The next Ellis theme, a different arrangement of his “This is Today” theme, debuted during Bryant Gumbel’s first show on January 4, 1982, and was used until September 1985. This theme was so popular with viewers that it has been resurrected several times on the show — most notably in 1993-94 as the show’s secondary theme. Ever since then, it is used as the show’s unofficial anniversary music.
Ray Ellis – Today theme
And here’s the open! For the first few years this music was used in combination with the Today sunburst but without an announcer. That changed in January 1984, when Fred Facey began his two-decade tenure as the voice of “Today.” From ’84 to ’85, Facey’s voice and this music were used with the “rotating globe” animation used by all NBC News shows at that time.