Main Title (The West Wing)

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Main Title (The West Wing)
Theme music by W. G. Snuffy Walden
GenreOrchestral, gospel, taps
Related The West Wing
Composed1999 (1999)
Duration0:51
Audio sample
W. G. Snuffy Walden combines the gospel, taps, and orchestral genres in creating the theme music of The West Wing.

"Main Title (The West Wing)" is the theme music of The West Wing , an American television political drama about the presidency of the United States and its staff. It was composed by W. G. Snuffy Walden on guitar, and performed by an orchestra for the title sequence. It is a mix of the gospel, taps, and blue-jeans styles. Reception of the theme has been mostly positive, with author Melissa Crawley commenting that it "reflects the values of an idealized American culture".

Contents

Background, composition, and release

The West Wing 's creator, Aaron Sorkin, originally wanted a theme in the style of Phil Collins, with a big drum and a quasi-rock feel—he approached W. G. Snuffy Walden to score the show, having seen his work on thirtysomething and inviting him first to his other show, Sports Night . [1] [2] For the first few episodes, the theme came from music composed by John Williams for the Olympic Games. Walden, on the other hand, recalled a conversation with Stephen King in which he advised "Snuff, it's gotta be blue-jeans music: Americana, but it can't be stuffy". [1] Walden remarked in an interview that the piece's use as a theme came about by accident; it was originally created for a scene in "A Proportional Response" in which Josiah Bartlet makes a national address from the Oval Office. [3] [4] Upon hearing the piece, Thomas Schlamme simply remarked, "that's our theme". [1] [3] [4]

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"West Wing Suite", by Pete Anthony
The "West Wing Suite" highlights the plaintive and Americana aspect of the theme.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Walden originally composed the piece on guitar, then created a score for a full orchestra; [5] he stated that he wanted the music to have a "heroic feel". [6] He also remarked that to highlight the presidency and its power, the theme consisted of "a little bit of Taps, a little bit of gospel and a little bit of Copland". [6] Author Melissa Crawley comments that these influences help the music represent American values, and that the influence of Copland in particular helped contribute to the Americana and folk music feel of the piece. [6]

Walden remarked in an interview that while the theme was used outside of the title sequence, he worked not to overuse the theme in other moments of the show, as that would diminish its power. However, he felt that he could use the gospel-style theme for President Bartlet whenever needed. [3]

While the piece was composed for the show, a "West Wing Suite" was released in a W. G. Snuffy Walden album in 2000, which also contained the theme. [1] In addition, a two-CD version of the piece was released in 2017. [3]

Reception and impact

Reception of the theme has been mostly positive. Melissa Crawley called the composition "epic and expansive", commenting that it "reflects the values of an idealized American culture". [6] TVLine included the theme in its 2020 list of the best television themes of the 1990s, referring to it as "triumphant". [7] Author Patrick Webster, on the other hand, criticized the piece for not coming to a clear resolution, "rising and then falling but never seeming to reach a destination". [2]

For his work on "Main Title (The West Wing)", W. G. Snuffy Walden won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music in 2000. [7] [8] In 2020, he reprised the theme for A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote, performing the theme on his guitar. [9]

On July 9, 2016, Lin-Manuel Miranda gave his final performance as the titular character in Hamilton: An American Musical on Broadway. Miranda, who created the play, cited The West Wing as an influence; he was reportedly surprised when the orchestra broke into The West Wing's theme as a send-off for him in his last showing. [10]

Related Research Articles

<i>The West Wing</i> American political drama television series (1999–2006)

The West Wing is an American serial political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White House, where the Oval Office and offices of presidential senior personnel are located, during the fictitious Democratic administration of President Josiah Bartlet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jed Bartlet</span> Fictional character

Josiah Edward "Jed" Bartlet is a fictional character from the American television serial drama The West Wing created by Aaron Sorkin and portrayed by actor Martin Sheen. The role earned Sheen a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama in 2001, as well as two SAG Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">W. G. Snuffy Walden</span> American musician and film/television composer

William Garrett Walden, known as W. G. Snuffy Walden, is an American musician and composer of film and television soundtracks. Walden is an Emmy Award winner for the theme music to The West Wing (NBC), has been nominated for numerous Emmys throughout his career, and has received 26 BMI Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Lyman</span> American TV character, created 1999

Joshua Lyman is a fictional character played by Bradley Whitford on the television drama series The West Wing. The role earned Whitford the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2001. For the majority of the series, he is White House Deputy Chief of Staff and Chief Political Advisor in the Josiah Bartlet administration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">C. J. Cregg</span> American TV character

Claudia Jean Cregg is a fictional character played by Allison Janney on the American television drama The West Wing. From the beginning of the series in 1999 until the sixth season in 2004, she is White House press secretary in the administration of President Josiah Bartlet. After that, she serves as the president's chief of staff until the end of the show in 2006. The character is partially inspired by real-life White House Press Secretary Dee Dee Myers, who worked as a consultant on the show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlie Young</span> American TV character, created 1999

Charles Young is a fictional character played by Dulé Hill on the television serial drama The West Wing. For the majority of the series, he is the Personal Aide to President Josiah Bartlet.

<i>Fanfare for the Common Man</i> Musical work by Aaron Copland

Fanfare for the Common Man is a musical work by the American composer Aaron Copland. It was written in 1942 for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra under conductor Eugene Goossens and was inspired in part by a speech made earlier that year by then American Vice President Henry A. Wallace, in which Wallace proclaimed the dawning of the "Century of the Common Man".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amy Gardner</span> American television character, created 2001

Amelia Gardner is a fictional character portrayed by Mary-Louise Parker on The West Wing, an American serial political drama. Created in the show's third season after a voicemail from Parker to the show's creator, Amy serves as both a feminist viewpoint on the show and a love interest for Josh Lyman. While critics generally approved of her feminist ideals, they were split on whether her romance with Josh was better or worse than his relationship with his former assistant, Donna Moss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ainsley Hayes</span> American television character, created 2000

Ainsley Hayes is a fictional character played by Emily Procter on The West Wing, an American serial political drama. Primarily appearing in the second and third seasons for a total of twelve episodes, Ainsley served as the Associate White House Counsel under the show's president, Josiah Bartlet. Reception for Ainsley has ranged from mixed to positive; she is characterized as smart and flirtatious, but also vulnerable to sexism from other characters and the show's writing.

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"In Excelsis Deo" is the tenth episode of the first season of The West Wing. It originally aired on NBC on December 15, 1999, as the show's Christmas special. Events circle around Toby Ziegler getting involved in the fate of a dead Korean War veteran, reactions to a severe hate crime, and the ongoing controversy surrounding Leo's past alcohol and prescription drug abuse. Written by Aaron Sorkin and Rick Cleveland and directed by Alex Graves, the episode contains guest appearances by Paul Austin and Raynor Scheine. It also earned Sorkin and Cleveland the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series, as well as one for Richard Schiff.

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<i>The West Wing</i> (season 1) Season of television series

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<i>The West Wing</i> (season 2) Season of television series

The second season of the American political drama television series The West Wing aired in the United States on NBC from October 4, 2000 to May 16, 2001 and consisted of 22 episodes.

<i>The West Wing</i> (season 3) Season of television series

The third season of the American political drama television series The West Wing aired in the United States on NBC from October 3, 2001 to May 22, 2002 and consisted of 21 episodes and 2 special episodes.

<i>The West Wing</i> (season 4) Season of television series

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"A Proportional Response" is the third episode of the first season of The West Wing, an American serial television drama. The episode centers around the continuation of a storyline introduced in the previous episode, in which a plane carrying a new friend of President Bartlet was attacked by the Syrian government. The episode also sees the introduction of Dulé Hill as Charlie Young, and an argument between C. J. Cregg and Sam Seaborn over Sam's decision to befriend a call girl.

<i>The West Wing Weekly</i> American television podcast

The West Wing Weekly is an American podcast hosted by Hrishikesh Hirway and Joshua Malina. In each episode, the hosts discuss one episode of the television program The West Wing, which originally aired on NBC from 1999 to 2006. The podcast, which ran from 2016–2020, features various cast and crew members including series creator Aaron Sorkin, director Tommy Schlamme, series actors Martin Sheen, Rob Lowe, Bradley Whitford, Richard Schiff, Allison Janney, Janel Moloney, Marlee Matlin, and Dulé Hill, longtime series writer-producers Eli Attie and Lawrence O'Donnell, and many former government officials, academics, and pundits, among others.

<i>Up to Snuff</i> 2019 documentary film about W. G. Snuffy Walden

Up to Snuff is a 2018 documentary film about musician and composer W. G. Snuffy Walden, written, directed and produced by Mark Maxey, produced and edited by Gino Scofidio.

"A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote" is a special reunion episode of the television series The West Wing. The episode was a recreation of the season 3 episode "Hartsfield's Landing", shot at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles, California. It was released on October 15, 2020, on HBO Max.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Crook, John (November 25, 2000). "TV's top tunesmiths strive to serve drama with music". The Messenger . Archived from the original on April 5, 2022. Retrieved April 4, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  2. 1 2 Webster, Patrick (2020). Windows into The West Wing. McFarland Press. pp. 191–192. ISBN   978-1-4766-3936-9.
  3. 1 2 3 4 St. James, Emily (November 8, 2017). "The West Wing theme song wasn't supposed to be the West Wing theme song". Vox . Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  4. 1 2 "Composer puts the beat into TV's top series". San Mateo Daily Journal . March 10, 2001. Archived from the original on April 15, 2022. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  5. ↑ McCabe, Janet; Akass, Kim (2007). Quality TV: Contemporary American Television and Beyond. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 150. ISBN   978-0-85771-599-9.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Crawley, Melissa (2006). Mr. Sorkin Goes to Washington: Shaping the President on Television's The West Wing. McFarland Press. ISBN   978-0-7864-2439-9.
  7. 1 2 Caruso, Nick (July 9, 2020). "The top TV theme songs of all time: 1990s edition". TVLine . Archived from the original on October 9, 2020. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  8. ↑ "52nd Primetime Emmys Nominees and Winners – Outstanding Main Title Theme Music". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on March 28, 2016. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  9. ↑ Gomez, Patrick (September 22, 2020). "HBO Max's West Wing reunion special release date is either genius or a really bad choice". The A.V. Club . Archived from the original on March 21, 2022. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  10. ↑ Lawler, Kelly (July 10, 2016). "Lin-Manuel Miranda says goodbye to 'Hamilton' to the tune of 'The West Wing'". USA Today . Archived from the original on April 5, 2022. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
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