Pinar Toprakwhose billion-dollar status in films (“Captain Marvel”) and video games (“Fortnite”) has made her one of the most sought-after composers in the world, has shattered another glass ceiling: she wrote the theme of Amazon Prime“,” will launch with a preseason game on August 25.
The Los Angeles-based composer recorded the theme and several variations on July 8, leading a 70-piece orchestra at Nashville’s Ocean Way Studios. Variety was on hand to preview the theme when she mixed it alongside Grammy-winning engineer Alan Meyerson last week in Los Angeles.
According to Amazon officials, it is the rights holder’s first new theme music for an NFL package since John Williams wrote “Wide Receiver” for NBC Sports in 2006. Toprak is also the first woman to compose an original theme for an NFL media package. .
“The theme had to be both current and timeless,” Toprak said. “It needed to convey the power, energy and hard work that goes into a game, hopefully with a memorable and humbling theme.” It’s always difficult to make sure that you write something that resonates today but that, in 20 years, will still resonate with the times.
Toprak’s anthem is a triumphant earworm, heavy on brass and drums, that builds in intensity and power throughout its three-minute duration. Variations include a more string-dominated but still rhythmically powerful version; an alternative rock arrangement with electric guitars; and a fun “late night” edition with saxophone and piano solos and a decidedly funky rhythm section. All are painstakingly produced with electronic elements created in Toprak’s studio.
Jared Stacy, director of global live sports production at Amazon, said Variety that the right theme is “so integral to the overall presentation.” It was really important to us to find something epic and timeless but modern and optimistic, and we found that with Pinar.
He said his team “cast a very wide net” to find the right composer. Asked about the fact that he and his colleagues hired a woman to write music for America’s most macho sport, Stacy explained: “We have a very diverse roster in front of and behind the camera. We have senior managers in our organization who are women. But Pinar’s work speaks for itself. When you hear “Captain Marvel,” you know she’s at the top of her profession.
Although “soccer” meant soccer when she grew up in her native Turkey, Toprak learned to appreciate American soccer when she arrived here in America more than 20 years ago. “I learned the rules and my brother and my boyfriend are big football fans. Now, the more I know about the game, the choreography associated with it, the more I respect and admire it.
Meyerson, who mixed the music for NBC Sports many years ago, called the theme “muscular.” This will mark the show. No matter what people do, I want them to say, ‘It’s game time,’ and grab their popcorn and sit back and enjoy the game.”
The technical requirements were much more than just writing and recording a few themes and variations. In addition to the “extended” version which is three minutes long, it offers 60- and 90-second versions and approximately 65 “cuts” of edited tracks as short as six seconds to meet a variety of practical composition needs.
Fred Gaudelli, executive producer of “Thursday Night Football,” said in a statement: “I have been fortunate to be involved in several NFL themed music projects, and this was the smartest approach and the most collaborative I’ve ever had. part of. Pinar was exceptional from the start, took our feedback carefully throughout the process, and composed a score that features intensity, drama, and a “hummable hook” that sinks in and stays with you .
“You want the music to go to lots of different places,” Stacy added. “We might need something very energetic, something a little more dramatic, a little jazzy… things that sting or last longer. The music goes in a lot of different directions. We think this is a truly modular theme.
Score by Pınar Toprak for the theme “Thursday Night Football”
Courtesy of Amazon Prime
“We wanted something that stood out from the crowd, so that when people hear it, they know it’s ‘Thursday Night Football’ on Prime Video – it’s not ‘NFL on Fox,’ it’s not isn’t ‘Monday Night Football,’ it’s clearly the ‘Thursday Night Football’ theme song. This theme amplifies the action they see on the field, as part of a premium broadcast and high-profile coverage. quality. And we want it to last for generations.
The Toprak theme debuts on August 25 for Prime Video’s inaugural preseason game between the San Francisco 49ers and Houston Texans. The regular season begins September 15 with the Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs. This is the first time a streaming service has aired an exclusive season-long national broadcast schedule with the NFL.
