Jeopardy Music - The Jeopardy Song
The Jeopardy music is a big part of the show's theme and mood.
Despite the racing thoughts and mental strain of trying to come up
with a quick reply to the Final Jeopardy! clue, the show always has
that calm, relaxing song playing in the background. People often ask
what the name of the Jeopardy song is and where it came from. The
answer might surprise you, along with the number of versions of the
Jeopardy theme that have been used over the years.
Original Jeopardy Game Show
Those in the younger generation might not know that the game show Jeopardy! is a lot older than you'd think. The song is the same age. When Jeopardy first came to television in 1964, it was created by the multi-talented Merv Griffin. Merv Griffin was already hosting a talk show at the time, but Griffin's wife came up with the idea on a flight back in the early 1960s. She mentioned there had been no successful Q&A programs since the "Quiz Show" scandal in the 1950s and suggested the famous answer-as-question and question-as-answer format. Merv Griffin went to NBC and they bought the idea from him without even seeing a pilot. The first iteration of Jeopardy! was hosted by Art Fleming and would remain on the air from 1964 to 1975.
Think Music by Merv Griffin
Merv Griffin's contribution to the on-air production was to write the Jeopardy music for the Final Jeopardy segment. This tune Merv Griffin called "Think Music". In the first version of the show, the music only would play during Final Jeopardy!. It was in the later 1980s remake with Alex Trebek that the tune would be incorporated into the opening theme. Here is what the original version of Merv Griffin's "Think Music" sounded like.
Jeopardy! Think Music of the 1960s and from 1984-1997:
Alex Trebek's Jeopardy
When the show came back on the air in 1984, Alex Trebek was selected to be the host. The new show had a new opening theme song which incorporated "Think Music". Here is the first version of the Jeopardy! opening theme to include Merv Griffin's musical offering.
Jeopardy! Opening Theme Song:
1997-2008 Jeopardy Theme Music
It was during the 1980s and 1990s that Jeopardy became the American game show classic that it's considered today, though the show is only a little different than it was in the original version. In the increasingly hectic world of the late-20th century, people enjoyed the calm and quiet of a challenging and mentally-stimulating trivia show hosted by the ever-composed Alex Trebek, while "Think Music" adds to the relaxing ambiance.
The theme music changed with the times. An updated and expanded version of Merv Griffin's tune was composed in 1997 and remained the opening theme from 1997 to 2008, when a third update took place. Here is the 1997 to 2008 version of the opening Jeopardy theme, which many consider the finest version of the song.
Jeopardy! Theme Music 1997-2008:
Post-2008 Jeopardy Music - Song Update
Jeopardy! producers in the 21st century wanted a slightly upbeat version of the Jeopardy song, perhaps hoping to breathe life into the presentation with a livelier adaptation of "Think Music". You'll notice the post-2008 version has a faster beat. I still prefer the earlier versions of the song, but I have no major complaints about the version which opens the show these days. Here is the present version you'll hear every day.
Jeopardy! Theme from 2008 to the Present:
Through it all, the original Jeopardy music penned by Merv Griffin plays in the Final Jeopardy segment of the show. Most people reading this will know the song plays over a span of 30 seconds, as the competitors are given thirty seconds to answer one final question, after first having wagered a percentage of the dollars they've already collected over the course of the show. Listening to the Jeopardy tune is a perfect end for a 30-minute break from the cares and concerns of the everyday, as viewers get to challenge themselves by answering trivia questions at the same time as the players on the broadcast do. Nearly 50 years later, Jeopardy! remains a daily refuge of rationality, calmness, and charm. So thank you, Merv Griffin, for giving us the game of Jeopardy! and the song that's such a major part of the presentation.
