This 2003 Pop Rock Anthem Became the Theme Song for a Classic Show-That the Musician Has Never Seen

Gavin DeGraw is a Grammy-nominated artist who is known for his hits like "Not Over You" and "Chariot." However, the biggest song that he ever released was his 2003 hit "I Don't Want to Be," which reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. It exploded in popularity after becoming the theme song for One Tree Hill, the classic teen drama that ran from 2003 until 2012.

Although the show helped his song gain more fans, DeGraw revealed to PEOPLE that he never actually watched the series when he was asked whether he was team Lucas or team Nathan. "You can't ask me questions like this," he said. "I've never seen the show physically, so I don't watch TV. Shame, shame on me."

DeGraw continued, "I have a TV. It's more like a nightlight, you know? Just, uh, I'm not a TV watcher... [I haven't watched TV since] 1998. I read a lot of owner's manuals. I'm an owner's manual kind of guy."

Although DeGraw hasn't watched the series, he claimed that the popularity of the song changed his life. "I think the biggest impact, other than just for me, is seeing how it's helped other people with their own identities," he said. "When people say, 'Oh, well, this song really helped me. I was 15, such and such. I was battling this and that,' or they got bullied or they didn't know what they wanted to do with their life or whatever it may be... When I hear stories like that, it means something to me. It's very cool."

Related: 1967 Classic Rock Song, With a Distinctive Guitar Riff, Became a Recognizable Anthem

DeGraw shared a similar sentiment with E! News, saying, "I hear the show is amazing. It's been great to me - and the fans have been amazing to me."

"I Don't Want to Be" was the theme song for One Tree Hill during seasons 1, 2, 3, 4, and 8. In season 5, DeGraw appeared on screen to perform the tune, and he also performed it during the series finale. Since it was originally released, it has been streamed over 300 million times on Spotify, and the official music video has over 46 million views on YouTube.

Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This story was originally published June 13, 2026 at 11:07 AM.