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 The Smurfs. "La la la la la la. Sing a happy song. La la la la la la. Smurf the whole day long." The Saturday morning cartoon series debuted on NBC in September of 1981 running nine seasons and 258 episodes (425 segments). The Smurfs became quite the phenomenon in the '80s while becoming one of the most successful and longest running Saturday morning cartoons in television history.
In international (non-American) markets, the show used a different theme song "The Smurfy Way", but those of us in the U.S. recognize the traditional "The Smurf Song" (or sometimes called "The La La Song"). I am not exactly sure why they chose to have different theme songs for the openings other than the fact the Smurfs had already been popular in the late-70s in Europe before Hanna-Barbera launched the cartoon series here. The U.S. theme song was written by Hoyt Curtin who was the primary musical director for the Hanna-Barbera animation studio for the majority of the years from its beginnings in 1957 until his retirement in 1986. In addition to The Smurfs, Curtin was the composer of many of the Hanna-Barbera cartoons' popular theme songs, including The Flintstones until 1981, Top Cat, The Jetsons, Jonny Quest, Super Friends, Josie and the Pussycats, and The New Scooby-Doo Movies and all its spinoffs until 1986.
Much of "The Smurf Song" is sung in unison, but there are a few solo lines given to Papa Smurf, Grouchy Smurf and Smurfette along with a solo trumpet by Harmony Smurf. It also features the evil Gargamel spouting, "Oooooo I hate Smurfs! I'll get you, I'll get all of you if it's the last thing I ever do!" Most kids who grew up in the '80s can sing along to this song and, though some find it annoying, it always brings a smile to my face. Here is the opening for The Smurfs featuring "The Smurf Song"...
"La la la la la la. Now you know the tune. You’ll be smurfing soon." Sorry if this gets the song stuck in your head because it's almost impossible to avoid that once you hear it. Have a smurfy day!
Hope you enjoyed tuning in for another "episode" of TV Theme Songs!