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Times have changed and so have theme songs. When Hulu gave fans a new season of the hit show Veronica Mars starring Kristen Bell, fans didn’t expect further changes to the hit show. However, the show kicked things up a notch by changing up the signature opening theme song. The opening phrase “we used to be friends” might be a reference to a former friend, but to Veronica Mars fans, it meant that they were getting another episode of sleuth goodness. For years, the opening theme song was a calling card among fans. The new season gave viewers a different tune of the same song. So what is the show’s theme song, and who sang the other versions?

Kristen Bell smiling in front of a 'Veronica Mars' movie posted
Kristen Bell | Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

What is the premise of Veronica Mars?

The show revolves around a high school student Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell) who works part-time as a private investigator in her father Keith Mars’ private investigation agency. Keith, a disgraced and unpopular former sheriff, works will Veronica to solve the murder of Lily Kane, Veronica’s best friend. With her father having accused the wrong man of Lily’s murder, Veronica became an outcast and was frozen out by the group of wealthy friends she’d been part of.

No longer part of her wealthy friend group, Veronica makes new connections. She befriends a computer genius and becomes an ally to a biker gang member whose resources she uses to close cases. Things then get complicated when Veronica gets close with Logan, Lily’s ex-boyfriend, who accused Veronica of Lily’s death. It is later revealed that Logan’s father, Aaron Echolls, was responsible for Lily’s death.

The show’s theme song fits the storyline perfectly

The Veronica Mars theme song was “We Used To Be Friends,” a song by The Dandy Warhols. The opening line ‘we used to be friends a long time ago’ was a perfect fit for the series as Veronica tended to fall out with her friends. For example, in the first season, she fell out with her friends at school after her father Keith was ousted from his influential position as the County Sheriff. When showrunner Rob Thomas created the show, his goal was to create a noir show that would appeal to young people.

The show’s theme song later got remixed in the third season for a more noir feel. While the music might have remained the same with a different feel, fans had mixed reactions to it. A section of the fans on Reddit expressed their dislike for the remixed version saying that the original was better. One fan said, “the change to the theme song in S3 still makes me mad.” Another one said, “I hate it.”

Singer Chrissie Hynde covered the theme song for its fourth season

Veronica Mars’ theme song has undergone various changes throughout the show’s entire timeline. When Hulu announced that it would be airing an eight-episode series of the cult show, fans didn’t expect their favorite theme song to be undergoing another change.

Chrissie Hynde, the lead singer of the band Pretenders, covered the song originally sung by The Dandy Warhols. The reviews on Hynde’s cover have been mixed as many people feel that it is a detour from the original moody song performed by the dandy Warhols.

According to TV Guide, Hynde’s version provides a much more tonally aligned version of events that follows Veronica in her 30s. While Hynde’s cover makes much more sense for the show’s revival, fans can’t help but miss the original tune.

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