The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song

"Yo Home to Bel-Air", informally known as "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme",[1] is a song performed by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. It is the theme song to the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.[2] Lyrics were composed by sitcom star Will Smith, performing under his stage name "The Fresh Prince", and the song was produced by Jeffrey Townes under his stage name "DJ Jazzy Jeff".[3]

"Yo Home to Bel-Air"
Artwork for Dutch and German releases
Single by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
ReleasedSeptember 21, 1992 (1992-09-21)
Recorded1990
GenreEast Coast hip hop
Length2:58
LabelJive
Songwriter(s)Willard Smith, Jeffrey Townes
Producer(s)DJ Jazzy Jeff
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince singles chronology
"The Things That U Do"
(1992)		 "Yo Home to Bel-Air"
(1992)		 "I Wanna Rock"
(1992)

Townes brought up the idea of him and Smith making the theme after composer and producer Quincy Jones pitched an early version of the music. Smith wrote the lyrics after reading up on the scripts from the pilot episode.[4] Smith then presented the song to Jones and he immediately loved it and accepted it as the theme song.

The song was released as a single in the Netherlands and Spain by Jive Records in 1992, with "Parents Just Don't Understand" as its B-side,[3] and it was re-released in 2016 by the record label Enjoy the Ride.[5] It became a hit in these countries, peaking at number three in the Netherlands and number two in Spain, and it received a Silver sales certification in the United Kingdom in February 2018. The song appeared on DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince's Greatest Hits album, along with a number of compilation albums.[6] Unlike the version in the sitcom, it samples George Benson's Give Me The Night and Kool and the Gang's N.T.

Theme

Lyrically, the song is storytelling narrative,[7] describing how its protagonist was "born and raised" in West Philadelphia, but after a violent encounter he was sent to live with family in Bel Air, Los Angeles. As one account maintains, the protagonist "raps about his mother sending him to live with his aunt and uncle because she was afraid that he would fall victim to [his] tough West Philadelphia neighborhood".[8] It has thus been described as an example of the tendency of rappers to "present pathological perspectives of their own communities".[8] The song further "explains how a boy from the ghetto would end up living in Bel-Air", and thereby "ushers in a fantasy" of an implausible scenario in which a poor person escapes to wealth.[9]

Single track listing

7" vinyl
A-side – "Yo Home to Bel-Air" (7" Radio Mix) – 3:23
B-side – "Parents Just Don't Understand" – 5:12

12" vinyl

A-side

  1. "Yo Home to Bel Air" (Extended Version) – 5:18
  2. "Yo Home to Bel Air" (7" Radio Mix) – 3:23

B-side

  1. "Yo Home to Bel Air" (Summertime Mix) – 5:25
  2. "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" – 2:57

CD single
  1. "Yo Home to Bel Air" (7" Radio Mix) – 3:23
  2. "Parents Just Don't Understand" – 5:18

Reception

The single was released exclusively in the Netherlands and Spain in 1992. In the former country, it spent 10 weeks on the Dutch Top 40, peaking at number three.[1] In Spain, it debuted at number two, its peak, and stayed in the top 20 for seven weeks.[10] Although it was not released in the United Kingdom, the song earned a Silver sales certification from the British Phonographic Industry in February 2018 for sales and streams of over 200,000.[11]

An article on the MTV.co.uk website stated about the song, "Say what you want, but considering the sitcom wrapped up over 20 years ago and people are still able to start spitting out those lyrics on cue, its lasting appeal is undeniably impressive."[12] Tom Eames of Digital Spy ranked the song 3rd in a list of 25 sitcom theme songs.[13] and Rolling Stone readers ranked the song 6th out of a list of 10 television theme songs.[14]

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[11] Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 47, 1992" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  2. Bodenner, Chris (October 11, 2016). "Track of the Day: 'The Fresh Prince of Bel Air'". The Atlantic. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
  3. "DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince – Yo Home to Bel-Air" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  4. Rap Radar: Will Smith, retrieved December 2, 2021
  5. "Yo Home to Bel Air/Parents Just Don't Understand – DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince | Releases | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
  6. "AllMusic | Record Reviews, Streaming Songs, Genres & Bands". AllMusic. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  7. Jeremy Orlebar, Jonathan Bignell, The Television Handbook (2007), p. 90.
  8. Jennifer A. Sandlin, Brian D. Schultz, Jake Burdick, Handbook of Public Pedagogy: Education and Learning Beyond Schooling (2010), p. 225.
  9. Rinaldo Walcott, "'It's My Nature': The Discourse of Experience and Black Canadian Music", in Joan Nicks and Jeannette Sloniowski, eds., Slippery Pastimes: Reading the Popular in Canadian Culture (2002), p. 271.
  10. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  11. "British single certifications – Dj Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince – The Fresh Prince of Bel Air". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  12. "What You Missed In Music: Sky Axes Controversial Michael Jackson Comedy, Ed Sheeran Covers Fresh Prince | MTV UK". MTV.co.uk. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
  13. Eames, Tom (October 5, 2016). "Ranking the top 25 TV sitcom themes EVER". Digital Spy. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
  14. "Readers Poll: The Best TV Theme Songs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
  15. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1992". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  16. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1992" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
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