Incidental music

A Million Dreams

Discoverypending merge approval with WarnerMedia to form Warner Bros. Discovery

It’s simple: each episode only has a certain amount of time to tell its story, and an extra-long theme song cuts into that time. Having said all of this, though, it’s probably occurred to you that there are a few outliers — modern shows that feature traditional theme songs, complete with lyrics, just like old times.

TV networks became convinced that opening titles gave the audience time to tune out before a show began. The idea was to jump right into the next show as quickly as possible. It was the death knell for both opening title sequences and theme songs.

52 of the Best TV Theme Songs Ever, from ‘Golden Girls’ to ‘The Wire’

• ‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ Song: “Yo Home to Bel-Air” by Will Smith.
• ‘The Office’ Song: “The Office Theme” by The Scrantones.
• ‘Cheers’
• ‘Golden Girls’
• ‘Gilligan’s Island’
• ‘The Jeffersons’
• ‘The Brady Bunch’
• ‘A Different World’ (Seasons 2-5)

32 Inspirational Songs that Keep You Motivated for Life

• Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You) – Kelly Clarkson.
• Don’t Stop Believing – Journey.
• Ain’t No Mountain High Enough – Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell.
• Save the World – Swedish House Mafia.
• Skyscraper – Demi Lovato.
• Get up Stand up – Bob Marley.
• You’re Beautiful – James Blunt.

There’s really nothing better than a good television theme song….

1. “Laverne & Shirley”
2. “Facts of Life”
3. “The Jeffersons”
4. “Hawaii Five-0”
5. “Cheers”
6. “Welcome Back, Kotter”
7. “The Greatest American Hero”
8. “Diff’rent Strokes”

If you can think of other intros that top our selections, let us know.

1. The Jackson 5 – I Want You Back.
2. The Beatles – A Hard Day’s Night.
3. Marvin Gaye – Let’s Get It On.
4. Bruce Springsteen – Born to Run.
5. Diana Ross – I’m Coming Out.
6. Oasis – Wonderwall.
7. Prince – Let’s Go Crazy.
8. The Temptations – Papa Was A Rolling Stone.

Answer: As of 2019, Guinness World Records states that the longest officially released song was “The Rise and Fall of Bossanova,” by PC III, which lasts 13 hours, 23 minutes, and 32 seconds. The longest recorded pop song is “Apparente Libertà,” by Giancarlo Ferrari, which is 76 minutes, 44 seconds long.

“Xanadu” by Rush is an 11 minute song where the lyrics start at 4:59. “Roforofo Fight” by Fela Kuti is a 15 minute song where the lyrics start at 8:18. “April” by Deep Purple is a 12 minute song where the lyrics start at 8:49.

Top 10 Rock Songs with the Best Intro

1. Stay with Me – Faces.
2. For Whom the Bell Tolls – Metallica.
3. Sweet Child O’Mine – Guns N Roses.
4. Thunderstruck – AC/DC.
5. Stairway to Heaven – Led Zeppelin.
6. Time – Pink Floyd.
7. Blood Red Skies – Judas Priest.
8. Your Betrayal – Bullet for My Valentine.

AUSTIN, TX, USA — David DiDonato, a member of local band Modok and music instructor, broke the Guinness World Record after playing for 24 hours and 55 minutes at a local club called Red 7, setting the new world record for the Longest Guitar Solo, according to the World Record Academy: www.worldrecordacademy.com/.

The longest opening title sequence appears to be the Iranian TV show Zire Tigh at 3 minutes 21 seconds! The longest English-language title sequence I can find is Twin Peaks at about 2 minutes 36 seconds (thanks to Walt for pointing it out in the comments).

By Sun and Moon the standard intro is 30 seconds. The theme song to Deko Boko Friends is about three seconds long and contains only the lyrics “Deko Boko Friends!”.