You know the sound. It starts with that bright, sparkling chime—a literal musical "twinkle"—followed by a walking bassline that feels like a stroll through a 1960s suburban dream. It’s the Bewitched TV show theme song, and honestly, it’s a masterclass in how to write a hook that outlives its own era. While most people can hum the melody from memory, almost nobody knows that the version we heard every week on ABC was actually missing its soul.
Or at least, its voice.
The animated opening of Bewitched is legendary. Samantha Stephens twitches her nose, turns into a cartoon cat, and flies across a crescent moon while Howard Greenfield and Jack Keller’s composition bounces along in the background. It feels effortless. But there’s a weird tension in that music. It’s sophisticated jazz-pop masquerading as a simple jingle. Most TV themes of the era were marches or silly character descriptions, but Bewitched had this cool, West Coast jazz vibe that made the supernatural feel... chic.
The Secret Lyrics You Never Heard on Air
Here’s the thing: the Bewitched TV show theme song actually has lyrics.
You wouldn't know it from watching the show. Throughout its eight-season run from 1964 to 1972, the song remained a pure instrumental. But Greenfield and Keller—prodigious songwriters from the Brill Building era—didn't just write a tune; they wrote a full pop standard. The lyrics are actually pretty charming, leaning heavily into the "witchy" puns that defined the show's humor.
"Bewitched, bewitched, you’ve got me in your spell.
Bewitched, bewitched, you know your magic well."📖 Related: Big Brother 27 Morgan: What Really Happened Behind the Scenes
Steve Lawrence famously recorded a version. Peggy Lee did too. When you hear the lyrics, the song transforms. It stops being a quirky TV intro and becomes a sultry, mid-century lounge track. It’s fascinating because the instrumental version had to do all the heavy lifting of storytelling. It had to signal to the audience that they were about to see something magical, yet domestic. The harps and the woodwinds handle that "magical" side, while the steady 4/4 beat keeps it grounded in Darrin’s mundane, ad-agency world.
Why the Animation and Music Were a Perfect Marriage
The music wasn't just slapped onto the visuals. It was a tight choreography.
If you watch the opening credits closely, the brass hits align perfectly with the "pop" of the animation. The animation was handled by Hanna-Barbera. This was a massive deal at the time. You had the biggest name in TV animation working with top-tier session musicians to create a brand identity before "branding" was even a corporate buzzword.
The Bewitched TV show theme song had to bridge a gap. On one hand, you had Elizabeth Montgomery, a stunning leading lady playing a housewife with a secret. On the other, you had the slapstick comedy of Aunt Clara or Uncle Arthur. The music sits right in the middle. It’s sophisticated enough for a cocktail party in Westport, Connecticut, but bouncy enough for a kid to dance to.
It’s also surprisingly complex. If you look at the sheet music, the chord progressions aren't your standard three-chord sitcom fare. There’s a lot of chromatic movement. It slinks. It’s got a bit of a "noir" undertone that gets buried under the bright production of the show’s audio mix.
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The Evolution of the "Twitch" Sound
We need to talk about the nose twitch sound effect.
Technically, it’s part of the audio landscape of the theme, even if it’s not a musical note. That rapid-fire xylophone/glockenspiel "brrrrring" became the sonic shorthand for magic. It’s the most recognizable sound in 20th-century television. Interestingly, Elizabeth Montgomery couldn’t actually twitch her nose on command like that. It was a camera trick combined with her moving her upper lip, but the sound is what sold the illusion.
Without that specific percussive cue in the Bewitched TV show theme song sequence, the magic would have felt flat. It gave the "spell" a physical weight.
Cover Versions and the 2005 Reboot
When Nora Ephron decided to turn Bewitched into a meta-movie in 2005 starring Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell, the theme song was the one thing they couldn't mess with. They brought in Steve Lawrence’s vocal version for the soundtrack because it captured that "retro-cool" essence.
But it didn't quite land.
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The original 1960s instrumental is the definitive version because it captures the zeitgeist of the Space Age. It represents a time when America was obsessed with the idea that something extraordinary—maybe an alien, maybe a genie, or maybe a witch—was hiding just behind the picket fence. The music is optimistic. It’s bright.
Modern TV themes often lean into grit or atmospheric synth pads. We don't get many "tunes" anymore. The Bewitched TV show theme song comes from an era where the theme was the "invite" to the party. It had to be catchy enough that you’d hear it from the kitchen and run into the living room.
The Brill Building Connection
Jack Keller and Howard Greenfield weren't just "TV guys." They were titans.
Greenfield co-wrote "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" with Neil Sedaka. These guys were churning out hits for the biggest pop stars in the world. When they sat down to write for Samantha and Darrin, they applied the same pop logic that made a Top 40 radio hit work. They focused on the "earworm" factor.
- Use a distinctive opening interval.
- Maintain a tempo that mimics a human heartbeat or a walking pace.
- Resolve the melody in a way that feels satisfying.
It’s why, sixty years later, you can find lo-fi hip-hop remixes of the Bewitched TV show theme song on YouTube. The bones of the song are just that good. It’s a piece of jazz-pop that happens to have a cartoon witch attached to it.
Actionable Insights for Retro Media Fans
If you’re looking to dive deeper into the world of classic TV scores or you’re a collector of mid-century memorabilia, here are a few things you should actually do:
- Listen to the Peggy Lee version: If you want to hear how the song was "intended" to sound as a pop standard, her recording is the gold standard for vocal delivery.
- Check out the "Hidden" Verses: Look up the sheet music for the full lyrics. Most fans only know the first two lines, but the full song tells a much more detailed story about the "spell" of love versus the "spell" of magic.
- Analyze the 1960s Audio Mix: If you have a high-quality audio setup, listen to the stereo master of the theme. The instrument separation between the brass and the percussion provides a great example of the "Wall of Sound" era’s influence on television production.
- Track the Variations: Throughout the show's eight seasons, the arrangement of the theme was tweaked slightly as recording technology improved. Comparing Season 1 (Black and White) to Season 8 (Color) reveals a shift toward a fuller, more "orchestral pop" sound.
The Bewitched TV show theme song remains a peak example of how a few bars of music can define an entire cultural legacy. It’s more than just a jingle; it’s the sound of an era trying to make sense of magic in a modern world.