The 1980s did not only have great television shows, but the decade also had great theme songs to match. The TV theme songs of the 1980s reflected the outrageous musical styles of the time with hard-hitting, synths, screaming guitars, and all-around over-the-top arrangements fitting the shows they were soundtracking.
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Below are 8 hit TV theme songs from the 1980s.
1. Magnum P.I. – “Theme from Magnum P.I.“
For the first nine episodes of Magnum P.I., a mid-tempo jazz piece by Ian Freebairn-Smith was used as the opening theme. It was soon replaced by the typical action-packed ’80s-tinged tune, featuring a more upbeat sound by TV theme gurus, Mike Post and Pete Carpenter.
2. Full House – “Everywhere You Look”
Everywhere you look, everywhere you go / There’s a heart, a hand to hold onto / Everywhere you look, everywhere you go / There’s a face of somebody who needs you / Everywhere you look, plays the infectious chorus of “Everywhere You Look,” the theme song to Full House.
When the show first aired in 1987, it wasn’t just the Tanner family who stole our hearts, the program’s tune did too. The show saw a reboot in 2016 by way of Fuller House, and pop singer Carly Rae Jepson redid the iconic song.
3. Cheers – “Where Everybody Knows Your Name”
Making your way in the world today / Takes everything you’ve got, goes the Cheers theme, one tinged with melancholy, riddled with hard luck, but also teaming with a sense of camaraderie. It perfectly soundtracks the show about a beloved watering hole and its favorite barflies.
4. Reading Rainbow – “Theme From Reading Rainbow“
Who said an educational children’s show couldn’t have a bop as its theme song? While the show went through three different versions of its theme song, the original, which was used from 1983 until 1998, was arguably Reading Rainbow‘s best.
Sung by Tina Fabrique, her animated lilt was the perfect attention grabber to pair with the show’s vivid opener.
5. Knight Rider – “Theme From Knight Rider“
The ’80s action-crime-drama series, Knight Rider, was nothing without its space-age theme full of otherworldly synths and a dramatic build. The tune was composed by Stu Phillips and Glen A. Larson, who reportedly used over five different synths to achieve the distinct sound.
6. MacGyver – “Theme From MacGyver“
The action-adventure television series, MacGyver, had a thrilling theme to match each gripping episode. Composed by Randy Edelman, the tune is a lot like the character, MacGyver, himself. It opens in a contemplative spell of dead-focused keys before exploding into a powerful adventure-packed symphony.
7. The Golden Girls – “Thank You for Being a Friend”
Before “Thank You for Being a Friend” became a television staple, it was a hit by artist Andrew Gold. It wasn’t long, however, before the tune and four retirees ruling Miami became inseparable.
8. Miami Vice – “Miami Vice Theme”
Speaking of Miami, there is no TV theme more quintessentially ’80s than the one that soundtracks Miami Vice. The tune housed all of the era’s trademark sounds—screaming power chords, canned drums, and synths galore.
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