[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qamftCexSDk?feature=oembed&w=500&h=374]
Fifth Doctor Closing Credits
THERE. Why is this so bally hard to find?
For 17 years, Who fans enjoyed the show’s eerie, whooshy, subdued opening and closing theme (melody by Rob Granier, out-of-this-world arrangement and sound effects by Delia Derbyshire). Hearing it makes me feel like a wide-eyed 9-year-old.
Then the 80s rolled around, and suddenly the spooky title sequence turned into an unapologetically head-boppy synth 80s dance party, thanks to arranger Peter Howell. It was fun.
The base melody in the 80s opening credits was Granier’s, but Howell rearranged it, pumped it up and raised the pitch. Also, the closing credits added a second, insanely cheerful riff (around 0:35) that makes this my favorite of all the Who themes. My Mom and I could never turn off the TV until the whoosh-BOOM! at the end, and we found ourselves directing the glowy thing like conductors.
I still can’t listen to this theme without smiling and waving my hands.
Never stop before the whoosh-BOOM.
Every Who theme holds a special place in my heart.
That riff at :35, though, is not new to this version. It was the bridge that Grainer composed as part of the original full version, and can be heard in the opening credits of “Unearthly Child.” I only mention it because it’s my favorite part. ^_^ There always seemed to be something so magnificent and mysterious in the haunting low throb switching over to that beautiful soaring bit. It’s like the music of the universe.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLYSfWzKilI]