teflon

Neil said:

Here it is. 

Great tune and that keyboard adding the creepy effect. 

Nitefly said:

Man of Mystery, I think, @Teflon ?  I had a Shadows e.p. with Apache, FBI, The Stranger, and Man of Mystery, when I was about 12 or 13 - brilliant!

Thanks for correcting my link Neil, much appreciated 

Nitefly: yes, released as "Man of Mystery" that same year by The Shadows. The tv tune was originally orchestral, but was then given the guitar arrangement at around the same time as The Shads version came out.  

Philly_Q

KevS said:

Weekend World ..Quartz covering Mountain's Nantucket Sleighride..

Are you sure it's Quartz's cover?  They didn't record/release it until 1980 and Weekend World had been on for years before then.