Didn't want to wait anymore
Published September 11, 2021
When I want something a bit more relaxing to watch, I dip into Dawson’s Creek on Netflix. Maybe relaxing isn’t the right word, all those hyperbolic teenagers making a drama out of a molehill, but it’s a comforting treat regardless. The only problem with it is, up until this past week, the theme tune was Run Like Mad rather than the correct I Don’t Want to Wait by Paula Cole. Never has the Skip Intro button been more appropriate.
I’m clearly not alone in being so wonderfully happy that the rightful tune has returned, in fact when I watched the first episode with it in context, it made me misty-eyed and nostalgic. But what I also love is how much it means to Paula Cole.
Cole had to take the Taylor Swift route of re-recording her own tracks to actually gain back the rights to them. “I realised I couldn’t negotiate with my label, so I decided to re-record my hits.” It’s incredible what people have to do to get control of the art they actually created. And it’s also brilliant that it was the relentless fan-driven requests for the theme tune return that saw Sony Picture grab the re-recorded version and reinstate it.
Cole said: “Even with the corruption, even with the patriarchal attitudes, even with ageism or sexism, my work will stand the test of time. This is a beautiful testament to that - having patience and letting the fans have a voice.”