"Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale" of a time when television shows began with awesome TV Theme Songs. "Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name" and sometimes you want to go back to when TV Theme songs were special. "Here's a story... of a lovely" time when TV Theme Songs served to identify, distinguish and set the stage for the television program that followed. "You take the good, take the bad, take them both and there you have" what unfortunately has become a lost artform. "Believe it or not", sadly it seems no effort or pride is taken in the TV Theme Song ever since Seinfeld proved a short synth-bass riff could be used instead. “Schlemiel! Schlimazel! Hasenpfeffer Incorporated!” This regular feature may not "make all our dreams come true", but it will remember some of the best TV Theme Songs from years past (with a focus on the '80s decade). "Come aboard, we're expecting you."
This time we will cover the theme song for Bosom Buddies. "I don't need you to worry for me 'cause I'm alright. I don't want you to tell me it's time to come home. I don't care what you say anymore this is my life. Go ahead with your own life leave me alone." The sitcom premiered in November of 1980 on ABC and ran for just 2 seasons (37 episodes) ending in March of 1982. In case you were not aware, Bosom Buddies is about two guys who disguise themselves as women in order to live in an affordable female-only apartment building and the misadventures that coincide with their efforts. The show is notable for starring a young Tom Hanks prior to his 1984 movie breakouts in Splash and Bachelor Party. Previous to Bosom Buddies, Hanks had a small role in a forgettable slasher film (He Knows You're Alone) released in August of 1980 and an appearance on The Love Boat which aired in October of 1980. His charisma was evident right from the start as was his chemistry with the show's co-star Peter Scolari. Who would have thought that one of the greatest movie actors of our time got his start dressing in drag on a television sitcom? Bosom Buddies started out with relatively strong ratings, but that didn't last and the show was cancelled after just two seasons.
The theme song chosen for the series is "My Life" by Billy Joel. This song was originally released in 1978 as a single from Joel's 52nd Street album. It peaked at #2 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart that fall and then made it to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January of 1979. I am not sure how producers secured "My Life" to be used for Bosom Buddies and also not sure why they wouldn't have used Billy Joel's rendition. I am assuming it would have been even more expensive to use Joel's voice, so the show used a re-recorded version with a singer named Gary Bennett as the vocalist and Mike Lucas on piano. The singer sounds somewhat similar to Billy Joel and I don't think I ever realized at the time that it wasn't Billy Joel performing it, but I can definitely tell the difference listening to it now. Either way, it makes for a pretty awesome television theme song and you can hear it yourself in the opening credits for Bosom Buddies featuring "My Life"...
However, due to licensing issues "My Life" does not appear on the VHS and DVD releases of Bosom Buddies, nor was it used in the show's syndicated airings. In both of those cases, it is replaced by a vocal version of the show's closing instrumental theme, "Shake Me Loose", sung by Stephanie Mills. Again, not sure how they were able to use it originally or exactly why that stopped, but at least they got to use this fun song for this fun show while they did. "I still belong. Don't get me wrong. You can speak your mind but not on my time. I don't care what you say anymore this is my life. Go ahead with your own life leave me alone."
Hope you enjoyed tuning in for another "episode" of TV Theme Songs!