Logo

Conan’s ‘Late Night’ Theme Being Adapted for ‘Tonight’

May 26, 2009  •  Post A Comment

The new theme song for “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien” will have a familiar ring to it.
That’s because Mr. O’Brien and executive producer Jeff Ross have opted to use a reworked version of Mr. O’Brien’s 16-year-old “Late Night” musical open as the theme song for the new incarnation of “Tonight.” Mr. Ross confirmed the decision Monday during an interview with TVWeek.
“We liked it. It worked,” Mr. Ross said of Mr. O’Brien’s “Late Night” theme. “We thought it we just embellished it a little bit, it would work perfectly for ‘The Tonight Show.'”
The theme was revamped by Jimmy Vivino and Max Weinberg, longtime members of Mr. O’Brien’s “Late Night” house band, the Max Weinberg 7.
Mr. Ross revealed that James Wormworth, a frequent substitute performer in the old Max Weinberg 7, is joining the late-night show as a permanent member of the house band. The new group will be known as Max Weinberg and the Tonight Show Band.
While instantly recognizable to anyone who’s heard it before, the new “Tonight Show” theme has a less manic feel to it, particularly during its opening chords. Perhaps befitting the largeness of the “Tonight Show” franchise, the beginning notes boast a grander tone.
The reworked song will be performed over the new “Tonight Show” opening titles. While “Late Night” featured animation during its open, Mr. Ross said Mr. O’Brien’s “Tonight Show” will utilize a live-action open. He declined to give details in advance of the show’s June 1 debut.
“It will look, hopefully, good,” Mr. Ross deadpanned.
The theme and opening titles are all part of an effort to give the new “Tonight Show” a “elegant feel,” as Mr. O’Brien recently told TVWeek.
“I wanted it to look like a really high-end steak restaurant,” he said. “I want people salivating when I’m in the monologue.”
Mr. O’Brien’s goal with the set was to acknowledge his New York talkshow roots, while recognizing the shift to Los Angeles. The solution: A deco feel via several subtle touches in the studio, including a mural across the top of the stage featuring Los Angeles icons as they might have appeared in the 1920s and 30s.
“It’s 30 Rock, but it’s this cool, Los Angeles version of it,” he said.
There’s also some whimsy to the set. The L.A. icons appearing in the skyline that will be seen behind Mr. O’Brien’s guests are in no particular geographical order. As a result, the Wiltern Theater appears to be west of the Santa Monica Pier and the Capitol Records building.
And, in another subtle nod to his New York past, careful observers of the backdrop used for Mr. O’Brien’s band will notice the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building adorning … the Los Angeles skyline.
“It was Conan’s idea,” Mr. Ross said. “It’s an homage to New York.”
During his interview with TVWeek, Mr. O’Brien betrayed little nervousness over his pending takeover of “Tonight.”
“I’m in a very serene state of denial,” he said. “They’ve told me it’s June 1, 2011, which has helped me stay very calm. I’ve been hypnotized into believing I’ve got two years left to prepare.”
One reason why Mr. O’Brien seems somewhat calm in advance of his 11:35 debut is the fact that he’s been readying for the role over the past five years, part of an evolution in Mr. O’Brien’s TV personality that’s taken place over the past 15-odd years.
“The biggest misperception is that suddenly [I am] shifting from 1993 ‘Late Night’ to 2009 ‘Tonight Show,'” he said. “Well, no. There’s a Conan that hosted the show in 1998 that’s different than 1993. And there’s a Conan who hosted the Emmys twice, who had to grow and adjust to do that. There have been specific phases you go through.
“In the last two years of “Late Night,” we really changed and expanded Act 1,” Mr. O’Brien added. “We’d do full-blown sketches from the monologue. If people haven’t been paying attention, and they tune in again in early June, they might think, ‘Oh, he completely, radically changed himself.’
“Well, no I didn’t,” he said. “It’s been a long time coming.”
The full transcript of TVWeek’s interview with Conan O’Brien is set to appear in the June 1 issue of the magazine.

114 Comments

  1. Looking forward to your show Conan… your gonna do great!

  2. Only 6 more days! I can’t wait!!

  3. I hope Conan grows up but the promo’s don’t indicate he has. Never cared for the hip snip thing or the other antics he frequently uses. I will probably start going to bed earlier. R

  4. Guess you didn’t see the last episode of Late Night with Conan O’Brien, huh Randy? He addressed that so-called “issue.”
    Nobody told Johnny Carson he had to grow up, and Conan’s closer to Carson than Leno ever was in style, writing, humility, and characterization. I think a whole lot of people forgotten exactly how The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson actually was, with silly characters, awkward yet funny monologues, a strange yet educated sense of humor, charm with a healthy dash of self-deprecation, and the humbling ability to not be bigger than his guests and enduring himself with them and the audience.
    I am so sick of people just trashing Conan like he’s beneath them. If you don’t like him, fine. Don’t watch. But don’t prejudge him because Jay Leno is some kind of overman above everyone who ever sat in the chair. Leno acted like a spoiled brat sitting in a coin-operated ride begging to stay on when the time for him to retire as host (which, I might add, he didn’t HAVE to do, no one put a gun to his head) grew closer and closer.
    Go ahead, Randy. Go to bed early. I look forward to The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien on Monday.

  5. Looks like they are trying to west coastize Conin. Conin jogging the Santa Monica beach in a New York business suit, are they trying to make him a joke before he even airs his first show?
    I never did like his show and and quirky humor, and always considered his show to much New York for my taste.
    Being a California native most anything from New York sucks…LOL
    And I will still watch Craig Furguson over him any day.
    Now if we could get Letterman to move to LA…..LOL
    Ultimately the ratings will prove if he has the guts to stick it out though the first two years.
    I hear there are a lot of industry types watching Universal to see if Conan’s show ends up being just another attraction on the Universal Studios tour.
    C… with a smile..

  6. I love Conan, and watching Jimmy Fallon try to fill his shoes has been misery … But I will be torn between watching Letterman and Conan. Probably a lot of flipping back and forth.
    Loving the promo ads of Conan running down the beach in his suit. Hilarious.

  7. [i]I think a whole lot of people forgotten exactly how The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson actually was, with silly characters, awkward yet funny monologues, a strange yet educated sense of humor, charm with a healthy dash of self-deprecation, and the humbling ability to not be bigger than his guests and enduring himself with them and the audience.[/i]
    You apparently have forgotten as well. Conan is closer to Letterman; both of them are far funner than Carson, who was a great interviewer but produced corny skits (Carnac, Aunt Blabby) and cringe-worthy monologues. That has apparently been forgotten by the revisionists, who want to deify Carson and have chosen to forget what the last 10 years of his show were like (on the nights he even bothered to show up).

  8. Well, guess I’m glad Letterman is still around. I absolutely can’t stand Conan. He’s a sophomoric idiot. Low-brow humor just doesn’t do it for me. But, unfortunately it obviously does for the American public. That says a lot about our culture I’m afraid.

  9. Most all humor has been either dumbed down or become low-brow (sitcoms, late night, you name it), so it’s now almost impossible to compare a Conan to a Carson.
    You don’t have to be dirty or silly to be funny, but not many people in Hollywood (or New York) seem to understand that.

  10. I’m excited! Can’t wait to see him at a decent time in Houston, Texas 🙂

  11. “”””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””

  12. Excellent, there is actually some great ideas on this thread a few of my associates might find this worthwhile, I will send a link, thank you.

  13. Fantastic work. You have gained a new reader. Please keep up the good work and I eagerly await more of the interesting posts. may I incorporate a link to this post on my website please?

  14. Excellent, there are actually some great ideas on this blog many of my friends might find this relevant, I must send them a link, thank you.

  15. Hi all!
    G’night

  16. Great site and nice text.

  17. I truly appreciate you taking the time to post this. I really liked reading it and am looking forward to more posts from you! Keep ’em coming.

  18. Excellent read, I just passed this onto a colleague who was doing a little homework on that. And he in fact bought me lunch because I found it for him

  19. Wonderful to read!

  20. Excellent read, I just passed this onto a colleague who was doing a little homework on that. And he in fact bought me lunch because I found it for him

  21. Really nice post here – I don’t know why you don’t just get the most out of these tools whilst they are free.

  22. Good post, thanks

  23. Good post, thanks

  24. Wonderful to read!

  25. Can I quote you in my report for school?

  26. Thank you for a great post

  27. Good post, thanks

  28. Thanks for your visiting this http://www.watchau.com online store.

  29. Thanks for your visiting this http://www.hello-free.com/freebies online store.

  30. Excellent job.

  31. Good post, thanks

  32. Good post, thanks

  33. Sen. Graham refers to Glen Beck a “positive force”. Actually is not that a bit like labelling Rick Sanchez as a possible expert on Judaism?

  34. The Zune concentrates on being a Portable Media Player. Not a web browser. Not a game machine. Maybe in the future it’ll do even better in those areas, but for now it’s a fantastic way to organize and listen to your music and videos, and is without peer in that regard. The iPod’s strengths are its web browsing and apps. If those sound more compelling, perhaps it is your best choice.

  35. Hands down, Apple’s app store wins by a mile. It’s a huge selection of all sorts of apps vs a rather sad selection of a handful for Zune. Microsoft has plans, especially in the realm of games, but I’m not sure I’d want to bet on the future if this aspect is important to you. The iPod is a much better choice in that case.

  36. Thank God we have a common interest, thank you for sharing, you’re a good author. Hope to see more of your articles. Juno sincere.

  37. Hello, i I discovered your site on yahoo and browse alot of your other blog posts. I just added you to my RSS feeder. Keep up the good work. Look forward to reading more from you in the future. You know, I have to tell you, I really enjoy this website and the insight from everyone who participates. I find it to be refreshing and very informative. I wish there were more blogs like it. Anyway, I felt it was about time I posted, I?ve spent most of my time here just lurking and reading, but today for some reason I just felt compelled to say this.

  38. Lindsay Lohan “All of these were my higher education years … they were inside of the public eye. I’m uncaring. I got experimenting. I’d been doing somethings that men and women do ten times way more of when these people are in university.”

  39. Finicky article, finicky blog, I give rise to bookmarked your blog, it is worthy responsibility this. Thank you.

  40. Great that Lindsay Lohan is getting really serious with regards to herself, she demands treatment like Mel Gibson requires a psychiatrist, perhaps she will never get let go from rehab early on on this one as getting let go early from UCLA was possibly the main fact why the woman relapsed so soon in the 1st place, i’m so praying to help you all the way Lindsay, genuinely you can still succeed over your destructive habits.

  41. Lindsay Lohan Should go to Rehab Today, She actually is actually doing this like a stunt to lessen her sentencing in October or else entirely keep from any incarceration. She is so crystal clear and predictable.

  42. What kind of matter really, thank you for sharing, we have a common interest.

  43. You make blogging look like a walk in the park! I’ve been trying to blog daily but I just cant find writing material.. you’re an inspiration to me and i’m sure many others!

  44. Nice blog here! Also your website loads up fast! What host are you using? I wish my website loaded up as fast as yours lol

  45. I love your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you create this website yourself or did you hire someone to do it for you? Plz reply back as I’m looking to create my own blog and would like to know wheere u got this from. thanks

  46. Nice!! Great Ifo. Great People. Great Blog. Thank you for all the great sharing that is being done here.

  47. I would like to start my own blog one day. This was a really nice blog that you made here. Keep up the success 😛

  48. I mean, I could see all this fuss over the guy if he’d led Jersey to the Finals

  49. Interesting thoughts here. I appreciate you taking the time to share them with us all. It’s people like you that make my day 🙂

  50. Been reading this blog for a SHORT time now,always a good read.I alwaqys enjoy your writings.Please keep them coming. check out my blog http://possiblemates.com

  51. Kudos to you! This is a really good blog here and I love your style of writing. How did you get so good at blogging?

  52. Neat blog layout! Very easy on the eyes.. i like the colors you picked out

  53. Interesting thoughts here. I appreciate you taking the time to share them with us all. It’s people like you that make my day 🙂

  54. Neat blog layout! Very easy on the eyes.. i like the colors you picked out

  55. Way to focus and straight to your point, i love it. Keep up the work people. Dont let anyone stop us bloggers.

  56. Whoa. That was a great article. Please keep writing because I love your style.

  57. Kudos to you! This is a really good blog here and I love your style of writing. How did you get so good at blogging?

  58. I must say this information was very interesting. I stumbled onto you using a google search and was rather thankful for your rank for this article.

  59. High quality info here! Keep up the great work. I love the feelings being expressed.

  60. Nice!! Great Ifo. Great People. Great Blog. Thank you for all the great sharing that is being done here.

  61. I really like the colors here on your blog. did you design this yourself or did you outsource it to a professional?

  62. Amazing freakin blog here. I almost cried while reading it!

  63. Interesting layout on your blog. I really enjoyed reading it and also I will be back to read more in the future.

  64. Dreamin. I love blogging. You all express your feelings the right way, because they are your feeling, focus on your blog it is great.

  65. Just what I was looking for, thankyou for posting .

  66. Many thanks for the great posting. I am glad I have taken the time to see this.

  67. I love the way you write and also the theme on your blog. Did you code this yourself or was it done by a professional? I’m very very impressed.

  68. Nice!! Great Ifo. Great People. Great Blog. Thank you for all the great sharing that is being done here.

  69. Well, not totally sure about it btw…

  70. carry on

  71. Nice blog here! Also your website loads up fast! What host are you using? I wish my website loaded up as fast as yours lol

  72. I carry on

  73. Keep focusing on your blog. I love how we can all express our feelings. This is an extremely nice blog here 🙂

  74. This is the best blog I’ve ever seen in my life! I really appreciate you taking the time out of your busy day to share your this with everyone.

  75. Cheers for this infomation

  76. Great article you have made here! The world wide web is stuffed of unsuitable authorship and I was taken hold of by your limpidity. Your closings are exact and I will instantly subscribe to your rss feed to remain up to date with your up following postings. Yes! I acknowledge it, your penning style is extraordinary and I will work tougher on mine.

  77. Dreamin. I love blogging. You all express your feelings the right way, because they are your feeling, focus on your blog it is great.

  78. Love the blog here. Nice colors. I am definitely staying tuned to this one. Hope to see more.

  79. Love all the opinions expressed here! How is everyone? Love how everyone expresses whatr they feel 🙂

  80. I really like the colors here on your blog. did you design this yourself or did you outsource it to a professional?

  81. I love the way you write and also the theme on your blog. Did you code this yourself or was it done by a professional? I’m very very impressed.

  82. Way to focus and straight to your point, i love it. Keep up the work people. Dont let anyone stop us bloggers.

  83. Interesting thoughts here. I appreciate you taking the time to share them with us all. It’s people like you that make my day 🙂

  84. You make blogging look like a walk in the park! I’ve been trying to blog daily but I just cant find writing material.. you’re an inspiration to me and i’m sure many others!

  85. Interesting thoughts here. I appreciate you taking the time to share them with us all. It’s people like you that make my day 🙂

  86. I am extremely impressed with your writing skills and also with the layout on your blog. Is this a paid theme or did you customize it yourself? Either way keep up the nice quality writing, it’s rare to see a nice blog like this one these days.. 🙂

  87. I am extremely impressed with your writing skills and also with the layout on your blog. Is this a paid theme or did you customize it yourself? Either way keep up the nice quality writing, it’s rare to see a nice blog like this one these days.. 🙂

  88. Interesting thoughts here. I appreciate you taking the time to share them with us all. It’s people like you that make my day 🙂

  89. I like your blog.

  90. I am extremely impressed with your writing skills and also with the layout on your blog. Is this a paid theme or did you customize it yourself? Either way keep up the nice quality writing, it’s rare to see a nice blog like this one these days.. 🙂

  91. Good advice in this article, I’m a old classic car enthusiast

  92. I love your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you create this website yourself or did you hire someone to do it for you? Plz reply back as I’m looking to create my own blog and would like to know wheere u got this from. thanks

  93. Neat blog layout! Very easy on the eyes.. i like the colors you picked out

  94. Way to focus and straight to your point, i love it. Keep up the work people. Dont let anyone stop us bloggers.

  95. Hey how are you doing? I just wanted to stop by and say that it’s been a pleasure reading your blog. I have bookmarked your website so that I can come back & read more in the future as well. plz do keep up the quality writing

  96. This is the best blog I’ve ever seen in my life! I really appreciate you taking the time out of your busy day to share your this with everyone.

  97. Amazing freakin blog here. I almost cried while reading it!

  98. Wow, amazing blog layout! How long have you been blogging for? you make blogging look easy.

  99. Hey how are you doing? I just wanted to stop by and say that it’s been a pleasure reading your blog. I have bookmarked your website so that I can come back & read more in the future as well. plz do keep up the quality writing

  100. Kind Regards,

  101. Amazing freakin blog here. I almost cried while reading it!

  102. Hey, really enjoyed this post! Shed light on a few things I didn’t understand. Thank you.

  103. Neat blog layout! Very easy on the eyes.. i like the colors you picked out

  104. Of course, what a splendid site and enlightening posts, I surely will bookmark your website.Have an awsome day!

  105. I agree with your thoughts here and I really love your blog! I’ve bookmarked it so that I can come back & read more in the future.

  106. This is the best blog I’ve ever seen in my life! I really appreciate you taking the time out of your busy day to share your this with everyone.

  107. A Payday loan is a large benefit for everyone who has skilled economic troubles and knows what it’ like to be caught in the middle of the month with out money. Quite a few of us reside from 1 pay day to the next, running out of money in the course of the month and having nobody to turn to till our next paycheck. Who hasn’t skilled an unforeseen financial emergency including school fees, an unexpected medical bill or automobile repair just when we can least afford it?

  108. Squamous cell skin cancer is the most second kind of carcinoma in the world.

  109. The Kraft redesign kinda looks like it truly is from the 70 is together with the flower issue.

  110. You make blogging look like a walk in the park! I’ve been trying to blog daily but I just cant find writing material.. you’re an inspiration to me and i’m sure many others!

  111. Just wanted to say th is blog is in my very best blog site l ist on #46.

  112. Amazing freakin blog here. I almost cried while reading it!

  113. I really like the colors here on your blog. did you design this yourself or did you outsource it to a professional?

  114. You make blogging look like a walk in the park! I’ve been trying to blog daily but I just cant find writing material.. you’re an inspiration to me and i’m sure many others!

Your Comment

Email (will not be published)