DAILY DIRT: These themes are truly music to our ears

August 6, 2023 | By Steve Eighinger, MRN Minister of Culture and Doctor of Love

The Rembrandts are still performing, and I would say it’s a safe bet there’s one particular song included in all of their concerts. Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 689 of The Daily Dirt.

1. We’ve had a lot of fun ranking various theme songs from network TV shows over the past couple of years, but today our theme is taking a slightly turn.

Here’s our three medal-worthy themes since the turn of the century:

Gold medal: “Friends,” NBC. OK, we might be dealing with a technicality here. Yes, the show began in 1994, but it lasted until 2004, so we had five seasons from 2000 on. I make the rules, so it counts! The Rembrandts’ “I’ll Be There For You” still sounds good today.

Silver medal: “Big Bang Theory,” CBS. Canadian pop legends, the Barenaked Ladies, provided us with this memorable sing-a-long. And thanks to syndication, we’ll be able to hear this song until he end of time. Bazinga!

Bronze medal: “The Simpsons,” Fox. I wanted to include an instrumental, and this is by far the best — and most recognizable. I hate to think about how many times we’ve heard this classic from composer Danny Elfman. The show debuted in 1989 and it’s still going strong.

Honorable mention: The ESPN SportsCenter intro. For any red-blooded American male, this music is sweet to the ears.

2. We like to keep up with the ever-changing science of what parents are naming their newborns these days, but on this occasion we’re going a little retro.

Here’s a breakdown of the most popular baby names by decade, according to interesting facts.com. What I noticed first was how much more quickly the girls’ name began to evolve. See if you agree:

1920s

Boys: Robert, John, James, William, Charles.

Girls: Mary, Dorothy, Helen, Betty, Margret.

1930s

Boys: Robert, James, John, William, Richard.

Girls: Mary, Betty, Barbara, Shirley, Patricia.

1940s

Boys: James, Robert, John, William, Richard.

Girls: Mary, Linda, Barbara, Patricia, Carol.

1950s

Boys: James, Michael, Robert, John, David.

Girls: Mary, Linda, Patricia, Susan, Deborah.