The Music of Jeopardy! From a Lullaby to $100,000,000

Sidedoor

Smithsonian Institution

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4.6 • 2.3K Ratings

🗓️ 17 September 2025

⏱️ 24 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

It’s the most recognizable TV theme in America. But Jeopardy’s “Think Music” wasn’t originally written for a game show… It was written for a toddler. In this episode, we trace the unlikely journey of the Jeopardy theme, from Merv Griffin’s living room to over 10,000 episodes across six decades. Along the way, we explore the show’s sonic evolution, including honking buzzers, 80s synths, and orchestral remixes. Featuring Lisa Broffman, Jeopardy’s Consulting Co-Executive Producer.

This episode was written & produced by Casey Emmerling.

Visit the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History to see some of the Jeopardy objects we have in the collection.

MUSIC FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE

Harry Endivo - Don’t Bore Me Alberto!

Medité - This Round's On Me

Flickering - The Squad

Andreas Dahlbäck - 808 or 909

Trevor Kowalski - Watercolor Motion I

Gavin Luke - The Power of One

Art by Michael Zhang.

This episode of Twenty Thousand Hertz is part of our summer playlist to keep you entertained while Sidedoor is on summer break. We’ll be back in the fall with brand new episodes of Sidedoor.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey there, Side Dorebles. A little bit of trivia for you. What TV Game Show's theme song started out as a children's lullaby?
0:13.7	Yes, producer James Morrison.
0:16.0	What is Love Island? James, you ding.
0:19.6	Sorry. That is incorrect. I mean, you ding. Sorry.
0:21.6	That is incorrect.
0:23.5	I mean, you even answered it in the form of a question.
0:25.7	How could you not get that?
0:27.9	Anyways, the right answer is Jeopardy.
0:31.1	Its theme song has become one of the most recognizable tunes in America.
0:35.1	But it was originally invented for a toddler, like all the best things.
0:39.8	So how did this lullaby make the leap to America's television sets?
0:44.4	The podcast, 20,000 Hertz, recently released an episode that explored the Jeopardy theme's unlikely journey.
0:51.4	And since we have so many iconic jeopardy objects at the Smithsonian, thanks to a donation by Alex Trebek himself, we thought we'd share this episode with you.
1:01.0	It's part of our summer playlist while we're producing new episodes of Side Door, which drop in just a few weeks.
1:07.4	Until then, show me 20,000 Hertz.
1:11.1	Lizzie, that's family feud.
1:13.1	Oh.
1:17.5	New York City, 1963.
1:20.8	Mervyn Griffin, Jr. is at his home with his three-year-old son, Tony.
1:25.0	Merv is 39 years old and already has decades of experience in the entertainment industry. In his 20s, he started singing with a big band, and in 1949, they had a hit with a quirky song called, I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts. Down at an English fair, one evening I was there when I heard a showman shouting underneath
1:46.1	the flare.
1:46.6	I've got a lovely bunch of coconut.
	...

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