The theme song of Seinfeld is one of the most iconic sitcom music tracks of all time, but many viewers don't know that the song is actually different in every single episode. Throughout the series' long run, the Seinfeld theme got all kinds of variations, with each one being different from all the others. Although sometimes these differences are almost imperceptible, they're undeniably there, and here's why the theme song is altered for every episode of Seinfeld.
Seinfeld is one of the most beloved sitcoms in television history, with it quickly becoming a pop culture phenomenon upon its release in 1989. Seinfeld went on to introduce many scenes, characters, and phrases that have become household names, with the series not only influencing sitcom history, but television history as a whole. The iconic show about nothing has an incredibly unique musical style, with its theme song standing out from the crowd. Interestingly, though, each iteration of the theme song stands out from one another, with Seinfeld's 180 episodes each featuring a different version.
Seinfeld's Theme Needed To Be Different Every Time
Each episode of Seinfeld features a unique rendition of its theme song, giving every episode a unique identity from the very beginning. While this theme song strategy seems like an odd choice, the team behind Seinfeld had to do it. In an interview with Great Big Story, Seinfeld composer Jonathan Wolff explains that the source of these theme song variations is actually Jerry Seinfeld's stand-up routines.
Every episode of Seinfeld up through season 7 opens with Jerry Seinfeld performing stand-up comedy, with the cold open showing off some of his jokes before getting into the show. The theme song plays over these bits, meaning that each intro is timed completely differently. To compensate for this, Wolff wrote a theme song that could be extended or shortened without major alterations, timing each episode's theme around Jerry's joke. Rather than overtaking Seinfeld's comedy, the theme song compliments it, with a custom rendition being required in order to pull off the series' opening credits.
Seinfeld's Strange Theme Song Change Suits The Show Perfectly
Seinfeld's strange theme song is already unique on its own, and the strategy of changing it every episode actually suits the show perfectly. The Seinfeld theme becomes awkward and improvised by changing it for each episode, perfectly reflecting the awkward and improvised comedy that defines the show. Although this theme song strategy came about out of necessity, the end result is actually a fantastic match for Seinfeld.
On top of that, the meticulous nature of composing a new rendition for every episode fits the series as well. Seinfeld's comedy is often planned out in extreme detail, allowing the series to pull off some hilarious jokes. In typical Larry David fashion, this style of writing requires a lot of detail and hard work. This same level of detail and hard work had to be put into the show's theme song as well, showing just how complete Seinfeld is as a whole.