The Songwriter Behind The Frasier Theme Was Forbidden From Mentioning Three Subjects
Hey baby I hear the Blues a'callin'... The theme song to the hit NBC comedy series "Frasier" is a catchy little ditty with some rather unusual lyrics, and that's entirely by design. The series' main character, Frasier Crane, played by Kelsey Grammar, is a neurotic psychiatrist who hosts his own radio show, so why does the theme song to his show go on about "tossed salad and scrambled eggs"? And what the heck does that mean, anyway?
In a retrospective on the theme song for the release of the "Frasier" reboot, Bruce Miller, the composer behind the fun and funky theme song, shared the secrets behind his composition. That means we now know why it's so strange. We also finally know what the whole salad and eggs thing is about, too, because that sounds like the grossest restaurant order ever, and I love a chef's salad with hardboiled eggs. It turns out that Miller was absolutely forbidden from mentioning three subjects in the song, which is what led to lyrics about lettuce and breakfast food.
Some tricky lyrical instructions
When it comes to the lyrics for the "Frasier" theme, the people in charge had very specific and slightly challenging instructions. According to Miller:
"The instructions for the lyrics were, and I remember [series creator] David Angell saying, 'Don't mention Seattle, don't mention Frasier, don't mention psychiatrists. Don't mention anything having to do with the show, but make it germane to the show.'"
That may sound like bizarre advice for a theme song, since it makes it less likely to be tied to the show in people's minds, but there's something truly brilliant about the random feeling of "tossed salads and scrambled eggs," especially because it's not all that random at all. Miller wrote the music first, then reached out to his friend Darryl Phinnessee to get him to write the lyrics. Phinnessee came up with "tossed salads and scrambled eggs" because they're both things that are "mixed up," just like Frasier's psychiatry patients. And "I can hear the Blues a'callin'?" Those are his depressed patients, calling his radio show! When you start looking at the lyrics through a slightly more metaphorical lens, suddenly it all makes sense.
'I've got you pegged'
In the retrospective video, the man behind Frasier Crane, Kelsey Grammar, even points out his favorite part of the lyrics. He identifies with the idea that Frasier sings "...and maybe I seem a bit confused, yeah maybe, but I got you pegged," explaining that the lyrics are confusing, and life is confusing, but no matter how confusing things get, Frasier will "have it pegged." There's a certain self-reliance and assurance that everything will work out in the end that Grammar finds comforting, and maybe that's part of what's drawn fans to the series after all of these years. Surrounded by the chaos of his family and pushed by his desire to be accepted by the rich and powerful, Frasier is constantly trying to catch up with confusion. For a famous shrink with a ton of money and his own radio show, that's surprisingly relatable.
It's been a long time since Frasier won the hearts and minds of audiences, but with the "Frasier" revival now streaming on Paramount+, he has the chance to do it all over again. Cue the jazz music.