Seinfeld Soundtrack Released For The First Time 23 Years After Show Ends

The soundtrack of Seinfeld is finally available decades after the show went off the air. The hit comedy co-created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld ran for nine seasons on NBC starting in 1989, revolving around the daily lives of four friends living in New York City. The show stars Seinfeld playing a fictionalized version of himself, Jason Alexander as his neurotic, insecure best friend, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as his former girlfriend Elaine Benes, and Michael Richards as Cosmo Kramer, his wacky, rogue neighbor across the hall. Seinfeld is also known for having many memorable recurring characters including Newman, Jackie Chiles, David Puddy, and The Soup Nazi.

The series has often been described as “a show about nothing,” refusing to have any episode where the characters learned life lessons or achieved personal growth and instead drew its humor from exploring the minute aspects and indifference of life. Seinfeld is considered one of the greatest sitcoms in the history of television and ended with a finale that brought in 76 million viewers. There are many aspects that contributed to its success and recognition, but a particular feature that stands out is the show’s popular theme music and bass soundtrack that transitions from scene to scene.

Variety has now brought word that a soundtrack album featuring original music from Seinfeld released July 2 on all digital platforms. Released by WaterTower Music, the album features 33 tracks, including the show’s iconic theme. Others include hip-hop music for Kramer’s walk dressing as a pimp and suspense music from the show’s chase scene. The music was composed by Jonathan Wolff, who commented on the release of the soundtrack:

It was 30 years in the making. It [Seinfeld] struggled for the first few seasons. We were an accidental hit. We were busy getting episodes out, and nobody was thinking about the music. And that’s OK.

The music of Seinfeld is now extremely unique and immediately recognizable to anyone who has watched the series and was unlike the typical theme songs of sitcoms back in that time. In the early seasons, viewers got a taste of the synthesizing bass theme music through Seinfeld’s opening and closing stand-up routines every episode, which Wolff composed meticulously for every single act to fit with the timing and rhythm of Seinfeld’s comedy bit.

Seinfeld has been off the air for over two decades, but the series has been increasingly popular with its syndication and was a huge success during its availability on Hulu. It was never a show to follow the sitcom formula, in a time when many comedies had resolving storylines and the hope for romantic relationships, which is what made the show so unique and influential. With Seinfeld landing a lucrative streaming deal on Netflix, viewers can have another opportunity to catch up with the series not too long after the release of the soundtrack that goes with it.