Theme Music
The original theme used from 1978–1989 (albeit an updated recording from 1988–1989), which returned for the final series in 2008, was "Chicken Man" by Alan Hawkshaw, a track from the Themes International music library composed one hour before it was recorded during a session in Munich, Germany. Grange Hill was the first programme to use it as a theme followed by the popular quiz show Give Us a Clue, whose makers used it from 1979–1982, despite it already being played on Grange Hill. Give Us A Clue used a less dynamic custom arrangement more in keeping with the style of light entertainment programming.
From 1990, a new, more contemporary-sounding theme, written for the series by Peter Moss, was used. Moss had previously written some special hip-hop music for a storyline in Series 11 of Grange Hill. His theme tune lasted until 2007, although as the years progressed less and less of it was heard as the opening titles got increasingly shorter, with the final version being no more than 12 seconds long. For the final series, an abbreviated edit of the original version of "Chicken Man" was reinstated as the main theme.
The last four notes of the original theme song were heard when Brookside, one of Phil Redmond's other TV series, aired its final episode in November 2003.
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Famous quotes containing the words theme and/or music:
“If a theme or idea is too near the surface, the novel becomes simply a tract illustrating an idea.”
—Elizabeth Bowen (1899–1973)
“I’d rather you shot at tin cans in the back yard, but I know you’ll go after birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.... Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”
—Harper Lee (b. 1926)