For a 10th year, Carrie Underwood will sing the introduction to Sunday Night Football, “Waiting All Day Until Sunday Night,” based on Joan Jett’s iconic “I Hate Myself for Loving You.”
“10 years and we’re still going strong, @snfonnbc! See you Sunday nights beginning in September!,” Carrie wrote alongside a promo clip featuring the song and a photo of the American Idol season 4 winner holding a football.
“Shooting the new show open for Sunday Night Football is one of the highlights of my year,” Carrie said last year before the football season started. “I just love the fact that we get to reinvent it every year. The team behind these shoots is incredible and it’s always a really fun day.”
Sunday Night Football kicks off on NBC Sunday, September 11 when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers face off against the Dallas Cowboys.
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Sunday Night Football Theme Over the Years
Back in 2006, P!nk began the tradition of singing “Waiting All Day for Sunday Night” for the big Sunday night game. Country star Faith Hill took over in 2007. Carrie began her long SNF journey in 2013. In 2016, NBC introduced a new theme. Carrie sang “Oh, Sunday Night” which took elements from her 2014 hit duet with Miranda Lambert, “Something Bad.”
In 2018, Carrie, along with Chris Stefano and Brett James wrote and recorded a song created just for SNF called “Game On.” which replaced “Oh, Sunday Night.” The new song brought controversy, however. Not only weren’t the fans feeling it, but she, NBC and the NFL were sued by a songwriter for plagiarism (the plaintiff eventually dropped the lawsuit).
NBC gave the fans what they wanted in 2019, bringing back “Waiting All Day for Sunday Night.” The returning open featured Joan Jett and her band the Blackhearts. NBC shot the clip inside of Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The COVID pandemic forced the network to shoot the 2020 theme remotely with players and fans making cameos from home. And in 2021, the open was a “greatest hits” retrospective of past SNF moments.
