Overview:
Sonny Curtis, the legendary musician and songwriter who once played alongside Buddy Holly, passed away this past Friday. While he wrote many notable songs, including the classic I Fought the Law, his most enduring cultural contribution may be the theme song for The Mary Tyler Moore Show, “Love Is All Around.”
The Unsung Heroes of Television Themes
TV theme songs have shaped generations of viewers, yet the composers behind them often remain unseen. From sitcoms to dramas, these melodies stick in our memories long after the shows end. Among those songwriters was Sonny Curtis, whose work bridged rock ‘n’ roll history with television legacy.
Sonny Curtis: A Life in Music
Born in Meadow, Texas, Curtis built a career as both a performer and a songwriter. He began by playing with Buddy Holly and later joined Holly’s band, The Crickets, after Holly’s untimely death in 1959. With The Crickets, Curtis co-wrote I Fought the Law, a song covered countless times over the decades.
But Curtis’s influence extended far beyond rock. His most famous contribution was writing the beloved theme for The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Airing from 1970 to 1977, The Mary Tyler Moore Show was groundbreaking, centering on Mary Richards, an independent career woman who moved to Minneapolis to start fresh. Its influence on television storytelling and women’s representation was monumental.
And at the heart of that story was its theme: Love Is All Around.
Writing “Love Is All Around”
In a CBS News Sunday Morning interview, Curtis recalled receiving a call about writing a theme for Mary Tyler Moore’s new sitcom. Inspired by Richards’ struggle to start over, Curtis penned the first version of Love Is All Around.
The lyrics were revised after season one, but the essence remained: a celebration of optimism, independence, and resilience.
Life and Lyrics
Curtis’s words rang true for Mary Richards, who became a symbol of independence, and for Curtis himself, whose music quietly shaped pop culture.
In a poetic twist, Curtis died on September 19th—the 55th anniversary of the day The Mary Tyler Moore Show first aired. For a man who wrote “You’re gonna make it after all,” life seemed to echo his lyrics one final time.
Sources
- American Songwriter – Sonny Curtis Dies at 88
- EBSCO Research – The Mary Tyler Moore Show
- YouTube – Mary Tyler Moore Theme
- Lyrics On Demand – Mary Tyler Moore Theme Lyrics
- The Crickets (1960). I Fought the Law.
- Curtis, Sonny (1970). Love Is All Around.
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