It’s not just complex characters and incredible writing that make for an unforgettable TV show. Rather, the tone is set before any of that enters the picture, when the first few notes of the theme song begin to play.
Over the years, some songs have become inextricably linked to certain shows, while the artist behind other theme songs may come as a surprise to viewers.
Whether a song was written and recorded for the sole purpose of a series or was perfectly plucked off an album to complement the story, there’s no doubt that a great track elevates a show,
Keep reading for five of the most memorable theme songs ever.
Fiona Apple – “Container” (The Affair)
Showtime revealed that Fiona Apple‘s track, “Container,” would be the theme song of The Affair, before the series debuted on the network in October 2014.
Apple revamped the previously unreleased track for the series, Entertainment Weekly reported.
What Apple came up with inspired the visuals for the title sequence, according to the series’ co-creator, Sarah Treem.
“We built the title sequence around Fiona’s song,” Treem revealed on X. “The idea that actions have ‘echoes’ or unforeseen consequences became crucial to both of us.”
In a statement to Pitchfork, Treem added, “Fiona Apple has been my favorite songwriter since I was sixteen. I am honored and humbled that she has chosen to lend her talent to our opening title sequence. If our show can approach one tenth of the depth and complexity of her song, I’ll be very happy.”
Gavin DeGraw – “I Don’t Want To Be” (One Tree Hill)
Gavin DeGraw‘s “I Don’t Want To Be” was the theme song for the first four seasons of One Tree Hill. Released in July 2003 on DeGraw’s freshman album, Chariot, the song made its OTH debut two months later.
When the teen drama jumped ahead four years at the start of its fifth season, the show nixed the song from its opening credits.
“It’s interesting about the theme song. Not only is it costly—and that never sort of drives what we do creatively, but I think fans don’t understand that there’s money on the table every time they hear the theme song,” creator Mark Schwahn told BuddyTV in 2008. “That sounds like a bulls**t producer response, too, but that’s a part of it because every year our budget is pretty challenged.”
“Knowing that, when I looked at the jump ahead, the four year jump, I felt like ‘I Don’t Want To Be’ was very much an anthem for their adolescent lives,” he added. “It was very much about who am I going to be and who am I and who am I going to be someday. Not to mention that it was 42 seconds of screen time that I knew I could use for story.”
That wasn’t the end of the song’s appearance on the show, though. The song was featured in the opening credits for season 8, though it was sung by various artists. DeGraw did perform the track two times on the show—for a season 5 episode and on the series finale.
Joan Jett – “Reputation” (Freaks & Geeks)
“Bad Reputation” soundtracked the cult classic series, which was the title track of Joan Jett‘s debut album in 1980.
Freaks & Geeks ran for only one season between 1999 and 2000, but Jett’s music perfectly encapsulated the teenage angst the series is about.
“I think a lot of people feel… like they’re misunderstood,” Jett told SiriusXM in 2020. “People, they’re pissed about it, and they like having a song that they kind of really get into and cheer.”
Carole King – “Where You Lead” (
)
Carole King released “Where You Lead” as part of her album, Tapestry, in 1971. Nearly three decades later, Gilmore Girls decided to use the track in its opening sequence.
It wasn’t King’s original recording of the song that appeared in the teen series, though. Rather, King teamed up with her daughter, Louise Goffin, to rework and rerecord a new version of the track. The move was a nod to the series, as it focuses on the mother-daughter relationship between its two main characters.
“For the new recording, the vocal mics were set up in the room that used to be my laundry room. My mom sang, ‘If you’re out on the road, feeling lonely and so cold’ and then she recorded all her chorus melody parts,” Goffin recalled in a 2016 essay. “When it was my turn to go in the laundry room/vocal booth to sing, ‘All you have to do is call my name and I’ll be there on the next train,’ it felt so easy and comfortable, like I could sing it as easily as breathing. Here I was, working with my family, singing in my house in Laurel Canyon, and life was good.”
Regina Spektor – “You’ve Got Time” (Orange Is the New Black)
Before Orange Is the New Black‘s Netflix premiere in 2013, the streaming service tapped Regina Spektor to pen a new song for its women’s prison-set series.
“I listened to Regina’s albums obsessively while writing the series,” creator Jeni Kohan told Entertainment Weekly. “So I immediately thought of her for our theme song.”
“You’ve Got Time” was the song that Spektor wound up writing and performing to great praise. It even earned her a GRAMMY nomination for Best Song Written for Visual Media.
“It was mostly just that and thinking about the idea of what it must be like to be in prison and the different states of mind,” Spektor told BuzzFeed of her inspiration for the track in 2013. “One of the things she told me when we had lunch that first time was that it might be really cool to use ideas that obviously come to your mind if you’re thinking of somebody in prison. It wasn’t anything super duper out of the ordinary.”
Featured Image by Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock
Local News
