"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 Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears. "Dashing and daring, courageous and caring, faithful and friendly, with stories to share. All through the forest, they sing out in chorus, marching along as their song fills the air." The animated series loosely based on the gummi bear candy debuted on NBC in September of 1985 and aired there for four seasons before moving to ABC for one season from 1989 to 1990 and then one final season as part of the syndicated programming block The Disney Afternoon.
The catchy theme song was written by Michael and Patty Silversher. The now formerly married couple went on to create lots of music for Disney animated programming including songs used in DuckTales, Chip n Dale's Rescue Rangers, TaleSpin, The Little Mermaid animated series among many others.
The theme song for the Gummi Bears was performed by Joseph Williams, the son of legendary composer John Williams. He may be best known as a lead vocalist for the rock band Toto from 1986 to 1988 and again since 2010. One of the most recognizable songs that Williams sang lead vocals on during this time is "Pamela" from their 1988 album The Seventh One. In Disney's 1994 animated feature film The Lion King, Joseph Williams can be heard as the singing voice of Adult Simba including singing on the popular songs "Hakuna Matata" and "Can You Feel the Love Tonight". Another '80s sidenote, Joseph Williams was the writer of the original English lyrics for the songs "Lapti Nek" and "Ewok Celebration" from the original 1983 release of Return of the Jedi, which was scored and conducted by his father. (Even though both songs have since been replaced with new compositions since the 1997 Special Edition.)
Here is the opening for Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears featuring the theme song...
I had the pleasure of an interview with Jymn Magon, the co-creator of the Gummi Bears cartoon series, and here is what he had to say when I asked him about his feelings regarding the show:
I hold it very near and dear. At the time, I thought I was never going to work on anything that good again, so it was really special to me. The theme song still chokes me up a bit when I hear it. I'm very proud of that show. It set the tone for everything that was to come.
Find out more about how this show came to be as well as other Disney cartoons that he worked on in that interview with Jymn Magon.
"Gummi Bears! Bouncing here and there and everywhere. High adventure that's beyond compare. They are the Gummi Bears!"
Hope you enjoyed tuning in for another "episode" of TV Theme Songs!
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