"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 Who's the Boss? titled "Brand New Life". "There is more to life than what you’re living..." Who's the Boss? debuted in September of 1984 and ran eight seasons and 196 episodes on ABC. This sitcom revolves around Tony Micelli (played by Tony Danza), a widower, father and former pro baseball player, who accepts a job as a live-in housekeeper. The show's theme song refers to the new life, the new adventure, that Tony’s character embarks on after his baseball career.
"Brand New Life" lyrics were written by series creators and executive producers Martin Cohan and Blake Hunter. The music was composed by Larry Carlton and Robert Kraft. Three versions of "Brand New Life" were used throughout the series' run performed by three different singers. Larry Weiss performed it for seasons 1-2 (1984–86). Weiss is better known for writing songs for other artists than performing them himself. Steve Wariner performed it for seasons 3 through part of season 6 (1986–89). Wariner's version might be the most recognized and he is relatively well-known himself as a country artist who has had ten singles reach the top of the Country chart. Then Jonathan Wolff performed it for the last eight episodes of season 6 through the rest of the show's run (1989–92). Surprisingly, Wolff is well known for creating the theme and music for the television series Seinfeld (which ironically features no vocalist). I have no idea why they felt the need to change the theme song during season 6 because the new version was not very different. Here are the opening credits from season 3 of Who's the Boss? featuring “Brand New Life” performed by Stever Wariner…
Who's the Boss? was one of the most popular sitcoms of the mid-to-late '80s consistently ranking in the top 10 of the primetime Nielsen ratings between 1985 and 1989. Tony Danza was a draw for many, but some of us tuned in more to watch Alyssa Milano. The cast had great chemistry overall and Who's the Boss? is another example of the entertaining family sitcoms that we were lucky to have back in the '80s decade. Those family sitcoms also gave us many of the best TV Theme Songs of the decade. "A brand new life around the bend."
Hope you enjoyed tuning in for another "episode" of TV Theme Songs!