TCU makes its College Football Playoff National Championship debut Monday night, as does John Williams.
Yes, the legendary composer John Williams. The 90-year-old composed a new theme song for ESPN’s title game coverage.
“Of Grit and Glory,” which is three minutes and 30 seconds long, will be shown with a video package during Monday night’s battle between Georgia and TCU Los Angeles.
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ESPN producer Martin Khodabakhshian said Variety that the song is intended to reflect “the feeling behind the night, the fear and anticipation, the triumph and failure”.
How did ESPN enlist the services of Williams, who has composed songs for iconic films including Jaws, jurassic park, Alone at homeand the Star Wars saga? Khodabakhshian helped write him a letter three months ago and Williams was happy to write a new song.
Williams said Variety“The invitation to write this music constitutes a great honor for me and I feel particularly privileged to make a small contribution to one of our country’s most treasured traditions.”
Williams has worked for sporting events before. He has written songs for four different Olympics and composed NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” theme in 2006.
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“Of Grit and Glory” appears to be a long-term addition to ESPN’s coverage of the national title game.
With the College Football Playoff coming off its most entertaining series of semifinal games yet and the field expanding to 12 games in 2024, the National Championship is expected to become even more of a spectacle in the future . This show, in ESPN’s eyes, deserves its own music.
