The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song

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"Yo Home to Bel-Air"
Cover from the 7" vinyl single "Yo Home To Bel-Air".jpg
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)
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)

"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]

Music for the song was written by Quincy Jones (who also served as the TV show's executive producer). Later Smith would change some lyrics to his liking.[3] Lyrics were composed by 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".[4]

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,[4] 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]

Theme[]

Lyrically, the song is storytelling narrative,[7] describing how its protagonist was "born and raised" in West Philadelphia, but after a violent encounter there 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 Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[11] Silver 200,000double-dagger

double-dagger Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 47, 1992" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  2. ^ Bodenner, Chris. "Track of the Day: 'The Fresh Prince of Bel Air'". The Atlantic. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
  3. ^ Trex, Ethan (March 12, 2010). "5 Things You Didn't Know About Quincy Jones". Mental_floss. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Dutchcharts.nl – DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince – Yo Home to Bel-Air" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  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. ^ Jump up to: a b 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. ^ Jump up to: a b Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b "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. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1992" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved February 17, 2020.

External links[]

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