Did you know that there was no recording of the I Love Lucy theme song? I sure didn’t when I watched Will & Grace‘s “We Love Lucy” episode this past spring. Will & Grace‘s tribute episode to the greatest comedy of all time took one of the most meticulously crafted homages in the history of television, and composers Scott Icenogle and Lior Rosner were tasked in recreating one of the most celebrated theme songs ever.
Everyone can hum the theme song to I Love Lucy, so imagine the pressure in trying to find the right number of musicians and composing the theme song from scratch. If one note was out of place or the rhythm sagged, it would pull the audience completely out of the period mood that Will & Grace set out to replicate. Even the bumper music–with those great mood-setting horns–transport us back to another time to when Lucy was up to her old antics. It takes precision and an expected amount of skill to make it sound effortless, and Icenogle and Rosner do it beautifully.
I was thrilled to chat with Icenogle and Rosner about their work on “We Love Lucy” as well as pick their brain on the revamped version of Jonathan Wolff’s iconic piano score. I am very sad to see the show go (for the second time!), and this meticulously crafted reimagining of such a revered piece of music is enough to garner Emmy recognition. How can you not reward the men that brought the sound of I Love Lucy back to life?
