The Songwriter Behind The Frasier Theme Was Forbidden From Mentioning Three Subjects

When it comes to the lyrics for the “Frasier” theme, the people in charge had very specific and slightly challenging instructions. According to Miller:

“The instructions for the lyrics were, and I remember [series creator] David Angell saying, ‘Don’t mention Seattle, don’t mention Frasier, don’t mention psychiatrists. Don’t mention anything having to do with the show, but make it germane to the show.'”

That may sound like bizarre advice for a theme song, since it makes it less likely to be tied to the show in people’s minds, but there’s something truly brilliant about the random feeling of “tossed salads and scrambled eggs,” especially because it’s not all that random at all. Miller wrote the music first, then reached out to his friend Darryl Phinnessee to get him to write the lyrics. Phinnessee came up with “tossed salads and scrambled eggs” because they’re both things that are “mixed up,” just like Frasier’s psychiatry patients. And “I can hear the Blues a’callin’?” Those are his depressed patients, calling his radio show! When you start looking at the lyrics through a slightly more metaphorical lens, suddenly it all makes sense.