Which band wrote and recorded The Big Bang Theory theme song?

The Canadian band Barenaked Ladies wrote and recorded The Big Bang Theory theme song.

The theme was developed after series creators Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady saw the band perform in Los Angeles. They approached co-lead singer Ed Robertson, who had recently read Simon Singh’s book Big Bang and improvised a song about the origins of the universe during the concert. That idea became the basis for the show’s opening music.

The lyrics race through a playful summary of cosmic and human history, matching the sitcom’s focus on physicists, astronomy, and scientific jokes. The televised opening is brief, while a full-length version was released commercially in October 2007, shortly after the series premiered.

A common mistake is to identify the song by its widely circulated unofficial name, “The History of Everything,” or to confuse the band with other acts known for television themes. Barenaked Ladies recorded the theme specifically for the series, and the track later appeared in the band’s greatest-hits material.