The Office explored using The Kinks, Modest Mouse and Electric Light Orchestra for its theme song

Mashable

On the Office Ladies podcast, Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey discussed how Office boss Greg Daniels originally wanted to use an actual song for the opening credits. "He narrowed it down to three choices, and he created title sequences to all three songs and he gave DVDs out to the whole cast. And we got to vote on the songs," she said. The three choices were The Kinks' "Better Things," Modest Mouse's "Float On" and ELO's "Mr. Blue Sky." Ultimately, "Mr. Blue Sky" won out and there is a version of the pilot that uses the ELO song. But before The Office premiered, NBC launched a show called LAX starring Heather Locklear and Blair Underwood that also used "Mr. Blue Sky." "We couldn't use it," says Fischer. "So Greg had to change it. And that is when Greg hired James Ferguson or as his friends call him, Jay, to write our theme song."