If you are a child of the 80's like I am, you are most likely familiar with Mike Post. You might not realize it, but I bet you are. In fact, I would venture to guess that at least once a week you saw his name whether you realize it or not. Mike Post is an American composer whose name has become synonymous with television theme songs.
That's right, some of the most loved shows of the 80's had their theme song written by Mike Post. If they were to turn my life into a television show, Mike Post is the man I would want writing it. It would be one of those tunes that sticks with you well into your later years.
You might find yourself humming it at the most random of times, it's one of those earworms that get stuck in your head, but not in an annoying way like that one Britney Spears song.
Sadly, only about six of his songs made it to the charts, but the tunes will forever be held in the hearts of an entire generation (or more).
Clearly, my theme for this weeks #threetunetuesday sponsored by @ablaze is songs written by Mike Post.
I hope you enjoy!
I wasn't planning on starting things off in alphabetical order, but it just feels appropriate that I would kick things off with the A-Team. This show was absolute fire and it was so sad that they cancelled it when they did.
Sure, for a crack group of commandos, their aim was about as accurate as a storm trooper, but it was always fun watching them build a tank out of spare parts and save whatever town or village they were visiting that week. All with the threat of Colonel Decker hot on their trail.
I remember we used to play A-Team on the playground at recess, which was no small feat given the fact that we had zero African American kids in our school. I'm guessing we probably would get cancelled these days for one of my friends pretending to be BA Barackus.
All of that aside, there is no denying that the theme songs is one of those things that really sticks with you. I bet you were humming it before it even started playing in the video above.
I was actually pretty young when Magnum PI came on television. I think it was something like 1982, so while I watched the show, a lot of the themes and plots kind of flew over my head. There are two things about the show that are absolutely unforgettable though, the theme and the car.
Isn't it interesting how so many shows in the 70's and 80's seemed to revolve around a vehicle? Think the Ferrari in Magnum PI. The muscle car in Starsky and Hutch, Knight Rider, the van in A-Team, the truck in Fall Guy, I think I made my point.
The cool thing is, we have some channels that show reruns these days, so you can easily go back and watch Magnum PI. It's still just as good as I remember it.
Mike Post had a way of creating songs that feel familiar. Sure, they were all different, but they also have that comfortable element that wraps around you. I think part of it is nostalgia, but the other part of it is just how well they were composed.
Finally, I am going to leave you with the Theme from the Greatest American Hero. This was another short lived series, but it was also one of the few songs that actually charted for Mike Post. Despite the lack of success for the show, the song holds it's own over time.
In fact, I was talking to @mrsbozz the other day and I said the words "believe it or not" and she immediately started singing this song. Now, she is about the furthest thing from a nerd you can imagine, but she definitely earned her cred with that one.
I was talking to @tarazkp the other day about our shared love for Seinfeld and the following clip is one of my favorite scenes from one of the episodes:
It's no question that if something makes it to an episode of Seinfeld, then it deserves its place in pop culture history.
Among the songs I shared above, here are some more theme songs that Mike Post composed:
- The Rockford Files
- LA Law
- Hill Street Blues
- Doogie Howser MD
- NYPD Blue
- Hardcastle and McCormick
- Quantum Leap (the original one)
- Renegade
And many more!
There is no doubt that Mike Post is a national treasure and if you don't agree, take it up with the A-Team!
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