TV Themes that made the charts

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Not nonsense like that dreadful version of the Eastenders theme that Anita Dobson released. But actual TV themes that made the charts just because, well, they were clearly popular at the time.

I'm thinking The Rembrandts "I'll be there for you", and "Bob the Builder". Any others? Was "Suicide is Painless" a hit before MASH or the other way round? Dennis Waterman and "I could be so good for you"?

[Snake Plissken]

Does Crockett's Theme count?

"That's Living Alright?" got to #3

Sure the Minder Theme made it. (*Googles* No 4 in 1980.)

[elguapo4]

"Eye level " by the Simon Park orchestra reached number 1 in the UK. It's better known as the theme to Van der Valk.

[Discordant Resonance]

Chai Mai from the Life and Times of David Lloyd George.

[Sean of the Shed]

Ennio Morricone's theme from The Life and Times of David Lloyd George.
The theme from Van der Valk.

[Snake Plissken]

Dexys wrote the theme for Brush Strokes and "Because of You" got to #13.

Ian Dury's theme for the Adrian Mole series "Profoundly in love with Pandora" got to #45.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

Eye Level (the theme from Van Der Valk), Simon Park Orchestra, UK No.1, 1974
Chi Mai (from The Life and Times of David Lloyd George), Ennio Morricone, UK No.2, 1981

Suicide is Painless was originally released on the back of the MASH movie but was only a UK hit towards the end of the TV series' run.

(that additional detail cost me the race, I see)

[longeared]

Theme From Harry's Game by Clannad.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Does Crockett's Theme count?

I am humming it now.

[Hot Orange]

I bought the theme tune to The Kit Curran Radio Show, Ultra Fantastico, sung by the star of the show, Denis Lawson, but Wikipedia tells me it didn't chart - outrageously - so it doesn't qualify for this thread. Sorry to trouble you

[elguapo4]

"Sailing " by Rod Stewart was the theme to a BBC documentary series following life on HMS Ark Royal.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

Mike Oldfield's version of the Blue Peter theme, No. 19, 1979
Falling (from Twin Peaks), Julee Cruise, No. 7, 1990

[Benjm]

Mike Post's Hill Street Blues theme was a minor hit in the early '80s. The full length version veered off into jazz funk noodling to diminishing effect.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

And then yer TOTP themes

Yellow Pearl, re-released after becoming the theme, No. 13, 1981/1982
The Wizard, Paul Hardcastle, No. 15, 1986
Whole Lotta Love, CCS, No. 13, 1970 (but might have charted before being used as the theme)

[Discordant Resonance]

Songs of Love (the Father Ted theme) was never released as a single, but its album, Casanova, did reach No 24 in the UK Indie Charts.

[jwdd27]

"On The Inside" by Lynne Hamilton got to #3 in 1989, 10 years after she'd recorded it as the theme to Prisoner (a.k.a Prisoner Cell Block H).

It's a decent sad love song IMO, and its Wiki tells me that, like all great songs, it was knocked off in a Sunday afternoon afer the songwriter's publisher had a lunch on the Friday, where he was told they'd got the music for Prisoner sorted, but they'd listen to a song if they got it to them on Monday.

[jwdd27]

Also:

The Big Brother theme by Paul Oakenfold and Andy Gray t/a Elementfour, #4 in 2000.

Hi Ho Silver by Jim Diamond (the theme from the inexplicably popular Boon), #5 in 1986.

and last, and least, and also inexplicably popular, Nick Berry got Heartbeat to #2 in 1992.

[tee rex]

Banana Splits!

[Nocturnal Submission]

If it wasn't, it should have been:

[Amor de Cosmos]

There are sloughs (slews?) of these. Just US top 40 from the Olden Days. Here's a few of the biggest:

Duane Eddy made a bit of a living re-recording TV themes and kicking them up the charts. Henry Mancini had taken The Peter Gunn Theme to #8, Duane then twanged it to #27. Two years later Duane came back with The Ballad of Paladin. The theme from 'Have Gun, Will Travel.'

Johnny Rivers took the Theme from Secret Agent Man (better known as 'Danger Man' in the UK to #3. His biggest hit, and very likely the biggest for it's writer PF Sloan of Eve of Destruction fame.

The Batman Theme was recorded by everyone and his brother, but its biggest initial chart success was by surf band The Marketts (Out Of Limits). It made #17.

The Ventures took Hawaii Five-O to #8

But the biggest, and probably longest lasting, US TV theme to chart is Welcome Back Kotter by John Sebastian. Who I'm certain, made more money out of it than he did from the entire Lovin' Spoonful catalog. #1 and in the Top 40 for eleven weeks.

[ursus arctos]

"Slews" in the informal North American usage

[Amor de Cosmos]

Cheers. 'Slough' is one of those words whose pronunciation often defeats me. Sluff, Slew, Sloff...?

[ursus arctos]

I think it depends on the usage

"sluff" off, "sloo" for the wetland, but Slau, Berkshire

[loosehandlebars]

"Soul Limbo" was a UK (#30) and US (#17) hit for Booker T and the M.G.'s on release in 1968. Best guess is that it was first used to introduce the cricket by the BBC for the England v Pakistan test series in 1971.

[ursus arctos]

Do you know if the Beeb ever played the whole thing?

It's less than three minutes, but I listened to it through for the first time not so long ago and had never heard the bridge