Children's television is full of such catchy music. Lately, I've been waking up with various theme tunes and recurring incidental music going through my mind. This week it tends to be Rastamouse. I've only ever seen a few episodes of this (at toddler cinema with Dulcie) but that song just worked its way into my brain immediately. Sometimes Dulcie asks to watch Rastamouse. She does a funky reggae dance to the theme tune and then asks to watch Peppa Pig instead. I can't help but like Rastamouse. The stories are fun and the look has a nice '80s throwback to it. Every time I see it, I just imagine how much fun it would be making all the little mice and their clothes.
In The Night Garden (which Dulcie has lost interest in lately after a brief obsession) is full of great music. Many of the character songs gets stuck in my head, but my favourite piece of music is the Tombliboos' toothbrushing song (4.5 mins in on this clip). It's a good song to have stuck in your brain when you're trying to do things quickly and efficiently. This morning, running late for work, I found myself singing this with the self-penned and wholly inappropriate lyrics of "Oh, oh, oh-oh b****cks, oh-oh, oh, oh-oh, b****cks..." It did make me walk faster, I think.
Charlie and Lola and Peppa Pig kind of merge into one jaunty mess in my mind. Most uplifting, though, both of them. And Peppa Pig also has lots of incidental music to plague you, like the Bing Bong Song, which Dulcie sings while strumming the guitar. Dulcie's just discovered Charlie and Lola in book form and is making the most of my Lauren Child collection, which pre-dates her existence, but she hasn't really got into the TV show. There's no time for such nonsense once she's had her daily Peppa fix! I think this might be why Iggle Piggle and co have taken a back seat too.
Thinking about children's TV theme tunes of modern times also got me thinking about theme tunes I remember from my own childhood, some of which still pop into my head unbidden twenty-odd years after the fact. I really had to limit myself here as I was getting sucked into a wormhole of nostalgia and could have been there all day (I was even watching Junior Kickstart!) but here are a few that those of you of a certain age (30ish) might enjoy reminiscing about.
Thinking about children's TV theme tunes of modern times also got me thinking about theme tunes I remember from my own childhood, some of which still pop into my head unbidden twenty-odd years after the fact. I really had to limit myself here as I was getting sucked into a wormhole of nostalgia and could have been there all day (I was even watching Junior Kickstart!) but here are a few that those of you of a certain age (30ish) might enjoy reminiscing about.
Pigeon Street! Oh, I loved this show. I can still hear the sound effect they used for clacking knitting needles in my mind. I liked the astronomers and their dogs, plus Clara the long-distance lorry driver, naturally. Good role models in this show!
The Flumps! So cute and kind of like Rastamouse in their furry little critter-ness. My "research" today made me realise that brass instruments were widely used in many of my childhood favourites. Oh, and I just remembered Johnny Briggs. I'm not sure how to translate that trombone slide at the start into type...
Bertha is not, perhaps, a true classic of its time, but its theme tune has definitely plagued me over the decades. Does anyone else remember it?
I still know (and sometimes perform) all the words to the end song from Henry's Cat. The lyrics are great, actually, very wordy.
And I had to include The Family Ness, not least because my sister inadvertently named half her children after the show's two human protagonists.
Portland Bill! I think I sing this to myself on an almost weekly basis. I loved this show. My mum and dad still have my old plastic Portland Bill lighthouse.
Right, I have to stop, much as I'm itching to share Jamie and the Magic Torch now. And Jimbo. Jimbo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o!
How do these composers do it and why aren't adult theme tunes nearly so catchy? What childhood theme tunes have stuck with you over the years?
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*sings* Jamie, Jamie, Jamie and his Magic Torch :) I'm so going to have to do a post along these lines - crediting you as my muse of course!
ReplyDeleteI always wanted to be someone's muse, though I must say, this is not quite what I had imagined! I will look forward to reading your post :)
DeleteWhen I was growing up the one Norwegian channel didn't supply many English/American tv-shows (oh my, this is making me feel positively ancient...), but I fondly remember the Pink Panther cartoons and their very catchy theme tune!
ReplyDeleteOh, yes! I LOVE the Pink Panther and its theme tune. I got to subtitle it a few times a couple of years back. Best days at work ever :)
DeleteWe watched ALL the same shows. Remember the time they ate Johnny's mam and dad's anniversary cake and they reiced it with toothpaste? And grew cress in Rita's beret? God, I loved Johnny Briggs. "My mum, who's a nurse..."
ReplyDeleteAlso, I can still sing all of the Bertha theme tune. Classic.
It's so funny how EVERYONE remembers the toothpaste cake episode of Johnny Briggs. It was a classic, mind you, but I wonder if the writers knew just how good it was?
DeleteLove those shows, I bought jamie and his magic torch on video (gee video) when I was a student, it made no sense! Also bought Bertha, my favourite song was the 'packing and stacking no we don't believe in slacking, we're Mel and flo and we're always on the go' what about tbag? Cities of gold, Ulysses 31 and pole position? I loved so much kids TV, oh heathcliffe!
ReplyDeleteOh, yes! Now you need to go and check out Lynsey's related post over at Swirlythoughts - http://swirlyarts.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/ahhhh-nostalgia.html She's filled in some of the gaps I left, but I'm sure there are plenty more to find if you want to pick up the mantle.
DeleteI think you could be in contention for the position of Bertha's biggest fan, by the way :)