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"Welcome Back" | ||||
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![]() German cover | ||||
Single by John Sebastian | ||||
from the album Welcome Back | ||||
B-side | "Warm Baby" | |||
Released | March 1976 | |||
Recorded | 1975 | |||
Genre | Folk rock, blues rock | |||
Length | 2:51 | |||
Label | Reprise | |||
Songwriter(s) | John Sebastian | |||
Producer(s) | Steve Barri, John Sebastian | |||
John Sebastian singles chronology | ||||
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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 autumn). It also reached No. 93 on the country chart.
TV producer Alan Sacks wanted a Lovin' Spoonful-like theme song for a new ABC sitcom entitled Kotter. He mentioned this to his agent, who happened to also represent John Sebastian. Sebastian was unable to rhyme anything with "Kotter" except "otter," so he chose a different approach. The producers liked the song, and changed the title of the show to reference the song title. [3]
Chart (1976) | Peak position |
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Australia (Kent Music Report) [4] [5] | 24 |
Canadian RPM Top Singles [6] | 2 |
Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary [7] | 1 |
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 [8] | 1 |
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks [2] | 1 |
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks [8] | 93 |
U.S. Cashbox Top 100 [9] | 1 |
Chart (1976) | Rank |
---|---|
Canada RPM Top Singles [10] | 42 |
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 [11] | 58 |
U.S. Billboard Easy Listening [12] | 28 |
U.S. Cash Box [13] | 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). [14]