Carrie Underwood’s Lyrical Blitz of the N.F.L.

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Music|Carrie Underwood’s Lyrical Blitz of the N.F.L.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/07/arts/music/carrie-underwood-sunday-night-football-nbc.html

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After winning “American Idol” in 2005, Carrie Underwood rose through the country music hierarchy with hits such as “Before He Cheats” and “Jesus Take the Wheel.” But despite her eight Grammys, Underwood says she is perhaps most recognized for a song that is not even streamable on Apple Music or Spotify.

For the past 12 seasons, Underwood has been the musical opener for NBC’s “Sunday Night Football,” the prime-time N.F.L. game that is the most watched weekly program on television. Last season it averaged 21.6 million viewers, more than the 2025 broadcasts for the Academy Awards and the Grammys.

“Waiting All Day for Sunday Night,” the song Underwood has transformed into an unofficial football anthem, is an adaptation of “I Hate Myself for Loving You,” the rock song released in 1988 by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts.

And it comes with a four-second twist.

Each week’s rendition includes one customized lyric that highlights the upcoming matchup. Last season, those lyrical flourishes included declarations about the Los Angeles Rams vs. the Detroit Lions …