Alabama 3 almost missed out having their now-iconic track Woke Up This Morning played over the opening of The Sopranos.
The eight-strong London band – fronted by founding member Rob Spragg – built a global following after their 1997 alt-country song was featured in the introductory credits for the hit HBO show, which show mob boss Tony Soprano, played by the late James Gandolfini, driving through the New Jersey Turnpike with a cigar clasped between his teeth and the city skyline in his rear view mirror.
But The Sopranos creator David Chase has now admitted his original plan was to have no recurring theme song for the show – and instead a different track for the opening of each episode.
He was persuaded to add one by an HBO executive who said it would be vital audiences tied one tune to the show as it would alert them to the fact it was on in if they had TV on in background.
David, 80, told NME: “Originally what I wanted to do was have no theme song. “The idea was that we would start the show every week with a different song but HBO wouldn’t go for that.
“(Head of original programming) Carolyn Strauss said it has to be something that, when people hear that song from another room, they know their favourite show is on. That made sense to me.”
David chatted to NME about his involvement in the music featured in The Sopranos while in London to promote the launch of HBO Max.
He also admitted he considered other songs by Elvis Costello and The Kinks before deciding on Alabama 3 as The Sopranos only opening track.
David ultimately picked the song – which tells of a woman waking up and deciding to shoot her abusive husband dead – because “it just felt like Tony” and not because of its violent theme.
He said the meaning of the song was “kind of” simplistic.
Referring to its lyrics, he said: “‘Woke up this morning, got yourself a gun’ – that was obviously the world for Tony.
“And, ‘Your mama said you’d be the chosen one’ – well, his mother didn’t think he was chosen for anything.”
Music-mad David also told how he was heavily involved in the soundtrack for The Sopranos, handpicking many of the show’s tracks alongside music supervisor Martin Bruestle and editor Kathryn Dayak.
Along with classic tracks by The Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd, the show also features tracks by the likes of Aphex Twin and Radiohead.
David said: “When we were putting the budget for the show together, I asked for an extra $50,000 dollars per episode for music.”