Carrie Underwood glitters in the new Sunday Night Football opening video. It's her eighth singing the theme song; press play above to watch the 2020-2021 season clip.

The ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic gave producers of this season's opening clip "a new perspective" on the performance, Underwood shares. NFL players make appearances via virtual cameos, and fans were invited to be part of the opening this year, too.

Underwood, meanwhile, filmed and recorded all of her parts in Nashville, according to COVID-19 guidelines. The opening, therefore, relies more on special effects and pre-filmed footage than in years past.

"We all want to make each year feel special and unique," Underwood says. "More than anything, everybody's just grateful that we get to do this."

"Waiting All Day for Sunday Night" pre-dates Underwood as the SNF theme. NBC began using the song, a re-written version of Joan Jett's "I Hate Myself for Loving You," in 2006. Pop star Pink sang the song that season, then Faith Hill took over until Underwood began her reign in 2013.

"I think people need Sunday Night Football," Underwood reflects. "We need that bit of normalcy, even if we're going about it in a slightly different way."

Sunday Night Football producers switched the broadcast's theme song in 2016, to "Oh, Sunday Night," a reimagined version of Underwood and Miranda Lambert's "Somethin' Bad." That song was used until 2018, when "Game On," another new song, became the theme for one season. "Waiting All Day for Sunday Night" returned in 2019, with Underwood and Jett starring in the opening sequence together.

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