Why did the Seinfeld song change every episode?

What’s the deal with the opening music of “Seinfeld”? What? Can’t they record an actual thematic sequence? Do you remember the movie “The Brady Bunch”? And how did that song explain everything you need to know about the show? “The Brady Bunch” even had a handy 3 x 3 grid that listed all the characters, so you can keep everyone upright. “Seinfeld” had some bass grooves and some beatbox, just kind of freestyle. You’d think they could at least write some words. “Here’s Jerry. He’s nervous and selfish. Here’s George. He is nervous and selfishKinda writes itself!

Regardless of the Jerry Seinfeld imitation, “Seinfeld” music has always been unique. Built out of beatbox, some harmonica-like electronic sounds, and plenty of electric bass, it was never the same from episode to episode. The music was performed by musician Jonathan Wolfe, who has also composed music for such sitcoms as “Who’s the Boss?”, “Will & Grace,” “Married… with Children,” and “The King of Queens.” Wolf never wrote a single song for “Seinfeld,” instead using a lively, shifting rock tune. The tracks tend to be of varying lengths, as they must be played under one of Jerry Seinfeld’s spare parts.

“Seinfeld” was ostensibly built around these pieces. The premise of the show, such as it was, was that Jerry had a strange and neurotic life, and that his daily experiences would eventually form the basis of his career on the show. Jerry’s situation served as a thematic introduction to each episode. Since Jerry’s parts were of different lengths, the background music had to be lengthened and shortened accordingly.

In a video interview with Great Big Story, Wolf talked about his work on “Seinfeld,” and how he had to write a score that had to be 20 seconds to a minute long to accommodate the small introductory segments. It was not possible to release a 90-second single under these circumstances.

Some popular television shows have actually played shortened versions of pop songs, usually cutting a three-minute song into a 45-second clip (see: “Friends”, “Full House” and others). You’ll find that many TV songs have an “extended version” somewhere in the world. However, Seinfeld only had free access to two different music mixes. She needed a new one for each episode. So Wolf just composed a new theme for each episode on his synthesizer, using his finger taps, his mouth, and his breath. As Wolf described it:

“I have no idea how many themes we’ve done for Seinfeld.” I knew each monologue would be different; Because he tells different jokes! The timing had to be adjustable in a way that kept it cohesive and still sounded like the “Seinfeld” theme. “Her own recording of the ‘Seinfeld’ theme to fit those timings.”

Speaking of timing, Wolf’s song was not only a wild, open tune, but was particularly reliant on Jerry Seinfeld’s style of delivery. It seems that Seinfeld, perhaps without realizing it, tended to speak and tell his jokes in a very musical cadence. Wolf noted that one could set the metronome to Seinfeld’s rendition. He continued:

“I watched his HBO special, and I noticed Jerry giving a lyrical delivery of his jokes. I put a clock on it. About 110 (beats per minute). And that became the ‘Seinfeld’ theme tempo. The bass line ‘Because ‘Seinfeld’ was so simple, he could Stopping and starting his jokes, making him laugh, that way I could design every piece of music for every monologue, LEGO style.”

Wolfe also noted that the network – perhaps predictably – disliked his improvisational style, finding him annoying. Fortunately, “Seinfeld” co-creator Larry David went to Wolf’s defense, insisting that the “disturbing” music remain. David felt that NBC was screwing things up anyway. Thanks to David, Wolf kept his job. These days, “Seinfeld’s” bass notes are as famous as its actors.