When Showtime’s
Weeds returns to the small screen in August, a new group of artists will be heard singing the show’s opening theme, “Little Boxes.”
Taking after the previous season, a different artist is set to be featured each week. For the first episode, "Doing the Backstroke,” the network has tapped Academy Award winning songwriter and arranger Randy Newman to sing the 1960s semi-classic. The 63-year-old is most known in the industry as a film composer, whose most notable works include “I Love to See You Smile,” “You’ve Got a Friend,” “When She Loved Me,” “If I Didn’t Have You” and “Our Town.”
Aside from his extensive background in film composition, Randy Newman has also been recognized for his work in television. In 1991, he won an Emmy for Achievement in Music and Lyrics for the short-lived series
Cop Rock. In 2004, he received an Emmy for the main title theme music of
Monk.
To follow Randy Newman, in no particular order, are Joan Baez (“We Shall Overcome”), Donovan (“Catch the Wind”), Billy Bob Thornton (“Hobo,”
Monsters Ball), The Shins (“Phantom Limb”), Michael Franti (
Stay Human), The Individuals (
Something to Smoke To), Angelique Kidjo (
Black Ivory Soul), Kinky (
Reina), Man Man (
Six Demon Bag) and Persephone's Bees (“City of Love”).
Since the third season of
Weeds is made up of 15 episodes, at least four more artists will be recruited to sing the opening theme.
Entertainment Weekly has reported that among those artists to be added are Silversun Pickups and Linkin Park.
“Little Boxes” was written and originally performed by Malvina Reynolds in 1962. It serves as a critique of suburban development and bourgeois conformist values.
In the previous season of
Weeds, among those who belted out their personal versions of the song were Elvis Costello, Regina Spektor, Death Cab for Cutie and Engelbert Humperdinck. The season finale used the original version.
The third season of
Weeds will premiere on August 13.
-Lisa Claustro, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: Zap2it, Entertainment Weekly
