"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 Webster titled "Then Came You". "Set in my ways, losing track of the days..." Webster debuted in September of 1983 and ran for six seasons and 150 episodes on ABC. It starred Emmanuel Lewis as the title character who lost both of his parents and was then adopted. The sitcom was originally supposed to be titled Then Came You, but producers decided to change the name at the last minute before the pilot aired. So, that is where the show's theme song received its title from.
"Then Came You" was written by Steve Nelson and one of the show's writers/producers Madeline Sunshine. Nelson went on to write theme songs and scores for Disney television shows including Darkwing Duck and The New Adventures Of Winnie-the-Pooh. The choice was made to have Steve Nelson actually perform the theme song himself along with a little-known singer Gail Lopata Lennon. The song focuses on the idea of the unexpected addition to their family and how they thought they were happy before, but then came Webster into their lives. Here are the opening credits of Webster featuring “Then Came You” performed by Steve Nelson and Gail Lopata Lennon…
The show had several similarities to another successful sitcom (also with an awesome theme song), Diff'rent Strokes. But Webster definitely had its own story to tell and was an entertaining sitcom in its own right. I remember watching it especially during the first few seasons and I remember always liking the catchy theme song, too. "Never thought forever was the best I could do. Then came you."
Hope you enjoyed tuning in for another "episode" of TV Theme Songs!