Picture by: http://bigbangtheory.wikia.com/wiki/Barenaked_Ladies
Did you know that the Big Bang Theory theme song was actually written and recorded by a band that first saw fame in the 90s? The supposed title of the song, “The History of Everything,” was created by none other than the Barenaked Ladies. Does that name ring a bell? You may remember such hits such as “One Week,” “Brian Wilson,” “It’s All Been Done,” and my personal favorite, “Call and Answer.’ If you’ve never heard these songs, look them up after reading this article. You won’t regret it.
The theme song was done in a speedy sort of way with the singers singing the lyrics very quickly. After reading Simon Singh’s book “Big Bang: The Most Important Scientific Discovery of All Time and Why You Need to Know About It,” lead singer, Ed Robertson, improvised a song about cosmological theory onstage. The Big Bang Theory creators Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady just happened to be in the audience at the time and were currently developing the show. Soon after, the creators called in their request of a song that contained everything that’s happened since the beginning of time up to the present in 15 seconds. Kind of a tall order.
The original cut was 32 seconds, but it was trimmed before the show premiered. An interesting fact about its creation is that the first demo was an acoustic version with just Ed Robertson, and Lorre loved it as it was. However, the singer refused to go forward without his band mates. When Lorre heard the new version with the whole band, he loved it even more.
Want an even more interesting fact? When BNL visited the set of The Big Bang Theory to perform the song and film a video for it, they showed up completely naked and even ran onstage that way. Simon Helberg, who plays Howard Wolowitz, and Lorre also displayed their talents in the video. Helberg played the ivories, while Lorre rocked out on the guitar. What you may not know about Lorre is that he actually wrote the iconic theme for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. There’s some 80s and 90s nostalgia for you!
If you’re interested in what the Barenaked Ladies are up to now, it was announced on February 1, 2016 that the band would be releasing a new live album, BNL Rocks Red Rocks, on May 20, 2016. Check out their older stuff as well. I highly recommend 1998’s Stunt as your starting point.
