Welcome Back (John Sebastian song)

Last updated

"Welcome Back"
Welcome Back - John Sebastian.jpg
German cover
Single by John Sebastian
from the album Welcome Back
B-side "Warm Baby"
ReleasedMarch 1976
Recorded1975
Genre Folk rock, blues rock
Length2:51
Label Reprise
Songwriter(s) John Sebastian
Producer(s) Steve Barri, John Sebastian
John Sebastian singles chronology
"She's A Lady"
(1969)
"Welcome Back"
(1976)
"Hideaway"
(1976)
Official audio
"Welcome Back" on YouTube

"Welcome Back" is a popular record that was the theme song of the 1970s American television sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter . [1] Written and recorded by former Lovin' Spoonful frontman John Sebastian, it reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for one week in May 1976, after only five weeks on the chart, and also topped the adult contemporary chart [2] (the show itself had become an instant ratings success upon its premiere the previous fall). It also reached No. 93 on the country chart.

Contents

History

TV producer Alan Sachs wanted a Lovin' Spoonful-like theme song for a new ABC sitcom entitled Kotter.

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Chart (1976)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [3] [4] 24
Canadian RPM Top Singles [5] 2
Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary [6] 1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 [7] 1
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks [2] 1
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks [7] 93
U.S. Cashbox Top 100 [8] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (1976)Rank
Canada RPM Top Singles [9] 42
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 [10] 58
U.S. Billboard Easy Listening [11] 28
U.S. Cash Box [12] 19

The song is featured twice in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023). It is first used in an opening montage depicting Scott Lang's (portrayed by Paul Rudd) life following the events of Avengers: Endgame (2019), and it is used again in a similar montage at the end of the film after Lang and his family escape from the Quantum Realm and defeat Kang the Conqueror (portrayed by Jonathan Majors). [13]

Other versions

See also

References

  1. Judy, Stephen (1976). "Editor's Page: Welcome Back" . The English Journal. 65 (6): 7–8. doi:10.58680/ej197614750. ISSN   0013-8274. JSTOR   814547 . Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  2. 1 2 Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 217.
  3. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 267. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  4. Steffen Hung. "Forum - 1970 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". Australian-charts.com. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  5. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  6. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  7. 1 2 "Lyrics: Welcome Back by John Sebastian". Top40db.net. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  8. "Cash Box Top 100 10/29/77". www.cashboxmagazine.com:80. Archived from the original on January 20, 2008. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  9. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  10. "Top 100 Hits of 1976/Top 100 Songs of 1976". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  11. Top 50 Adult Contemporary Hits of 1976
  12. "Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1976".
  13. Iacobucci, Jordan (February 17, 2023). "Every Song in Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania". Screen Rant . Retrieved March 1, 2023.
  14. ""Welcome Back" ("Welcome Back, Kotter" theme song)". Pitchfork. September 8, 2009. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  15. "Welcome Back - Count Bass D". Bandcamp. May 1, 2020. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  16. "Welcome back cox". Scrubs. Season 5. Episode 22. May 9, 2006. Retrieved August 6, 2023 via YouTube.