Tag: Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music

Masters of Horror Theme Song

2005-2007

This is for the Showtime original series.

I got a little curious when I saw (and was not familiar with) the Emmy Award-winning theme from the year Prison Break was nominated.

So anyway, here goes. The theme song for Masters of Horror was composed by Edward Shearmur, a sought-after British composer who scored for commercially-successful films such as Cruel Intentions, Charlie’s Angels, and K-PAX among others.

As previously stated, the theme song won the 2005 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music.

After much research, I can say with confidence that the song is not part of any commercial release. This also means it is not officially titled so we can generalize it as the “Theme from Masters of Horror” or something to that effect. What’s weird though, is that the franchise released two official soundtracks—Volume I and Volume II. The soundtracks contain nothing but heavy metal and rock songs from semi-popular and popular bands. Sucks. What about the theme?

Anyway, below is the official opening sequence featuring the Edward Shearmur song.

Stargate Atlantis Theme Song

2004–2009; also “SGA theme song”

Now on to the Stargate franchise.

Too bad Stargate Universe did not work out as expected.

Alright, let’s start. Stargate Atlantis lasted five seasons from 2004 to 2009. Throughout its run, it had one distinct theme song and similar but often-altered video opening sequences.

The theme song was composed by Joel Goldsmith. Although he composed music for the original Stargate SG-1, he did not compose its main title theme—more on this when I decide to post on the SG-1 theme.

Stargate Atlantis has an official soundtrack and it has the theme where it is simply credited as “Main Title”. In the disc, it lasts 1:06; it features all-original scores from Mr. Goldsmith.

What else? The song was nominated in 2005 for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music. However, it lost to the theme from Desperate Housewives. Also, the following was mentioned in a supplementary book for the DVD (I think), but it’s not a direct quote from the composer: “Goldsmith went for a more pastoral, European and Americana approach, while keeping the adventurous, symphonic approach the producers wanted.”

The theme and intro is very abundant in YouTube so let’s not be stingy here and embed all the versions from seasons 1 through 5.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmcZC0VbTiw

Oops, I realize some of them (plain links) are not embeddable.

Deadwood Theme Song

2004–2006

Let’s go David Schwartz all the way today.

Well, so I guess that’s it. Deadwood, that American Western drama series set in the 1800s, had its opening theme song composed by David Schwartz. Mr. Schwartz also happens to be the subject of our last two posts—Northern Exposure theme and Arrested Development theme.

The theme song was nominated in 2004 for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music. However, it lost to the theme from Monk (composed by Randy Newman).

While the opening song remained constant, the closing credits featured a different song in each episode. Most of the songs used in the closings can be seen in the official soundtrack. The soundtrack of course also has the opening song, credited as “Theme From Deadwood”, and lasts 1:34—same in each opening (no full/extended version).

Below is the epic opening credits.

Legend of the Seeker Theme Song

2008-2010

Are you guys familiar with Save Our Seeker? It is an ongoing campaign to, quite literally, save Legend of the Seeker. To date it has raised over $31,000.00 in donations. Quite impressive, huh?

Anyway, its theme song was composed by Joseph LoDuca, an award-winning composer who also made music for Xena: Warrior Princess, Leverage, and Spartacus: Blood and Sand among others.

“LOTS” (it’s right, don’t worry) won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series in 2009. This year, it was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music. It think those alone should merit an official soundtrack—it does not have one to this date.

Here’s a bonus. Below is one of those “part 1 of something” videos of complete episodes on YouTube. To view and hear the sequence/theme song, forward on to 0:52.

Monk Theme Song

2002-2009

I might have a mild case of obsessive–compulsive disorder as well.

There have been two theme songs in Monk‘s eight-season run. Season one uses a jazzy instrumental song composed by American composer Jeff Beal, and performed by guitarist Grant Geissman. The song won the 2003 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music.

Seasons two through eight uses “It’s a Jungle out There” by singer/songwriter Randy Newman. Why they changed an Emmy Award-winning song, I do not know. But get this, the song once again won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music in 2004. Talk about award-winning.

The same songs are paired in the closing credits—for the seasons using “It’s a Jungle out There,” an instrumental version is paired for the closing.

The Jeff Beal song is included in the original television soundtrack.

Monk theme song lyrics(It’s a Jungle out There)

It’s a jungle out there
Disorder and confusion everywhere
No one seems to care
Well I do
Hey, who’s in charge here?
It’s a jungle out there
Poison in the very air we breathe
Do you know what’s in the water that you drink?
Well I do, and it’s amazing
People think I’m crazy, ’cause I worry all the time
If you paid attention, you’d be worried too
You better pay attention
Or this world we love so much might just kill you
I could be wrong now, but I don’t think so!
‘Cause there’s a jungle out there.
It’s a jungle out there.

Watch & listen (Jeff Beal)

Watch & listen (It’s a Jungle out There)

All videos of this song seem un-embeddable. Watch in YouTube.

Downloads

Phineas and Ferb Theme Song

Whatcha doin’?

For some reason, I most often turn on the television on this program, and I’ve learned to love it.

The theme song for Phineas and Ferb was written and performed by a well-known American band, Bowling for Soup. The song is entitled “Today Is Gonna Be a Great Day.” It is said that the band originally wrote a slower, “classic Disney song,” but the network felt they needed to appeal to modern children, hence the conception of the rock/alternative version.

In 2008, the song was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music, but eventually lost to the Pirate Master theme.

Phineas and Ferb theme song lyrics

There’s 104 days of summer vacation
And school comes along just to end it
So the annual problem for our generation
Is finding a good way to spend it

Like maybe…

Building a rocket
Or fighting a mummy
Or climbing up the Eiffel Tower

Discovering something that doesn’t exist (Hey!)
Or giving a monkey a shower

Surfing tidal waves
Creating nanobots
Or locating Frankenstein’s brain (It’s over here!)

Finding a dodo bird
Painting a continent
Or driving your sister insane (Phineas!)

As you can see
There’s a whole lot of stuff to do
Before school starts this fall (Come on Perry)

So stick with us ’cause Phineas and Ferb
Are gonna do it all
So stick with us ’cause Phineas and Ferb are
Gonna do it all!
(Mom! Phineas and Ferb are making a title sequence!)

Watch & listen

Silk Stalkings Theme Song

1991-1999

Silk Stalkings was a crime drama series originally shown on CBS that portrayed the daily lives of two detectives who solved sexual crimes of passion. Sounds exciting.

Its theme song was composed by renowned television composer, Mike Post, which garnered it a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music in 1992.

Below is the theme song and original opening sequence.

Desperate Housewives Theme Song

The Desperate Housewives theme song is the one that starts with the apple skit. It was created by renowned composer Danny Elfman, who was once the lead singer of the band Oingo Boingo. The Desperate Housewives theme, simply referred to as “Theme” in the show’s official soundtrack, won Danny Elfman the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music in 2005.

Watch & Listen

Chicago Hope Theme Song

Below is the opening credits and theme song (alternate video here) of Chicago Hope entitled “Theme from Chicago Hope.” It was composed by Mark Isham and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music in 1995.

The theme is available in the official soundtrack, released under Sonic Images, but the song is listed in the album as “Chicago Hope Main Title.”

Watch & listen

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Theme Song

Also, “ST:DS9 theme song” or “DS9 theme song”

Below is the opening credits and theme song of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. There really isn’t much to say about this theme song except that it was composed by Dennis McCarthy—a known television and film score composer, and that it won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music in 1993, the same year Picket Fences was also nominated.

There is an official soundtrack for DS9, click here, which was also released in 1993 under GNP Crescendo Records. It lists the theme song as “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Main Title).”

Watch & listen