Intentional | Audio Identity Blog

Create Digital Music recently pointed an interesting documentary on the 1980 remaking of the Doctor Who theme song. Which is, in the minds of many, one of those earworms you never really shake.

Wikipedia has far more on the story, enough to satisfy even the geekiest of fans.

One of the things I find interesting about this theme is its longevity — you know this song today, regardless of whether or not you’re a scifi nut. The song’s path winds from it original presentation when the show was originally produced in the 60s, through muddy fields of numerous remakes and finally emerges here on the web, today 2007.

Unfortunately, my familiarity for the Doctor Who theme doesn’t come from the show itself, but from the horrid 80s remake by the Timelords (aka KLF). The track lived in relative obscurity with decent life on college stations in the US and it saw some chart action in a few countries. And that’s how I fell into the trap…er…fold.

Like it or not, it’s yet another powerful example of sound’s longevity. A happy accident, you might say, for the folks behind the song. I’ll be discussing the relationships between brand and sound — and the opportunity to produce intentional happy accidents, so to speak — in the very near future, here at ye olde blogge. Stay tuned.

Noel Franus