{"id":12467,"date":"2025-11-14T07:36:19","date_gmt":"2025-11-14T07:36:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/?p=12467"},"modified":"2025-11-14T07:36:37","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T07:36:37","slug":"it-was-totally-different-queen-latifah-made-two-theme-songs-for-living-single-hear-the-never-before-released-soulful-version-for-the-shows-original-name","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/?p=12467","title":{"rendered":"“It was totally different”: Queen Latifah Made Two Theme Songs for Living Single\u2014Hear the Never-Before-Released Soulful Version for the Show’s Original Name."},"content":{"rendered":"

The iconic hip-hop and jazz-infused theme song for the classic 1990s sitcom Living Single<\/i><\/b>, “We Are Living Single,”<\/b> was actually Queen Latifah’s<\/b> second<\/i> attempt. As she revealed on the ReLiving Single<\/i> podcast to co-hosts and former castmates Erika Alexander<\/b> and Kim Coles<\/b>, the show’s original title necessitated a “completely different,”<\/b> more soulful version that never aired.<\/span><\/p>\n

Data Points: The Two Theme Songs<\/span><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Version<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nShow Title<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nMusical Style<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nLatifah’s Description<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nCollaborator<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Original<\/b><\/span><\/td>\nMy Girls<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/td>\nSoulful, Vibe-y<\/span><\/td>\n“Totally different, completely different but very soulful<\/b>, just vibe-y, and I like to sing and rap and mix it all together.”<\/span><\/td>\nUnknown<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Final<\/b><\/span><\/td>\nLiving Single<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/td>\nHip-Hop Beat with Beautiful Notes and Jazz<\/span><\/td>\n“A mixture of his hip-hop beat<\/b> with these beautiful notes and a little bit of jazz<\/b> at the end that was perfect.”<\/span><\/td>\nDef Jef<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The Reason for the Change<\/span><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

Queen Latifah, a rapper and musician first, took it upon herself to create the show’s intro music, recognizing that theme songs are what “resonate in your minds.”<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \n

    Original Concept:<\/b> She initially wrote and recorded a theme song for the show’s working title, My Girls<\/i><\/b>. This version was described as “totally different”<\/b> and “very soulful.”<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  2. \n

    The Title Change:<\/b> The network and producers decided to change the show’s name to Living Single<\/i><\/b>, a decision Latifah admitted she was “arguing”<\/b> against in the office.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  3. \n

    Back to the Lab:<\/b> The title change forced her to “take it back to the lab”<\/b> to create a track that better reflected the new name and the show’s concept of “these four girls doing their thing.”<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Crafting the Iconic Final Version<\/span><\/h3>\n

     <\/p>\n

    For the final version, Queen Latifah enlisted the help of rapper and producer Def Jef<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    • \n

      The Beat:<\/b> Def Jef provided the hip-hop foundation, doing “the beat on the machine for me.”<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    • \n

      The Lyrics:<\/b> Latifah wrote the rhyme, chopping up the now-iconic opening lyric, “Check, check, check out.”<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    • \n

      The Hook:<\/b> She described crafting the chorus to balance the hip-hop energy with her “sensitive” side, creating the famous melodic hook: “We are living (Ooh) \/ Single (Hey).”<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      This final blend of hip-hop, soul, and jazz became the soundtrack for the iconic Fox sitcom, which ran from 1993 to 1998<\/b> and carved out a significant space for Black female representation in television.<\/span><\/p>\n