Monday Night Football kicks off in earnest in Week 2 with the bizarre, semi-official season opener. Despite the opening week contest between the Bills and Jets generating unprecedented attention, ESPN and ABC refrained from throwing their marketing weight behind the launch brand FMN due to the match which will be played on September 11.
This means that from a television perspective, Saints vs. Panthers and Browns vs. Steelers will serve as a true launch for the first primetime game, and with it a brand new theme song that is a wild mix of styles.
Country music megastar Chris Stapleton performs Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight,” with Snoop Dogg delivering “football-centric rap verses,” according to USA Today. We get elements of Stapleton’s role in Schefty’s video above, but we have yet to hear how Snoop will mix styles.
Stapleton was a huge Super Bowl success
The 45-year-old Kentucky native has spent most of his career as the best songwriter you’ve probably never heard of. Co-writing six #1 country songs for other artists, it wasn’t until 2015 that Stapleton stepped away as an individual performer.
Since then, he has been one of the most critically acclaimed country musicians in America, propelling him into the spotlight when he performed the national anthem at Super Bowl LVII in February 2023. Her moving and moving performance was widely appreciatedwhich makes him a natural candidate to continue working with the NFL.
Snoop is a sure bet for the NFL
At this point in his career/life, Snoop knows exactly why he’s here. The hip hop legend still has enough clout to be taken seriously by younger fans, while still being a household name and a dose of nostalgia for older fans.
Snoop is no stranger to marketing himself and he would never turn down a job. He’s also a “safe” rapper who the NFL knows won’t stir up controversy outside of his unapologetic love of weed, which isn’t really a problem.
In short: if you are looking for a rapper to help you with Monday Night Football theme that you know won’t do anything to harm your brand, so in 2023 you get Snoop.
Despite 54 seasons, this will only be the fifth theme song of Monday Night Football
There’s no guarantee that the Stapleton/Snoop version of “In the Air Tonight” will stick around long term. The show has a history of rotating songs, but this is the first new song since 2020. Here’s the story of the FMN theme song.
1970-75: “Score” by Bob’s Band
1976-1988: “Heavy Action” by Johnny Pearson
1989-2011: “All My Rowdy Friends Are Here Monday Night” by Hank Williams Jr.
2011-2016: Return of “Heavy Action” by Johnny Pearson
2017-2019: Return of “All My Rowdy Friends Are Here on Monday Night” by Hank Williams Jr.
2020-21: “Rip It up” by Little Richard feat. Brown Butcher
2022: Second return of “Heavy Action” by Johnny Pearson
Now we can add Stapleton and Snoop to the list. This is definitely a story in the making, as a new theme doesn’t appear very often.
