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Bill Nye is now officially back in our viewing lives, and things feel a bit more stable in the world of educational entertainment. This month, Netflix added another show to its growing list of family-approved binges, Bill Nye Saves the World. Packed with science lessons and celebrity appearances, Saves the World is both a fun watch if you’re new to the Science Guy and a delightful return to old form for everyone’s favorite fictional scientist.
However, die-hard Bill Nye fans have likely already noticed a big change in Saves the World. Bill Nye’s iconic theme song has been given a makeover for his new series. So what are the differences? Who’s the celebrity responsible for this update? Here’s your cheat sheet to this new and nerdy tune.
The new song is much shorter
If you go back and rewatch the original intro song for Bill Nye the Science Guy, you may notice that the opening credits sequence is a lot longer than you remembered. Of course, there’s the iconic chant of “Bill! Bill! Bill! Bill!” but between that there are several science-based audio mixes, including the memorable “Science rules” and an explanation of inertia. Overall, the theme song for Bill Nye’s Disney show clocks in at about 30 seconds, which is fairly typical for shows at that time.
The theme song for Netflix’s show, on the other hand, is all about speed. The opening song for Bill Nye Saves the World is roughly five seconds long, but Netflix still gives you the option to skip this intro. The much shorter theme song is likely connected to Netflix’s research on opening credits. Giving viewers the option to skip these show beginnings indicates that Netflix — always a data-focused company — has found its users have opinions on opening credits. It’s not too much of a stretch to think that this research would be applied to help create as efficient a song as possible.
Also, the new theme has far fewer words. Though the iconic “Bill! Bill! Bill! Bill!” remains, the original’s random scientific ramblings has been replaced by a chant of “Save the the world.” This repetition is a clear nod to the original’s use of “Bill Nye the Science Guy.”
Who wrote Bill Nye Saves the World’s opening song?
That honor goes to Tyler, the Creator. In an interview released by Netflix, the rapper, record producer, and music video director revealed he used to be a fan of the original series. “That show, it got kids to not hate science class, and that worked. That full on worked,” he said.
He also explained that he used the original theme from Bill Nye the Science Guy for Saves the World. “Nah, yeah the first one is really sick. I love the fast-pacedness of it,” he said. “You take out that snare, it could be a house song.”
The graphics are also simpler
While Bill Nye the Science Guy’s opening credits relied on a lot of transitions and bright colors that wouldn’t look out of place in an ‘80s pop music video, Netflix’s version is much cleaner. Gone are the heavily filtered images of dinosaurs, TVs, microscopes, and volcanoes. In its place, Saves the World shows Bill Nye adjusting his suit and bowtie before excitedly jumping behind the credits.
It’s hard to argue which opening credits are better. Yes, Bill Nye the Science Guy offers a song that will never completely leave your head as well as a graphics-filled intro that, if you made it in high school, would make you the ruler of your computer class. However, there’s something to be said for Saves the World’s cleaner, more direct format. It an intro sequence more conducive to bingeing, but on a deeper level, it’s also a better explanation about what this series is. This show wasn’t cheekily named “Saves the World.” It’s an educational science show that was created for a time when science seems to be under attack more than ever before. Bill Nye Saves the World doesn’t have time to build itself up, and it doesn’t expect you to have that time either. It needs to save the world, dangit, and it wants you to be on board.
