Yes, Yes, I LOVE this. This is how a soap theme should sound.

It should stir something up. Very pretty. Classy. Yeah the graphics are a LITTLE cheesy, but overrall, it is so nice. Why did they ditch this???

Shoot . There is is THIS version of the OLTL theme (rarely used) from the mid nineties that I really like:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YZtYdjn5CQ

Pretty.

I HATED that ATWT's 93-99 opening, I always felt the music was too [!@#$%^&*] depressing for my taste. It almost felt like something I would hear at a funeral.

I much prefer ATWT's synth 80's opening! I also liked the music for the opening that succeeded the 93-99 opening.

Shoot . There is is THIS version of the OLTL theme (rarely used) from the mid nineties that I really like:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YZtYdjn5CQ

Pretty.

Oh wow - I had never heard that version...I really liked it. They should have kept with that longer.

Watching that makes me sad - bc the show was pretty good with all those characters...and only about 10% remain today.

Anyway --- right now, I'd say AMC and Y&R have the best openings, although every soap is bad with updating. I understand the costs, but geez. Babe has been dead since October - and she's still on there.

I personally don't like names in opening credits regardless. Character, Actor, either way, I'd rather just see the faces. But B&B gets points from me anyway, for using both, just to cater to both types of viewers who want to know the actor's name or the character's name. Considers all the viewers. It's the Obama of soap opera openings.

I liked just having the character names. The characters' names were just enough information for the viewer to read before it flashed to the next person...but with the actor/actress name included, it looks cluttered, and is kinda pointless, like when movie channels run the credits by at warped speed. The original version of that opening kicked ass...the headshots fit the music PERFECTLY. My baby Thomas was in there! Amber was looking a little nuts in the head! My girl Darla! The first thing I noticed when they added actor/actress names is that they misspelled Kayla Ewell's name as Kalya.

As far as OLTL is concerned, I haaaaaaaaaate the character shots in the current opening. Starr's original shot looked ridiculous...like she was falling through a trap door. Phil Carey, bless his soul, looked like he was leaning on a peg leg. Shane points at the viewer...why? The only one I like is Markko's because J.Tam is beyond gorgeous in the face.

I flove the softcore porn OLTL opening so much. So pretty, so pristine...just plain sophisticated, which would obviously not work these days. And the ATWT open with the letters is timeless. They should be using that now.

I much prefer ATWT's synth 80's opening! I also liked the music for the opening that succeeded the 93-99 opening.

I may be the ONLY one who thinks that the 80s opening was too Star Trek/Star Wars for daytime. I mean, I loved the music and the visuals were good, but I can only imagine Grandma and Grandpa having coronaries when that thing first aired.

Seeing the late 90s/early 00s AMC opening on SOAPnet yesterday only reaffirmed my love for it. [!@#$%^&*] all you hatas!

Edited February 9, 200916 yr by All My Shadows

Here is a montage of all of OLTL's openings.

The third one from 1981 is my fave( right after Paul Rauch's)

The music is beautiful, evocative, and the film has that grainy, movie quality. Love it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3E_Rs3JcWg...re=channel_page

Oh and I'll echo all the GH comments... I get a headache if I try to actually pay attention to see who is on there... as someone else said - Schizophrenic for sure.

And THIS is awesome! The Guiding Light DISCO theme. I don't know why, but I LOVE IT.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UUkghPTO5g

Here is a montage of all of OLTL's openings.

The third one from 1981 is my fave( right after Paul Rauch's)

The music is beautiful, evocative, and the film has that grainy, movie quality. Love it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3E_Rs3JcWg...re=channel_page

Ok --- the OLTL themes just always scream 'Blue-collar' to me.

But oh my! What's with the random shift from Blue-Collar to Soft Porn/Champagne back to Blue-Collar?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhg9KNqslX0...feature=related

That's B&B sometime in 04, probably one of the first, if not the first, of the new version. After all of the talk about updating, the 4 plus JW haven't been changed since then, lol.

(I just watched one from 07, [vomit]Constatine's creepy-a** was in it [/vomit].)

Edited February 9, 200916 yr by bandbfan

Here is the best soap opera opening ever --- from 1990-1995:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnIIrNyRok

What made it also great was the lead-in music playing over the scene - so dramatic...they need to totally bring that back.

And OMG! I just found this one with couples photos - I haven't seen this one in ages, but I remember always loving how they'd put couples in a picture (Tad/Dixie and Tom/Barbara). AND this has Debbi Morgan (Angie) in it...I bet this is the only version she's actually in -- didn't she leave very soon after? I didn't realize she was ever in the falling pictures theme.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGkqtPZe3rQ

Edited February 9, 200916 yr by alwaysAMC

And finally- My favorite opening theme/graphics of all time-

Y&R 1984- It has the wind at the beginning and all of my favorite characters and BRENDA DICKSON!!!

The best. The classic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4u_FW7v93A

And THIS is awesome! The Guiding Light DISCO theme. I don't know why, but I LOVE IT.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UUkghPTO5g

Good God, that thing is fierce. Too bad that style of disco was out of style by then...that could have tore the dance floors up.

I have a weird affinity for the Boyz II Men-ish version of My Guiding Light for some reason. It was gone before my memories start, but idk, it just reminds me of the 90s.

I want to branch out to primetime here. All of the 80s shows, as well as early 90210 and MP, had feature-length openings that went on and on and on and on and on, sometimes over a minute and a half. "Dallas" had the fiercest music, especially the blatantly disco arrangements. How do you not love the episode where Pam and Bobby are dancing their asses off to the theme song?

Here is the best soap opera opening ever --- from 1990-1995:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnIIrNyRok

What made it also great was the lead-in music playing over the scene - so dramatic...they need to totally bring that back.

I loved that too!! I loved how it played in the scene and led into the song. It reminds me of the last time I watched AMC- It was the year AMC hit #2- 1991??NATALIE IN THE WELL!!!!! That was awesome. I had to alternate taping Y&R and AMC- it was horrible.

Good God, that thing is fierce. Too bad that style of disco was out of style by then...that could have tore the dance floors up.

I know, they were a year too late! I love that the music builds and builds and they picked excellent scenes to pair up with the music. And then the police light blending into the disco light!!!!

I never watched GL, but if I wasn't in kindegarten when this aired, you are damn right I would have watched!