The Secret Chords in 'Hey Girl' (New Girl's Theme Song)

New Girl is one of the great modern sitcoms, but its theme song, “Hey Girl” by Zooey Deschanel, is just as iconic. In an era where most TV shows ditched full-length theme songs, New Girl kept it classic - until Season 4, when FOX cut it down to just five seconds.

But beneath its short runtime, “Hey Girl” is packed with brilliant songwriting: 60s-inspired harmony, clever melodic hooks, and even a surprising twist in the B section that most transcriptions get wrong.

In this video, we break down the New Girl theme’s hidden complexity, including:
- The altered I-VI-IV-V progression in the A section
- How the melody plays with colorful chord extensions
- A twist on the major IV → minor iv cadence in the B section
- The surprising real second chord (spoiler: it’s NOT minor iv!)
- A sneaky backdoor dominant resolution in the chorus

Whether you’re a New Girl fan, a musician, or just love great TV music, this deep dive will give you a new appreciation for one of the last great sitcom theme songs.

0:00 The History of "Hey Girl"
1:42 The Song Form
2:27 A Section
3:44 A Section Lesson/Extended Chord Tones
5:14 B Section
6:30 B Section Lesson/That Surprise Chord
8:36 C Section/Chorus Tag
9:08 C Lesson/One Last Surprise
10:35 Conclusion (New Girl Fans, watch to the end!)

Some of the other great original TV Theme Songs are (IMO): The Addams Family, Happy Days, Gilligan's Island, The Jeffersons, Laverne and Shirley, Greatest American Hero, Perfect Strangers, Family Matters, Full House, G.I. Joe (1985), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers, Family Guy, American Dad, Galavant, and BoJack Horseman ("Back in the 90s").

For original TV instrumentals, The Munsters, Miami Vice, Law and Order, Quantum Leap, and Star Trek up through Voyager are hard to beat.