The Top TV Theme Songs Of All Time: 1950s And '60s Edition

 Considered one of the most recognizable theme songs in TV history, the piece of symphonic R&B was originally titled "Park Avenue Beat." "The reason for that," composer Fred Stein told Emmy TV Legends, "was I conceived of Perry Mason as this very sophisticated lawyer ... and yet at the same time he's mixed in with these underworld bad guys." Stein said that at one point several seasons in, there was talk of replacing the theme, but "they relented, never changed it."

 Although many composers worked on music for The Twilight Zone (including Bernard Herrmann and Jerry Goldsmith), the "Main Title Theme" most associated with the show was written by French avant-garde composer Marius Constant. CBS commissioned Constant to create music for the series, though the guitar playing was courtesy of Howard Roberts, a session musician and jazz guitarist. It wasn't Roberts' first or last time working in the industry either. He also contributed acoustic and electric guitars to shows like I Love Lucy, The Munsters, The Odd Couple, Green Acres, I Dream of Jeannie and more.

 The show's ditty, "The Fishin' Hole," was written by Earle Hagen and Herbert Spencer, two composers who achieved fame in both the TV and film industries. The duo formed the Spencer-Hagen Orchestra in 1953, and continued working together on other early sitcoms like The Ray Bolger Show and It's Always Jan. The classic whistling heard in the Andy Griffith opening credits was done by Hagen, while the show's lyrics (which can be heard here) were written by Everett Sloane, who guest-starred as Jubal Foster in the Season 2 episode "The Keepers of the Flame."

 One of TV's very first "Explain the Premise" theme songs, the jaunty "Ballad of Jed Clampett" was written by producer Paul Henning and originally performed by bluegrass artists Flatt and Scruggs. A cut of the song, which schooled many of us on terms such as "Texas tea" and "black gold," topped Billboard's country singles chart for three weeks, and rose as high as No. 44 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1962.

 Not only was this rural comedy born of the success of The Beverly Hillbillies (as was Green Acres), its titular tune was likewise written by Paul Henning and performed by bluegrass artists Flatt and Scruggs. Kicked off by the chugga-chugga of the train the viewer is "riding" into the junction, the song and its flirty lyrics/visuals ("Lots of curves, you bet!" tees up nude sunbathing?!) perfectly set the mood for the light-as-air fare ahead.

 Most iconic finger snaps ever. Written and arranged by veteran film and TV composer Vic Mizzy (who also did the Green Acres song), the Addams Family theme uses heaps of harpsichord and percussion, in addition to actor Ted Cassidy's "Lurch voice." Though the track was popular enough to warrant a physical release, it failed to chart.

Another "Explain the Premise" theme song, "The Ballad of Gilligan's Isle" was written by series creator Sherwood Schwartz and George Wyle. The memorable tune underwent a slight yet meaningful tweak after Season 1, when series lead Bob Denver insisted that the lyrics replace the dismissive "...and the rest" with "...the Professor and Mary Ann," to give proper billing to the characters played by Russell Johnson and Dawn Wells.

 The instrumental track aptly titled "The Munsters' Theme" was composed and arranged by Jack Marshall, father of film producer and director Frank Marshall. The tune originally had lyrics, written by the show's co-producer Bob Mosher, though that version never aired on television. It was even nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition (other than jazz, of course), but lost to Henry Mancini's "The Pink Panther Theme."

 "Batman Theme," written by Neal Hefti, boasts a strong guitar hook reminiscent of spy film scores and surf music of the time. The periodic "Batman!" cries (of which there are 11) are performed by The Ron Hicklin Singers, which is comprised of a chorus of four sopranos and four tenors. The session singers were perhaps best known for being the real singers behind The Partridge Family's background vocals.

 Written and composed by Lalo Schifrin and literally ignited by the on-screen lighting of a sizzling fuse, the spy series' eponymous theme is one of the most iconic of all time, and lives on to this day via the Tom Cruise film franchise.

 Two versions of "(Theme from) The Monkees" were recorded. The first take was used for the group's self-titled album, and the second shorter cut was arranged for the TV show. Written by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, a songwriting duo who wrote many of the band's biggest hits, the track's vocals were re-recorded once the series was cast. Micky Dolenz, the group's singer/drummer, can now be heard monkeying around on the now-famous theme song above.

 Inspired by the song "Beyond the Blue Horizon" from the 1930 film Monte Carlo, composer Alexander Courage originally aimed to combine a vocalist, flute and organ to create an alien "What is that that I'm hearing?' sound," though series creator Gene Roddenberry's tinkering led to it sounding merely like a soprano soloist. "The show had to open with some kind of something or another...," Courage said. "Little did I know when I wrote that first A-flat for the flute, that it would go down in history,". "It's a very strange feeling." (Fun fact: the starship's passing whoosh! was Courage blowing onto a microphone.)

 Composed by Morton Stevens and recorded by the Ventures for the original 1968 series, this quick-tempoed theme with its very first notes evokes images of that giant blue wave; a shortened version was rerecorded for CBS' 2010 reboot. And yes, there have been versions with lyrics, performed by Don Ho, Sammy Davis Jr. and Bill Murray's SNL lounge singer character.

 The opening theme famously titled, "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" was written by Fred Rogers himself in 1967. Though the friendly, sweater-donning host didn't write every song used on the show, he sure did enjoy singing. The first three seasons of the show ended with "Tomorrow," written by his former colleague Josie Carey. Later, Rogers sang "It's Such a Good Feeling" and "The Weekend Song" to end the program.

 One of the most famous theme songs of the '60s, the eponymous title track was written by series creator Sherwood Schwartz and Frank De Vol. The song's lyrics explain the show's premise — that the Bradys were a blended family. By our (very unofficial) count, the opening credits, which separate the family by a three-by-three grid, look like the world's first-ever Zoom meeting. The song was originally arranged, sung and performed by Paul Parrish, Lois Fletcher and John Beland under the name the Peppermint Trolly Company. In subsequent seasons, the Brady kids took over all singing duties.

 Simply titled "H.R. Pufnstuf," the theme was written by Les Szarvas, though singer-songwriter Paul Simon is also credited. Simon successfully sued Sid and Marty Krofft, the show's creators and puppeteers, claiming the song too closely followed his track, "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)."

 "Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street?" is the oldest song in the Sesame Street repertoire. It debuted on November 10, 1969 when the show first premiered on public TV stations. The jingle was composed by Joe Raposo, who also wrote tunes for The Electric Company, Three's Company and The Ropers. And that snazzy harmonica? That's contributed by Jean "Toots" Thielemans, who spent a good chunk of his career playing with musicians like Dizzy Gillespie and Bill Evans in the '70s and '80s.

When HBO's Perry Mason takes on his first case, the occasion will not be heralded by the theme song so familiar to those who remember the original CBS drama.

TV's original take on the Perry Mason novels was punctuated by "Park Avenue Beat," a tune that swelled with swagger and became synonymous with the Raymond Burr-led procedural. And while truly original TV theme songs (let alone any with lyrics!) have fallen by the wayside in recent decades, dozens remain lodged in our memory. So TVLine thought to take a musical trip down memory lane, revisiting the best.

Based on U.S. series' premiere dates, we're starting off with a mash-up of the 1950s (which had a couple of top-shelf offerings) and the 1960s (an era that ushered in "Explain the Premise to Me" theme songs as well as an instrumental that boldly went where no theme song had gone before). Subsequent round-ups will tackle a decade at a time by moving on up with the Jeffersons... setting sail with love, exciting and new... visiting a bar where everyone knows your name... and hearing about how the Fresh Prince's life got flipped-turned upside-down.

We'll also learn that Rachel, Ross et al will always be there for us... take a slo-mo tumble with Don Draper... and cue up a second take on One Day at a Time. And for you fans of animated fare, there will be a special round-up bound to please your brain (...brain, brain, brain).

Review our selection of U.S. TV themes from the '50/'60s and vote for the very best/most effective ones in the Comments. (Or, click this link and vote!)