"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 Double Dare. The kids game show premiered on Nickelodeon in October of 1986. The original Double Dare series hosted by Marc Summers ran for 482 episodes ending in February of 1993. I remember loving this show at least the first few seasons and especially enjoyed the physical challenges and the ending obstacle course. The show took the green slime originally introduced on You Can't Do That on Television to the next level helping it become a trademark for Nickelodeon as a whole. The theme song for Double Dare does not stand out like many others do, but for those who watched the show regularly, hearing it can certainly transport you back to the '80s in an instant.
All of the original Double Dare music was composed by Edd Kalehoff (coincidentally, he also created the theme for the 1976 unrelated version of the Double Dare game show) and was basically kept the same throughout the show's run with only some minor changes. From 1986 to 1988, the music had a synth lead. Then, from 1988, starting with Fox's Family Double Dare and the second half of the syndicated run of Double Dare, all of the music was remixed with a horn lead. In addition to his Emmy-award-winning updated and expanded theme for ABC’s Monday Night Football, Kalehoff's work includes themes for The Price is Right (1972-present), Card Sharks (1978-1988), ABC World News Tonight, Good Morning America, Nightline, Nightly Business Report, The View, 48 Hours, four Super bowls and much, much more including commercials and local news programming.
Here is the opening for an early Double Dare episode from 1986 featuring the theme song...
Here is the opening for another Double Dare episode this time from 1988 featuring the theme song...
Then here you can hear the Double Date theme song variation that starts with the horns...
It's pretty cool to know the same guy who came up with The Price is Right theme song also created the Double Dare theme song. Both are iconic game shows of my childhood.
Hope you enjoyed tuning in for another "episode" of TV Theme Songs!