Matt Fishel • Run With Me

I have to giggle at myself sometimes. I was about to type in that I have been a fan of Matt Fishel for a long time, and when I look at the young man on the cover of his latest release, 'Cover Boy', I realize he is still young. But I have been a fan for a couple of years, since first discovering his music. I gobble up his music like it was candy, making me a very happy camper.

And that would include his latest album, a real aural treat. And he had a new music video out for the single "Run With Me", his cover of the theme song from the children's television show, 'The Racoons'. In fact, the video is a compilation of footage from the show, for which permission was generously given to Matt from series creator Kevin Gillis. The song, written by Gillis with Jon Stroll and Steve Lunt, instantly brings back warm memories to those who watched the show during the late 1980s. I hope you enjoy Matt's cover of "Run With Me" and the video featuring it.

I must admit I never saw the show, but I still get the fun and love Matt brings to the song. "Run With Me" can be found on Matt Fishel's 'Cover Boy', which can be found on iTunes and Amazon. To learn more about Matt Fishel, visit his official website. You can also follow him on Twitter and 'like' him on Facebook.

Top TV Theme Songs

Clockwise: Cast of Friends, M*A*S*H*, Cheers, and Hawaii Five-O.

Just last year, Rolling Stone Magazine published a Reader's List of their favorite TV Theme Songs ever, and it is an interesting list. As it turns out, the readers picked the top four series, which debuted in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, a nice cross section. In fourth was the show with the most recent debut, Friends, which debuted in 1994 and ran until 2004. In 1989, Phil Solem and Danny Wilde formed The Rembrandts. In 1995, they released "I'll Be There For You" off their album titled LP. The song was a last-minute entry on the album, for it was written by Friends co-creators David Crane and Marta Kauffman, composer (adnn Kauffman's husband) Michael Skloff, songwriter Allee Willis, and Phil Solem and Danny Wilde of The Rembrandts. The song was offered to other bands before the Rembrandts recorded it for the show. It quickly became quite popular, so Solem & Wilde recorded a full-length version, which went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks. Here is The Rembrandts with the cast of Friends performing "I'll Be There For You".



In the third spot was a song that truly surprised me. However, there is no mistaking in the first few bars what show was going to be starting when Johnny Mandel's "Suicide Is Painless" started to play. The song was written for the movie version of M*A*S*H*, directed by Robert Altman. Johnny Mandel wrote the music, and the lyrics were written by Altman's 14-year-old song, Mike Altman. The song was sung over the credits for the movie by a group of session singers. However, I think the song became most known as an instrumental playing over the credits for the television show, which debuted in 1972 and completed the run in 1977.



In 1958, a bunch of boys got together to start a band. They loved rock music, and wanted to make cool instrumentals. They named themselves The Ventures, and had quite the career going. They made what was referred to as "Surf Rock," and remained popular throughout the 1960s. In 1968 they had the biggest hit of their career, and could thank television for it. They recorded the theme song for Hawaii Five-O, which debuted in 1968 and ran until 1980. The Venture's recorded the theme song written by composer Morton Stevens, and it went to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. The show was started a new run in 2010, and utilize the same theme song for the new version, although it has been rerecorded to update the sound a bit. Listen to the unforgettable rock beat of the Hawaii Five-O Theme song, the #2 song in the Rolling Stone reader's poll!



The top song in did not surprise me in the least. If I were to mention the name of Gary Portnoy, I bet many, including myself, might not know who that was. But if I say he was a singer/songwriter who was often tapped to write TV themes, you still might not know. But if I mentioned her wrote the theme to Mr. Belvedere, Punky Brewster, and the #1 song on the Rolling Stone magazine Readers Poll, "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" from the show Cheers, which debuted in 1982 and ran until 1993, I bet everyone will nod their heads. That song, written by Portnoy and Judy Hart Angelo, was everywhere. It is interesting to note that while many have called it the greatest theme song ever, it was the fifth song given to the producers of Cheers by Portnoy and Angelo. And the rest, they say, is history.



Hope it brought back some good memories!

TV Theme Songs

Sometimes, life is kinda funny. I remember being very young and watching the shows in this post, and just loving them. They were situation comedies that focused on rural life, often poking fun of visiting city folk. At the same time, they also gently poked at the country folk as well. At the time, I was living in the suburbs of Philadelphia, but soon, the family was going to move to a rural area of Delaware.



The whistle that begins The Andy Griffith Show is iconic. You hear it, and it conjures up images of a man and son with fishing rods on their shoulders, walking down a country lane. Andy and Opie. A boy and his Paw. The show debuted in 1960 and ran through 1968. It starred Andy Griffith as Sheriff Andy Taylor and a very young Ron Howard as his son Opie. Andy was a widower, so he lived with his elderly Aunt Bea, who was able to look after Opie, cook the meals and do the cleaning. Don Knotts played the bumbling deputy, Barney Fife. They lived in a mythical town, Mayberry, North Carolina. It was a town filled with characters and crackpots, and the occasional drunk.



And, lest we forget, Mayberry also had a mechanic at the local gas station. Looking for more in his life, this Mayberry resident signed up for the armed service. His name, you ask? Gomer. Gomer Pyle.



Yes, the title character of Gomer Pyle, USMC was first a part of The Andy Griffith Show before getting his own spin off. Gomer was a country bumpkin, often finding it tough going in the Marine Corps. It didn't help that Sergeant Cater seemed to always be there to scream and yell at the young man. The show debuted in 1964 and ran until 1969.



The next show was one of two shows set in the fictional farming town of Hooterville, in some Midwestern state. While both shows focused on the life of the main families, there were several cross-over characters who appeared in both shows.



The first show found it's center in a hotel on the outskirts of Hooterville. A widow ran the Shady Rest Hotel with the help of a hapless elderly uncle Joe and three beautiful daughters, named Billy Jo, Betty Jo and Bobby Jo. Yes, that was the premiss of Petticoat Junction. There was the steam train that ran next to the hotel, and the trips to town to visit Drucker's Store, and the handsome crop-duster. The show debuted in 1963 and aired the final episode in 1970.



But it was not the only situation comedy to call Hooterville home. In fact, while not exactly a spin-off, the second show featured many of the same charming characters and locations.



Green Acres told the story of Oliver and Lisa Douglass, residents of Manhattan. It seems Oliver always had a yen to be a farmer, and after a successful law career, he decides to pick up his roots and move to Hooterville to make that dream come true. His socialite wife, Lisa, was not very excited about the move. They also made trips to Drucker's Store to purchase goods from Sam Drucker. And the show also introduced America to Arnold, the pig. Arnold was adopted by the Ziffels, the neighbors of Oliver and Lisa. The show debuted in 1965 and continued on through 1971.



These shows all debuted while I was just a child, truly amused by the broad comedic stylings they offered. Just hearing the theme songs warms my heart still.

Early Sci-Fi Theme Songs

In preparation for the return of Doctor Who on BBC America this Saturday night, I thought I would post about some of my earliest memories of TV Science Fiction. I've been a fan of the genre for almost as long as I can remember, and the following were some of my earliest experiences.



Although The Addams Family ran for only two seasons, from 1964 to 1966, I still get a rush when I hear the opening bars of the theme song. With the harpsichord and the finger snaps, all things seemed possible. In many ways, I think Morticia was the first Gothic Princess, and Gomez was the first to combine the suave with the dork. The series celebrated the outsiders, with a magical, mystical quality.






The the opening bars of the theme, you knew Bewitched was on, and a good time would be had by all. The show also premiered in 1964, but ran for 8 seasons, finishing out in 1972. The show ranged from heartwarming family drama to high camp, with Paul Lynde, Dick Sargent, Alice Ghostley, and the biggest drag queen ever on TV, Agnes Moorehead. And, of course, the gorgeous Elizabeth Montgomery in the bewitching lead, as well as playing the campy cousin. Oh, what a show this was!





The Munsters also debuted in 1964, and like The Addams Family, only lasted 2 seasons. There were other similarities as well. Many thought of the Munsters as the working-class versions of the Addams family. People on this one worked for a living, despite the fact they were witches, warlocks, vampires, Frankenstein monsters, well, you get the idea. While Morticia Addams was a bit of a sexy siren, Lily Munster was a Mom, a real caretaker. And the outsider in this family was niece Marilyn, the blond beauty seen as having unfortunate looks by the Munsters.





Well, I think that Lost In Space was my first real Sci-Fi show, with the space travel, robots, and the out-of-control computers. And, of course, it had the gayest man on TV this side of Paul Lynde, Dr. Smith. (Well, except for the fact the actor playing the role was not gay) But the Robinson family traveled through space with the cool robot, Dr. Smith, and hunky Major West! I was ready to sign up!



Hope you enjoyed another trip down memory lane, I know I did! And don't forget, Doctor Who returns this Saturday night on BBC America!

Saturday Morning Theme Songs

Well, I took a look at some of the shows with some interesting theme songs from my childhood, and it occurred to me that I could do the same with some of the early programs I would watch, Saturday morning cartoons. As I was putting this together, I discovered some of them were not just morning programs, but began as prime time animated programs!



However, Underdog is a show that began as a Saturday morning morality play. It was Superman, with the good winning over evil, truth and justice and all that, only in a cartoon format, with a dog. And I remember really laughing at it! It started running in 1964.






The next show is so very interesting, as the theme song had both an abstract and a jazz feel to it, well beyond the grasp of the child watching. But I remember the song as being cool cause it was different. And the show, Hoppity Hooper, was great, because there was a talking frog! This show also began it's run in 1964.






The Jetsons started running in 1962 as a prime time animation, and I loved every minute of it. The theme song started me laughing, and I didn't stop until it was over. When you think about it, it still influences pop culture, like when people still imitate Astro the Dog and say "Ruh Roh, George." Great stuff!






For some time, Bugs Bunny anchored the broadcast network of Looney Tunes, a great cartoon block that included some of the greatest cartoons ever. But Bugs made his television debut in 1960, when he would headline the prime time program that showed the short films that appeared in the movie theaters, and he would tie them all together for the audience.



I hope they bring good memories for you, for they most certainly do for me.

Great Video - Manoeuvre

OK, this just makes me smile without stopping. Manoeuvre, the Gay Men's Chorus of Amsterdam, does a medley of songs from television shows. I recognized some, not all, but it still just made me happy. Could be the theme from the Muppett Show that makes me so damn perky.

You can learn more about the Gay Men's Chorus of Amsterdam by clicking here.