In the Top 10 90s TV Theme Song countdown, the themes picked all contain two separate yet equally important features: listenability which makes me want to hear the song again, and memorability which keeps me from forgetting it. This is one such song. BUM-BUM
Top 10 90s TV Theme Song #5 “Theme of Law and Order” by the great Mike Post from NBC’s Law and Order.
Sorry for lack of a real intro, couldn’t find a version that would let me embed it. Here’s Season One’s intro though if you don’t mind following a link.
How great is the Law & Order theme song? Much like yesterday’s “The Simpsons Theme,” the L&O theme has graced our ears for over two decades – meaning anyone who is reading this blog has to have come across the song on more than one occasion in his/her life. I mean, the way A&E used to play the show and the way TNT plays it now; there’s a good chance you’re listening to the theme song on your TV instead of playing it on Youtube.
But what makes it so great? For starters, I love the opening narration that precedes the cold open of the show (which is then followed by the theme). I know that it’s not technically part of Mike Post’s song; but it compliments it so perfectly.
"In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups: the police who investigate crime and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders. These are their stories."
That speech and its association with the show and theme is one of those things in life that lead me towards becoming a lawyer…and now having said that, maybe I shouldn’t be heaping any praise on this damn song.
NO, I must continue on with my effusive praise for the theme. Think about it, through countless cast changes and tonal shifts in the show, one thing remained the same – the theme. And really, it’s such a simple piece of work. An electric piano, a porn funk guitar, and a clarinet combine to create a driving, stark song that recalls the decaying New York of the 1970s and reminds you that the cops and lawyers who interact with these criminals are performing difficult, dangerous work.
Will Arnett performing some mad air guitar to the “Theme of Law and Order .”
The lack of being able to embed an intro would usually infuriate me, but here I don't think it matters much. The focus of the intro is not what's happening on the screen but the theme song.
Melodic, relaxing, and somewhat arousing; the "Theme of Law and Order" has earned its spot in the Top 5 of 90s TV themes.
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