Opening Credits Theme
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The music that scores a series' title sequence — the instrumental or song cue timed to the opening credits and visual identity that greet viewers each episode. It ranges from orchestral fanfares and jazzy vamps to moody electronica and library instrumentals, and it must establish tone, brand and rhythm in the seconds a title card is on screen. The best examples are inseparable from their visual sequences, whether a cartoon couch gag, a decaying watercolor cityscape or a soldier silhouette, functioning as a show's recurring audiovisual signature.
History
The opening-title theme is as old as television, but the modern art of the title-sequence cue flourished as premium cable turned main titles into short films. Alexander Courage's Star Trek fanfare (1966) and Danny Elfman's Simpsons theme (1989) became cultural touchstones, while HBO elevated the form: Thomas Newman's Grammy-winning Six Feet Under, RJD2's "A Beautiful Mine" for Mad Men, and Jace Everett's "Bad Things" for True Blood each defined a series in seconds. Michael Kamen's Band of Brothers, John Lunn's Downton Abbey and even the library cue "Frolic" (Curb Your Enthusiasm) show the range of the opening-credits tradition.
Defining artists
Essential listening
- The Simpsons Theme(1989) — Danny ElfmanSpotifyYouTube
- Six Feet Under (Main Title Theme)(2001) — Thomas NewmanSpotifyYouTube
- A Beautiful Mine(2006) — RJD2SpotifyYouTube
- Bad Things(2005) — Jace EverettSpotifyYouTube
- Frolic(1974) — Luciano MicheliniSpotifyYouTube
- Downton Abbey(2010) — John LunnSpotifyYouTube
Sources
- Jon Burlingame, TV's Biggest Hits (1996)
- Emmy Awards Main Title Design and music categories
- Art of the Title archives