by K. Thor Jensen
Mike Post. Neal Hefti. Mack David. These men, and others like them, have been responsible for some of the most enduring musical compositions of all time. And yet, their names are virtually unknown outside a small circle of cognoscenti. These are the men who create the theme songs for television shows - those picture-perfect jewels of tunecraft that rattle through our heads, unbidden, prompted by Proustian memory-biscuits. Stop anybody on the street and we'd bet they can sing you at least a dozen TV themes, from The Golden Girls to Bonanza and everywhere in between. Truly they are a part of our national collective unconsciousness, like Paul Bunyan and the Jersey Devil. In this article, we run down the eleven most enduring - a titanic task, no doubt. But using complex algorithms and precise measuring devices, we are confident in saying that these truly are the Best TV Themes of All Time.
