Fun fact — I was watching Cheers the other day and found myself listening more closely to the theme song, “Where Everybody Knows Your Name.”
My aunt was a background singer for a lot of greats, so I got curious who sang on that track (just in case she had another credit I didn’t know about). Turns out the entire thing — lead and background vocals — was created by one guy: Gary Portnoy.
He layered six separate vocal tracks of himself to create that “group” chorus sound. Later seasons even switched from mono to stereo, changing the background harmonies — you can especially hear it on the “body” of “everybody.”
Given the time period and the tech they had, I thought that was pretty damn cool.
Do you have a favorite “how did they do that?” moment from an iconic theme or soundtrack?
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The Jaws theme song when it picks up speed, Kat Spencer.
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I love theme songs in general - nostalgia is such a potent stimulant. I have a Spotify playlist of theme songs.
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That’s such a great find, Kat Spencer! I had no idea Gary Portnoy did all the vocals himself! It really shows how creativity can outshine limitations when it comes to sound design and production. I love learning about those behind-the-scenes choices that make something iconic without most viewers even realizing why it works.
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It really surprised and impressed me too Ashley Renee Smith! And now that I know this, I can clearly hear it. Very cool.
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Always loved watching Cheers but I always noticed the into theme to the earlier episodes seemed very low in volume.....learning that the early episodes where the music was in mono may have explained this.