"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 Too Close for Comfort. The sitcom debuted in November of 1980 running for six seasons and 129 episodes. The first three seasons aired on ABC and then it moved to first run syndication with season six even changing the show's name to The Ted Knight Show. The show ended in 1986 due to the passing of Ted Knight due to cancer. In addition to Ted Knight, the first five seasons of Too Close for Comfort also starred Nancy Dussault, Deborah Van Valkenburgh, Lydia Cornell and Jim J. Bullock.
The theme song for Too Close for Comfort was composed by Johnny Mandel. An accomplished composer/arranger, Mandel would receive 17 Grammy nominations for his work winning five of those awards. Many might recognize him best for another television theme song. Mandel composed "Suicide Is Painless" which is the theme song for the 1970 movie M*A*S*H as well as the TV series which ran from 1972-1983. Among his extension earlier work, Mandel also wrote the instrumental song titled "Devine Intervention" which plays in the 1980 film Caddyshack while Bishop Pickering plays golf in a monsoon with Carl as his caddy.
The M*A*S*H theme is iconic, but I feel the Too Close for Comfort is underrated as far as instrumental theme songs go. Here is the opening for Too Close for Comfort featuring the theme song...
As mentioned here several times before, I generally prefer television theme songs with lyrics/vocals, but there are definitely a handful of them that are just instrumentals which I also consider truly special. I wouldn't call this one truly special, but it definitely is deserving of remembering it here.
Hope you enjoyed tuning in for another "episode" of TV Theme Songs!