The Sanford And Son Theme Song Is The Catchiest Tune To Come Out Of 1972, Hands Down

Of all the classic rock and great pop to hit stores and the radio in 1972, we think the hookiest is the opening credits song from the NBC sitcom "Sanford and Son," which debuted that year on its way to becoming one of the most popular shows in America 50 years ago. It's such a brief tune, but it buzzes and crackles from the start, combining harmonica, electric organ, and a rubbery percussive drumbeat to make a catchy, earworm of a melodic line. We can't help but sing along to it — which is truly saying something, because there are no words at all in this instrumental work.

The tragic, 2026 death of Demond Wilson — he played Lamont, the "son" of "Sanford and Son," reminded us that not only was "Sanford and Son" one of the best sitcoms of the '70s, but that its theme song is one of the jauntiest, most memorable, and most exciting pieces of music ever written just for the small screen. Here's a look into the creation of the "Sanford and Son" theme song, and how it's not only one of the few TV show theme songs from the '70s that still rock hard today, but just an outright banger and classic in its own right.

A big reason why the instrumental "Sanford and Son" theme song both rocks and grooves as hard as it does is because of the composer's pedigree. Working variously as a songwriter, producer, and instrumentalist from the 1950s onward, Quincy Jones had a preternatural ability to make really catchy music. He headed up the recording of Michael Jackson's blockbuster "Thriller" and "Bad" LPs as well as the mega-popular tune "We Are the World," and generated bestsellers for Donna Summer, George Benson, Lesley Gore, and Aretha Franklin, among others. In the early 1970s, TV producer Bud Yorkin secured the rights to the British sitcom "Steptoe and Son" and developed it into "Sanford and Son," a vehicle for comedian Redd Foxx, best known for his hilarious but decidedly TV-unfriendly routines. Yorkin needed a theme song, and he asked Jones, who was a collaborator with Foxx on the once semi-underground "Chitlin Circuit" of Black comedians (he wrote Foxx's stage entry music).

Titled "The Streetbeater," the song may feel so fresh and electric is because it was simple, off the cuff, and born out of the thrill of spontaneity. "I wrote that in about 20 minutes," Jones told Billboard in 2010. "We had four musicians. Recorded it in about 20 minutes. It's amazing. Looking back, it's a trip." Jones was so proud of the song — or perhaps he was responding to audience demand — that he commercially released the track billed as both "Sanford and Son Theme" and "The Streetbeater" on his 1973 album "You've Got it Bad Girl."