Have you ever watched your favorite television show and sang along to its catchy theme song? Better yet, have you ever wondered who wrote it, or who sings it? It turns out that a lot of our favorite musicians are the brains behind these theme songs for our favorite shows. It's all a part of the reason why they're so catchy, after all.
You might not realize it at first, but there are some big names who have written and performed theme songs. From Mariah Carey to Destiny's Child, and even the prince of darkness Ozzy Osbourne, if you listen closely you'll hear them signing the theme songs to your favorite shows and you didn't even realize it!
9 Mariah Carey - 'Mixed-ish'
If you loved the hit ABC show Black-ish, then you most likely have tuned in to the show's spinoff, Mixed-ish, which is a prequel to the show that focuses on Tracee Ellis Ross' character Rainbow as she grows up. Mariah Carey is actually a huge fan of the show and had been wanting to work with producers for a while, which was why she jumped at the chance to write the new spinoff's theme song. The song, titled "In The Mix" is a brand new song that Mariah recorded to be the theme song, and you can jam to it every time the show airs on ABC.
8 Christina Milian - 'Kim Possible'
We all remember back in the day when we would come home from school, turn on the Disney Channel, and heard the familiar theme song of "Call Me, Beep Me," also known as the theme song to the hit animated show Kim Possible. In case you didn't know, the song was actually performed by singer Christina Milian.
Back in the day, Christina was a Disney kid, so it wasn't much of a surprise when Disney Channel approached her and asked her to sing the theme. The song is super catchy, and it actually blew up in popularity besides being the show's theme. Christina has admitted that people have even asked her to perform it in concert!
7 Coolio - 'Kenan & Kel'
Back in the day when you turned on Nickelodeon and heard "Aw, here it goes," you knew you were just in time for Kenan and Kel. The incredibly catchy theme song was written and performed by the infamous wrapper Coolio. One of the reasons that the theme song worked so well was not only was it super catchy, but it really represented everything that the show was. You can even catch Coolio rapping the song alongside Kenan and Kel in the beginning credits of the show. Kel loved the song so much that he still uses it today. Whenever he does a comedy show and walks out on stage, he almost always plays “Aw, Here It Goes.”
Regina Spektor - 'Orange Is The New Black'
If you’ve ever watched any of the six seasons of the hit Netflix show Orange is the New Black, you might have noticed the extremely catchy theme song called “You’ve Got Time.” The song was written and performed by singer and songwriter Regina Spektor. Having never actually gone to jail herself, Regina wrote the song thinking about what it might be like to be in prison. The theme song was so well received that it was even nominated for Best Song Written for Visual Media in 2014.
6 Destiny's Child - 'The Proud Family'
Another fan favorite Disney channel show from back in the day was the animated television show The Proud Family. By listening to the theme song of the show, you’d know that it’s pretty catchy, and if you listen closely, you can hear some familiar voices. The track was sung by Destiny’s Child, as well as Solange Knowles.
Yes — that Beyoncé and Solange sang a theme song way before they became today’s superstars. Fans might be excited to hear that they might be hearing this theme song a lot more, as Disney has announced that the streaming label, Disney+ will start airing the show again as a reboot. We hope the theme song will still be played.
5 TLC - 'All That'
It's no surprise that yet another favorite Nickelodeon show from the '90s has a very popular and catchy theme song. All That, the sketch comedy show for kids that is similar to Saturday Night Live had a very catchy theme song that we loved to bump in the '90s. The theme song was performed by the girl group TLC back in the day when the producers reached out to the girls to see if they wanted to be a part of the show somehow. Of course, they agreed and now the rest is history as we have a memorable theme song to an even more memorable show.
4 Gloria Estefan - 'One Day At A Time'
The show One Day at a Time has had its ups and downs as it has moved from Netflix to other networks. One thing about the show, however, is the fact that it has a pretty catchy theme song that you can't help but love. The theme song is sung by none other than Gloria Estefan. Unfortunately for both the show and Gloria, once it moved from Netflix to regular television, they had to cut some time off the episodes to make them fit with commercials, and therefore, the theme song had to, unfortunately, be cut.
3 Bowling For Soup - 'The Adventures Of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius'
As a kid, we all loved Nickelodeon's animated show, The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius. It's a catchy song and perfect for kids to suck them into watching the show. The song has two performers, as there are two versions of this particular theme song. One of the versions is sung by the rock group Bowling For Soup. The Bowling For Soup version is a little more in-depth as the band added their own verse to it, and tweaked it to fit them as a band, but is still a fun and catchy theme song that we love, nonetheless.
2 Ozzy Osbourne - 'Dog The Bounty Hunter'
When we think of Ozzy Osbourne, we tend to think of the rock god and prince of darkness, not a musician who sings theme songs for television shows. That's why when it was announced that Ozzy would be performing the theme song of the hit television show Dog the Bounty Hunter, we couldn't help but be a little bit surprised. The track wound up being a hit for both the show and for Ozzy, therefore, Ozzy included it on his Prince of Darkness box set for fans to purchase.
1 Barenaked Ladies - 'The Big Bang Theory'
The Big Bang Theory, although it has been off the air since 2019, has been a staple on television since it first aired in 2007. If you've seen the show, you'd know that it has quite a catchy theme song. The song was written and performed by the band Barenaked Ladies. The band specifically wrote the song for the show, and the producers absolutely loved it. They worked with the show's creators to collaborate and create the perfect theme song, and even after the song was complete, the band was often included on set and outside of filming.