"Welcome Back" is a popular record that was the
theme song of the 1970s American television
sitcomWelcome Back, Kotter.[1] Written and recorded by former
Lovin' Spoonful frontman
John Sebastian, it reached No. 1 on the
Billboard Hot 100 chart for one week in May 1976 after only five weeks on the chart, and also topped the
adult contemporary chart[2] (the show itself had become an instant ratings success upon its premiere the previous fall). It also reached No. 93 on the
country chart.
History
TV producer Alan Sachs wanted a Lovin' Spoonful-like theme song for a new
ABC sitcom entitled Kotter.
Northern California experimental band
Mr. Bungle covered the song on January 13, 1992, in back-to-back English and Spanish versions, at The Berkeley Square in Berkeley, California.
Canadian country music artist
Chris Cummings covered the song in 2009 and released his version as a single. The version was later included on his 2010 album Give Me Tonight.
The song was sampled by rapper
Lupe Fiasco for his song "Welcome Back Chilly", rapper
Mase for his song "
Welcome Back", hip hop group
Onyx in their song "Slam Harder", and by rapper
AZ for his song "Once Again".[citation needed]
Swedish dream pop group
jj recorded a version of the song in 2009. This version of the song is used in the trailer for the second season of MTV's Scream.[14]
The song is often used by
Atlanta Braves organist Matthew Kaminski for former Braves players when they are at bat for their current team.
On May 1, 2020,
Count Bass D released a cover of the song on his Bandcamp site, commenting, "This take is a nod to the light at the end of this Coronavirus tunnel. It's a peaceful piano rendition aimed to help with the stress of these times."[15]
In season 5 of "
Scrubs",
J.D. leads the group in a rendition of "Welcome Back Coxer" after Dr. Cox takes a hiatus from work.[16]