That Familiar Olympics Theme Song

You may be asking yourself: who is this guy? The answer is Randy Edelman. If you're watching NBC's coverage of The Olympics and you hear the music in the background during any commercial break, that's Edelman's work.

But, what you may not know is that this song is nearly two decades old. It originally appeared on a short-lived FOX show, The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. Though a forgettable show, its theme song was one of the best of all-time in my opinion.

My first knowledge of Edelman's collaboration with NBC came when he composed the NFL on NBC's theme song beginning in 1995. This was a weird time for me as this was the season that Art Modell announced the Browns would move to Baltimore. I then filled my football fandom void with the Kansas City Chiefs, who not surprisingly blew two Divisional Round playoff games in 1995 and 1997 to the tune of this song. 




NBC was smart. They knew how awesome of a theme song The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. was that they re-used it in their sports coverage. Unfortunately, that sports coverage was the 1997 World Series. Edelman, why must you torture me with your excellent theme songs?! After Edgar Renteria knocked in the game winner in the 11th inning to give the Marlins the title over the Indians, these credits ran (FACT: I was asleep at this point. My parents forced me to go to bed after Jose Mesa blew the save. I found out the results of the game the next day on WKYC Channel 3's morning news prior to going to school).

After re-watching those credits, there's two initial thoughts. First, screw Moises Alou. He won a title with the Marlins, and then to be in part the cause of the Steve Bartman play? Second, the Cleveland Indians won this World Series as far as I'm concerned.

So, as much as Randy Edelman may have been a part of some torturous experiences for me as a fan, at least the torture is accompanied by some great music. I can now know that the music is only associated with The Olympics where America has a tendency to always do well unlike most teams I normally cheer for.