Can You Guess the '70s Show From Its Theme Song?

By: J.P. Naomi
Estimated Completion Time
5 min
Can You Guess the '70s Show From Its Theme Song?
Image: YouTube

About This Quiz

How many '70s TV shows have you watched? Find out if you can ace this theme song quiz.

We already know that the 1970s were a decade of awesome television shows. But did you know that many of the theme songs from those shows were excellent too? What makes us say that? Well, let's chat.

Did you know that the theme song from the 1970s show, "The Rockford Files," actually won a Grammy? It's true. The song, titled "The Rockford Files," was written by Mike Post and Pete Carpenter, and it won a Grammy award for Best Musical Arrangement in 1975. The song also spent two weeks in the Billboard Top 10 in August of the same year.

Do you remember these words? "Welcome back; your dreams were your ticket out. Welcome back, to that same old place that you laughed about. Well, the names have all changed since you hung around. But those dreams have remained, and they're turned around." These are the opening lines of the theme song to "Welcome Back, Kotter." The song, performed by John Sebastian, reached number one on the Billboard charts in May 1976.

How well do you remember your '70s shows theme songs? Take this quiz to find out.

In its first two seasons, the theme song to this show was "Rock Around the Clock"...
The Six Million Dollar Man
Happy Days
From 1974 - 1975, the theme song to "Happy Days" was "Rock Around the Clock" performed by Bill Haley & His Comets. Then from 1975 - 1984, the show's theme song changed to the same as the show's title, "Happy Days."
The Jeffersons
All in the Familiy

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The theme song to this popular 70s sitcom was titled, "Movin' On Up."
Maude
The Jeffersons
"The Jeffersons'" theme song was performed by Ja'net Dubois. The show ran for 11 seasons from 1975 - 1985.
The Brady Bunch
Taxi

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"Once upon a time, there were three little girls who went to the police academy..." was the narrating line of the opening credits to this 70s show...
Three's Company
Mork & Mindy
Charlie's Angels
"Charlie's Angels" aired from 1976 - 1981 with a total of 110 episodes. The theme music was composed by Jack Elliott and Allyn Ferguson.
Kojak

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"All of them had hair of gold, like their mother, the youngest one in curls"... was part of this famous sitcom's opening theme song...
The Adams Family
The Brady Bunch
"The Brady Bunch" aired for five seasons/117 episodes from 1969 - 1974. It was created by Sherwood Schwartz.
Little House on the Prairie
The Waltons

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If you were singing along to "Those Were the Days," you were about to watch ________.
Three's Company
I Dream of Jeannie
The Jeffersons
All in the Family
"All in the Family" aired from 1971 - 1979. It ran a total of 210 episodes.

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From its original film came the theme song "Suicide is Painless" to this TV series about a team of military doctors.
Mork & Mindy
M*A*S*H
"M*A*S*H" aired as a television show from 1972 - 1983. The theme music was by Johnny Mandel - originally written for the film, and later used in the TV show.
Adam-12
Baretta

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Viewers often sang along to "Come and Knock On Our Door" as they prepared to watch this show in the 70s and early 80s...
Bewitched
I Dream of Jeannie
Three's Company
The theme song to "Three's Company" was performed by Ray Charles and Julia Rinker. The show starred John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt and Suzanne Somers.
Sesame Street

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The gospel-styled theme song of this 70s show was known for its hard to decipher lyric, "Hangin' in a chow line"... or was it "Hangin' in and jivin'"?
Good Times
"Good Times" aired on CBS from 1974 - 1979. Its theme song, "Good Times," was performed by Jim Gilstrap and Blinky Williams.
Three's Company
Bewitched
Columbo

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This show first had "When We're Singin'" as its theme, but later changed to "C'mon, Get Happy" in the early 70s.
The Brady Bunch
The Partridge Family
"The Partridge Family" was created by Bernard Slade. The show aired from 1970 - 1974.
Perfect Strangers
The Mary Tyler Moore Show

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This 70s show started with "The Beat Goes On" and more famously ended with "I Got You Babe"...
The Rockford Files
The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour
"The Sonny & Cher Show" ran from 1971 - 1974, and then again from 1976 - 1977. The break in the series was due to the couple's divorce.
The Waltons
Bewitched

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Popular in the 70s, as well as today, the opening theme to this famous show begins, "Can You Tell Me How to Get to..."
Sesame Street
"Sesame Street" premiered on November 10, 1969 and gained popularity throughout the 70s. The opening theme was composed by Joe Raposo.
The Waltons
Columbo
The Love Boat

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Made famous in the 60s, but continued into the 70s, this show's theme song was titled, "The Ballad of Jed Clampett"...
CHiPs
The Beverly Hillbillies
"The Beverly Hillbillies" aired from 1962 - 1971 with a total of 274 episodes. The show was created by Paul Henning.
The Waltons
Battlestar Galactica

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Starring Beatrice Arthur, the theme song to this show was titled, "And Then There's _________."
Kojak
Lavern & Shirley
Maude
Beatrice Arthur starred as Maude Findlay in the CBS sitcom, "Maude." It aired from 1972 - 1978.
Rhoda

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The theme song of this 70s sitcom was also the name of the show - starring Ernest Lee Thomas as Raj Thomas...
What's Happening!
The other two main characters were Haywood Nelson as Dwayne Nelson and Fred Berry as Freddy "Rerun" Stubbs. The show ran from 1976 - 1979.
CHiPs
The Beverly Hillbillies
All in the Family

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"Love is All Around" was the theme song to this popular American sitcom which aired from 1970 - 1977...
Bewitched
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
"Love is All Around" was written and performed by Sonny Curtis. Mary Tyler Moore died on January 25, 2017 at the age of 80.
The Waltons
Little House on the Prairie

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This show's theme was simply called "Carol's Theme."
Saturday Night Live
The Rockford Files
The Bob Newhart Show
The Carol Burnett Show
"The Carol Burnett Show" aired for 11 seasons from 1967 - 1978. Its theme was composed by Joe Hamilton.

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"Love, exciting and new. Come Aboard. We're expecting you." were the lyrics to this show's opening theme song.
Chico and the Man
The Bionic Woman
The Love Boat
"The Love Boat" ran for nine seasons beginning in 1977 and ending in 1986. It was based on "The Love Boats" by Jeraldine Saunders.
Dallas

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The theme song of this 70s sci-fi show was more of a narration overlaying music..."There are those who believe...that life here began out there..."
The Muppet Show
Battlestar Galactica
"Battlestar Galactica" aired for just one season from 1978-1979 before it was cancelled. However, it was remade in the 2000s as a mini-series.
Dukes of Hazzard
I Dream of Jeannie

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"Good Ol' Boys" was the theme song to this action-comedy which aired from 1979 - 1985.
Chico and the Man
The Bob Newhart Show
Kojak
The Dukes of Hazzard
"The Dukes of Hazzard" was created by Gy Waldron and Jerry Rushing. It began in 1979 and aired for seven seasons with a total of 147 episodes.

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This 1975 animated TV series featured one cat and one mouse, and a theme song named after them!
The Tom and Jerry Show
Produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, "The Tom & Jerry Show's" opening theme was instrumental and composed by Hoyt Curtin.
The Cat and Mouse Show
Mork & Mindy
The Muppet Show

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The opening theme song, "Welcome Back," was only missing the name in this popular 70s series...
Welcome Back, Jack
Welcome Back, Joe
Welcome Back, James
Welcome Back, Kotter
"Welcome Back, Kotter" aired on ABC from 1975 - 1979. It was created by Gabe Kaplan, who also starred in this sitcom.

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This 70s police drama followed two officers of the Los Angeles Police Department. Its theme was instrumental but included a police radio call at the start...
M*A*S*H
Adam-12
Starring Martin Milner and Kent McCord, "Adam-12" aired from 1968 - 1975. There were a total of 174 episodes.
Bonanza
Kojak

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Staring Gary Sandy and Gordon Jump, this 70s show had two memorable theme songs. One was a catchy 70s easy-listening song, and the closing credits were more hard-rockin'!
The Love Boat
WKRP in Cincinnati
"WKRP in Cincinnati" was a sitcom created by Hugh Wilson. Its theme music was composed by Tom Wells.
Fantasy Island
Charlie's Angels

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Bob ________ had his own show from 1972 - 1978 and his opening theme began with a ringing telephone and then a walk home to some jazzy music!
Barker
Tracey
Newhart
"The Bob Newhart Show" aired from 1972 - 1978. The opening theme song was titled, "Home to Emily."
Moore

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"Making Our Dreams Come True" was the famous theme song to this popular 70s sitcom.
Happy Days
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Laverne & Shirley
"Laverne & Shirley" starred Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams. The theme song was performed by Cyndi Grecco.
Three's Company

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Mike Post is known for his work creating the popular opening theme song of The ______ Files.
Charlie
Jefferson
Rockport
Rockford
"The Rockford Files" theme song actually spent 44 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and won a Grammy for Best Instrumental Arrangement.

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"You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have _______________."
Bonanza
The Facts of Life
"The Facts of Life" premiered on August 24, 1979 and ran through May 7, 1988. It's opening theme was composed by Al Burton, Gloria Loring and Alan Thicke.
Kojak
Good Times

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Starring Robin Williams and Pam Dawber, this instrumental opening sequence featured an extraterrestrial and a female human being!
The Muppet Show
My Three Sons
The Odd Couple
Mork & Mindy
"Mork & Mindy" ran from 1978 - 1982. It was a spin-off of "Happy Days." The theme music was composed by Perry Botkin, Jr.

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The song "This is it," as performed by Polly Cutter, was the opening theme to which famous 70s show?
One Day at a Time
"One Day at a Time" aired from 1975 - 1984. There were a total of 209 episodes.
Chico and the Man
Rhoda
Kojak

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This fantasy sitcom starring Barbara Eden opened with a catchy instrumental song that had viewers humming for days.
I Dream of Jeannie
The name of the opening theme song was "Jeannie." It was composed by Richard Wess, Hugo Montenegro, Nelson Riddle, Van Alexander and Sonny Burke. The show aired from 1965 - 1970.
Lassie
The Brady Bunch
Bewitched

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______________ was a sitcom set in a New York City Police Department and played distinct, 70s-style theme music with images of the NYC skyline during its opening credits.
The Waltons
Barney Miller
"Barney Miller" aired for eight seasons from 1975 - 1982. Its theme music was composed by Jack Elliott and Allyn Ferguson.
The Odd Couple
Columbo

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If you heard "Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow," you must have been watching this show in the 70s...
Kojak
The Bob Newhart Show
Baretta
Baretta aired from 1975 - 1978 for a total of 82 episodes. The theme song was performed by Sammy Davis, Jr.
Chico and the Man

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"Everybody's got a special kind of story. Everybody finds a way to shine" on this late 70s sitcom...
Saturday Night Live
The Bob Newhart Show
Diff'rent Strokes
"Diff'rent Strokes" was created by Jeff Harris and Bernie Kukoff. It aired from 1978 - 1986 for a total of 189 episodes.
The Rockford Files

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The opening theme to this moving TV show was "Angela" - no lyrics, just a jazz keyboard.
The Six Million Dollar Man
Taxi
Taxi aired for five seasons from 1978 - 1983. It featured Judd Hirsch, Jeff Conaway and Danny DeVito.
Columbo
Adam-12

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"The Streetbeater" was the theme song of this edgy 70s sitcom.
Sanford and Son
"Sanford and Son" was known for its racial humor, running gags and catchphrases. "The Streetbeater" was composed by Quincy Jones.
The Brady Bunch
Bionic Woman
Baretta

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