'The Big Bang Theory' Lyrics Trivia Quiz

'The Big Bang Theory' was a celebration of nerd and geek culture that took a light-hearted look at how a group of physicists (plus an engineer) navigated everyday life. Given the use of science as a framing device (though arguably this diminished in favour of a focus on romantic relationships as the show progressed) it seemed fitting to have a scientifically-inspired song to open episodes of this successful show that was originally broadcast from 2007 to 2019.

The first line of the opening theme begins, "Our whole universe was in a..."

The theme song for 'The Big Bang Theory' was created by the Canadian band, Barenaked Ladies. The television show only featured the opening verse of the song but the full-length version of the track is a little over a hundred seconds long, managing to shoehorn in references to "Australopithecus", "Descartes" and "Deuteronomy" along the way!

The complete first line of the opening theme, "Our whole universe was in a hot, dense state", immediately takes the mind to astrophysics and the beginnings of the universe (according to the scientific Big Bang theory).

The reference to fourteen billion years relates to the estimated period of time that, according to theory, has elapsed since the occurrence of the big bang and the start of the expansion of the universe. Barenaked Ladies demonstrate attention to cosmological detail in their formulation of the lyrics through the use of the phrase "nearly fourteen billion years ago"; constructions such as the Lambda-CDM concordance model suggest an age for the universe of around 13.79 billion years with a stated margin of error in the order of the tens of millions.

"Then nearly fourteen billion years ago expansion started, wait"

The lyrics reference the "expansion" of the universe from a "hot, dense state" and this is a musical take on the work of Edwin Hubble, the scientist who relied on the observation and measurement of redshift (distant objects moving away from an observer emit electromagnetic radiation that tends toward the red end of the spectrum) as the basis for the argument that the universe is in a state of expansion rather than contraction or stasis.

In the third line of 'Big Bang Theory Theme', Barenaked Ladies make their first reference to Earth and, in so doing, attempt to pithily place Earth and humanity into cosmological context - as the universe expands, "The Earth began to cool...". With expansion underway, the universe becomes less dense and temperature reduces.

With temperatures dropping, the conditions for the formation of life begin to be met and this is captured by the line, "...the autotrophs began to drool". Broadly speaking, autotrophs are organisms such as plants, algae and a subset of bacterial species that make use of compounds such as water and carbon dioxide to produce complex organic compounds and oxygen. Photosynthesis, which relies on the presence of light, is an example of such a process.

Humans and the animal kingdom are first referenced by Barenaked Ladies in the fourth line of the theme tune to 'The Big Bang Theory'. The band invokes imagery of early humankind with the "Neanderthals developed tools" lyric. The lyric also sticks to the theme of constant development over time with each era building upon what had come before it.

In the transition from the fourth to the fifth line of 'Big Bang Theory Theme', Barenaked Ladies connect the development of tools by the Neanderthals to the construction of impressive structures such as walls and pyramids. The lyric - "We built a wall (we built the pyramids)" - lacks specificity but it could be assumed the band is referring to the Great Wall of China and the pyramids in Egypt.

The penultimate line of the opening credits to 'The Big Bang Theory' focuses on the formalisation of human knowledge and understanding through a variety of subjects including mathematics and science. Three subjects are explicitly mentioned in the lyrics and the first of these is "math", the language used to understand the universe via the scientific method.

One of the distinctive features of 'The Big Bang Theory' was the placement of mathematical equations on chalkboards and whiteboards in the background of the set. It is always a fun moment when you recognise the equation that flashes up on the screen - a real Easter egg!

Alongside math and science, history gets a mention in the show's opening lyrics. This is perfectly in line with the content of the show itself as the main characters are often just as interested by history - scientific or otherwise - as they are by subjects such as biology, engineering, geology and physics.

Sheldon Cooper, played by Jim Parsons, is particularly interested in history and would often regale the wider group with tales of years gone by. One example of this is where Sheldon discusses the origins of the Fig Newton with Kaley Cuoco's character, Penny. The Fig Newton is named for a town in Massachusetts, not the English scientist!

"Math, science, history, unraveling the mysteries"

Barenaked Ladies end the first verse of 'Big Bang Theory Theme' by looping back around to where it all began - "That all started with the big bang (bang)". At this point, the show's opening theme comes to a close and the comedy involving the likes of Sheldon, Leonard, Raj, Howard, Penny, Bernadette, and Amy begins!