You know that feeling. The lights dim, a match strikes, and that frantic, pulsing bassline kicks in. It’s the sound of a ticking clock, a secret meeting, and a high-stakes heist all rolled into one. Most of us just start humming along automatically, but have you ever stopped to wonder who wrote Mission Impossible theme song?
It wasn't some committee of Hollywood producers. It wasn't Tom Cruise. It was an Argentinian jazz pianist named Lalo Schifrin.
Schifrin didn't just write a "catchy tune." He accidentally created a piece of music so complex that most people shouldn't even be able to tap their feet to it. Yet, here we are, sixty years later, and it’s still the gold standard for spy music. Honestly, the story of how it came to be is almost as frantic as the song itself.
The 90-Second Miracle
Back in 1966, the original Mission: Impossible TV show creator, Bruce Geller, was in a bit of a bind. He needed a theme. He called up Schifrin and gave him a prompt that was incredibly vague: "Make it exciting, something that will be a signature, and it’s going to start with a fuse."
That was it. No script. No footage of the actors.
Schifrin sat down at his piano. He didn't agonize over it for weeks. In fact, he later claimed it took him about three minutes to write the whole thing. The main theme? That supposedly took only 90 seconds.
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He treated it like writing a letter. You don't think about the grammar while you’re pouring your heart out to a friend; you just let the words flow. For Lalo, the notes just fell onto the page. He didn't even know what the show was really about. He just knew it needed to feel fast.
Why that rhythm feels so "wrong" (but right)
If you’ve ever tried to dance to the theme and felt like you were tripping over your own feet, there's a reason. Most songs you hear on the radio are in 4/4 time. One-two-three-four. Easy.
But who wrote Mission Impossible theme song decided to be a bit of a rebel. Schifrin wrote it in 5/4 time.
Think about that. Five beats per measure. It’s lopsided. It’s uneven. It’s what musicians call "quintuple meter." Schifrin used to joke that he wrote it in 5/4 because people in outer space have five legs and they couldn't dance to our music, so he wrote it for them.
In reality, he wanted that "burning fuse" energy. The 5/4 signature creates a sense of perpetual motion. It feels like the song is constantly chasing itself, which is exactly the vibe you want when a secret agent is hanging off the side of a plane.
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The Secret Morse Code Theory
There’s a legendary rumor that has floated around music circles for decades. Some swear that the rhythm of the main theme—the dun-dun, da-da, dun-dun, da-da—is actually Morse code for the letters "M" and "I."
- Dash-Dash (M)
- Dot-Dot (I)
It fits perfectly. Two long notes, two short notes.
Did Schifrin actually do this on purpose? He’s been a bit coy about it over the years. In some interviews, he downplayed it as a coincidence, while in others, he admitted he’d used Morse code for other scores, like The Concorde... Airport '79. Whether it was a conscious choice or a subconscious spark, it adds a layer of "spy-craft" to the music that makes it feel even more authentic.
From the Small Screen to Tom Cruise
When the show moved to the big screen in 1996, the producers had a major decision to make. Do they keep the old tune or start fresh?
At one point, legendary composer John Williams (the Star Wars guy) was considered, but he wanted to write an entirely new theme. Director Brian De Palma wasn't having it. He knew the Schifrin theme was the franchise. Williams left, and Danny Elfman came in, agreeing to keep the original DNA while "modernizing" it.
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Since then, the theme has been passed around like a torch:
- Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. (U2): They turned it into a 90s techno-rock anthem for the first movie. Interestingly, they shifted most of the song into 4/4 time to make it more "club-friendly," though they kept the 5/4 intro.
- Hans Zimmer: He gave it a hard-rock, guitar-heavy makeover for M:I-2.
- Michael Giacchino: He brought back the orchestral, jazzy roots for the later installments, even meeting with Schifrin for lunch to get his "blessing." Giacchino said he felt like he was asking a father for permission to marry his daughter.
The Legacy of Lalo Schifrin
Lalo Schifrin passed away in June 2025 at the age of 93, leaving behind a massive legacy. Beyond the fuse, he scored Enter the Dragon for Bruce Lee and Dirty Harry. He was a jazz master who played with Dizzy Gillespie and a classical conductor who led the London Philharmonic.
But no matter what else he did, he will always be the man who wrote Mission Impossible theme song. He took a "paramilitary" concept and turned it into a Grammy Hall of Fame masterpiece that defines an entire genre.
What you can do next
If you're a fan of the music or a budding musician, here are a few ways to appreciate the theme on a deeper level:
- Try the Count: Listen to the original 1966 version and try to count "1-2-3, 1-2" along with the beats. It’s harder than it sounds!
- Compare the Versions: Put the U2 1996 remix side-by-side with the original Schifrin recording. You’ll hear exactly how they simplified the rhythm to make it a radio hit.
- Explore Schifrin’s Jazz: Check out his album Gillespiana. You’ll hear the same frantic, brilliant energy that eventually led to the IMF theme.
The music isn't just a background track; it's the pulse of the story. Next time you hear those first two notes, remember the Argentinian guy who sat at a piano and captured lightning in 90 seconds.
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