Andy Griffith passed away this morning at the age of 86. With scores of roles to his credit—from Broadway to the Silver Screen to Matlock—the character that he is, of course, best known for is that of Sheriff Andy Taylor, the loveably laid-back peacekeeper of the fictional town of Mayberry.

Anyone who grew up watching 60s television knows that a show’s theme song was as important as the actors or the script—the first and last thing the audience heard. The Andy Griffith Show‘s theme was written by Earle Hagen and Herbert Spencer with (rarely heard) lyrics by Everett Sloane. Hagen— who also composed themes for The Dick Van Dyke Show, I Spy, The Mod Squad and That Girl—wrote what he considered his most tossed-off for this one. He said of the whistled melody, aka “The Fishin’ Hole,” “I realized what the show needed was a simple tune. So I spent all of 15 minutes writing it. I called my bass player and drummer, and we recorded it in a little studio in Hollywood. I whistled the tune myself.”

Farewell, Andy. Thanks for all them memories, smiles and whistles. You will be missed.

Category: Behind The Song