Maybe if we post our favorite Soap Opening Credits

[All My Shadows]

There were always short/long versions of this opening, and the shorter versions were always seen more frequently. Here is a long version of the blue opening from 2006:

And a short version of the gold opening from 2002

I generally like this opening. The music is really nice, but I can't stand that trend of having the show's title flash at you a million times. It cheapens the climax of having the title appear at the end. I will say that the 80s ATWT opening got that 100% right - you can't beat that slow pull out from the globe as the big letters appear around it.

The video globe - ah. So many mixed feelings. I think the music is great (obviously not including the whooshes), and I love that big build to the part with the videos on the globe, but once again, whyyyyyyyy have your title appear for a second or two THEN act like it's a big finish to simply have the title appear again? The whooshes throughout could have been close-ups of old clips on the globe (instead of flashing the title), and the part with the title card BEFORE the title card could have been more clips as well.

 

Edited April 19, 2020 by All My Shadows

[ranger1rg]

Thanks for those, All My Shadows. Those extra seconds make a huge difference.

 

While I understand the idea of shortening the open to add more commercial time, I'd rather something else be cut/edited -- such as a character walking across the room or a long pause/look between characters.

[All My Shadows]

I agree. The 1999-2002 opening had a shortened version, too, and somehow, for whatever reason, they chose to edit out characters but KEEP THE TITLE CARD BEFORE THE TITLE CARD.

 

[BetterForgotten]

The 3 versions of the 80's closing theme. Mary Ellis-Bunim REALLY tried to bring this show into the 80's, didn't she? LOL, but I love this theme and it's the one I'll always associate with the show and when I started watching.

 

 

 

 

Edited April 19, 2020 by BetterForgotten

[Soapsuds]

My favorite variation of the theme was 86-87 year. By 1988 the theme had changed slightly ..

 

 

Btw to me there were more than 3 variations of on and on from ATWT.

 

82-84 variation

85 variation

Spring 86 to summer 87 variation

88 version

89-91 version

92-93 version

 

They had slight tweaks that are noticeable.

[Soapsuds]

 

This version has a huge horn blast at the end that the 86-87 and others didn't have. It has more horns present and at 0:42 to 0:46 sound different to me from other years .

Edited April 19, 2020 by Soapsuds

[DramatistDreamer]

'80s ATWT themes songs always sounded so good when performed by an orchestra.  Remember when the Daytime Emmys could actually afford live music and they would play the show theme songs when the winners would make their way onstage? ATWT was always at its sonic best when musicians played that theme song live.  I think, by the late 80s TPTB tried to smooth out the song a little too much and the electronic elements took over the music, which robbed it of a bit of its soul/bounce.

[Soapsuds]

Oh and the visual credits for the actors names and characters was horrendous the last two years of on and on.

I thought that late 88 and 89 the theme became very basic. I'm assuming that's what you mean by smoothing it out.

 

I never cared for the slower theme version from 82-84. I much preferred the up-tempo version in spring 85 right before Marland came in as HW. 

I loved thus version minus the flush. It didn't last long. The rumors were they got rid of it because it was too expensive 

I hated this and the blue version. Loathed the music and the background with ATWT flashing everywhere. It looked so cheap.

Edited April 19, 2020 by Soapsuds

[Soapsuds]

Did anyone care for the cornfield opening?

 

[Mona Kane Croft]

 

I liked it, except for the first few seconds of the music.  It briefly sounds like someone's playing a record backwards, but after that, it's dynamic and serious.  Well designed too, if you ask me.   And it looks like someone at P&G was still taking the show seriously.    

 

[Khan]

 

Not I.  I thought the visuals were far too sepia-toned and that the music took forever to kick into gear.

[BetterForgotten]

The show was largely unwatchable to me by this point, but I did like Wheeler's first GL opening overhaul:

 

 

 

[All My Shadows]

I think I liked ATWT's final real opening when it was on the air, but I like it a lot less now. They never bothered to make different versions with the whole cast represented, and that was a big foul for me.  I did like the music - just didn't think it was the right fit for ATWT at all.

Digging a little farther back into P&G-land, the Lovers and Friends/For Richer, For Poorer theme is one of my favorites. Obviously influenced by Y&R's Nadia's Theme but still a nice piece of brooding soap music.

 

[DramatistDreamer]

 

That's sort of what I'm saying. By the end of the 80s, the theme had become bland.  All the funkiness of that bass guitar, the harmonies of those strings had been flattened and washed out to this more generic flatter use of electronic instrumentation.  In earlier years, the synthesizers had been put to good use and blended in reasonably well but  toward the end they washed out any semblance of organic sound. Just a flat and overly sanitized sound.

[BetterForgotten]

Conboy should have been fired immediately when he replaced this:

 

 

With this:

 

 

For all his faults, Rauch's 2002 update was a worthy successor to the 'Hold On to Love' opening.