signature tune

American  

noun

1. theme song.

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signature tune British  

noun

1. Also called (esp US and Canadian): theme song.  a melody used to introduce or identify a television or radio programme, a dance band, a performer, etc

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Etymology

Origin of signature tune

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

signature tune

In 1974, he scored an international number-one hit with “Nothing from Nothing,” which became his signature tune.

From Salon ● Feb. 20, 2026

Often called “Mr. Snap, Crackle” in tribute to his brisk, articulate drumming style, he wrote a signature tune with the same name for his own 1962 album, “Out of the Afternoon.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 12, 2024

Langston Hughes’s poems were featured on posters in my local library, and everybody knew Duke Ellington because of his signature tune, “Take the A Train,” written by Billy Strayhorn.

From New York Times ● Apr. 5, 2024

In 1943, she played Selina Rogers in the all-black film musical Stormy Weather, and the title song became both a major hit and her signature tune.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2022

In the Ring, every character has his or her own leitmotif, or signature tune.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall