The 10 Best TV Theme Songs For Pep Bands

This past weekend, LSU’s pep band delighted us all by performing the theme song to The Office, which is probably the favorite TV show of an entire generation, if such a thing can even be identified anymore.

This got me thinking about other TV theme songs that would sound awesome as pep band songs, and that got me digging through YouTube, which got me to the “TV Land” halftime show put on by the Ohio State marching band in 2014.

And that is what inspired this list of the 10 best TV theme songs for pep bands.

Cheers

This is the best TV theme song, and its chorus would be great coming from a real fired-up pep band. The other thing is, this is one of those songs that sounds cheerful but is actually depressing, so if you’re not getting the lyrics, all you’re getting is cheer.

The Simpsons

The aforementioned Ohio State band covered this material masterfully in 2014, and it’s easy to see where they got the idea. In the original intro, Lisa Simpson is in band class at school, playing the Simpsons theme song on a saxophone.

Friends

I dare say this sounds better played by a pep band than a rock band.

How I Met Your Mother

I don’t know if there’s more to this song or if this is it, but it’s a fun melody and this was a really popular show.

Here’s a guy doing it on the trumpet.

Reading Rainbow

Imagine the “take a look, it’s in a book, Reading Rainbow” part being played by horns. It sounds like a fight song already.

It also makes a good Doors song.

Matlock

Even if you can’t quite place it, you recognize this song. It would sound good played by a pep band, and it would be funny.

Family Matters

It’s difficult to imagine the person who was alive in the 1990s but doesn’t recognize this song. The key part is the “days go by” line, which seems to be fairly challenging for trumpet players, though these two groups pull it off.

Here’s another.

Dragnet

All you really need is those first few notes, played just before the snap on third-and-long when your team is on defense.

For a good example, check out the Ohio State video at the top of this post. For a good laugh, play this:

Inspector Gadget

Like Dragnet, Inspector Gadget depicted the life of a lawman, and for that reason he also needed an intimidating riff that would sound just right on third-and-long.

The A-Team

That sounds like it should be the fight song for the University of Texas. It’s absolutely perfect. If you were starting a new college tomorrow and you needed a fight song, that’s what you’d go with.