Crockett's Theme

Crockett's Theme

Featured in Episode	"Calderone's Return (Part I)"
Artist(s)	Jan Hammer
Top Chart Position (Hot 100)	Did Not Chart
Year Released	1986
Album	Miami Vice II
Writer(s)	Jan Hammer
RIAA Certification	NONE
Sequence song appears	Crockett talking to Caroline and Billy
Previous Song	"Tush"
Next Song	"In the Night"

"Crockett's Theme" is a song by Jan Hammer, featured on the album Miami Vice II in 1986 and released as a single in September 1987. It first appeared in the Miami Vice episode "Calderone's Return (Part I)", but it was subsequently used in different arrangements in many episodes of the series, specifically (not surprisingly) those dealing heavily with James "Sonny" Crockett.

Along with the "Miami Vice Theme", it is one of the most famous pieces of music Jan Hammer composed for the series.

Hammer later recorded a cover version with TQ.

Versions[]

At least eight different versions of the track have been officially released:

Miami Vice II soundtrack album mix, running 3:25 – released in late 1986.
Single version, running 3:32 – released in 1987, this version was also on Hammer's Escape from Television album. It is very similar to the soundtrack album mix, but omits the echo effect on the cabasa and has the airy synth pads mixed louder, and it fades out slightly later. On some editions of the single, it is called the Instrumental New Mix.
Extended 12" Mix, running 5:48 – a longer remix of the single version by Hammer and François Kevorkian, released as a 12" single in the UK and Europe.
Dub! Re-Mix, running 6:05 – an extended remix by Ben Liebrand, released as a B-side on the UK 12" single; this version notably samples the synth drums from Hammer's "Miami Vice Theme". Liebrand would later remix Hammer's "New York Theme" for the Miami Vice III soundtrack album.
The 9mm Mix, running 4:32 – a remix by Il Nitro released as a single in the UK in 1991. This version was also included as a bonus track on the 1991 reissue of Hammer's Escape from Television album.
The Nitro Vice Mix, running 4:48 – another remix by Il Nitro, released as a B-side on the 1991 UK single.
7" Remix, running 3:23 – not to be confused with the original 1986 single version, this is another remix by Il Nitro issued as a B-side on the 1991 single.
"Crockett's Return", running 3:23 – an alternate arrangement of the theme, first featured in the episode "Give a Little, Take a Little". This version was released on the Miami Vice: The Complete Collection soundtrack album.

In addition to the above versions released on albums and as singles, several other mixes and arrangements of the track appeared in the show itself, such as when Crockett first sees his new Testarossa in "Stone's War".

Appearances[]

"Calderone's Return (Part I)"
"Give a Little, Take a Little" (as "Crockett's Return")
"Milk Run"
"Smuggler's Blues"
"Payback"
"By Hooker by Crook"

Notes[]

While nowhere near as successful as the "Miami Vice Theme" in the US, the song was a smash hit in the UK and it reached #2 there. The song also enjoyed a similar level of success elsewhere in Europe; in the Netherlands it held the #1 spot for four weeks, and it reached #4 in Germany.
"Crockett's Theme" was one of four singles released from the album Miami Vice II -- the others being "The Last Unbroken Heart" by Patti LaBelle & Bill Champlin, "When the Rain Comes Down" by Andy Taylor, and "Send It to Me" by Gladys Knight & The Pips (the latter of which did not actually appear in the TV series). All four songs were written specifically for the series (or, in the case of "Send It to Me", the album Miami Vice II).
As well as the Miami Vice II album, the track has also been included on the soundtrack albums Escape from Television, The Best of Miami Vice in 1989, The Best of Miami Vice in 1994, The Best of Miami Vice in 1996, The Best of Miami Vice in 2004, Miami Vice: The Ultimate Collection and The Best of Miami Vice in 2006.
The B-side on the single release was the Jan Hammer track "New York Theme", first used in the episode "The Prodigal Son".
Over the course of the series, several different variations of the theme appeared. To date, only the single versions and the "Crockett's Return" mix have been officially released.
While there was no "Tubbs' Theme" on the show, the track "Rico's Blues" can be seen as the character's equivalent of "Crockett's Theme", appearing in several Tubbs-centric episodes.
The song was later included in the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, which was heavily inspired by the show. The song appears on the fictional in-game radio station Emotion 98.3.