"Seinfeld" Almost Had A Completely Different Theme Song Until Larry David Stepped In

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Seinfeld‘s iconic theme song almost didn’t make it to television.

The cast of Seinfeld, Karmer, Elaine, Jerry and George pose for a promotional photo


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It turns out that the instantly recognizable bass line didn’t sit well with network executives, according to its composer, Jonathan Wolff.

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After an exhaustive search for the right theme song, Jerry Seinfeld turned to Jonathan to create something that would also vibe with his stand-up routines.

Jerry speaks to Kramer gesturing with his hands


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“I pitched Jerry the idea that Jerry’s voice would be the melody of the Seinfeld theme. And my job would be to accompany Jerry in a way that worked organically with his human voice. 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,” Jonathan told Yahoo.

Jerry does a stand up routine


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And while both Jerry and his co-creator, Larry David, loved the result, the network was hesitant.

Jerry smiles next to Larry David


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“Their objections were natural and realistic. They thought the music sounded odd and weird: ‘Is that real music? What instrument is that? Could we not afford an orchestra?’” Jonathan admitted.

Jerry poses with his head in his hands


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He continued, “[NBC Entertainment’s then-president] Warren Littlefield laid it out. He said, ‘It’s weird. It’s distracting. It’s annoying.”

Jerry and George look at a table with concern


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Jonathan explained that as soon as Warren said “annoying,” Larry was on even more of a mission to make the theme song work.

Larry and Jerry laugh on set


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“When he said that word…oh, Larry, he loves annoying! He lives for annoying! That’s his primary goal in life!” Jonathan revealed. 

Although Jonathan offered to rewrite the tune in order to ensure that the network liked it, Larry refused to back down.

Larry and Jerry laugh on a red carpet


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“Larry got so mad at me! 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! … Larry was not having it. Larry did not like being told to change things,” Jonathan revealed.

The entire Seinfeld cast poses with Larry


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After leaving the network meeting, Jonathan didn’t get the chance to hear the negotiations go down, but he knows one thing — Larry convinced them to use his theme song.

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