AT40 Theme Music

[revolverone]

Has anyone ever posted the changes of the AT40 music over the years? It's funny most people prefer the "Shuck-A-Toom" theme from the '70s, I actually like the 80's-Style theme they used mainly during 1987. The change to the theme after Shadoe took over is absolutely terrible.

[adam31]

My favorite is the one you mentioned, started in 1987 and continued through the end of 88 I think. I also liked the first music change when Shadoe took over, however despise the change a couple of years later. The one with the woman singing like Martha Wash....AMMMMERRRICAN AMMERICAN TOPPPPPPPPPP FORRRRRRRRRRRTY!

Pretty annoying lol.

[revolverone]

LOL! or the "American Top 40 YEEEAAAHHHH!!!" That's when they changed to that awful synthesizer music that just repeated the same "American Top 40" riff over and over. Just annoying.

[vto66]

Nov 26, 2012 12:30:06 GMT -5 revolverone said:

Has anyone ever posted the changes of the AT40 music over the years? It's funny most people prefer the "Shuck-A-Toom" theme from the '70s, I actually like the 80's-Style theme they used mainly during 1987. The change to the theme after Shadoe took over is absolutely terrible.

Yes, they have been posted before. For your benefit, I will run them down to the best of my knowledge...
July 4, 1970 to sometime in 1973--Opening theme--Moog synth theme with "cat-meow" (as some have called it) sound effects. Also used as end-of-hour, top-of-hour and closing theme during this period.
Bumper jingles--Simple, acappella "Casey's Coast to Coast", "The Hits from CTC" and "AT40" done in various tempos.
Early 1973 to April 6, 1974--Bumper jingles--Newly recorded with brassy background music, various tempos.
End-of-hour and closing theme--Remix of 1970 Moog theme, with a softer tone on the keyboard parts and in a slightly different key. This would remain as the end-of-hour theme up to the last three-hour show on September 30, 1978.
Around late 1973 until November 1, 1975--Opening theme--New slightly softened mix of 1970 theme cutting the "cat noises" and toning down the percussion parts.
April 13, 1974 until August 16, 1975--Bumper jingles return to 1970 versions.
August 23, 1975 until January 1, 1977--Bumper jingles--New, peppier-sounding acapella jingles.
October 4, 1975 until around July 1976--Closing theme--Remixed Moog theme from early 1973 under closing credits, leading into "Shuckatoom Theme."
November 8, 1975 to September 15, 1979--Opening theme--"Shuckatoom"
Top-of-hour theme remained late 1973 mix of opening theme until around July 1976.
July 10, 1976 until September 15, 1979--Top-of-Hour and Closing themes changed to Shuckatoom.
January 8, 1977 to October 21, 1978--Bumper jingles with various musical styles (country, disco and a somewhat-fondly-remembered 'Afternoon Delight' knockoff).
October 7, 1978 to April 17, 1982--End-of-hour theme--Disco-styled, horn-and-string-based tune.
October 28, 1978 to August 18, 1979--Bumper jingles--Updated to disco and light-pop/rock styles.
August 25, 1979 to April 17, 1982--Bumper jingles--Updated to contemporary-pop style.
"Coast-to-Coast Fanfare" theme introduced on September 22, 1979 and used as opening theme until October 13, 1979, as top-of-hour theme from 9/22/1979 until 4/17/82, and as a closing theme in various forms until 1/7/1984.
Closing theme: 9/22/1979 until about 10/13/1979, also on 12/22. 12/29 and 1/5/1980 shows--Full-length (2:53) version of CTC Fanfare. This version was also used to close the 10/25/1980 show.
10/20/1979 until 2/13/1982--First edit of CTC Fanfare.
2/20/1982 until 1/7/1984--Second edit of CTC Fanfare.
4/24/1982--New bumper jingles, EOH and TOH themes.
6/26/1982--EOH theme changed back to Fall 1978 version.
Late 1982 to 1/7/1984--CTC Fanfare revived as TOH theme, used along with April 1982 theme.
1/14/1984--All themes and jingles updated. Opening theme in particular led off with a synthesized "CCTC" riff.
Late January 1985--Opening theme remixed. Synth intro replaced with a "Shuckatoom"-esque horn-and-string intro that incorporated the original 1970 theme. Some new bumper jingles added.
Spring 1987-All-new themes and jingles with a fast-paced, high-energy feel to them.
July 1988--Some alterations to bumper jingles. Casey references edited out in anticipation of his departure and subsequent arrival of Shadoe Stevens a month later.
February 11, 1989--All-new themes and jingles.
As for personal preferences, I am partial to the 1977 to late 1979 era of AT40 themes and jingles, particularly the Fall 1978 to late 1979 bumper jingles.

[revolverone]

Thanks for the breakdown. Very informative.

[briguy52748]

Nov 26, 2012 22:24:04 GMT -5 vto66 said:

Nov 26, 2012 12:30:06 GMT -5 revolverone said:

Has anyone ever posted the changes of the AT40 music over the years? It's funny most people prefer the "Shuck-A-Toom" theme from the '70s, I actually like the 80's-Style theme they used mainly during 1987. The change to the theme after Shadoe took over is absolutely terrible.

Yes, they have been posted before. For your benefit, I will run them down to the best of my knowledge...

(message truncated)

The only change would be to denote "Shuckatoom" used as the opening theme once again from Oct. 20, 1979, through Jan. 7, 1984. That, and maybe a description of what the 1989 music package sounded like.

I've heard the 1989 package, and I like it. I guess the best way to describe it is that reflected the pop music sounds of the era – a few high-energy, uptempo cues (including one that was urban contemporary-ish), along with a softer cue or two.

Also, I think there was a cue in there that went something like "... as Shadoe counts 'em down!"

Brian

[briguy52748]

A few more things I thought of:

• The 1982 EOH theme was, I think, the basis for the TOH theme from that same year. It sounded like a chorus doing a "la, la-la-le-la-la, la-la, la-la-la" for the first part before a series of key changes as the theme continued. I don't know the length of the cue (probably 2 minutes or so), but I do think I had a program once where this particular TOP cue was used as Casey introduced nine new stations that week ... so it goes at least 50 seconds. If there's a place where it can be heard in the clear, that'd be great.

• The 1973 music package: It seems to me the commercial break cues were broken in gradually, actually starting in December 1972 (I heard a few of the "new for 1973" cues on the Dec. 16, 1972 program that was run a few years back, alongside the original 1970 cues). As late as at least the Jan. 27, 1973, show ... the new cues were all a capella, with the brassy musical backing coming probably with the Feb. 3, 1973 show at the earliest and Feb. 17, 1973 at the latest.

• Number cues: To my knowledge, here's when I think updates/changes took place:

– 1970: The original set. I think there was at least two versions of every individual number.
– c. December 1972-April 1974: Styled much like the 1973 music package, with new vocals. The one with No. 40 went, "Billboard's number ... 40!" As I've heard a couple of the early "American Country Countdown" programs from the fall of 1973, these cues were used in those early programs as well, before they too were updated sometime in early 1974.
– April 1974-Dec. 31, 1977: One set, much like the original 1970 versions.
– Jan. 7, 1978-April 1982: Re-recorded, sounds like a synthesizer. Sounds more 80s-ish than something from the late 70s.
– April 1982-Jan. 7, 1984: A softer set of number cues, along with a toned-down set of 1978 cues.
– Jan. 14, 1984-Feb. 4, 1989: Re-recorded to complement the 1984 music package.
– Feb. 11, 1989- (likely, mid-1992): Updated again. Many of the numbers had a fast-paced, high-energy intro before slowing down to the vocalists singing the number.

The final number cues probably came with the last music package in 1992.

Brian

[Mike]

Nov 27, 2012 18:37:05 GMT -5 briguy52748 said:

– Feb. 11, 1989- (likely, mid-1992): Updated again. Many of the numbers had a fast-paced, high-energy intro before slowing down to the vocalists singing the number.

The final number cues probably came with the last music package in 1992.

Nope. The new ones that came with the package introduced in 1989 stayed until the show was cancelled completely in 1995. (Just like the ones introduced in 1984 stayed despite changes to the rest of the package, up until the whole package changed in '89.)

I think, though I'm not quite 100% sure, that the rest of the package was changed in conjunction with 1992's July 4 show.

[OldSchoolAT40Fan]

I definitely can declare that the last AT40 theme from the original run did indeed debut on July 4, 1992 - the show's 22-year anniversary on the air. Shadoe mentioned it was "the tip of the iceberg" at the beginning of the show.

As for my favorite AT40 theme and jingles package, I preferred the January 26, 1985 to March 28, 1987 music package more.

The 1984 theme with the space-agey feel was pretty good, but the only one of the bumpers was pretty good - "American (American) Top 40". That particular bumper did make some reappearances in 1986 (including on the October 25, 1986 show and in July or August 1986), but gone completely by the time 1987 rolled around.

I like "Shuckatoom", but I didn't really get "into" AT40 until late August 1986. So for a while, I couldn't determine which "Shuckatoom" package is better. But after hearing a few early 1980s broadcasts (thanks to an anonymous contact I got them from), I will safely declare that I like the February 1982 music package more out of any "Shuckatoom" package during the show's run.

Any theme and music package from Shadoe's tenure was not that great, but if I'd like any of them more, it would be the February 11, 1989 package for sure. The July 1992 music package was, hands down, the worst ever. I can see one of the reasons why the original run of AT40 went off the air less than 3 years later. And that theme didn't knock my socks off (like Shadoe expected in late June 1992).

[adam31]

Nov 27, 2012 20:13:34 GMT -5 Mike said:

Nov 27, 2012 18:37:05 GMT -5 briguy52748 said:

– Feb. 11, 1989- (likely, mid-1992): Updated again. Many of the numbers had a fast-paced, high-energy intro before slowing down to the vocalists singing the number.

The final number cues probably came with the last music package in 1992.

Nope. The new ones that came with the package introduced in 1989 stayed until the show was cancelled completely in 1995. (Just like the ones introduced in 1984 stayed despite changes to the rest of the package, up until the whole package changed in '89.)

I think, though I'm not quite 100% sure, that the rest of the package was changed in conjunction with 1992's July 4 show.

You are correct, they were the same number jingles from 1989-1995, except there were two versions (fast and slow) to segue into which kind of song was coming up.

[Shadoe Fan]

Some of the segment intros from the 1989 change remained past the 1992 package. Also some of the 1992 package themes changed slightly from their debut, and the order of the top of hour themes changed not long after their introduction in 1992.

[jlthorpe]

Just out of curiosity, I was listening to AT40 the week Seacrest did his Casey tribute and I could swear AT40 has been using the same opening, number jingles (if you can call them jingles), sound effects, etc. since Seacrest took over the show in 2004. Have there been any changes to these since then? Has this been the longest time (10+ years) without major changes?

[Deleted]

The show intro has changed several times as well as intros/outros. But the same basic theme or image has pretty much been used, yes. I'd imagine if CC ever re imaged most of their CHR/HAC stations this show would change as well.

[mkarns]

I don't think AT40 today really has much in the way of theme "music", in the strict sense. While the openings have changed, they rely mostly on voice clips and sound effects (current beginning: "Upload AT40") rather than music, which is mostly buried deep under all else.

Same for the closing, which seems to be a generic synthesized track that hasn't changed much if at all, and in any event invariably cuts off as soon as Ryan stops talking.

[BrettVW]

The first year or so of Ryan had a more defined closing theme that ended with a "hits from coast to coast" instrumental tag that I always enjoyed. They also has a few jingles that quickly faded away.

The 1999-2003 Premiere AT40 jingle package was always one of my favorites. That closing theme and the CTC fanfare 1980-1983 were my two favorite closing themes.

The 11 and a half year run of AT20 Hot AC holds the record for longest used theme and jingle package