Huge Pop Hits That Were TV Show Theme Songs
By MIKE FLOORWALKER
Entertainment
Believe It Or Not
The TV series "The Greatest American Hero" earned a Primetime Emmy nomination for its theme song "Believe It or Not," co-written by Mike Post and Joey Scarbury.
The song — a tune about falling in love that handily doubled as a metaphor for becoming a superhero — was an unexpected smash, peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard chart in 1981.
Welcome Back
John Sebastian’s "Welcome Back" was written for an ABC series called "Kotter," but it was retitled "Welcome Back, Kotter" after the show’s producers heard his song.
The show made John Travolta a star, and it was a pop culture phenomenon — thanks in part to Sebastian’s wistful, expertly crafted "Welcome Back," which was a No. 1 hit in 1976.
Makin’ It
"Makin’ It" was the theme song from an extremely short-lived 1979 series of the same name. The disco-themed comedy was inspired by the 1977 film "Saturday Night Fever."
Although the series was a complete bomb, it starred a young man named David Naughton who earned an unlikely No. 5 pop hit with his performance of the theme song "Makin’ It."
Happy Days
The iconic TV series "Happy Days" expertly mimicked the pop hits of its 1950s era, including its theme song "Happy Days," which evoked the show’s idyllic 1950s setting.
The song was written by Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel, who knew their way around a catchy tune, as the theme song "Happy Days" soared all the way to No. 5 on the pop chart in 1976.
Dreams Come True
"Happy Days" spin-off "Laverne & Shirley" had its own iconic, Fox and Gimbel-penned theme song — "Making Our Dreams Come True" — sung by a then-unknown vocalist.
The No. 25 pop hit was performed by Cyndi Grecco, who was discovered by Fox and Gimbel while she was working as a summer performer at Valencia, California’s Magic Mountain.