The 1980’s were a crazy time in America. Many things were changing, and society was experimenting, while money was flying across the globe. Perhaps in reaction, there were many family sitcoms that went out of their way to teach life lessons. Their theme songs were often inspiring and hopeful, bouncy tunes that are stuck in our heads decades later, full of sweetness and kindness. Presenting our Five Fave TV Theme Songs From The 1980’s.

#5 – Diff’rent Strokes – Alan Thicke / The Facts Of Life – Gloria Loring

The spin-off trend went to new levels in the 1980’s. The housekeeper from Diff’rent Strokes spun off to be the caretaker of a girls school on The Facts Of Life. Husband and wife team Alan Thicke and Gloria Loring helped write both theme songs, with Thicke singing the Diff’rent Strokes theme, and Loring singing The Facts Of Life theme. When Thicke went on to star in his own show, he neither wrote nor sang the theme. We include 2 versions of the Facts opening, as the show was drastically different in its first season, with many of the girls going on to be our most famous movie stars.

It Takes Diff’rent Strokes
Written by Al Burton, Gloria Loring & Alan Thicke / Sung by Alan Thicke

Now, the world don’t move to the beat of just one drum
What might be right for you, may not be right for some
A man is born, he’s a man of means
Then along come two, they got nothing but their jeans

But they got, Diff’rent Strokes
It takes, Diff’rent Strokes
It takes, Diff’rent Strokes to move the world

Everybody’s got a special kind of story
Everybody finds a way to shine
It don’t matter that you got not alot
So what
They’ll have theirs, and you’ll have yours, and I’ll have mine
And together we’ll be fine….

Because it takes, Diff’rent Strokes to move the world
Yes it does
It takes, Diff’rent Strokes to move the world

The Facts Of Life
Written by Bob Walden, Gloria Loring, Al Burton & Alan Thicke / Sung by Gloria Loring

You take the good
You take the bad
You take them both and there you have
The facts of life
The facts of life

When the world never seems
To be living up to your dreams
Then suddenly you’re finding out
The facts of life are all about you

When there’s someone that you care about
It really isn’t fair
They’re out to slow you up
When you’re growing up

When you let them flirt
And then you hurt
A waiting when your date is late in showing up
Then you’re growin’ up

When it’s more than just the birds and the bees
You need someone telling you please
There’s only one conclusion
There will always be confusion over you
It takes a lot to get ’em right
When you’re learning the facts of life

You’ll avoid a lot of damage
And enjoy the fun of managing
The facts of life
They shed a lot of light

If you hear ’em from your brother
Better clear ’em with your mother
Better get ’em right
Call her late at night

You got the future in the palm of your hand
All you gotta do to get you through is understand
You think you’d rather do with out
You’ll never muddle through
Without the truth
The facts of life are all about you

#4 – The Greatest American Hero – Joey Scarbury

Way before Deadpool, a sudden superhero attempted to harness newfound powers, with humor. The Greatest American Hero was a bubblegum show that entertained. It’s song was also bubblegum pop, aspiring to the heights this hero and his show never quite reached, but never stopped trying.

Believe It Or Not
Written by Mike Post & Stephen Geyer / Sung by Joey Scarbury

Look at what’s happened to me
I can’t believe it myself
Suddenly I’m up on top of the world
It should have been somebody else

Believe it or not, I’m walking on air
I never thought I could feel so free
Flying away on a wing and a prayer
Who could it be?
Believe it or not, it’s just me

Just like the light of a new day
It hit me from out of the blue
Breaking me out of the spell I was in
Making all of my wishes come true

Believe it or not, I’m walking on air
I never thought I could feel so free
Flying away on a wing and a prayer
Who could it be?
Believe it or not, it’s just me

This is too good to be true
Look at me falling for you

Believe it or not
Believe it or not
Believe it or not
Believe it or not

Believe it or not, I’m walking on air
I never thought I could feel so free
Flying away on a wing and a prayer
Who could it be?
Believe it or not, it’s just me

#3 – Family Ties – Jeff Barry & Tom Scott

Family Ties may be the greatest family show of all time. Michael J. Fox and Justine Bateman perfectly captured sibling life with parents who mean well, but don’t see the world in the same way as any of their children. No matter how they felt, or what happened, the family was always there for each other, no matter what. Sha la la la.

Without Us
Written by Jeff Barry & Tom Scott / Sung by Johnny Mathis & Deniece Williams

I bet we been together for a million years,
And I bet we’ll be together for a million more.

Oh, It’s like I started breathing on the night we kissed,
And I can’t remember what I ever did before.

What would we do baby, Without Us?
What would we do baby, Without Us?

And there ain’t no nothing we can’t love each other through.

What would we do baby, Without Us?

Sha la la la.

#2 – Growing Pains – B.J. Thomas & Jennifer Warnes

Alan Thicke was the thoughtful, patient father who always managed to see the positive in any situation. Kirk Cameron always tested that patience, but ultimately accepted the advice and learned the lessons, usually the hard way. The theme song fit perfectly in one of TV’s greatest family sitcoms with a heart.

As Long As We’ve Got Each Other
Written by Steve Dorff & John Bettis / Sung by B.J. Thomas & Jennifer Warnes

Show me that smile again. (Show me that smile)
Don’t waste another minute on your cryin’.
We’re nowhere near the end (nowhere near)
The best is ready to begin.

Oooohhh. As long as we got each other
We got the world spinnin’ right in our hands.
Baby you and me, we gotta be
The luckiest dreamers who never quit dreamin’.

As long as we keep on givin’
we can take anything that comes our way
Baby, rain or shine, all the time
We got each other, sharin’ the laughter and love.

#1 – Cheers –

Cheers was absolutely must-see television. Even as cast members left, other future stars arrived. Ted Danson held it down, as the foil to Shelley Long, Kirstie Alley, Kelsey Grammer and Woody Harrelson. The heart of the show were Carla, the waitress and the regulars, Cliff and Norm. This sweet theme song made you feel as if you were personally welcomed into the bar each week.

Where Everybody Knows Your Name
Written by Judy Hart Angelo & Gary Portnoy / Sung by Gary Portnoy

Making your way in the world today
Takes everything you’ve got
Taking a break from all your worries
Sure would help a lot
Wouldn’t you like to get away?

All those nights when you’ve got no lights
The check is in the mail
And your little angel hung the cat up by its tail
And your third fiance didn’t show

Sometimes you want to go
Where everybody knows your name
And they’re always glad you came
You wanna be where you can see
Our troubles are all the same
You wanna be where everybody knows your name

Roll out of bed, Mr. Coffee’s dead
The morning’s looking bright
And your shrink ran off to Europe and didn’t even write
And your husband wants to be a girl
Be glad, there’s one place in the world

Where everybody knows your name
And they’re always glad you came
You want to go where people know, people are all the same
You want to go where everybody knows your name

Five Fave: TV Theme Songs From The 1980’s first appeared on Game On Media.