The 1980s Sitcom Dad Behind Some of TV’s Most Beloved Theme Songs
- - The 1980s Sitcom Dad Behind Some of TV’s Most Beloved Theme Songs
Lucille BarillaFebruary 7, 2026 at 6:49 PM
0
ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images
One of the most beloved sitcom dads of the 1980s wrote many of the television theme songs you still know by heart.
Alan Thicke, who played Jason Seaver on Growing Pains, wrote many of the catchiest tunes that peppered the most popular television series of the '70s and '80s. These songs didn’t just open shows; they became part of TV history.
Per Billboard, Thicke, father of entertainer Robin Thicke, wrote one of his very first theme songs for the 1973 game show, The Wizard of Odds. Fun fact: this show was hosted by a pre-JeopardyAlex Trebek.
Thicke also wrote the theme song to the game shows The Joker's Wild, Animal Crack-Ups, Blank Check, and Celebrity Sweepstakes. He penned the original opening for Wheel of Fortune.
Parade Daily🎬 SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬
Eventually, Thicke transitioned to television theme songs. He wrote the opening to Diff’rent Strokes alongside his wife, Gloria Loring, and Al Burton. The series starred Conrad Bain, Gary Coleman, Todd Bridges, and Dana Plato.
He also penned The Facts of Life theme alongside Loring and Burton, with Loring also performing the vocals. That series starred Charlotte Rae, Lisa Welchel, Kim Fields, Nancy McKeon, and Mindy Cohn.
The multi-hyphenate opened up about his career as a songwriter with over 40 theme songs to his credit in an interview with the AV Club. He said the biggest challenge he faced was to get the point of a show across to viewers in less than 30 seconds.
"You have 24 seconds to do something catchy and memorable and sum up the entire premise of the show in case somebody had never seen it before. You had to do it with an internal rhyme scheme and a perky little ditty," he explained.
"So it was an interesting challenge that way. It varied. I did over 40 themes altogether. Those happen to be two of the most memorable ones and are long-lasting. It would vary. Sometimes it would be brought in at the very last minute, when a show was already completely shot, and the pilot had been edited, and they’d say 'Here, add your 24 seconds.'”
He concluded, "However, there were other instances, and Diff’rent Strokes was one of them, where you got the information, you were included, from day one and page one. I’ve experienced it both ways."
Alan Thicke died on Dec. 13, 2016. He was 69.
This story was originally published by Parade on Feb 7, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
