10 Hidden Details You Never Noticed In The Orange Is The New Black Opening Credits
According to Orange Is The New Black creator Jenji Kohan, the show's protagonist Piper Chapman (inspired by the real-life writer and ex-convict Piper Kerman) was 'a Trojan Horse' to explore other 'fascinating tales of black women, and Latina women, and old women and criminals'. This makes sense as the seasons pick up on Piper's imprisonment and go on to weave intricated backstories and character arcs for several other inmates who come from different walks of life.
The show's opening credits exemplify its diverse nature as it features close-up shots of women inmates from all races and backgrounds, as Regina Spektor's You've Got Time plays over these photographs. The montage of smiles, stares, and frowns, perfectly captures the varying moods of the Litchfield inmates.
10 None Of The Original Actors Are Present
To add a sense of authenticity to the show's tones, Kohan featured non-actors to pose for the credits. All of these formerly-incarcerated women were asked to think about three things to channel the perfect expressions that made it to the final cut.
'Think of a peaceful place, think of a person who makes you laugh, and think of something that you want to forget.' These were the three things that were asked to the women by director Thomas Cobb (whose company designed the opening sequence).
9 'You've Got Time' Foreshadows The Tonal Shifts Of The Show
Regina Spektor's song You've Got Time (that was written exclusively for the series) starts off with a haunting atmosphere metaphorically equating the prisoners to caged animals. But as the song progresses towards its bridge, a ray of hope shines. For a moment, the song starts sounding optimistic. This might unintentionally be a reference to the fate of its characters. While not every lead character could attain freedom, others found a new purpose in life.
This interpretation is common amongst fans and critics alike. As Rolling Stone's Garin Pirnia sums it up, 'Spektor’s aggressive guitars and vocals are the first things they (viewers) hear...“You’ve Got Time” softens during the bridge, though, generating an aura of hope.'
8 The Finale Featured An Orchestral Version Of The Song
To conclude the show's final season in 2019, an orchestral version of You've Got Time was used, that yet again relied on Regina Spektor's vocals while featuring a full-fledged instrumental ensemble. The cello and the violin doubled for the song's otherwise-iconic drums, adding a sonically intense atmosphere to the sound.
This new version was released before the finale as You've Got Time (chamber version). 'Over the years it was a privilege to see the Orange Family grow and expand and experiment. Making a new interpretation of the song felt like a fitting way to say goodbye.' Spektor said on her official website.
7 The Real 'Piper Chapman' Makes An Appearance
In the opening montage, Piper Kerman herself makes a guest appearance as one of the inmates. She's the blue-eyed woman with the blue eyes towards the end of the credits.
After serving a prison sentence of 13 months for felonious money-laundering, Kerman wrote her memoir Orange Is The New Black: My Year In A Woman's Prison and currently serves as a communication strategist for several non-profits. Even though Taylor Schilling's Piper Chapman is directly based on her, the character majorly deviates from Kerman's life as the show progresses.
6 61 Women Were Photographed In Two Different Locations
The entire sequence was produced and directed by the Thomas Cobb Group, a company under the eponymous director. For the span of over one and a half minutes, the montage flits through closeup shots of 61 women.
Nine of these (including Piper Kerman) were photographed in New York by Michael Trim while Thomas Cobb captured the stills of 52 women in LA. In the latter case, the women were found via Homeboy Industries, a collective that helps in providing education and rehabilitation to ex-convicts and gang members.
5 Thomas Cobb Group's Second Collaboration With Jenji Kohan
Thomas Cobb Group has had a stellar history when it comes to designing opening credits for major network shows. This includes the post-9/11-themed montage in Homeland as well as the main title design on Fear The Walking Dead.
Orange Is The New Black turned out to be the agency's second collaboration with Jenji Kohan as they had also helmed the creation of the opening credits for Weeds, another comedy-drama created by Kohan.
4 The First Verse Gives Away Season 4's Plot
Another unintentional instance of foreshadowing in Regina Spektor's song was the first verse itself. The song opens with the following lyrics, 'The animals, the animals. Trapped, trapped, trapped, till the cage is full. The cage is full Stay Awake.'
Even though Spektor clearly would have had no idea of where the show's storyline would head to, her lyrics still end up accurately predicting a major theme in Season 4. This season mainly dealt with the politics behind the privatization of prisons as Litchfield gets overcrowded with new inmates. The ill-management of this crowd gives the inmates more problems and sleepless nights.
3 Regina Spektor Had Earlier Sang For Jenji Kohan's Weeds
Just like the Thomas Cobb Group, singer Regina Spektor had also collaborated with Jenji Kohan for Weeds. She had provided vocals for the show's opening song Little Boxes, a reprise of Malvina Reynold's satirical song of the same name from the 1960s.
In fact, it's the original version that's used for the debut season. From then onwards, several musical guests have covered the song, including Spektor. One of her original songs, Don't Leave Me, was also used as the closing credits song on one of Season 8's episodes.
2 The Music Producer Was Involved In A Major Green Day Hit
While Spektor is credited as singer, songwriter, pianist, and guitarist on the opening track, most of the production for You've Got Time was handled by Rob Cavallo.
The record producer and multi-instrumentalist has worked with a wide range of artists including Linkin Park, Lil Peep, and Alanis Morissette. His most famous works include Iris by Goo Goo Dolls and Green Day's magnum opus Boulevard of Broken Dreams for which he won a Grammy for Record of the Year in 2005.
1 The Pilot Featured A Cold Open
Every episode of Orange Is The New Black opens with the same montage as discussed above but viewers might have forgotten that the pilot was an exception to this rule. The first episode instead begins with a cold open that contrasts Piper's life before her prison sentence. She's shown to be sharing an intimate bath with her then-fiance Larry, followed by a jump-cut that transitions to a contrasting picture in a cramped prison washroom.
In fact, the initial plan of the Thomas Cobb Group was to present the opening credits as a contrast between the different lives that Piper shifts between. However, Jenji Kohan wished to add an opening that summed up the diverse nature of its characters rather than just focusing on Piper. And the rest is history.