We all know the famous theme song from the hit sitcom, Two and a Half Men. After twelve seasons of listening to this catchy jingle, we thought we’d throw it back and make a list about all the things you probably didn’t know about this popular tune.
While the lyrics remained the same, we’ve definitely seen a bit of change in terms of the actors standing in front of that iconic red curtain and donning those black suits. So without further ado, here are 10 things that might surprise you about this manly theme.
The Trio Lip-Synced The Theme Song
Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, and Angus T. Jones weren’t the angelic voices behind this theme song. Contrary to popular belief, and to burst everyone’s bubbles, this famous trio is definitely lip-syncing this simple tune.
They’re actors, not singers, so we can’t exactly blame them. However, the actual singers did a pretty impressive job of making it sound like the real actors, so we’re not totally mad about it.
The Flyover Shot of the House in Every Intro is Actually in Malibu
After we get to hear the catchy tune, most episodes of this sitcom start with a camera shot of Charlie’s (and Walden’s) Malibu house on the beach. In fact, this shot is ACTUALLY in Malibu, near Malibu Lagoon. Whereas most of your favorite shows don’t actually film in the location of the show, we can thank Two and a Half Men for its accuracy of this gorgeous house’s location.
However, if you’re looking to visit the house, the actual set is in the Warner Bros. Studio, and not actually in this Malibu house featured in the flyover.
There Were Four Totally Different Intros
First, we had Jon Cryer (Alan) and Charlie Sheen (Charlie) on the sides with Angus T. Jones (Jake) in the middle, who eventually morphed as the actor grew older. Then in season 2, there was this weird change from the red curtain to a blue sky backdrop, where the three men wore top hats while clouds moved in the background (this only lasted for a season).
Then, when Ashton Kutcher joined the show, Angus T. Jones was moved to the side with Jon Cryer, and Ashton (Walden) took the middle. Apparently, because he’s the new half-man? However, after Jake joined the army, Ashton was moved to the side, with Jake returning to his middle spot donning his military uniform.
This 30 Second Intro Has Literally 2 Lyrics
In this 30 second introduction, there are literally only two words that are sung. You probably guessed them, it’s “manly” and “men”. Shocking, right? That seems pretty basic, but honestly, 30 seconds is a pretty long time to listen to two words being repeated over and over, and yet we all love it just the same.
It’s still catchy, after all, but maybe that’s because it’s pretty easy to learn the lyrics.
This Theme Has Been Parodied & Covered Many Times
For some reason, people apparently find it interesting to parody a 30-second intro song with two different lyrics? We’re not exactly sure why, but lots of people did surprisingly well recreating the red curtain and black suits. The most famous is probably by Bart Baker, who is a famous YouTube star, parody artist, web comedian, and singer.
He has over 10 million subscribers, which isn’t something to ignore. In this parody, Bart plays Ashton Kutcher and even dons his famous hair cut and “pedo” beard. He even captioned the video “Tweet to Ashton if you dare.” Do we dare?
Elizabeth Daily Was One of the Theme’s Actual Singers
Elizabeth (E.G.) Daily is a famous actress, comedian, and voice actor. While her name might not jump out at you, you might know her better as “Buttercup” from The Powerpuff Girls, or maybe “Tommy Pickles” from Rugrats.
This actress has 211 film credits (that is A LOT), most of which are for voice acting gigs. Clearly, she isn’t new to the game, and she did a pretty stellar job singing this hit show’s theme song.
There Were a Lot of Rumors About Angus T. Jones’ Involvement
There were a TON of articles by your favorite online websites dishing about Angus T. Jones (Jake Harper) being cut from the series after Season 8 when Charlie Sheen was replaced. After Ashton Kutcher was announced to become the new leading man, there was pretty ‘certain’ talk that the new intro would only feature Ashton and Jon, and maybe even incorporate the rumored new character, Jenny (Charlie’s daughter).
However, this was all just talk, as Angus T. Jones was simply moved to the side alongside Jon Cryer, but was still there in every intro.
Grant Geissman Plays All of the Piano
Grant Geissman is the composer for the show, including the show’s theme song. However, it might be interesting to know that Charlie Sheen doesn’t play ANY of the music during the entirety of the show. While Geissman plays the intro, he is also the one playing every time Charlie “plays” the piano.
In fact, Grant Geissman, with help from Dennis C. Brown, also wrote all of the jingles that Charlie Harper creates throughout the show.
The Theme Was Composed By the Two Show Creators
This show was produced and created by Chuck Lorre, who was also one of the three men behind the “Manly Men” theme song. Chuck Lorre is also known for composing the music for Teenage Mutant Turtles (which is nodded to by Charlie’s jingle for ‘Oshikuru the Demon Samurai’, which has the same tune), but Lorre was also the show’s writer for The Big Bang Theory, Mom, and Mike & Molly.
The other creator, who also composed the theme, was Lee Aronsohn, and he was also a writer for The Big Bang Theory after working on Two and a Half Men.
You Can Download the 23 Second Song on Spotify
Again, we’re not exactly sure why you would want to do this, but you absolutely can! The music composed by Chuck Lorre and Lee Aronsohn can be found on Spotify, with there being a whole 23 seconds of this manly theme song.
So when you’re missing this hit sitcom, you can head on over to this streaming site and put it on repeat for like, ever.
