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JESUS FUCK theme tunes

Started by touchingcloth, July 30, 2020, 07:05:57 PM

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Captain Z

I think the Phoneshop stings/music (I think I'm right that the show never has an opening theme, and the closing theme each episode is a different piece of intentially obnoxious EDM/hip hop/grime) suit the show perfectly. They are, for the most part, records that were out at that time, and exactly what you imagine someone like the ESK (IMO) would listen to.

Also, It never struck me that the MBB theme was particularly bad until I recently watched S1 and 2 for the first time, where the theme is longer and has that much more 'chat show' ending. Even though it's only the ending that's different, the jzuzzed up version for S3 seems much more suited to the show.

jobotic

The original Peep Show theme is a million times better than whatever that lads britpop wank song is that replaced it.

Bingo Fury

To me, the original Peep Show theme tune has always sounded like library music that got stuck on there as a placeholder till something came along that better suited the mood of the show. It's the difference between "Yes! Peep Show's starting!" and "Oh, Peep Show's on. May as well watch it."

Brundle-Fly

#33
Quote from: petrilTanaka on July 31, 2020, 03:21:04 PM
there's a whole slew from the 80s and 90s that insisted on throwing in That Fucking Sax. fuck UP and shut it OFF

The most shrill sax usage of all time has to be the theme to Animal Hospital. Makes the tinny The One Show trumpet parps sound like Herb Alpert at his most velvety.

olliebean

Quote from: Bingo Fury on July 31, 2020, 09:44:22 PM
To me, the original Peep Show theme tune has always sounded like library music that got stuck on there as a placeholder till something came along that better suited the mood of the show. It's the difference between "Yes! Peep Show's starting!" and "Oh, Peep Show's on. May as well watch it."

All the best themes are library music. What's your beef with library music?

Blue Jam


Blue Jam

Quote from: Bingo Fury on July 31, 2020, 09:44:22 PM
To me, the original Peep Show theme tune has always sounded like library music that got stuck on there as a placeholder till something came along that better suited the mood of the show.

It is:

https://youtu.be/lVLJ0-mYy5g

Works well for the stings though!

Lisa Jesusandmarychain

Poor old Sweaty the Dog and Tinseltown the Snake. Their dispatch shown not once, but twice, the second time as stings to separate Mark and Jez's misadventures. :(

Blue Jam

Oh FFS, I am a fat-handed twat:

https://youtu.be/v_qXZg_Kl-g

Pip Pop Plop by The Daniel Pemberton TV Orchestra.

Cuellar

Quote from: petrilTanaka on July 31, 2020, 03:21:04 PM
there's a whole slew from the 80s and 90s that insisted on throwing in That Fucking Sax. fuck UP and shut it OFF

Counterpoint: Bottom theme tune (don't know if that counts as That Fucking Sax, but it's absolutely excellent SAX used in an almost perfect way).

petril

Quote from: Cuellar on August 01, 2020, 12:57:34 PM
Counterpoint: Bottom theme tune (don't know if that counts as That Fucking Sax, but it's absolutely excellent SAX used in an almost perfect way).

oh Bottom is perfect use of sax in a theme that fits perfectly with the tone of the piece, so not That Fucking Sax

That Fucking Sax is just thrown into a more upbeat theme for seemingly no real reason

JaDanketies

I found some old CD I burned when I was a teenager and it had some theme songs on it that I thought were bangers when you listened to the full song, and I might have had a point

Jackass full theme
Malcolm in the Middle full theme

Honourable mention for Remember You're a Womble, which wasn't the theme but sounds like a folk-punk ELO

Cuellar

Quote from: petrilTanaka on August 01, 2020, 08:07:29 PM
oh Bottom is perfect use of sax in a theme that fits perfectly with the tone of the piece, so not That Fucking Sax

That Fucking Sax is just thrown into a more upbeat theme for seemingly no real reason

Right, good.

dissolute ocelot

If we're doing annoyingly bad TV themes as opposed to ones that just set your teeth on edge inexplicably, University Challenge. It's the least convincing attempt at a classy sophisticated piece of music: plinky twiddly ugh. I think earlier versions were less bad too.

Only Connect tries hard to compete in the awfulness but nothing can match UC. And someone mentioned QI (never look back!) - what is it with intelligent TV and terrible music.

Catalogue Trousers

Yeah, the original University Challenge theme, while basically the same piece of music, is orchestrated entirely differently. It opens with a big, jolly kettle-drum roll - brrrrrrrrrrmmmmmm - before segueing into gleefully pealing bells - bing bong bing! - and chipper, jaunty, brass-led melody. You can squint a little (aurally speaking), and almost hear it as the theme for some Indoor League-type amateur sports show, rather than a battle of the Big Brains. It's a lot more enjoyable than the pseudo-classic variation, that's for sure.

peanutbutter

Back when I binged One Foot in the Grave that theme very quickly started to wind me up. I think it's probably largely to blame for how people associate the show with much more dated sitcoms too.

Quote from: EOLAN on July 31, 2020, 11:15:04 AM
Orange is the New Black theme has me leaping for the skip intro button everytime.
For sure, both immediately grating and will annoyingly get stuck in my head for days if I hear more than a few minutes.

Quote from: JaDanketies on August 01, 2020, 08:13:34 PM
Malcolm in the Middle full theme
Fantastic 30 second theme song, the full thing could never hold up

JaDanketies

the Family Guy theme tune got annoying faster than the programme itself

since my earlier post, I have discovered that Remember You're a Womble was recorded by Brotherhood of Man, which makes it less cool

purlieu

Quote from: Captain Z on July 31, 2020, 05:22:08 PM
Also, It never struck me that the MBB theme was particularly bad until I recently watched S1 and 2 for the first time, where the theme is longer and has that much more 'chat show' ending.
Oh fucking hell I hate that bit. It makes it all seem really wacky.

Quote from: peanutbutter on August 03, 2020, 06:27:26 PM
Back when I binged One Foot in the Grave that theme very quickly started to wind me up. I think it's probably largely to blame for how people associate the show with much more dated sitcoms too.
It's those first four notes. Another wacky motif that really grates.

Quote from: Blue Jam on August 01, 2020, 11:33:11 AM
Oh FFS, I am a fat-handed twat:

https://youtu.be/v_qXZg_Kl-g

Pip Pop Plop by The Daniel Pemberton TV Orchestra.
Who has recently scored the likes of Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse and Birds of Prey.


The correct answer to this is obviously Star Trek: Enterprise.

gilbertharding

Amazed no-one (as far as I can see) has mentioned Seinfeld.

The *slap bass* always gets mentioned as being the reason lots of people can't even bring themselves to watch the show. These people are idiots, and I shun them.

Of course the theme tune to Seinfeld is... well, it's awful, isn't it? But can't you see - it's supposed to be.

Jerzy Bondov

Quote from: Brundle-Fly on July 31, 2020, 09:48:28 PM
The most shrill sax usage of all time has to be the theme to Animal Hospital. Makes the tinny The One Show trumpet parps sound like Herb Alpert at his most velvety.
I love the Animal Hospital theme. I'm thinking of buying a sax and standing on my doorstep blasting it out, really get the neighbourhood jumping.

BeardFaceMan

Quote from: gilbertharding on August 05, 2020, 09:59:08 AM
Amazed no-one (as far as I can see) has mentioned Seinfeld.

The *slap bass* always gets mentioned as being the reason lots of people can't even bring themselves to watch the show. These people are idiots, and I shun them.

Of course the theme tune to Seinfeld is... well, it's awful, isn't it? But can't you see - it's supposed to be.

Why's that?

The usual Seinfeld theme is Mozart compared to the little experiment they did with adding backing singers to it. Skooby do beep heeeeeeeeey!

gilbertharding

Quote from: BeardFaceMan on August 05, 2020, 10:19:04 AM
Why's that?

I don't know the reason - but if it wasn't *supposed* to be bad, why is it so consummately, utterly horrible?

I mean, I don't mind it myself (it's over quite quickly), but it is evidently so awful people can pronounce its awfulness like it's some kind of revelation, and wear it like a medal.

"Seinfeld, with its terrible theme tune," has become a handy litmus - a hack, boring, learned opinion - and if it's the first thing someone mentions on the subject, you can safely shun them from that point on.

Yeah, it was odd that they drew the line at backing singers.

olliebean

"Jerry Seinfeld liked that it was annoying" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGa1brzAP6o

Also from this, the somewhat alarming revelation that the theme was freshly recorded for every single episode, to fit in with the rhythms and cadences of the particular bit of stand-up he was doing. (Presumably this doesn't apply to the later episodes when they dropped the stand-up intros and outros.)

notjosh

I like the Seinfeld theme, it's well catchy. Feel like a lot of people slag off slap bass because it's fashionable to do so, whereas only the truly hip (me and a few others) understand that it's cool and great.

BeardFaceMan

Quote from: olliebean on August 05, 2020, 11:09:45 AM
"Jerry Seinfeld liked that it was annoying" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGa1brzAP6o

Also from this, the somewhat alarming revelation that the theme was freshly recorded for every single episode, to fit in with the rhythms and cadences of the particular bit of stand-up he was doing. (Presumably this doesn't apply to the later episodes when they dropped the stand-up intros and outros.)

The thing that blew my mind was finding out it's not a slap bass, but played on a keyboard.

Quote from: BeardFaceMan on August 05, 2020, 12:03:13 PM
The thing that blew my mind was finding out it's not a slap bass, but played on a keyboard.

See, this is why I don't like the theme. Cos it sounds MIDI as fuck. Like an N64 game soundtrack.