Frasier: Tossed Salads & Scrambled Eggs Meaning Explained

It’s one of the most memorable sitcom theme songs of the 1990s but what does Frasier’s “Tossed Salads and Scrambled Eggs” actually mean? Dr. Frasier Crane first appeared during season 3 of Cheers as the new love interest of Diane, and while he was only supposed to last a few episodes, Kelsey Grammer’s performance proved so popular he ended up appearing in over 200 episodes. Frasier is a pretentious, snobby but ultimately well-meaning psychiatrist and his romantic relationships often end in disaster.

Famously, the starring role in Frasier was rejected by John Lithgow back when the part of Frasier was being cast for Cheers. Lithgow turned the offer down to focus on his film career, and his loss would prove to be Grammer’s gain, because when Cheers shut its doors for the final time in 1993, Frasier immediately earned his own spin-off. Frasier found the title character moving to Seattle to take a radio hosting job while reconnecting with his ex-cop father. The series was acclaimed for its superb comic writing and performances and would ultimately run for 11 seasons.

Frasier came to an end in 2004 with Frasier moving to a new city in hopes of making a new fresh start. Now, however, Grammer will return as the classic character in the Frasier reboot, releasing in 2022 on Paramount+. The original Frasier‘s distinctive main theme “Tossed Salads and Scrambled Eggs” is sung by Kelsey Grammer himself, and ranks alongside the likes of Friends “I’ll Be There For You” as one of the most recognizable sitcom themes of the era. Here’s what it means, and what its future might be in the new Frasier series.

Frasier’s Tossed Salads & Scrambled Eggs Are His Radio Callers

What the lyrics actually mean is something of a mystery, however, as they don’t seem to apply to the show. The mystery was solved on former Frasier and Simpsons‘ writer Ken Levine’s blog, where he spoke with composer Bruce Miller to decode the meaning of “Tossed Salads And Scrambled Eggs.” Miller’s direction for the theme was to create something jazzy whilst avoiding direct references to the subject matter, including Frasier Crane’s name and psychiatrist job. He contacted musician friend Darryl Phinnesse, who suggested using “Tossed Salads and Scrambled Eggs,” since they’re both things that are mixed up, like Frasier’s patients. More directly, the lyrics mean:

• “Hey baby, I hear the blues a-callin” refers to the people calling his radio show to air their problems.
• “And maybe I seem a bit confused / Yeah maybe, but I got you pegged!” means he’s also a little mixed up but he does his best to understand their problems.
• “But I don’t know what to do with those Tossed Salads and Scrambled Eggs” means he’s not sure what to do with the constant flood of callers.

Frasier’s Tossed Salads & Scrambled Eggs Are His Family & Friends

By the same token, the Tossed Salads and Scrambled Eggs could also refer more specifically to Frasier’s friends and family. While there’s no doubt that Frasier’s callers are a bit mixed up, the same can be said for Frasier‘s other quirky main characters besides Frasier, namely Niles and Martin Crane and Daphne Moon. If the lyrics “And maybe I seem a bit confused / Yeah maybe, but I got you pegged!” mean that Frasier understands his callers fairly well, then it makes sense that the line “But I don’t know what to do with those Tossed Salads and Scrambled Eggs” would refer to the more confounding issues of his personal life.

Frasier’s Tossed Salads & Scrambled Eggs Song Can’t Work In The Reboot

With a Frasier reboot coming soon, it may finally be time to rework or replace the iconic intro song “Tossed Salads and Scrambled Eggs.” In an interview with RadioTimes, Frasier actor Kelsey Grammer spoke about how the Frasier reboot’s story would be distinct and different from the original Frasier, confirming, “The first principle is that it is a different story, basically. The same group of characters, but in a different setting. Something has changed in their lives… [Frasier]’s past the radio show.”

At the end of the original Frasier series, Frasier moves to Chicago for a fresh start, so it’s quite possible that the reboot show will explore the life he’s made for himself in the Windy City since 2004. As Grammer also explicitly states, Frasier has gotten out of the radio psychiatry game. Because of this key factor, “Tossed Salads and Scrambled Eggs” won’t work quite as well as the Frasier reboot’s intro song. If the lyrics are meant to refer mainly to Frasier’s callers, as seems to be the case, then the absence of said callers will make the song something of a non sequitur.

At the same time, however, if the “Tossed Salads and Scrambled Eggs” are meant to refer more to the people in Frasier’s personal life, the song could still apply to the reboot if the Frasier reboot show also features eccentric friends and family members, which seems fairly likely. On an even more basic level, it might not even matter whether the song applies in the same way to the Frasier reboot, since it stands on its own as an iconic, recognizable intro. Continuing to use “Tossed Salads and Scrambled Eggs,” or at least making reference to it, could be a great way for the new Frasier to pay homage to its roots and please audiences.

About The Author

Padraig Cotter
(3484 Articles Published)

See also  Selling Sunset: Amanza Calls Christine 'Malicious' In New Instagram Post

It’s pronounced Paw-rick, not Pad-raig. Now that’s out of the way, a brief introduction. Padraig has been writing about film online since 2012, when a friend asked if he’d like to contribute the occasional review or feature to their site.

A part-time hobby soon blossomed into a career when he discovered he really loved writing about movies, TV and video games – he even (arguably) had a little bit of talent for it. He has written words for Den of Geek, Collider, The Irish Times and Screen Rant over the years, and can discuss anything from the MCU – where Hawkeye is clearly the best character – to the most obscure cult b-movie gem, and his hot takes often require heat resistant gloves to handle.

He’s super modern too, so his favorite movies include Jaws, Die Hard, The Thing, Ghostbusters and Batman. He can be found as i_Padds on Twitter making bad puns.

More From Padraig Cotter