‘The Office’ Nearly Had One of the Most Famous Pop Songs Ever as Its Theme, but Another NBC Show Got There First
· Vice
The intro song for the American version of The Office is one of the most instantly recognizable themes in television history. If you didn’t know, the track was composed by Spirit’s Jay Ferguson, who has written music for everything from NCIS: Los Angeles to The Terminator. Ferguson was brought in about a week before the first episode of The Office aired because the showrunners’ previous theme song choice didn’t end up working out.
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You can take a listen to what Ferguson came up with at the last minute, should you be unaware, right here:
During a 2021 episode of the Office Ladies podcast, Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey pointed out that there were actually three pre-existing songs that were in the running prior to Ferguson’s involvement. One that was being seriously considered was “Better Things” by The Kinks, which was originally released in 1981:
Another interesting option that was floated around at one point was the 2004 Modest Mouse record “Float On.” This was a possibility that both Kinsey and John Kransinski were particularly fond of:
That brings us to the song that came the closest to being the Office theme. As Rainn Wilson revealed in his 2015 memoir The Bassoon King, the track everyone wanted most was the 1977 Electric Light Orchestra hit “Mr. Blue Sky.”
In his words, “It’s a sensational song and its jubilant, upbeat refrain would have fit perfectly over the drab video of the opening credits.” The idea even made it far enough that when the pilot was screened at Fischer’s house, “Mr. Blue Sky” was included.
The Office Theme Song Almost Wasn’t the Office Theme Song at All
However, as they were waiting for the show to make its network debut, an unfortunate discovery was made. A short-lived series called LAX, starring Heather Locklear and Blair Underwood, had already used the song. To make matters worse, LAX was also an NBC production. Office creator Greg Daniels was forced to scramble and make other arrangements quickly, and the rest is history.
Feel free to check out “Mr. Blue Sky” and imagine what might’ve been below.
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