Main Title (The West Wing)
{{short description|American television political drama}}
{{Infobox musical composition
| name = Main Title (The West Wing)
| type = Theme music
| composer = W. G. Snuffy Walden
| composed = {{start date|1999}}
| related = The West Wing
| genre = Orchestral, gospel, taps
| duration = 0:51
| misc = {{Audio sample
| type = composition
| file = Sample of Main Title (The West Wing).ogg
| description = W. G. Snuffy Walden combines the gospel, taps, and orchestral genres in creating the theme music of The West Wing.
}}
}}
"Main Title (The West Wing)" is the theme music of The West Wing, an American television political drama about the presidency of the United States and its staff. It was composed by W. G. Snuffy Walden on guitar, and performed by an orchestra for the title sequence. It is a mix of the gospel, taps, and blue-jeans styles. Reception of the theme has been mostly positive, with author Melissa Crawley commenting that it "reflects the values of an idealized American culture".
Background, composition, and release
The West Wing
{{Listen|filename=Sample of West Wing Suite.ogg|title="West Wing Suite", by Pete Anthony|description=The "West Wing Suite" highlights the plaintive and Americana aspect of the theme.}}
Walden originally composed the piece on guitar, then created a score for a full orchestra;{{Cite book |last1=McCabe |first1=Janet |title=Quality TV: Contemporary American Television and Beyond |last2=Akass |first2=Kim |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-85771-599-9 |pages=150}} he stated that he wanted the music to have a "heroic feel".{{Cite book |last=Crawley |first=Melissa |title=Mr. Sorkin Goes to Washington: Shaping the President on Television's The West Wing |publisher=McFarland Press |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-7864-2439-9}} He also remarked that to highlight the presidency and its power, the theme consisted of "a little bit of Taps, a little bit of gospel and a little bit of Copland". Author Melissa Crawley comments that these influences help the music represent American values, and that the influence of Copland in particular helped contribute to the Americana and folk music feel of the piece.
Walden remarked in an interview that while the theme was used outside of the title sequence, he worked not to overuse the theme in other moments of the show, as that would diminish its power. However, he felt that he could use the gospel-style theme for President Bartlet whenever needed.
While the piece was composed for the show, a "West Wing Suite" was released in a W. G. Snuffy Walden album in 2000, which also contained the theme. In addition, a two-CD version of the piece was released in 2017.
Reception and impact
Reception of the theme has been mostly positive. Melissa Crawley called the composition "epic and expansive", commenting that it "reflects the values of an idealized American culture". TVLine included the theme in its 2020 list of the best television themes of the 1990s, referring to it as "triumphant".{{Cite news |last=Caruso |first=Nick |date=July 9, 2020 |title=The top TV theme songs of all time: 1990s edition |work=TVLine |url=https://tvline.com/lists/top-tv-theme-songs-all-time-1990s/best-tv-theme-songs-1990s-hangin-with-mr-cooper/ |access-date=April 4, 2022 |archive-date=October 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201009042355/https://tvline.com/lists/top-tv-theme-songs-all-time-1990s/best-tv-theme-songs-1990s-hangin-with-mr-cooper/ |url-status=live }} Author Patrick Webster, on the other hand, criticized the piece for not coming to a clear resolution, "rising and then falling but never seeming to reach a destination".{{Cite book |last=Webster |first=Patrick |title=Windows into The West Wing |publisher=McFarland Press |year=2020 |isbn=978-1-4766-3936-9 |pages=191–192}}
For his work on "Main Title (The West Wing)", W. G. Snuffy Walden won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music in 2000.{{Cite web |title=52nd Primetime Emmys Nominees and Winners – Outstanding Main Title Theme Music |url=https://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/2000/outstanding-original-main-title-theme-music |url-status=live |access-date=April 4, 2022 |publisher=Academy of Television Arts & Sciences |archive-date=March 28, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160328225337/http://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/2000/outstanding-original-main-title-theme-music }} In 2020, he reprised the theme for A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote, performing the theme on his guitar.{{Cite news |last=Gomez |first=Patrick |date=September 22, 2020 |title=HBO Max's West Wing reunion special release date is either genius or a really bad choice |work=The A.V. Club |url=https://www.avclub.com/hbo-maxs-west-wing-reunion-special-release-date-is-eith-1845148344 |access-date=April 4, 2022 |archive-date=March 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220321041633/https://www.avclub.com/hbo-maxs-west-wing-reunion-special-release-date-is-eith-1845148344 |url-status=live }}
On July 9, 2016, Lin-Manuel Miranda gave his final performance as the titular character in Hamilton: An American Musical on Broadway. Miranda, who created the play, cited The West Wing as an influence; he was reportedly surprised when the orchestra broke into The West Wing
References
{{reflist}}
{{The West Wing}}
{{EmmyAward MainTitleThemeMusic}}