This Could Be the Start of Something
song
"This Could Be the Start of Something" (generally known as "This Could Be the Start of Something Big") is a popular song by Steve Allen, published in 1956.
Background
Originally, the song was written as part of the score for the 1954 television musical production of The Bachelor. This score earned Allen a Sylvania Award (awarded "For Outstanding Contribution to Creative Television Technique").
In 1956, "This Could be the Start of Something" replaced the original opening theme to Allen's NBC talk show, Tonight Starring Steve Allen, until Allen left the show in 1957 to be replaced by Jack Paar. It became something of a personal theme song for him, being used as the opening to his other talk and variety shows, as well as during the opening of both the CBS and syndicated versions of I've Got a Secret during his time as host.
Cover versions
A number of performers have covered this song, including:
Count Basie
Tony Bennett
Bobby Darin
Ella Fitzgerald
Aretha Franklin
Judy Garland
Grant Green
Lionel Hampton
J. J. Johnson and Kai Winding
Jack Jones
Peggy Lee
Mark Murphy
Oscar Peterson
Nelson Riddle
The Ray Charles Singers
Steve and Eydie
Pia Zadora performed the song as a dance number at the Oscars ceremony in Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult.
Lawrence Welk covered this song in his program's New Year's Eve show of 1970.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “This Could Be the Start of Something” is song. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Could, Start and Something, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “song” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Object files, edition statements, performance records and contemporary criticism preserve different stages of the work’s history. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 11, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q17032435. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1956, 1954, 1957 and 1970.
Later fame can flatten the distinction between original context, subsequent adaptation and institutional collecting history. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
- Identifying works and editions
- Tracing reception history
- Finding collection records
The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “This Could Be the Start of Something”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow This Could Be the Start of Something primary sources, This Could Be the Start of Something archive and Could research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “This Could Be the Start of Something”?
- Where is authorship, date or provenance documented?
- Which edition, object, performance or recording is being described?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “This Could Be the Start of Something” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.