The 2024 NFL Playoffs brought some Kodak moments. But for many fans, it just wasn’t complete without Carrie Underwood. The country superstar did not perform her Sunday Night Football theme song leading up to Super Bowl LVIII. Fans definitely noticed her absence, leading to a global sense of relief when NBC announced the “Blown Away” singer would return for her 12th season. Now she’s back—and, dare we say, better than ever.
Rob Hyland, coordinating producer for Sunday Night Football recently teased the new-sounding intro via Yahoo. “The music is very different. We essentially flipped the song upside down. The song now starts with the chorus, which is something we used to always build toward.”
Football Fans Can’t Get Enough Of Carrie Underwood
Safe to say, fans approve of the updated version for Sunday night’s game between the Los Angeles Rams and Detroit Lions.
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“That Carrie Underwood Sunday Night Football promo always slaps,” one fan wrote on X. Another noted, “Carrie Underwood singing the Sunday Night Football song. We are so back baby.” Continuing the praise, another user stated, “God I’ve missed you Carrie Underwood.”
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Since 2013, Carrie Underwood’s commanding soprano has ushered in the NFL season. The American Idol champion took over for fellow country star Faith Hill in 2013. That first year, Underwood sang “Waiting All Day For Sunday Night,” a revamped take on Joan Jett’s “I Hate Myself For Loving You.”
Underwood experimented with a few variations, like “Oh, Sunday Night” and “Game On.” Ultimately, the Joan Jett remake won out in 2019. Now, “Waiting All Day For Sunday Night” is as much a part of the NFL season as tailgating and cold beer.
[RELATED: A Breakdown of Carrie Underwood’s 3 NFL, Sunday Night Football Theme Songs]
Sunday Night Football premiered in 2006, just one year after Underwood emerged victorious on season 4 of American Idol. Fred Gaudelli, executive producer of NBC’s NFL coverage, recently told Yahoo that the “Last Name” singer was his “first choice” to sing the opening number.
However, Underwood turned them down, later explaining, “At that time in my life there was so much going on. It wasn’t the right time.”
Pink performed the opening on Sunday Night Football’s inaugural season. Faith Hill took over the next year, keeping the gig until she turned it over to Carrie Underwood in 2013.
“I showed her the demographic breakdown, and once that was done, she’s like, ‘You know what? You’re right. We should do this,’” Gaudelli said. “And that began a now 12-year run.”
Did You Notice Anything Different?
One reason Carrie Underwood has successfully performed the SNF theme for 12 seasons is the network’s ability to keep it fresh. Hyland told Yahoo that this year’s opening is “by far my favorite.”
The 2024 number takes viewers “behind the scenes a little bit,” Hyland said.
“[Let’s make it feel like she’s along with us on this national road show, this singular phenomenon that is Sunday Night Football,” he said. “Let’s bring her along, we’re always on the road going from venue to venue. I think the one thing we really hadn’t done was bring Carrie into the fold.”
Featured image by John Palmer/MediaPunch/Shutterstock
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