In the sixth and final season of Sex and the City, Carrie Bradshaw traded up New York for Paris, having recently broken things off with Jack Berger and very seriously considering a permanent relocation to pursue a relationship with artist Aleksandr Petrovsky.
More importantly, any television worth its salt is going to have a soundtrack perfectly tailored for a Parisian excursion. In the case of Sex and the City, Mikhael Baryshnikov crafted “Adah’s Theme” or “La femme avec les yeux lumineux” that romantically interweaves piano and strings and accordion in a way that might even satisfy Yann Tiersen.
Newfoundland pianist and composer Wade Tarling, a self-professed fan of the show, has recently taken an opportunity to put his own spin on the theme.
Sometime in the early 2000s, Tarling was working aboard cruise ships and finding himself bobbing about on the ocean prior to Netflix’s meteoric rise as the champion of streaming media, he made use of whatever was on hand. What was on hand was the complete boxset of Sex and the City.
“That’s how I stumbled across it,” says Tarling. “I am a big fan. I love SJP and her fashion and style.
“I was actually learning the theme song to it a few months ago and stumbled across this beautiful melody. I love the way the melodies intersect one another.”
Tarling arranged and recorded both accordions and piano parts himself before turning to the talented Tim Lefebvre for mixing before having the song mastered by Robert J. Moran in St. John’s.
“Tim Lefebvre who, among several other things, was a member of Tedeschi Trucks and played on David Bowie’s Black Star album,” explains Tarling. “Tim’s wife is Rachel Eckroth who is amazing in her own right. I have taken a few lessons with her and that’s my connection to Tim. He’s worked on soundtracks too and a ton of other stuff.”
“Adah’s Theme” is set to appear on Tarling’s upcoming accordion album. Release date still to be decided, though he notes that the album will be coming “soon.”