One Composer Turned A Podcast Intro Into A Future Classic

The first notes rise and everything settles into focus. That’s the quiet magic of Reaching for the Stars, the theme that has become our compass, our calling card, and the invitation into every conversation we share. What started as a radio show intro a decade ago now anchors the podcast with the same lift and warmth, thanks to the composer who shaped it with care: Chris Murphy Elliott.

We share the story behind the music—how an influential listener called it powerful and the kind of melody that earns “play it again” status. We talk about why theme music isn’t filler, especially in a world where the first five seconds can decide whether someone stays or skips. Like the classic TV themes that defined eras—Gunsmoke, The Virginian, even the precision of Mission Impossible—a strong motif can set tone, build trust, and become the emotional shorthand for a community. That is what this piece has done for us, across full episodes and the reels our friend Steven crafts from England.

You’ll hear what we hear: restraint, lift, and intention woven into a melody that grows with you the more it returns. We reflect on how sound carries identity better than any tagline, and why the right intro tells a true story before the first word is spoken. This is a heartfelt thank-you to the composer whose work quietly does the heavy lifting—turning a show into a place you recognize the moment the music begins.

If this resonates, tap play and share your thoughts. Subscribe for more moments like this, leave a review to help others find the show, and tell us: which theme song lives in your memory and why?

Music

Show end

Chapters

• 2:20 Greeting And Setup
• 2:58 The Composer Behind The Theme
• 3:56 Why The Music Matters
• 4:40 A Message To Chris
• 6:30 Closing And Contact

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 1:11

Hello there. Our Tina Sword. Our Tina Sword audio series presents. I got a message from my friend Chris Murphy Elliott. Yeah, I have a message for him and the message comes from well it not is not directly to him, but it's about him. I think that's important to say that. I was speaking with someone, a very influential figure, um, over this weekend and we were listening to my podcast and talking about my podcast and talking about my upcoming radio show and different things, you know? And he was listening closely to the music, Reaching for the Stars, which is my theme song, and he reminded me of something that I've been talking about for a long time. You know how in one of my posts I I posted that the song put me in the mind of the old westerns uh great theme songs like Gunsmoke, uh The Virginian and all those great shows of the past. Yeah, even Mission Impossible, which wasn't a wasn't a Western or anything like that, but it had a show theme song. Okay, my show is a podcast, and it's the theme song for the podcast. It was originally written for my radio show um ten uh roughly around ten years ago. And Chris put it together, he composed it. Um, ten years later, it is being used for my podcast instead of my radio show ten years ago. And the guy was saying, you know, that song, that music is so powerful. He used my word, he said it's so powerful that it it could become a classic one day because he said the more you hear it, the more you want to hear it hear it played. He said, like on your the beginning of your podcast, people hear it in the background and they they're like, Oh, that that music in the background. So I wanna I want to tell my friend Chris, listen, Chris, you have composed a masterpiece here. It's a total masterpiece. Reaching for the stars is a total masterpiece because I have received so much wonderful um comments about it, so much wonderful feedback about the um theme song to my podcast, Reaching for the Stars. But I just want to tell you you just don't you don't even know it yourself. You may not even know this yourself, Chris. But I want to direct this podcast to you, to your composership, if that makes any sense. I don't know. It may not even make any sense what I'm saying right now, but I I just want you to know that you're awesome. Um, like your dad, I talk about your dad and your family all the time, you're such a genius. This music is is really a a legend in the making, and I want you to know that every time people hear one of my shows, every time they hear one of my reels that's created by my friend Steven R stand in England, every time they hear the song played, you you come to mind. I want you to know that, and and it's great, it's a great thing because it's like, oh wow, I like that music. Mm-mm-mm-mm-mm. So Chris, I just want I I don't know, I just want to send this podcast, direct this podcast directly towards you, because I want you to know again what a masterpiece you have created. Reaching for the stars is not just a song, it is a real masterpiece, and I just want to thank you for it, Chris. That's all I want to say. I'm Regina Sworn, thank you so much for joining me. This is a pretty short podcast, but I had to make it. Contact me at SwornRatina at gmail.com and that music you hear in the background, guys. None other than the genius Chris Murphy Elliot.