While decades-long sitcoms may be a norm in other parts of the world, it’s rather unusual stateside. That is, of course, unless you’re looking at the wonderfully weird world of daytime soap operas, none of which have held a position in the cultural zeitgeist quite like The Young and the Restless. The series has been airing since 1973, and its theme song – though it’s undergone multiple remixes and updates over the years – has never changed (unlike its many cast members). The iconic track has been covered by plenty of big names since its 1972 debut, from The Ventures to Mary J Blige, and was so impacted in its use by Olympian Nadia Comăneci that it got an official name change.
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Much like the frequent ups and downs of Y&R’s many storylines, its theme song may have varied over the years but through it all it’s maintained that impacting core melody. Originally titled “Cotton’s Dream,” it was composed by Barry De Vorzon – a notable songwriter of the late 50s, and early 60s – and Perry Botkin Jr. Though the track was intended for use as “incidental music” –the lyric-less background music that helps guide viewers emotions in a scene – in the 1971 film Bless the Beasts and Children. The emotional instrumental was used as the backing track for “Lost” by Renée Armand, which marked the beginning of the song’s long legacy of being extended, sampled, and rearranged for television scores.
Botkin Jr. altered and extended the track for The Young and the Restless in 1973, though it wouldn’t be until the 1976 Summer Olympics that the score was popularized. ABC’s Wide World of Sports released a montage of Romanian gymnast, Nadia Comăneci set to the score – Comăneci never actually performed to the tune. Later that year CBS released a documentary, Nadia – From Romania with Love, about the gymnast which also featured the track, and Comăneci was forever linked to the somber song.
The footage prompted a commercial release after public inquiries began rolling in. The single was released in 1976 with resounding success, peaking at No. 8 and charting for 22 weeks. Inspired by the success of the single, De Vorzon released his first album, titled Nadia’s Theme. The song’s mainstream success nabbed Vorzon and Botkins a Grammy in 1978 for Best Instrumental Arrangement.
The Young and the Restless first lightly remixed the track in 1988. The series revamped the track again in 1999, this time taking more liberties with the sounds and infusing jazz elements. In 2003, Y&R reverted to the 1988 remix, which it has maintained to this day.
Since the 70s, the song has been sampled, remixed, and covered by dozens of bands and artists. Ray Conniff, Ronnie Aldrich, Roger Williams, Richard Abel, Ferrante & Teicher, and James Galway released instrumental and easy-listening variations of the song. The Ventures released the first semi-rock commercial version of the song in 1976. David Hasselhoff performed a variation on The Merv Griffin Show, but it wasn’t until his 1987 album Lovin’ Feelings that he recorded his take on the iconic song.
The 2000s saw fresh takes on the soulful melody, with different genres sampling the track. Cuban Link sampled “Nadia’s Theme” in their track, “Flowers for the Dead,” and Mary J. Blige used the instrumental version in her 2001 single, “No More Drama.”
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