"Johnny's Theme" is an

instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instru ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

song played as the opening

theme Theme or themes may refer to: * Theme (arts), the unifying subject or idea of the type of visual work * Theme (Byzantine district), an administrative district in the Byzantine Empire governed by a Strategos * Theme (computing), a custom graphical ...

of ''

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' was an American late-night talk show hosted by Johnny Carson on NBC, the third iteration of the ''Tonight Show'' franchise. The show debuted on October 1, 1962, and aired its final episode on May 22, ...

'' from the show's inception in 1962 through its finale in 1992. The piece was composed by

Paul Anka Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known for his signature hit songs including " Diana", " Lonely Boy", "Put Your Head on My Shoulder", and " (You're) Having My Baby". Anka also ...

and

Johnny Carson John William Carson (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He is best known as the host of ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' (1962–1992). Carson received six Pr ...

, based on a previous composition by Anka. It was performed by

The Tonight Show Band The Tonight Show Band is the house band that plays on the American television variety show ''The Tonight Show''. From 1962 until 1992, when the show was known as ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'', the band was a 17-piece big band, and w ...

, which released an arrangement by

Tommy Newsom Thomas Penn Newsom (February 25, 1929 – April 28, 2007) was a saxophone player in the NBC Orchestra on ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'', for which he later became assistant director. Newsom was frequently the band's substitute dir ...

in 1986 as part of its

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

-winning debut album. The

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

release also earned a Grammy nomination. "Johnny's Theme" has since been released in cover versions and on compilation albums. It has appeared in several films, and been played live in concert by school bands and by amateur and professional musicians, including

Doc Severinsen Carl Hilding "Doc" Severinsen (born July 7, 1927) is an American retired jazz trumpeter who led the NBC Orchestra on ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson''. Early life Severinsen was born in Arlington, Oregon, to Minnie Mae (1897–1998) a ...

's Big Band.

Development and evolution

1959: Two songs

"Johnny's Theme" began life as "Toot Sweet", a pop instrumental composed in 1959 by Paul Anka and recorded by Tutti's Trumpets. It was released on

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

Buena Vista Buena Vista, meaning "good view" in Spanish, may refer to: Places Canada *Bonavista, Newfoundland and Labrador, with the name being originally derived from “Buena Vista” *Buena Vista, Saskatchewan *Buena Vista, Saskatoon, a neighborhood in ...

label as the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

to The Camarata Strings' single "Lost In a Fog"."Toot Sweet (It's Really Love)". B1. F-356 (Buena Vista Records). 1959. (Title as printed on the 45'
label
Anka published the lyrics in March 1959.) "Tutti" Camarata, who was

Annette Funicello Annette Joanne Funicello (October 22, 1942 – April 8, 2013) was an American actress and singer. Funicello began her professional career as a child performer at the age of twelve. She was one of the most popular Mouseketeers on the orig ...

's producer at the time, asked Anka to write some songs for Funicello's first album to follow her work on ''

The Mickey Mouse Club ''The Mickey Mouse Club'' is an American variety television show that aired intermittently from 1955 to 1996 and returned to social media in 2017. Created by Walt Disney and produced by Walt Disney Productions, the program was first televised fo ...

''. Anka added lyrics to "Toot Sweet" and published them under the title "It's Really Love", and the song was released as part of ''Annette Sings Anka''. He recorded his own version of "It's Really Love" that same year for the French film ''Faibles Femmes''; it was released on seven-inch EPs in France, Italy and Spain."Faibles Femmes (It's Really Love)". A1. ABC 45.9807 (ABC-Paramount). 1959."Faibles Femmes (It's Really Love)". A1. SCMQ 1198 (Columbia Records). 1959."Amor Sincero (It's Really Love)". B2. HP-9706 (Hispavox). 1959.

1962: Johnny Carson

When

, a fan of jazz music, was preparing to take over as the permanent host of ''

The Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. The show has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2009 and 201 ...

'' starting in October 1962, he recognized that he would need a theme song. Carson and Anka had worked together in England on the television special ''An Evening with Paul Anka'' in 1961; when they happened to meet up again in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

the following year, Carson manager Al Bruno mentioned needing a theme. Anka created a new instrumental arrangement for "It's Really Love" and sent a

demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film *Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...

to Carson and

Ed McMahon Edward Leo Peter McMahon Jr. (March 6, 1923 – June 23, 2009) was an American announcer, game show host, comedian, actor, singer, and combat aviator. McMahon and Johnny Carson began their association in their first TV series, the ABC game sh ...

, who were in

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale () is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and largest city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it the tenth ...

, making preparations for the show. McMahon said "it was the first time either one of us heard

he song He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...

��and magic."

1962–92: ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson''

Shortly after sending the demo, Anka received a telephone call and was told that ''Tonight Show'' bandleader

Skitch Henderson Lyle Russel "Skitch" Henderson (January 27, 1918 – November 1, 2005) was a pianist, conductor, and composer. His nickname "Skitch" came from his ability to "re-sketch" a song in a different key. Bing Crosby suggested that he should use the ...

was angry because Carson wanted to use a theme song written by a "20-year-old kid." Anka said he then offered to let Carson write and publish new lyrics in order to claim a songwriter's credit along with half of the royalties every time the song was played which would earn each man an average of about 200,000 per year. ''

Orange Coast The Orange Coast is the string of cities and neighborhoods fronting the Pacific Coast in Orange County, California. From northwest to southeast, these cities are Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Dana Point and San Clem ...

'' estimated in 1999 that "Johnny's Theme" had been played more than 1,400,000 times. The song was retired along with Carson in 1992; his iteration of ''The Tonight Show'' was called "the last widely public big-band forum." Incoming bandleader

Branford Marsalis Branford Marsalis (born August 26, 1960) is an American saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed inst ...

composed a more "funky" theme for successor

Jay Leno James Douglas Muir Leno (; born April 28, 1950) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and actor. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show'' from 1992 to 2009. Beginning in September 2009 ...

because "a swing tune doesn't reflect Jay at all ndjazz doesn't come to mind either."

Releases

Henry Mancini Henry Mancini ( ; born Enrico Nicola Mancini, ; April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flautist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Award ...

and his orchestra recorded a arrangement of "Johnny's Theme" in 1972 for the German EP ''Theme from Nicholas and Alexandra''."Johnny's Theme (Theme from the 'Tonight Show')". B2. LSP 4630 (APRS-6426) (RCA Victor). 1972. A version also appeared as part of Mancini's 2010 compilation ''Big Screen, Little Screen''.''Big Screen, Little Screen''. 7 (CD). (RCA Records). 2010. Paul Anka produced a recording by Top Brass for

Buddah Records Buddah Records (later known as Buddha Records) was an American record label founded in 1967 in New York City. The label was born out of Kama Sutra Records, an MGM Records-distributed label, which remained a key imprint following Buddah's foundin ...

in 1973."Johnny's Theme". A1. BDA-364 (BDAS-364-A) (Buddah). 1973.

Lawrence Welk Lawrence Welk (March 11, 1903 – May 17, 1992) was an American accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted the ''The Lawrence Welk Show'' from 1951 to 1982. His style came to be known as "champagne music" to his radio, tele ...

and his orchestra performed the song for their 1976 album ''Nadia's Theme''."Johnny's Theme". B1. R-8165 (Ranwood). 1976.

and the band recorded "Johnny's Theme" and 12 other tracks for their album ''The Tonight Show Band'', released in 1986. Amherst Records also released the track as a single, titled "Johnny's Theme (The Tonight Show Theme)","Johnny's Theme (The Tonight Show Theme)" is the single's title as printed on the 45'
label
At least tw
survivingcopies
of the accompanying picture sleeve used the title "The Tonight Show Theme (Johnny's Theme)". which debuted at #27 on the ''

Radio & Records ''Radio & Records'' (''R&R'') was a trade publication providing news and airplay information for the radio and music industries. It started as an independent trade from 1973 to 2006 until VNU Media took over in 2006 and became a relaunched sister ...

'' Jazz Top 30 chart. The song has been released on compilations of television themes,''Television's Greatest Hits Vol. 1: 50s & 60s''. 64. (Tee Vee Toons). 1985.''Television's Greatest Themes, Vol. 13''. 14. (TV Tunesters). 2013. the 1995 compilation ''25 Years of Chrysalis Music'',''25 Years of Chrysalis Music''. 11 (CD). (Chrysalis). 1995. and ''The Very Best of Doc Severinsen'' (1998).''The Very Best of Doc Severinsen''. 16 (CD). (Amherst). 1998.

Reception

"Johnny's Theme" earned a

nomination for

Best Pop Instrumental Performance The Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance was awarded between 1969 and 2011. *In 1969 it was awarded as Best Contemporary-Pop Performance, Instrumental *From 1970 to 1971 it was awarded as Best Contemporary Instrumental Performance ...

, losing to "

Top Gun Anthem "''Top Gun'' Anthem" is an instrumental rock composition and the theme of the ''Top Gun'' media franchise, including the original 1986 film ''Top Gun'' and its 2022 sequel ''Maverick''. Harold Faltermeyer wrote the music with Steve Stevens playi ...

" at the awards presentation in 1987. ''The Tonight Show Band'' was honored for

Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Big Band The Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album has been presented since 1961. From 1962 to 1971 and 1979 to 1991 the award title specified instrumental performances. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were presented, for works ...

Legacy

In 2005, Doc Severinsen, Carson's bandleader starting in 1967, said the song worked so well because it was "accessible. People could understand what it was, and it was associated with Johnny."

Larry King Larry King (born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger; November 19, 1933 – January 23, 2021) was an American television and radio host, whose awards included 2 Peabodys The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program ...

called it "one of the most familiar themes in American television history." Paul Anka said the song was played for only a short time each night, "but everybody knows it. Simplicity is indeed royal." ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' in 2008 said the days of the television theme song were fading into nostalgia, though they "used to abound" with or without lyrics. For example, "Anka's ''Tonight Show'' theme was inseparable from late night and Johnny Carson." "Johnny's Theme" has been included in numerous films including '' This Is My Life'', ''

Isn't She Great ''Isn't She Great'' is a 2000 biographical comedy-drama film that presents a fictionalized biography of author Jacqueline Susann, played by Bette Midler. An international co-production between the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Jap ...

'' and '' Talk to Me''. The song has been performed live by musicians at varying skill levels from student to professional.

Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball The Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball team represents Iowa State University (ISU) and competes in the Big 12 Conference of NCAA Division I. The Cyclones play their home games at Hilton Coliseum on Iowa State's campus. History Early years ...

coach Johnny Orr came onto the court pumping his fist as the pep band played "Johnny's Theme" before games at the

Hilton Coliseum James H. Hilton Coliseum, commonly Hilton Coliseum, is a 14,267-seat multi-purpose arena located in Ames, Iowa. The arena opened in 1971. It is home to the Iowa State University Cyclones men's and women's basketball teams, wrestling, gymnastics ...

. Orr's tenure ran from 1980 to 1994. Doc Severinsen has kept the song alive on tour. His Big Band opened its shows by playing the theme in its entirety, "just to let you know who we are." Severinsen and

The Roots The Roots are an American hip hop band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy F ...

played "Johnny's Theme" during a 2015 episode of ''

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It is the seventh incar ...

''.

References

Footnotes

Bibliography

* Cited as Cox 2002. * Cited as Kerley 2013. {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnny's Theme 1959 songs Jazz songs Songs written by Paul Anka Television talk show theme songs The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson