'Seinfeld' almost had a different theme song because NBC thought it was 'odd and weird' - but Larry David was 'not having it'
- "Seinfeld" composer Jonathan Wolff revealed that the show almost had a different theme song.
- According to Wolff, studio executives weren't happy with the sitcom's now-iconic theme music.
- "They thought the music sounded odd and weird: 'Is that real music?'" Wolff recalled.
"Seinfeld" composer Jonathan Wolff revealed that the beloved sitcom almost had a completely different theme song.
"Slap bass had not yet enjoyed 'celebrity status' as a solo instrument. I knew I wanted to use that," Wolff explained in an interview with Yahoo Entertainment/Sirius XM's Volume channel. "And in the late '80s, sampling technology was in its infancy, and I really, really wanted to use it as much as I possibly could to create new and weird genres of music."
The funky bass line of the "Seinfeld" theme music is now instantly recognizable, but Wolff said he was primarily focused on making sure star Jerry Seinfeld's jokes weren't overshadowed in the opening segment.
"When Jerry called me and described the problem that he was having with music for his show, his opening credits were Jerry standing in front of a crowd of people in a comedy club - he tells jokes, and people laugh. And he wanted music to go with those opening credits," Wolff said. "In that phone call, I told Jerry... 'We've got to be able to hear your voice.'"
Wolff's solution was to use Seinfeld's voice as the "melody" of the theme song, using instruments like the bass to accompany Seinfeld's jokes and punchlines.
But even though Wolff had come up with a creative solution to Seinfeld's problem, NBC executives weren't thrilled with the final product, the composer revealed.
"They're all smart people. And their objections were natural and realistic," Wolff said. "They thought the music sounded odd and weird: 'Is that real music? What instrument is that? Could we not afford an orchestra?'"
After executives included the theme song on a "list" of concerns they had for the show, Wolff said that he took Seinfeld, co-creator Larry David, and producer Glenn Padnick aside and told them that he could easily change the music if needed.
"'Choose your battles,'" Wolff recalled telling them. Only David, who'd go on to create "Curb Your Enthusiasm," was angry that Wolff was compromising.
"He just started yelling at me: 'Get out! Wolff, you're done here, get out!' He was just so offended at the notion that I would cave. And he threw me out of the meeting!" the composer revealed. "Larry was not having it. Larry did not like being told to change things."
"Seinfeld" aired from 1989 to 1998, and garnered numerous awards for stars Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Jason Alexander during its run.