Network Execs Didn't Approve of the 'Seinfeld' Theme Song Until This Happened

After over three decades of Seinfeld's grip on pop culture, it's hard to imagine the classic New York sitcom having gone any other way. But in a recent interview with Yahoo, the song's composer revealed that the iconic track was almost scratched.

Jonathan Wolff, the mastermind behind the catchy bass opening told Yahoo that his creation received mixed reactions from those involved in the show. Jerry Seinfeld, the show's star and co-creator had initially approached Wolff to compose a track that would work well with the show and Jerry's stand-up gigs as well. But Jonathan's idea was pretty far-fetched for the time. "I pitched Jerry the idea that Jerry's voice would be the melody of the Seinfeld theme," he explained. "The human nature of his voice, I told him, would go well with the human nature of my finger snaps and lips and tongue doing stuff." But what did Seinfeld think of it?

Both Jerry and his co-creator Larry David absolutely loved the creation. It was quirky, energetic, and fresh: The perfect match for their comedy show. But the enthusiasm wasn't exactly shared by the network heads backing Seinfeld. "Their objections were natural and realistic," Wolff remembered. "They thought the music sounded odd and weird: 'Is that real music? What instrument is that? Could we not afford an orchestra?'" The former NBC president laid it out in one brutal sentence: "It's weird. It's distracting. It's annoying."

But little did the NBC execs know, that upon hearing the word "annoying," Larry David would fight tooth and nail to keep the song. "When he said that word…oh, Larry, he loves annoying! He lives for annoying! That’s his primary goal in life!" Jonathan recalled. And so Larry gave it his all to keep the original theme song. Wolff admitted that he was willing to "cave" to the network criticisms, but David wouldn't hear any of it. "Larry did not like being told to change things," Wolff said. And thank goodness he stood his ground! We couldn't imagine Seinfeld without it.

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