Unknown Song #51 (New Primetime) - Amped

Song - Amped

Artist(s) - David Robidoux
Released - 2011

Primetime Usage - 2019
Contained on - NFL-0049 (Rush 3)

Featured Highlight - Giants @ Buccaneers, 2019

 

 

*SONG IDENTIFIED* - 10/13/22

 

As promised (a long time ago, admittedly), here's the first Unknown Song from the new, ESPN+ version of NFL Primetime.  This version of the show debuted in Week 2 of the 2019 NFL season, but that particular week only used classic Primetime tracks from the last several years of the original show (the same ones they used for pretty much every week in 2020).  Week 3 of 2019 added four new songs, however, and US #51 was the first of those.  It's kind-of an electronic-grunge sounding piece—very mid-to-late-'90s in its instrumentation.  I'm not sure US #51 was used more than once, but I wasn't subscribed to ESPN+ in 2019 so I didn't see a lot of the highlights from that season.

The featured clip for this track (the only clip I know of) is Daniel Jones's debut for the Giants in Tampa in 2019.  Unfortunately, my original post of the video was copyright blocked by Disney.  So, instead, I cut an audio-only version of the highlight.  It's not as interesting this way, of course, but it looks like this is what I'll have to do for anything I post from New Primetime.

Unknown Song #44 - New Order

Song - New Order

Artist(s) - Paul Foss

Released - 1997

Primetime Usage - 2001
Contained on - ATMOS 92 (Virtual Corporation)

Featured Highlight - Giants @ Chiefs, 2001


*SONG IDENTIFIED* - 11/30/18

Unknown Song #44 is probably best remembered by NFL Primetime aficionados as accompanying the first post-9/11 highlight on the show.  The NFL's mission for that week wasn't just to mourn the national tragedy, but to also give people an entertaining & distracting respite.  US #44's dark & moody, yet energetic & determined sound perfectly fit that mission.  ESPN didn't choose this song solely for that purpose, though; it was also used during the Week-1 episode from 9/9/01 which obviously had nothing to do with any sort of tragedy.  The bigger question is:  why didn't they use US #44 again after Week 2?  It's a little too repetitive to be a real classic, but its mood & energy still fit well within the Primetime music pantheon.  It's kind of odd, frankly.  Anyway, enjoy the clip.

Unknown Song #33 (Oddball Week, Part 3) - Android Highway

Song - Android Freeway

Artist(s) - Robert J. Walsh

Released - 1996

Primetime Usage - 1997

Contained on - Hollywood Film Music HFML 15.02 (Wild City)
Featured Highlight - Eagles @ Giants, 1997

*SONG IDENTIFIED* - 5/6/23

Now we're getting into the Oddball Week dregs.  Unknown Song #33 could probably be labeled the "Jaws Song" because its Jaws-like riff is its only distinguishing feature.  The rest of it is just generic, amelodic '90s-'00s electronica stuff.  The game isn't all that interesting, either, but it's still better than the song.

The John Colby Trilogy - Part I

Song - Gladiator

Artist(s) - John Colby

Released - N.A.

Primetime Usage - 1991-00

Contained on - N.A. (Sound Clip)

Featured Highlight - Broncos @ Giants, 1998


From 1984-92, John Colby was the music director for ESPN.  He's probably best known for composing the most famous theme song for Sportscenter, but he also wrote some sports-highlight tracks as well.  Six of those (that I know of) were used on NFL Primetime.  These six songs are divided into two "trilogies":  one consists of three pieces only used for a few years, and the other contains three tracks that lasted a long time and that any fan of Primetime will immediately recognize.  Colby is also well known for his Grammy-winning work (both pre & post-ESPN) on the productions of documentary master Ken Burns.  Check out his website (linked above) or this article if you want to learn more.

The first of these well-known John Colby highlight tracks, "Gladiator," is one that even people who didn't really watch NFL Primetime may recognize.  In addition to its frequent use on the show for a decade, it was also the background song for Chris Berman's "Fastest 3 Minutes" halftime segments on Monday Night Football.  Gladiator kept being used for that purpose well after it was phased out on Primetime, in fact.  My featured highlight choice for Gladiator is a long one.  In 1998, the Denver Broncos started 13-0 and everyone was focusing on their Week-16 matchup with the last franchise to run the table:  the Miami Dolphins.  Their Week-15 contest with the Giants in The Meadowlands then became the ultimate example of a "trap game."  A 3-7 start meant New York had no hope of defending their 1997 division-title run, but they were playing well down the stretch and this upset punctuated a 5-1 finish to the season.  Have fun watching!

Duran Duran Meets Phantasy Star

Song - Roadhog

Artist(s) - Trevor Bastow

Released - 1987

Primetime Usage - 1991-92

Contained on - MusicHouse MHI4 (Telefax)

Featured Highlight - Rams @ Giants, 1991


Just because the '80s were over doesn't mean their sound was dead.  In 1991, NFL Primetime began using perhaps the most heavily "eighties" sounding piece ever made.  This song, called "Roadhog," took punchy synth to a new level and often accompanied longer highlights on the show thanks to its full three-minute duration.  For those that are fans of either Duran Duran (especially their earlier, "Fab Five" era stuff) or Sega's Phantasy Star sci-fi RPG series, the style of Roadhog should be quite refreshing for you.

Roadhog was written by the late Trevor Bastow.  Trevor, along with his late brother Geoff, were two of the top stalwarts for both Bruton & MusicHouse from the 1970s-1990s.  Geoff, a disciple of the great Giorgio Moroder, was also known for being the producer behind the briefly popular synth-disco act known as K.I.D. in the early '80s.  Trevor was never a major figure in popular music, as far as I know, but I personally find his large library of production music to be even better than his brother's.  Unfortunately, Roadhog seems to be the only Primetime track composed by either of the two Bastow brothers.

The featured game highlight for Roadhog isn't the greatest, but it's still fairly entertaining.  The Rams, in John Robinson's final season, went up to the Meadowlands and handed defending Super Bowl champion Jeff Hostetler his first-ever loss as a starting QB.