Perfect Strangers' Theme song "Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now" was a song that could only exist within the realms of being a theme song. Was it good? No. Was it cheesy and memorable parallel to the cheesiness and memorableness of the actual show? Indubitably. The song was written by perhaps the most prolific songwriters whose names you would never recognize- Jesse Frederick and Bennett Salvay, writers of not just this theme, but of Family Matters, Step by Step, and Full House theme songs. That's a whole lot of vague metaphors about togetherness.
But, ahem, what does the Perfect Strangers' theme say about Perfect Strangers? Well it establishes an aura of soft playfulness. The jittery keyboard is uplifted by the most welcoming of drum beats right off the bat, and then a little harmonica is thrown in there making you feel: relaxed. We don't have to worry about these strangers, because these strangers are light hearted characters with some relatable qualities. The theme's harmony says: "Ya know- these guys really are perfect strangers." Perfect being one of the most overused words of modern corporate marketing. Then we get lyrics:
Sometimes the world looks perfect,
Nothing to rearrange.
Sometimes you get a feeling
Like you need some kind of change.
Nothing to rearrange.
Sometimes you get a feeling
Like you need some kind of change.
-In the first 2 sentences, we get the entire backstory. There are 2 feelings these guys have felt in their lives. Perfection in their lives, and then a rejection of that perfection in the form of moving to Chicago with a person who will likely be the catalyst for a series of misadventures pertaining to one of you not being from the country. Eh, you're in your late 20s, go for it.
No matter what the odds are this time,
Nothing's going to stand in my way.
This flame in my heart,
And a long lost friend
Gives every dark street a light at the end.
Nothing's going to stand in my way.
This flame in my heart,
And a long lost friend
Gives every dark street a light at the end.
- The golden line of a poorly written character, "Nothing's going to stand in my way". It doesn't get much more watered down relatable than that. You can have all the "Flame in my heart" and "light at the end"s in the world, because "nothing's going to stand in my way" is being sung. It's vapid, yet, through irony, quite poignant.
Standing tall, on the wings of my dream.
Rise and fall, on the wings of my dream.
-This is the best part of the song, and undoubtedly the part you remember. The rest of the song can suck it because I have dreams, and these dreams are flying. They are flying because they have wings. My dream grew wings and is now in a sky. And I am on those wings. I am falling while rising on those wings. On those dream wings my standing isn't short, my dream wing standing is tall. It is tall. On the wings of my dream. Just saying it makes me want to, I dunno, fix the leak in my den.
The rain and thunder
The wind and haze
I'm bound for better days.
It's my life and my dream,
Nothing's going to stop me now.
Nothing's going to stop me now.
- Harmonica again to remind us: it's just a song for a TV show. We were so struck by the exuberance of the dream wing breakdown, that this harmonica comes in and slaps us back down to the couch saying "hey now watch this show". Which we likely did. Because that theme song let us know that we didn't have to think during this show. The images we saw were of a straight laced white guy and a foreign man, both with odd noses, galavanting about Chicago, while I know they at least have dreams, and, though I can't see it, I know they have feelings for each other.
The theme to Perfect Strangers outshines the Perfect Strangers show. You remember Balki. You remember Balki had semi-catchphrases or just said the same words in a funny way on a regular basis. You know Larry's haircut better than you know Larry. But, c'mon, you know that theme song more than anything. Its hollow sentiment and cotton soft instrumentation scream late 80s hopefulness. In fact- Treehouse of Horror 15 used the song instead of the regular theme, if not only for its irony, but for the 'perfect' button to its opening parodying of sitcom cliches. The Perfect Strangers theme songs sits atop a pile of TV theme songs as the shining example that TV themes are simultaneously rudimentarily lifeless and unabashedly thrilling. At least in the one part where the singer belts it out.
Everybody: Stan Ding TAAAAAALLL...
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