What song is used as the opening theme of the M*A*S*H television series?

The opening theme of the M*A*S*H television series is “Suicide Is Painless.”

The series used an instrumental version of the song in its opening title sequence. Johnny Mandel composed the music, while Mike Altman, the son of film director Robert Altman, wrote the lyrics for the 1970 M*A*S*H film. The television series retained the melody but generally presented it instrumentally.

The song’s title is deliberately dark and ironic, matching M*A*S*H’s unusual mixture of comedy, medical drama, and wartime tragedy. In the film, the song is associated with a scene involving a character’s staged suicide, while the television version turned its melody into one of the most recognizable themes in TV history.

The same composition also served as the program’s ending theme in a big-band version. “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen,” the 1983 finale, used the familiar musical identity to close the series, which had run for 11 seasons and 256 episodes.