Working in music research on TV however, means you have to think outside the box, and one such person paired up everyone's favourite rock goth with WWE SmackDown. When you think Marilyn Manson, possibly the last thought that would enter your head would be oiled-up wrestlers flinging each other about in a ring. Marilyn Manson: The Beautiful People: WWE SmackDown Oasis's version has never made the Top 40, as it wasn't an official single, but the song did enjoy chart success when it was covered by Norwegian star Aurora, peaking at Number 11 after being featured in the John Lewis Christmas ad in 2015. The iconic comedy set in the living room of a Manchester family of telly addicts needed an equally iconic band to provide the soundtrack, and Oasis were only too happy to step up with Half The World Away, which had originally been the b-side to Whatever. Oasis: Half The World Away – The Royle Family
The show, however, lived to fight another day – it returned in 2015 for a civilian version and a new series kicks off on May 30. Soundtracking this Z-list snogfest was the sweet, summery ditty Wish I, from Jem, who'd scored her first Top 10 with They earlier that year.ĭespite the show being panned by critics, the theme managed to reach Number 24, although you could argue it was the kiss of death for Jem – she's not made the Top 40 since. Jem: Wish I – Celebrity Love IslandĬompelling, cringeworthy and mercifully brief, Celebrity Love Island was the 2005 show that saw famous people shack up together on a remote, sunkissed resort in the hope that the absence of much else to do would persuade them to get off with each other. Can We Fix It? was quite the phenomenon: it was the Official Christmas Number 1 of 2000, and has sold over a million copies! Bob, voiced by comedian Neil Morrissey, wasn't done there, either – he had another chart-topper with a cover of Mambo No.5. It was no surprise then, when popular kids' TV character Bob the Builder hit the top with the theme from his very own show. Comedians, cartoon characters, school choirs – you name it, Number 1 is within your reach. The UK is famous for its sense of humour when it comes to the Official Singles Chart.
Check out the full chart run for I'll Be There For You here. So popular was the song that it was re-released two years later and re-entered the Top 10. Interestingly, in the original pilot for the show, R.E.M’s equally ? Shiny Happy People was the theme. I'll Be There For You reached Number 3 in 1995 but the Rembrandts couldn't outlive the show – they broke up pretty quickly. The characters were arguably the most annoying, privileged, clueless people ever to exist, but we loved them all the same. The Rembrandts: I’ll Be There For You – Friendsįor 10 loooong years, every episode of the world's most successful sitcom kicked off with this unforgettable tune. It shot to the Top 5 faster than Dot Cotton can get through a packet of 20 B&H, peaking at Number 4. The thing is, it was actually the EastEnders theme tune with Anita singing some, um, rather hastily put together lyrics over the top. Demand for anything from its stars was high, so leading lady Anita Dobson, who played boozy, lovable pub landlady Angie Watts, thought she might as well bung out a single. We'd quite like to see Casualty legend Charlie Fairhead showing us all his moves to this version of the theme – for Children In Need maybe? Anita Dobson: Anyone Can Fall In Love – EastEndersīack in 1985, EastEnders was all anyone could talk about. Not a TV theme in the strictest sense – you never heard this version booming out over the titles before another hour of people falling off ladders on a Saturday evening – this 2000 chart-topper owed more than a nod to the nation's favourite hospital drama Casualty. Oxide & Neutrino: Bound 4 Da Reload – Casualty Phantom Planet's aptly titled California – you can see what they did there, right? – hit Number 9 in 2002. Remember The OC, that show about beautifully toothed, immaculately groomed American teens who all looked amazing but were in fact monumental disasters of the highest order? While the on-screen shenanigans of characters Ryan, Marissa, Seth and Summer might've been enough to put you off setting foot in California for ever, it didn't deter you from buying its theme tune. We look back at some of the legends from your living room that have broken out of the box and made their way into the Official Singles Chart. Most songs have to jostle for space on the radio among scores of other potential hits, but for some chart hits, all they had to do was turn up at the beginning and end of a TV show.