With countless assignments piling up and exam season approaching, it can get pretty hectic. I’m already drowning in them as I write this article. Sometimes, during these chaotic times, we need a little motivation to take us to the finish line. One way to do that is to mix up your study playlist with some quirky tunes. And by quirky, I mean television theme songs. Here are nine iconic theme songs from nine iconic shows to spice up your study playlist and motivate you until the end of this semester.
The 1960s:
Although it’s a bit of an older show (who am I kidding, this show is old), the theme song from The Dick Van Dyke Show is still a fun one to listen to. Give this a listen when you want to take a mini-break from your studies. If you’re an aspiring screenwriter or are in a media production or film studies program, channel your inner Rob Petrie and write your script with this tune playing in the background.
The 1970s:
“Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!” There are so many versions of the Saturday Night Live theme song but the one I found on YouTube from Season 35 is great to listen to while you’re working on your philosophy essay. Plus, you can never go wrong with Lenny Pickett playing saxophone in the background. Bonus: the iconic closing theme (“Waltz in A”) of every SNL episode is also worth listening to if you’re in the mood for a celebration after finally submitting your essay.
An iconic show in its own right, The Odd Couple’s theme song is even more iconic. Many of you might recognize this song as the jazzy song from Friends that the cast hums to back in Season 1. Nonetheless, The Odd Couple theme song is great to listen to while writing an article for a journalism course. You can channel your inner Oscar Madison as he was a sports journalist who wrote for the New York Times.
The 1980s:
Like many theme songs of its time, who doesn’t love that blaring 80s saxophone and those distinctive drum beats? Anytime I listen to this theme song, I secretly envy the fact my parents got the chance to experience the 80s instead of me. As my dad always says about the era, “What a time to be alive!” Anyway, listen to this tune while working on your accounting or economics homework to get that fast-paced corporate, working-at-one-of-The-Big-Four-accounting-firms type of feeling.
What starts as a gentle piano tune turns into a masterpiece layered with strings and a light percussion beat. I highly recommend listening to this song as the day comes to a close when you finish your psychology or communications assignment. Quite frankly, it’s a very calming and enjoyable tune to listen to on repeat.
The 1990s:
Dun dun. Confession: I have never watched a full episode of Law & Order. Still, the theme song is iconic and worth putting on repeat when getting work done. This is a great instrumental song to listen to while studying for a quiz or doing a paper for your law or criminology elective.
“Whenever this life gets tough, you gotta fight” has to be one of my favourite television theme song lines ever. Also, Queen Latifah raps—need I say more? Listen to this when you’re taking a short break in between studying for your urban planning and tourism course.
The 2010s:
I might be biased since Scandal is one of my all-time favourite shows. The theme song (really the closing credits) gives you the motivation to handle any assignment. And if you’ve seen the show, it’s hard not to envision the streets of Washington, D.C., while listening to the music. Listen to this theme song when you’re working on your politics and/or public relations course to fully capture the mood of the song.
Different from the other songs, in that it’s basically classical music, the piano and strings do a wonderful job in transporting you to a different era. This theme song is perfect to listen to when studying for your early 20th-century British history or your upper-liberal English elective.
There you have it! Honestly, even adding just one of these nine awesome television theme songs to your study playlist will be worth it. Many of them are instrumental and can be enjoyed regardless of what you are working on. And who knows? Maybe you’ll end up like me and love the theme songs so much you decide to watch the show. (But save the show for winter break so you can focus on your studies!) Best of luck with the rest of your semester!