These are some of mine, although I used to love these shows and now watching them would hardly pique my interest except for old times sake, the theme songs have only gotten more powerful. And it's hard to imagine how much more meaning and quality these songs have than compared to anything out today. Guess that's my age speaking now. Why I remember the good old days when...
Perfect Strangers
Late nights(9-10pm) as a kid in Saudi Arabia, one of the few shows that tickled me silly. I think the very first mention of the show on previews I didn't think too much of it. It was only afterwards I learnt of the jovial, upbeat shenanigans of Balki Bartakomoos whose journey to America to start a new life with his cousin Larry Appleton would entertain me to no end. The Mepeote's non-standard beliefs, mannerisms, not to mention his heavy accent miraculously switching to Californian surfer dude, contrast, yet amalgam comically, with his cousin's straight-laced, by the book demeanor. The result? Ah the stuff of great television. Here's its great theme song.
Full House
This is used to be a staple during the holy month of Ramadan as a special seasonal show. Occurring only once a year during the holy month, it ran for a few seasons and I guess the Saudi controllers deemed it wouldn't get more air time. Mind you this G rated, and below probably, show was often censored to kingdom come, making even a commercial-less version seem long in comparison. The shortest shows lasted well under 10 minutes with Saudi censorship rendering it less whole than Swiss cheese and the viewers wondering if several shows were Frankensteined together or if there were severe gaps in the storyline. Anyway here's the full length theme song which has clips from the intros of most seasons woven in.
Cheers
Now I'd only watched a handful of shows or less and know of a few heavy hitters who've either hit it big after this show or had already attained it by then. The off-shoot Frasier was a successful franchise and what I know of either is very very little. The theme song though has always had a strong draw for me. Lyrics like these truly resonate to the core of your being, the sense of belonging and relinquishing your worldly pangs is universal. This is the full theme song from the 200th show; the short version that usually aired can be found here [ link ]The list is rounded up with everybody's favourite - Friends, arguably the most popular sitcom of the mid 90's and early noughties. The synergy of Chandler's pithy sarcasm, Joey's lascivious yet pure and lovable nature, Monica's anal quirkiness, Ross' non-apologetic geeky chic, Rachael's stylish, demure, next-door-girl like persona, and Phoebe's super off-beat, wildcard, non-standard repertoire, was a match mix elixir of consummate comedic wit and timing. Each character complemented the others in a sort of on-screen magic that entertained countless viewers for a decade. The only spin-off of the series, Joey, didn't receive much recognition. The theme is yet another gem of epitome and wisdom, but I doubt it's quite hit nostalgia status.
