For months now, anyone who watched Dawson’s Creek on Netflix didn’t hear the show’s iconic theme song, “I Don’t Want to Wait” by Paula Cole, play over the opening credits. But on Friday, Netflix finally announced the good news: The song is back.
The reason the song had disappeared, reports Billboard, is allegedly because the show’s production company, Sony Pictures, was trying to save money by not licensing the song for DVD and streaming services. Meanwhile, Paula had re-recorded “I Don’t Want to Wait” and her other hits, similar to the way Taylor Swift is doing, and for the same reason. That cleared the way for the song to return.
As Paula tells Billboard, “This is a result of fans’ protestations, and I’m very touched and very humbled by that. Sony finally listened and contacted me and we made a deal using my new re-recorded master. It supports me, the artist.”
While she didn’t disclose the financial arrangement, Paula tells Billboard, “it’s a good deal” that’s enough to pay her daughter’s college tuition.
Now that “I Don’t Want to Wait” — which peaked at #11 in 1998 — is back, Paula tells Billboard that she hopes it’ll bring attention to the rest of her catalog, as well as her upcoming 12th album. She says what’s happened with Dawson’s Creek proves that that her “work will stand the test of time,” adding, “This is a beautiful testament to that — having patience and letting the fans have a voice. It’s beautiful and I’m very humbled by it.”
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