Newfoundland’s oldest and only independent TV station has always been as unique as the province itself. Anyone who grew up in Newfoundland before the days of Netflix and YouTube has surely watched their fair share of NTV. Thanks to this, they’ve surely got the NTV theme song etched into their memory forever, too.
The longest single clip of it online used to be here, but the YouTube user’s account was terminated and the clip no longer exists. When it was online, we were able to get these full lyrics.
Lyrics
From the Caribbean islands to the shores of Labrador
NTV is seen in more homes than ever before
From the beaches of the Bahamas to the cliffs of Newfoundland
From the frigid North Atlantic to the Caribbean sandFive stars shine bright on satellite, a network that’s our own
More information, entertainment flows into your home
From the edge of North America it’s all right here to see
From satellite to your TV, NTV is new TV
Bringing Newfoundland and the world to youFor decades of history, Newfoundland’s people
And everything that we can be
We look to tomorrow to continue our journey
It will be right here on NTV
So we’ll tune in together, sharing the laughter
And tomorrow will bring a new dawn
And together, who knows what we all can do?
When we look to the future, we reach for the future
Reach out above and beyond
Above and beyond
The song is still used in NTV’s station identification as of 2020, but it is rarely (if ever) heard in full. Still, listening to small bits at a time over the years, you can construct what the full song sounds like!
When exactly the song begins is debatable, but we think that this is the start as opposed to this. Why? The first clip starts with vocals, while the second clip already has some music playing before the singer begins.
It’s also worth noting that there’s a dope guitar solo that kicks in right after what we’ve identified as the first verse of the NTV theme song. Following the general rules of writing rock music, guitar solos usually some after the second verse. So, maybe we’re wrong?
NTV Theme Song Variations
Did you know that the song has had its lyrics altered over the years? This video shows us an NTV promo from 1994 featuring a lesser-known version of the song!
This song features the same tune and tempo, but with some different lyrics. Let’s check them out!
Bringing the world to Newfoundland and Labrador
We reach more homes and families than we ever have before
New faces and familiar friends keep you company
No distances to bring your home too far from your TVFive stars shine bright on satellite, the future’s here today
More information flowing on technology’s highway
Newfoundland and Labrador, it’s all right here to see
From the world to your TV, new TV is NTV
In Newfoundland and Labrador this fall
It’s difficult to tell for sure if this version can be considered “full.” The ending is definitely there, but the song might not start at this point. This NTV theme song is shorter than the first one we mentioned, and the lyrics seem to have been produced specifically for fall programming. It also has a solo vocalist, whereas the more familiar one uses a female to form a duet.
History of the NTV Theme Song
We have more questions than answers about the song. Who wrote it? When was it first used? Does anybody in the Bahamas really watch NTV?
However, we can make an educated guess on when it was first used! The following two videos are from 1991 and 1992, and feature different songs. They are both completely different from the ones we’ve spoken about earlier, and completely different from each other!
A similarity of these two is that they both use NTV’s retro “Tuned Into You” branding in their lyrics. Additionally, the visuals use NTV’s previous logo from before they adapted the globe version which is still used in a more modern variation to this day. Clearly, several songs have been created in NTV’s advertising – perhaps even some that are not online.
So let’s do the math! We have a video here from 1992 featuring an older song, with the older logo. We have a video from 1994 featuring the most popular NTV theme song, and the newer logo. With all of this, it’s a safe bet that NTV started using the song we all know when it started using the logo we all know. That’s somewhere between 1992 and 1994!
Maybe another time we can figure out the mystery singer behind the NTV theme song…
2020 Update of the NTV Theme Song
In mid-2020, we began hearing a brand new song being used in NTV’s station identifications. The most well-known song, however, continues to be used as well!