The Friday Night Lights theme song is an iconic part of the football series – but while it is often credited to Explosions In The Sky, the actual composer of the theme song is someone else. Friday Night Lights ran from 2006 – 2011, and tells the story of a high school football team, the Dillon Panthers, and their coach, Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler). While the show is centered on football, it is so much more than just a sports drama, and became known for its heart and inspiring stories.
The series is based on the 1990 book ‘Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream’, by H. G. Bissinger, which is a non-fiction book about the 1988 Permian High School Panthers football team from Odessa, Texas, and their Texas State Championship dreams. The book has also been adapted into a movie, released in 2004, also titled Friday Night Lights. The film and the series are both directed by Peter Berg, Bissinger’s second cousin, and as a result, share many themes and elements – however, the series is able to explore more of the interpersonal stories than the film could.
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The Friday Night Lights Theme Song Is Not By Explosions In The Sky
While the Friday Night Lights theme song is often misattributed to Explosions in the Sky, the television theme song is actually by W G Snuffy Walden, and is simply titled ‘Friday Night Lights Theme’. However, it does sound very similar to Explosions In The Sky’s ‘Your Hand In Mine’. The two songs have a similar soft, orchestral feel, building in intensity as the song goes on.
Interestingly, the series did originally approach Explosions In The Sky to use ‘Your Hand In Mine’ for the television series, but they turned it down – and also feel that the current theme song is easily mistaken for theirs. (As per AV Club)
They asked us for one of our songs for the theme song, and we said ‘No way!’ Boy, were we dummies. We got a few chuckles when we heard the theme song they used… They ask you for something, and you say no, and they’ll just rip it off.
The Theme Song For The Friday Night Lights Movie Is Different
Part of the confusion around the creator of the Friday Night Lights theme song may be the difference between the song for the TV series and the original movie. Explosions In The Sky’s ‘Your Hand In Mine’ is credited on the film soundtrack, and the band worked on much of the music for the film, and are credited for 11 of the 14 songs on the official soundtrack. Many of these songs have even made it into the TV series, although obviously not as the theme song.
It’s not clear why the band chose to turn down the opportunity to have the theme song from the movie transfer to the theme song for the show, but it does explain why there is confusion among Friday Night Lights fans when it comes to the soundtrack.
Friday Night Lights
Based on the book of the same name, Friday Night Lights is a sports drama series that centers around the Dillon Panthers, a high school football team in Texas. The show focuses on the small town and the community they share, tackling major social and political issues and the players’ challenges as they go through an increasingly difficult season.
- Release Date
- October 3, 2006
- Cast
- Taylor Kitsch , Jesse Plemons , Kyle Chandler , Connie Britton
- Seasons
- 5
- Story By
- Peter Berg
