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Top TV theme songs, aka 'Boob Tube Pop'

Johnny Rivers sang one of the mid-1960's top TV themes, nearly taking it to Number #1 on the pop charts. Take the Record Bin Roulette quiz, and tell us what theme song was so popular.
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Johnny Rivers sang one of the mid-1960's top TV themes, nearly taking it to Number #1 on the pop charts. Take the Record Bin Roulette quiz, and tell us what theme song was so popular.

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kplu/local-kplu-946667.mp3

You can name a few, we're sure: TV theme songs that topped the pop charts. 

Here's a little quiz, based on this week's Record Bin Roulette. Name the show (and theme song) from the clue provided (answers at bottom of the post!):

  1. Johnny Rivers sang it all the way to #3
  2. Don Diego de la Vega was the lead character's name
  3. Theme song with one word, repeated over and over...
  4. The Sweathogs had him
  5. Unofficial University of Hawaii fight song

Before we get to the answers, TV.com's Stephanie Lee compiled her own list of 15 popular boob tube themes  not too long ago, landing on the Theme to Mission Impossible (composed by Lalo Schifrin) as the best:

You could be running from a serial killer, searching for a rare book in the library, or even snooping around a rich guy's property for a stolen dolphin. It doesn't matter -- this theme is impossibly good.

Here it is, in living color:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30qB3O0umNc&feature=related

 

Answers to the Quiz

See how well you've done:

  1. Secret Agent (song title: Secret Agent Man)
  2. Zorro
  3. Batman
  4. Welcome Back, Kotter
  5. Hawaii Five-O

So what did we leave out? Let us know your favorites, or at least the ones you can't get out of your head!

John has worked as a professional bassist for 20 years, including a 15 year stint as Musical Director of the Mountain Stage radio program. John has been at KNKX since 1999 where he hosts “All Blues”, is producer of the BirdNote radio program, and co-hosts “Record Bin Roulette”. John is also the recording engineer for KNKX “In-Studio Performances”. Not surprisingly, John's main musical interests are jazz and blues, and he is still performing around Seattle.
John Maynard started working in radio in the seventies as a DJ at Seattle’s KJR AM which at the time was the dominant AM station in the Seattle market. After a brief stint as a restaurateur and night club owner, Maynard returned to radio with Robin Erickson, creating the hugely popular “Robin and Maynard Show.” In the more than 20 years under that marquee, Maynard flew with the Blue Angels, piloted the Goodyear Blimp, sang with Donny Osmond and hung out in a Universal Studios bar with Kojak (Telly Savalas).