7 Very ‘70s TV Theme Songs

The 1970s were an expansive time for American television. There was the gradually increasing diversity in casts, gritty detective tales, socially conscious Norman Lear series, the female “jiggle factor” of shows like Charlie’s Angels, Fantasy Island, and Three’s Company, and the rumblings of a sci-fi revolution to come. Theme music of the time reflected these varied formats.

The following very ‘70s TV themes list was not curated simply based on popularity. These selections represent aesthetics that reflect the musical styles of the decade. We’re nixing previously released songs and focusing on original music done for the shows, and avoiding as much cheese as possible.

Battlestar Galactica

In the wake of the massive success of Star Wars, the small screen struggled to compete with that visual scale, particularly in terms of budget. The ambitious Battlestar Galactica only lasted one season and then spawned the tepid follow-up Galactica 1980. But the grandiose orchestral theme from composer Stu Phillips certainly stuck in a lot of people’s minds, influenced other themes, and was echoed in Bear McCreary’s “Colonial Theme” for Syfy’s 2004 reimagining which was a rare example of a remade series outdoing the original.

CHiPs

CHiPs certainly has one of the most disco-riffic themes of the late ‘70s period where disco dominated the zeitgeist. Part of that has to do with the chirping synth line that cuts through the beginning and end. It’s not only one of the most remembered TV themes of the decade, it’s typical of a lot of the instrumentation of the time—a cross between a rock and big band aesthetic. It was a silly show, but that tune sticks with you. However, John Parker’s original take for Season One, arranged by Alan Silvestri, was more languid and pedestrian in execution. It’s a good thing he funked it up for Season Two!

The Jeffersons

Both The Jeffersons and Good Times had exuberant gospel theme songs, and the former arrived a year after the latter hit the airwaves. Ja’net DuBois, who portrayed Jeffersons series regular Willona Woods, wrote and sang the opening song “Movin’ on Up,” which tied into the social trajectory of the family climbing the social ladder. (By contrast, Good Times focused on a less affluent family in public housing.) DuBois later released three solo albums: Queen of the Highway (1980), Again, Ja’Net DuBois (1983), and Hidden Treasures (2007). Her Jeffersons song is so iconic that Jeff Goldblum sang it in an Apartments.com commercial that aired during Super Bowl 2016.

The Rockford Files

Mike Post and Pete Carpenter’s Grammy Award-winning theme to The Rockford Files is unusual in that it has three distinct sections driven by different instruments—a cool synth line melody in the first, harmonica in the second, and guitar and congas in the third—before reprising the opening section. Keyboards became more common to TV scores by the mid-1970s, and quirky analog settings made certain sounds stand out. This is one of the most memorable small screen themes of that decade. Season Two is our preferred take.

Space: 1999

This British series had a rough interstellar ride during its two seasons. The first season focused on smart, cerebral science fiction with a slower pace, but given the expense of the show and the less than stellar ratings, producers jettisoned some of the cast, “upgraded” the set, and delivered a zippier theme song from Derek Wadsworth. The show subsequently lost its luster, even if it was more commercial. Barry Gray’s Season One intro is the more epic (although Wadsworth’s is pretty good too). It contrasts orchestral fanfare with a gnarly electric guitar line, and it was unlike anything else you heard on television then. It’s far out, man.

Starsky & Hutch

Here’s a tale of two themes. Six-time Oscar-nominated composer Lalo Schifrin created memorable TV intros like Mission: Impossible, Planet of the Apes, and Mannix. His first-season theme to Starsky & Hutch theme has an ominous orchestral flavor, while the entirely different second season take by Grammy-winning composer and jazz virtuoso Tom Scott has a funky swagger to it. The latter is the most well-known and best of all (Mark Snow did a more standard theme for the third season), but the first two make for an interesting contrast.

WKRP in Cincinnati

Soft rock made its way into a number of television themes from ‘70s shows like M*A*S*H, Alice, and Welcome Back, Kotter. Tom Wells and Hugh Wilson’s sprightly WKRP In Cincinnati song, with a touch of melancholy in its lyrics, is perhaps the most memorable and befits a show about radio station misfits who transform their station from talk to rock and try to make it stick.

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