Posts Tagged ‘Smooth-Ass Music’

Variation on a Theme: Al Jarreau, “Moonlighting [Theme]” (1987)

The theme to Moonlighting (1985-1989) was one of those great TV theme songs that was able to set the mood for the program that followed it. In just under a minute, the combination of the smooth arrangement, Al Jarreau’s even smoother vocals, and the very simple lyrics painted a quick but encompassing picture of the show’s basic premise: a combination of style meets intrigue, where a former fashion model, Maddie Hayes (Cybill Shepherd), “moonlighted” as a private investigator in order to get back on her feet and ended up in a complex relationship with her business partner, David Addison (Bruce Willis), all with the supergloss of 1980s Los Angeles as the backdrop. The theme song fit the vocalist, the show, and the era perfectly.

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