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I think it’s safe to say that practically every kid growing up in the 1990s watched “Hey Arnold” on Nickelodeon. During-and after-its run on Nick, it has been hailed as a success in storytelling and still has fans who (im)patiently await its return. I had a chance to converse with Jim Lang, the composer for the show.

Moniqueblog-When did you first realize you wanted to have a career in music?


Jim Lang-I started playing in bands in Junior High School. But I started doing theater then too, and pursued both throughout High School. When it came time to go to college, I went to Northwestern University to study theater. I left Northwestern to take a job with the Chicago Free Street Theater, and while I was in that company I became music director. From that point on I did more and more music, and eventually moved to Los Angeles.

MB-In doing research for the interview, I read on your website that you once played with musical greats like Todd Rundgren, The Four Tops, Smokey Robinson, and The Pointer Sisters. What was it like to work with these musicians?

JL-I have been really fortunate to play alongside some extraordinary folks. It has become a commonplace to say that one is “blessed” by these associations, but really that is the way it feels to me. Making music with others yields these extraordinary moments of deep connection to something larger- a groove, an audience, one other person, the whole universe- And those moments stick with me and nourish me constantly. I also have to say that for every memorable moment in big venues with the famous artists I have worked with there have been a multitude of times with not-so-famous folk in not-so-glamorous joints that were every bit as cool and memorable.

MB-A large chunk of my childhood consisted of watching Nickelodeon and Saturday morning cartoons, so much of your music from Lloyd in Space, Hey Arnold, and Hey Arnold-The Movie has had a large impact on me on as kid growing up in the ’90s. Have you had many fans write to you or tell you stories similar to mine? If so, how does that make you feel?

JL-A few years ago as the Hey Arnold! generation began to percolate through the internet and the url for my website went up on a few of the HeyA fansites, I began to get quite a lot of correspondence from fans of the show. It is wonderful to hear that people think of the world of the show as a welcoming and familiar place, and that the music touched them. That is what I hope for when I write for picture, but it isn’t often that I get the kind of direct feedback from people that I have from Hey Arnold. And I am really touched by the fact that not a few of the people I hear from are studying music themselves and cite the score from the show as an early influence. That is wonderful.

MB-What was the main idea behind the music you created for Lloyd in Space? How was the music for this show different than the music created for Hey Arnold ?

JL-The creators of the show, Paul Germain and Joe Ansolebehere, had gotten some music ideas from Disney, among which was an album called The Moog Cookbook- a bunch of pop tunes done entirely on retro synthesizers. We all thought this was a cool jumping-off place, and I did as much over-the-top synthesizer knob twisting as I could in every episode. It is perfect cartoon instrumentation- bendy and stretchy and kinetic.
MB-What was the inspiration behind the theme song for “Hey Arnold”?


JL-I actually wrote the melody in the late 70s. I always though it would make a great Dunkin Donuts commercial, but I was too chicken to play it for my friend Donnie Rosenberg, whose father started Dunkin Donuts in Boston. Years later when the executives at Nick began groaning out loud when Craig and I sang them our original idea (which eventually got used as a promo: “Arnold! You crazy cat!” I knew I had to come up with a catchy alternative, and that melody just popped back into my head. Recycling.
MB-Many characters on the show had their own theme music, like Helga, for instance. How did you come up with her theme?


JL-I tried to get inside Helga’s head when she was having those private ecstatic moments where she allowed her self to just let her overwhelming love for Arnold flow. In every story that featured Helga there was what we came to call a “Helga Moment” where she would do that. And Frannie (Francesca Smith who played Helga) had such a perfect way of doing it, so syrupy and with a beautiful little shuddering sigh at the end… the violin was the perfect voice and the music pretty much wrote itself. And of course, every time we did the bit she would get interrupted unceremoniously, usually by some off screen mouth breathing from Brainy.

MB-Which character’s theme was the most fun to make and why? By the same token, which character’s theme was the hardest to make and why?


JL-They were all fun to make because, like the Helga theme, they grew out of scenes in the show that featured the character. There were a few strong themes, notably for Arnold and Helga and Grandpa, but there were also themes for the city and certain emotions that recur a lot through the course of the show.

You can visit Jim Lang’s website at knobworld.com.