Clocking in at under forty seconds, this Scranton ditty says a lot about the show in very little time. Opening with a yearning plunk of piano notes before launching into a quirky mini-suite of pop punk, the theme sets the overall tone of the series; the bittersweet mixed with the outlandish, evoking images of Jim and Pam’s first kiss and Dwight swiping at a rogue “vampire” bat in equal doses.

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7. Tales From The Crypt (1989)

Danny Elfman is the king of foreboding atmosphere. This schizophrenic theme to one of the most frightening shows ever created is built on bassoon and out of control strings, sending us spiraling further and further into the twisted depths of the Cryptkeeper’s castle. The fact that he springs from his coffin and cackles at the end is a bonus. Demonic laugh or no demonic laugh, bust out the rubber sheets when listening to this one.

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6. Salute Your Shorts (1991)

Cast members singing a show’s theme song can often be a disaster. But what’s usually sappy is downright hilarious in Salute Your Shorts, most likely because it takes place at a summer camp. The lyrics lampoon every cliched “Kumbaya” we’ve ever been forced to chant around a campfire as each character indifferently slogs through a line of the cheesy words to “Camp Annawanna” while their lamely enthusiastic counselor Ug accompanies them on the piano. What’s best is that we get to see a pre-Rilo Kiley Blake Sennett perform music with the same exact haircut he sports today.

*note: the below clip was the first season of the show, which Sennett was not a part of. If you can find the intro to the second season, please post it.

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5. Doug (1991)

While the entire run of Doug is jam-packed with nuggets of musical genius that reference everything from The Beatles to The Talking Heads, nothing beats the nostalgically frenetic theme song. Consisting mostly of backyard percussion (“bangin’ on a trashcan,” anyone?) mixed with infinitely layered adolescent beatboxing, the insanely catchy title track is light on instrumentation and heavy on imagination, as if a ten year old boy was trying to form his own one man doo-wop group. Like the show’s namesake character, the song creates an entire universe from so-geeky-it’s-cool musical scratch.

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4. The Muppet Show (1976)

Oddly enough, the majority of the music featured on The Muppet Show was pulled from old jazz standards, broadway musicals, and the program’s guest stars. However, the opening theme is pure Jim Henson; an unabashed romp of colorful vaudeville and peculiar mayhem. From the clumsy trombones to the gruff, abrasive character voices to Gonzo’s final ill-placed trumpet note (Zoot’s saxophone in the closing credits), we know we’re stepping into a wacky universe as soon as those kettle drums bring down the house lights. “It’s time to play the music…”

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3. Oz (1997)

The theme to HBO’s first and most brutal original series is tribal, violent, and percussive. Fueled by oil can drumming, screeching horns, and male grunting, you can almost smell Oz’s theatrical narration, primal murder, and anal rape just from listening to it. Nuff said.

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2. The Simpsons (1989)

Sometimes you’ve gotta go with the classics. And if this one isn’t considered timeless, I don’t know what is. For all of its funhouse, grandiose Danny Elfman complexity, The Simpsons theme has proved to be delightfully adaptable over the years, being covered (both on-show and off) by Tito Puente, Sonic Youth, Hans Zimmer, Green Day, and many, many more. Besides being performed by such a diverse, esteemed collective of musicians, it has also been molded to fit the closing credits of each episode. Whether disguised as a mobile lullaby as Maggie says her first word or an authoritative Dragnet march as we fade out on the “Who Shot Mr. Burns?” mystery, The Simpsons theme is the soundtrack to our lives; always recognizable and always loved.

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1. The Adventures Of Pete And Pete (1993)