1 Answer

The theme song, "A Time for Tony," which was composed by Merv Griffin as a lullaby for his son, has served as the "think music" of the Final Jeopardy! countdown since the show's inception in 1964 (although it was not used in the 1978–79 version), and is also the melody for the current theme. Another longer variation of "A Time For Tony" was used as a jewelry prize cue on Wheel Of Fortune in the 1980s. A few years after composing the song, Griffin added 2 timpani notes at the end so that it would meet the 30-second minimum length required to secure a copyright on the song.
Griffin has estimated the Jeopardy! theme song to have made him somewhere between 70 and 80 million dollars in royalties.
The main theme song to the original 1960s version is called "Take 10" and was composed by Merv Griffin's wife, Julann. On the finale episode with Art Fleming in 1975, the theme used was "Smile" originally composed by Charlie Chaplin.
The main theme to the 1978–79 revival was called "Frisco Disco" and was composed by Merv Griffin. "Frisco Disco" would resurface in 1983 as a prize cue on Wheel of Fortune, and would continue to be used until 1989.
When the current incarnation began in 1984, an electronic version of the "think music" melody became the main theme, while the original recording of "think music" was resurrected for the Final Jeopardy! round. The main theme was remixed in 1991 to include a bongo track. In 1997, both the theme and (much to the chagrin of some fans) the think music were updated, with jazzy orchestral arrangements by Steve Kaplan. The main theme was updated again in 2000 - this arrangement was similar to the previous one, but looser and more upbeat. The theme has gone through some slight reorchestrations since then. The main theme was updated since 2001. Over the commercial break during College Tournament and Teen Tournament, a Rock & Roll Jeopardy! theme song was played (and during a few of those tournaments, was used in Final Jeopardy). Alternate versions of the Final Jeopardy! "think music" have been performed by the UCLA marching band and the Yale Whiffenpoofs.