[liff] Craig Ferguson's Late Late Show Theme – The Extended Version

2297.Today In Pop Culture: If anything about the current late night American major network TV imbroglio has done around here is actually make us watch TV late-night again.

We've always been partial to Craig Ferguson. In the 5 or so years since he's assumed the desk at CBS's The Late Late Show, he's both redefined it and kept it familiar. He's brought a simply brilliant level of comedy loaded with self-deprecation, wry wit, impersonations so odd they're funny, and an intimate interview style that lets the viewer in on the joke.

His monologues alone are worth tuning in for.

His current open and show theme, though, are extremely catchy. Beautiful photography (the opening with the aerial angle of downtown LA from a POV over the Griffith Observatory is simple brilliance), catchy pace, and great, hook-laden music. Ferguson started as a musician, and it shows; the talent is there to be seen.

But what I happily found very recently is that the song you hear on the open is a reduced version. There's a full version, about three minutes long, which you can peep on YouTube:

Or surf to this link if you can't get the whole interface in that above (hey, YouTube, how about an embed of 400px wide, yes?)

What's really fun about this song is that it stands alone as a song in its own right; if it wasn't connected to a show it wouldn't harm it at all; it's a fun, hooky, beat-driven bit of antic rock and roll, they lyrics a paean to the late night club-goer, TV-watcher, 3rd-shift denizen, night-owl, or general purpose insomniac.

I transcribed the lyrics, and they're copyright the peoples who did'em, please don't sue me CBS et. al, I just want to help spread the Ferguson magic, because people who don't like Craig Ferguson … well, they suck.

I don't mean to be unkind, I just repeat the truth. And now, you can sing along with the video above. And, yes, the song was in fact written by Craig.

It's hard to stay up
It's been a long long day
And you've got the Sandman at your door
But hang on
Leave the TV on
And let's do it anyway

CHORUS:
It's okay
You can always sleep through work tomorrow
Okay, Hey hey
Tomorrow's just your future yesterday

Tell the clock on the wall
Forget the wake-up call
'Cos the night's not nearly through
Wipe the sleep from your eyes
Give yourself a surprise
Let your worries wait another day

And if you stay too late in the bar
At least you made it out this far
So make up your mind and say
Let's do it anyway

CHORUS: Repeat

Life's too short to worry about
The things that you can live without
And I regret to say
The morning light is hours away
The world can be such a fright
But it belongs to us tonight
What's the point of going to bed?
You look so lovely when your eyes are red …

(instrumental bridge)

Tomorrow's just your future yesterday

The world can be such a fright
But it belongs to us tonight
What's the point of going to bed?
You look so lovely when your eyes are red

It's hard to stay up
It's been a long long day
And you've got the Sandman at your door
But hang on
Leave the TV on
And let's do it anyway

CHORUS: Repeat

Tomorrow's just your future …
Yesterday

We wish Conan the best; Craig's been making cutting, funny-as-hell commentary on the NBC's strangling-to-death of The Tonight Show (has anyone checked Johnny's grave for signs of him spinning yet?), but we love Craig. We aren't 'fans' of much; celebrities in the main irritate us, but as much as we can be fans of anyone, we are of Craig Ferguson.

Whoever decided to cast him as the host of The Late Late Show deserves the Nobel Prize for Television Programming, if there was such a thing.

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