We’re three episodes into the second season of HBO Max’s uber-popular sports drama, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, and while most viewers have been gripped by the show’s riveting take on the titular basketball team, some have had their ears pricked from its very first moments.
Indeed, the opening credits for Winning Time somehow manage to rival that of fellow HBO titles, which is saying something given the popularity of The White Lotus theme’s contagious tribal grunts, or Succession’s spine-tingling piano keys. So, as we await the unfolding of new dramas within the Laker-verse, what exactly is Winning Time’s theme song?
What is Max’s Winning Time theme song?
The opening credits of Winning Time are soundtracked by “My Favorite Mutiny,” the 2006 song by hip-hop band, The Coup. The regal and groovy track was lifted from their fifth studio album, Pick a Better Weapon, and features fellow rap artists Black Thought and Talib Kweli. Interestingly, “My Favorite Mutiny” is one of the only 21st Century songs used in Winning Time’s mostly 80s-infused soundtrack.
“My Favorite Mutiny” was used as the theme song for both seasons of Winning Time, and is accompanied by a montage of nostalgic archival footage including aerobics classes and courtside cheerleaders. The opening credits situate the story of the Lakers within its broader context, a feat helped along by The Coup’s old-school hip-hop tune.
The Winning Time soundtrack
Alongside “My Favorite Mutiny”, Winning Time boasts a surrounding soundtrack that’s equally winning, courtesy of music coordinator Henry Van Roden, who has elsewhere worked on The Walking Dead. With a score by Succession’s Nicholas Britell, the Winning Time team craft a soundscape that also includes Olivia Newton-John’s 1980 hit “Magic”, Duran Duran’s “Girls on Film” and Donna Summer’s famous dancefloor-filler, “I Feel Love”.
Songs by Marvin Gaye, The Comodores, Bob Seger and Willie Nelson have elsewhere appeared in Winning Time’s second season, and with a soundtrack like that, fans can only expect to be tapping their feet when episode four arrives on Max later this week.