The Good Omens opening theme is unforgettable. The now-classic waltz, accompanied by Peter Anderson’s quirky and intricate animation, offers just the right mix of sweetness and chaos as it captures the apocalyptic love story between Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) and Crowley (David Tennant). Plus, it’s apparently fantastic live.
Recently, the Good Omens theme was performed by the BBC Concert Orchestra and the Huddersfield Choral Society at the Royal Albert Hall in London. The performance was held as part of BBC Proms, an eight-week classical music festival put on every summer.
As great as the theme sounds in the opening sequence of each Good Omens episode, it sounds even better when performed by in concert (even if you’re watching it on Youtube). There’s a new depth and texture to the theme that brings out all of its best parts. You can almost feel Aziraphale and Crowley in the music, getting up to their tricks and falling in love.
Why the Good Omens theme is so iconic
I’ll never forget how I felt during the season 2 premiere, after the cold open ended and the opening theme. I was so happy to be back with my favorite angel and demon, and that familiar waltz seemed to express all of my excitement and anticipation. It felt like a triumphant return to a beloved series.
Those big feelings were no accident. David Arnold, who composed the opening theme, was aiming for something complex. In a 2019 interview with Deadline, Arnold explained how a waltz captures a feeling of both romance and devilish wonder.
“There’s always something ever so slightly devilish, isn’t there, about a waltz? It has that kind of carnival feeling. A carnival is the thing that comes to town; it’s full of strangers and strange, fascinating people, and your whole town sort of descends on it. Sometimes they’re a bit scary, sometimes they’re fun, and sometimes they’re lovely. So in a way, it’s conjuring up that feeling of something arriving that is fascinating but slightly scary …. really, the whole thing is a love story—not about men and women, but just about people, or angels and demons. It’s above all that stuff, and it did feel like ultimately, a dance is a seductive, romantic thing, and you very rarely do it by yourself.
Will we get to see more of Aziraphale and Crowley? Will we ever hear that opening theme again? There’s no official word on a season 3 renewal, especially with the SAG strike still ongoing, but Neil Gaiman has reportedly started writing scripts. Let’s cross our fingers that we get the next chapter of the Good Omens saga soon.
(featured image: Prime Video)
