According to an interview with UK-based paper The Independent, a beloved Paula Cole track is being reinstated as the introduction and theme song to the teen drama Dawson’s Creek on streaming services. “I had no idea it was going to be such a smash, totally eclipsing my own career,” Cole told The Independent about the hit song “I Don’t Want To Wait,” which became so connected to the show that it has moved beyond just theme song.
Apparently though, a recent resurgence of fans watching old episodes of the show — possibly due to being stuck inside because of the pandemic — had been complaining that Cole’s hit had been replaced. Back in the day, when Dawson Creek showrunner Kevin Williamson heard “I Don’t Want To Wait,” he called Cole and asked to use it for his pilot. Williamson also had Alanis Morissette’s “Hand In Pocket” in mind, but that song was too expensive to license, so the network had also commissioned Canadian singer Jann Arden to write “Run Like Mad” as an option.
On the DVDs and streaming services, Sony executives opted to swap in Arden’s song instead of Cole’s, basically because it was a cheaper option. “It was really just a financial decision that was made precipitously by one executive at Sony,” Cole said. “If you start doing that with a network and with large companies, you’re throwing every artist under the bus.” But fan desire for the original theme song has been so strong that Cole and Sony are now in discussions to reinstate “I Don’t Want To Wait.”
“We’re in discussions now,” Cole said. “The main thing about it all is that it was due to fan reaction. It was due to all of their posts and their tweets and their fabulous feedback. Sony finally noticed and wanted to please their fans. I’m just really happy about that. I’m really happy that they listen and they care.”
Cole said she recorded a newer version of the song that she owns the masters to, and that will be the version that’s reinstated in the show. In that case, maybe I’ll wait to binge it until they fix the theme song.