Alan Thicke is a man of many talents, and songwriting is apparently one of them.

Better known as beloved dad and psychiatrist Jason Seaver on the long-running family sitcom "Growing Pains," Canadian-born Thicke was also a game-show host, writer and popular TV-show theme-song writer.

He penned the eternally catchy "Facts of Life" theme ("You take the good and take the bad you take them both and there you have ..." -- there, now it's in your head, too) with his wife Gloria Loring, a regular writing partner, as well as series producer Al Burton.

It was a partnership that had proven quite productive in the past -- the three also collaborated on the theme to another of Burton's shows, "Diff'rent Strokes." Indeed, "The Facts of Life" was a spinoff of "Diff'rent Strokes," when the latter's Mrs. Garrett left the Drummond household to become headmistress of an all-girls boarding school.

Burton has since half-jokingly credited the writing of his own show themes as one of the keys to his success.

"Alan Thicke introduced me to that thought," Burton told Hollywood journalist Luke Ford. "He and I wrote the themes to 'Diff'rent Strokes,' 'Facts of Life.' Then I did 'Charles in Charge' and 'Hollywood A-Go-Go.' My original ambition was to be a songwriter but then the world left me."

Thicke also wrote the themes to a few game shows, including the original "Wheel of Fortune" theme and one to a short-lived show called "The Wizard of Odds," hosted by fellow Canadian and close friend Alex Trebek.

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