I was a happy carefree grade school child when I first heard this beautiful theme during the summer vacation between 1st and 2nd grade... time can really slip through your fingers... And now that I hear this haunting melody as an adult, I look back on my childhood, with a sad fondness.
This song drives me into tears over my late mother. She watched the show twice from the time she was 11 years old in June 1952 til Dec 1981 when this beautiful melody was replaced by a tacky disco theme. After we settled in Deposit, New York, she rewatched from Nov 24, 1987 until she died June 30, 1998.
@@vansmack4972 time flies! it doesn't seem like 5 years ago that i posted that comment. yes, the late, late 70's and early 80's era of GL were great. it was the time of rita and prior to reba. it doesn't seem like 40 years since i graduated high school either. i worked at a nearby grocery store. it only took a very few minutes for me to drive to work. i would watch as much of GL as i could before i had to go clock in for work. i really liked the ben-amanda-miss wexler plot where amanda's mom was trying to kill ben and make it look like an accident (summer of 79). my favorite soap plot of all time however was right around the time i graduated. it concerned kevin bacon as tim aka tj, his best friend darren, darren's dad who was a senator and a girlfriend of darren's who had secretly gotten pregnant and ended up murdered. the murder had been pinned on tim, but while tim was out on bail, he and mike bauer worked on the mystery. there was a scene where someone lunged from the back seat of tim's car and grabbed his face. this scene was used in the commercials for the show during this time. around the same time kevin bacon also appeared in friday the 13th. the commercial for that film showed someone grabbing kevin from under neath the bed. i wish someone would post that plot from GL on youtube. i have found an episode of GL from like may 25, maybe 28 of 1980 where the story line has just been concluded, but i can't find any of the plot itself. good times! good memories. :)
The classic daytime soap opera ending theme which makes Guiding Light a legacy which will always be enjoyed by its fans including me for future generations to come!
This was without a doubt the best theme music for a daytime drama. Started watching Guiding Light on 1977, I believe Rita was on trial and had to find out the verdict. Needless to say, I was hooked!
Anjeanette Harris This theme is haunting, but it doesn't make me cry. It saddens me. The theme from 1983 makes me cry. And that's the theme I love. lol
back then it didn't 'bother' me. i liked it, but it did not get me upset or sad. in 1980 i was 18. i graduated from high school. when i hear the theme now it tears me all up. where did the time go?
You couldn't top this piece of music (and the simple but lovely visual of sunshine behind tree branches). I know that most TV studios want to keep things fresh, so they shove aside the old and create the new. But this is special, not unlike the pretty piano theme from The Young and the Restless. Good theme music is important and when you have something this gorgeous you ought to keep it as the theme for good. I watched GL from about 1980 through 1988 and no other theme tune they made could hold a candle to this gem. My gosh, the harp and strings and flute ... simply great.
well, I was born in 1981, My mom used to watch it, and eventually I'd as well, but I remember the my guiding light theme as the first, only bc I remember watching around 84 or 85, then a few veriations of that same theme started playing, until hold onto love in 1991 I think.
This theme brings tears to the eyes . . . . too beautiful. This what a soap-opera theme should be. Not that techno/smooth-jazz crap that's so popular now where everyone is 25-yrs old and has a cell-phone and walks around with a paper cup from Starbucks. I Miss Guiding Light from the 70's, and the whole era. I cried when this theme was changed to the infamous 'Disco Theme' in the late fall of 1981.
I remember clearly when they updated the font used on theses credits -- much thicker letters with the bolder yellow and white. An improvement for me as the one before this was always so thin... It scares me today to think of what I WOULDN'T give up to have daytime dramas today like they were back then -- packed with mind blowing stories and gorgeous titles and credits. Because they had it all put together so extremely well back then, I just assumed it would last forever... Boy was I wrong!
They should have kept this beautiful theme for the rest of GL time on the air and maybe have done slight updates to keep it fresh. Maybe change the leaf graphics to fit the seasons. Buds on the branches for Spring, Green leaves for Summer, This opening for Fall, and Snow on the branches for Winter.
I remember this theme. My mom used to watch it then. I began watching in 1981. They still played this until 82 or maybe 83. Then they had that stupid disco crap music. Then sometime later, they started playing the best theme since this one.
The theme from 1983 was my overall favorite. I always thought that this particular theme fit the soap perfectly. It's so 80's. It would've been great for a nighttime soap as well.
This has been the Guiding Light.Fashions provided by Lily Rubin Salons South Southwest & Barney's of Manhattan New York. Jewelry provided by Stephen Dweck.Recorded at the CBS Broadcast Center in Manhattan New York.Be sure to be with us tomorrow for another full hour of the Guiding Light.Stay tuned for 1 full hour of SESAME STREET. Violence free & commercial free.Peace,quiet & imagination friendly next on KET The Kentucky Network.
kevin bacon played tim aka tj. he had a crush on morgan, but morgan was in love with kelly. the really weird thing to me is kevin bacon was in friday the 13th 1980. after he left the guiding light another actor played his role of tim. amy steel was in friday the 13th part 2 1981. she then joined the cast of GL as trudy who went on to become the love interest of tim, but by the time she joined the cast bacon had departed and the role of tim recast.
@@DigimonDarkMaster700 January 1980 Was Still Showing A VIDEOTAPE PRESENTATION OF PROCTER & GAMBLE PRODUCTIONS In The Guiding Light Closing Credits At The Time Before It Removed From The Closing Credits Either In February Or March 1980.
Did I imagine things?, or was it actually a version of this theme with just the harp and flute throughout? No strings and no vocals. They did a bit of experimenting with this theme until they found the version that best fit the visuals of the sun streaming through the leaves. IDK
The original version of this theme (titled "Ritournelle") from 1975-77 had vocals. ua-cam.com/video/gNcwmXggejE/v-deo.html This version heard here without the vocals debuted in 1977.
@@cfs89 I've heard many versions of this theme. I know for sure that there's a harp only version that they play during intermission between the pause for station ID and announcement of the second half of Guiding Light. That I am positive of.
Question: When did "The Guiding Light" officially become "Guiding Light?" The "super" on this drops the "the," but the announcer still says "The Guiding Light." Question aside, I always thought this was one of the prettiest GL themes. Oh -- and do you have a credit roll from the time this music played while an Emmy revolved? TACKY!
Quite completed...the visuals said just "Guiding Light" with the sunlit flowers card and finally spoken when GL got a updated opening in late 1981. With its light travel opening which would be used until about 1985-86ish with two different music themes.
Wow this takes me back to 10 yo,,,my mother watched that show for decades : )
One of the loveliest soap opera themes ever written.
This never gets old to me. I want this played at my funeral and wake...I am now 56 and that time is coming ever so closer...
I was a happy carefree grade school child when I first heard this beautiful theme during the summer vacation between 1st and 2nd grade... time can really slip through your fingers... And now that I hear this haunting melody as an adult, I look back on my childhood, with a sad fondness.
I so concur. For I too discovered this theme while being out of school on Summer Vacation.
It is mesmerizing. I used to see this when I was a teen.
I love to listen to these old themes because it takes me back to a time I thought was better.
This song drives me into tears over my late mother. She watched the show twice from the time she was 11 years old in June 1952 til Dec 1981 when this beautiful melody was replaced by a tacky disco theme. After we settled in Deposit, New York, she rewatched from Nov 24, 1987 until she died June 30, 1998.
boy oh boy does this bring back memories. i had just graduated high school in 1980 and GL was my fave soap. thanks.
johnrunion Same here 1980. I would rush home from school to see the second half of GL. GL in late 70s early 80 where great.
@@vansmack4972 time flies! it doesn't seem like 5 years ago that i posted that comment. yes, the late, late 70's and early 80's era of GL were great. it was the time of rita and prior to reba. it doesn't seem like 40 years since i graduated high school either. i worked at a nearby grocery store. it only took a very few minutes for me to drive to work. i would watch as much of GL as i could before i had to go clock in for work. i really liked the ben-amanda-miss wexler plot where amanda's mom was trying to kill ben and make it look like an accident (summer of 79). my favorite soap plot of all time however was right around the time i graduated. it concerned kevin bacon as tim aka tj, his best friend darren, darren's dad who was a senator and a girlfriend of darren's who had secretly gotten pregnant and ended up murdered. the murder had been pinned on tim, but while tim was out on bail, he and mike bauer worked on the mystery. there was a scene where someone lunged from the back seat of tim's car and grabbed his face. this scene was used in the commercials for the show during this time. around the same time kevin bacon also appeared in friday the 13th. the commercial for that film showed someone grabbing kevin from under neath the bed. i wish someone would post that plot from GL on youtube. i have found an episode of GL from like may 25, maybe 28 of 1980 where the story line has just been concluded, but i can't find any of the plot itself. good times! good memories. :)
The classic daytime soap opera ending theme which makes Guiding Light a legacy which will always be enjoyed by its fans including me for future generations to come!
This was without a doubt the best theme music for a daytime drama. Started watching Guiding Light on 1977, I believe Rita was on trial and had to find out the verdict. Needless to say, I was hooked!
This ending of "The Guiding Light" always made me cry- I don't know why, but it did, and it still does every time I see and hear it to this day.
If it's a deeply beautiful music score, it'll do that to you.
Anjeanette Harris This theme is haunting, but it doesn't make me cry. It saddens me. The theme from 1983 makes me cry. And that's the theme I love. lol
back then it didn't 'bother' me. i liked it, but it did not get me upset or sad. in 1980 i was 18. i graduated from high school. when i hear the theme now it tears me all up. where did the time go?
This theme is somewhat sad to me. I like the show's 1983 theme song. It makes you feel both sad and happy at the same time.
Ms. Harris, Music is mean to make us feel something inside! I share your love of beautiful music!
This has been the Guiding Light
CLASSIC AND BEAUTIFUL!
Love this tune!
You couldn't top this piece of music (and the simple but lovely visual of sunshine behind tree branches). I know that most TV studios want to keep things fresh, so they shove aside the old and create the new. But this is special, not unlike the pretty piano theme from The Young and the Restless. Good theme music is important and when you have something this gorgeous you ought to keep it as the theme for good. I watched GL from about 1980 through 1988 and no other theme tune they made could hold a candle to this gem. My gosh, the harp and strings and flute ... simply great.
The best closing theme song ever...
Beautiful theme.
The Sunlight Thru The Leaves
the sun coming through the trees. The Guiding Light
well, I was born in 1981, My mom used to watch it, and eventually I'd as well, but I remember the my guiding light theme as the first, only bc I remember watching around 84 or 85, then a few veriations of that same theme started playing, until hold onto love in 1991 I think.
Brings back memories of summer
This theme brings tears to the eyes . . . . too beautiful. This what a soap-opera theme should be. Not that techno/smooth-jazz crap that's so popular now where everyone is 25-yrs old and has a cell-phone and walks around with a paper cup from Starbucks. I Miss Guiding Light from the 70's, and the whole era. I cried when this theme was changed to the infamous 'Disco Theme' in the late fall of 1981.
softwater88 i feeeål the same way as u do! And im 38 and tired of it
By far the best GL theme song. And yes the Guilding Light in the 1970s was superb.
I remember clearly when they updated the font used on theses credits -- much thicker letters with the bolder yellow and white. An improvement for me as the one before this was always so thin... It scares me today to think of what I WOULDN'T give up to have daytime dramas today like they were back then -- packed with mind blowing stories and gorgeous titles and credits. Because they had it all put together so extremely well back then, I just assumed it would last forever... Boy was I wrong!
i know exactly how you feel... :(
Nothing last forever and even the remaining four soaps will bite the dust.
They should have kept this beautiful theme for the rest of GL time on the air and maybe have done slight updates to keep it fresh. Maybe change the leaf graphics to fit the seasons. Buds on the branches for Spring, Green leaves for Summer, This opening for Fall, and Snow on the branches for Winter.
I remember this theme. My mom used to watch it then. I began watching in 1981. They still played this until 82 or maybe 83. Then they had that stupid disco crap music. Then sometime later, they started playing the best theme since this one.
The theme from 1983 was my overall favorite. I always thought that this particular theme fit the soap perfectly. It's so 80's. It would've been great for a nighttime soap as well.
What is it about this theme, it is so comforting, like when life was sweet.
This has been the Guiding Light.Fashions provided by Lily Rubin Salons South Southwest & Barney's of Manhattan New York.
Jewelry provided by Stephen Dweck.Recorded at the CBS Broadcast Center in Manhattan New York.Be sure to be with us tomorrow for another full hour of the Guiding Light.Stay tuned for 1 full hour of SESAME STREET.
Violence free & commercial free.Peace,quiet & imagination friendly next on KET The Kentucky Network.
Fashions provided by Lillian Luperon Southwest, Barney's
My grandmother cried when the actors cried (with a cigarette in her hand)!
kevin bacon played tim aka tj. he had a crush on morgan, but morgan was in love with kelly. the really weird thing to me is kevin bacon was in friday the 13th 1980. after he left the guiding light another actor played his role of tim. amy steel was in friday the 13th part 2 1981. she then joined the cast of GL as trudy who went on to become the love interest of tim, but by the time she joined the cast bacon had departed and the role of tim recast.
I Believe This Was A Video Clip From "The Guiding Light" Video Close From January 10, 1980.
Erik Stone I think it was March 19, 1980
@@DigimonDarkMaster700 January 1980 Was Still Showing A VIDEOTAPE PRESENTATION OF PROCTER & GAMBLE PRODUCTIONS In The Guiding Light Closing Credits At The Time Before It Removed From The Closing Credits Either In February Or March 1980.
Did I imagine things?, or was it actually a version of this theme with just the harp and flute throughout? No strings and no vocals.
They did a bit of experimenting with this theme until they found the version that best fit the visuals of the sun streaming through the leaves. IDK
The original version of this theme (titled "Ritournelle") from 1975-77 had vocals.
ua-cam.com/video/gNcwmXggejE/v-deo.html
This version heard here without the vocals debuted in 1977.
@@cfs89 I've heard many versions of this theme. I know for sure that there's a harp only version that they play during intermission between the pause for station ID and announcement of the second half of Guiding Light. That I am positive of.
Question: When did "The Guiding Light" officially become "Guiding Light?" The "super" on this drops the "the," but the announcer still says "The Guiding Light." Question aside, I always thought this was one of the prettiest GL themes. Oh -- and do you have a credit roll from the time this music played while an Emmy revolved? TACKY!
Quite completed...the visuals said just "Guiding Light" with the sunlit flowers card and finally spoken when GL got a updated opening in late 1981. With its light travel opening which would be used until about 1985-86ish with two different music themes.
Creepy