For the intro sequence in itself, see South Park Title Sequence.
The "South Park Theme" song plays at the beginning of most South Park episodes. It was composed and performed by PRIMUS, featuring the band's lead singer, Les Claypool.
Production[]
Following the release of The Spirit of Christmas, Matt Stone and Trey Parker approached Primus to compose a song for their new show titled South Park, offering the band $74 along with a copy of The Spirit of Christmas. The song was then recorded with its original composition at 40 seconds long, which was rejected by Comedy Central, citing that it was "too slow". Upon Comedy Central's request, the theme song was compressed via Pro Tools, with Les Claypool re-recording his vocals during their concert tour at Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre.[1]
Background[]
The South Park theme song has a BPM of 144 running at a scale of 4/4.
Ver 0: Pilot Theme[]
The version of the song featured in "The Unaired Pilot" was much slower, however, it was sped up for broadcast. An instrumental version of the original broadcast song plays over the credits to most episodes. The theme song plays after the show's satirical disclaimer is displayed.
Ver 1: Original Theme[]
The version of the theme song used from Season One to mid-Season 4
The song was preformed by Les Claypool's experimental funk metal band PRIMUS. The song is really experimental with it featuring no percussion, the guitar mainly consisting of flat fifths (Power chords with the 2nd note lowered a semitone), and the bass mainly using slide notes
South Park's Caricature of les claypool as seen in the Title Sequence
In Season One, the instrumental was originally constructed with a slightly quieter guitar and a more prominent bass guitar. Up until "An Elephant Makes Love to a Pig", this version was used. In "Death", the bass guitar was quieted and the guitar was made louder. For the rest of the show until "Fourth Grade", the instrumental with the prominent guitar was utilized, with minor but noticeable changes made starting with Season Three.
Also in Season Three, the boys' vocals were re-recorded; Kyle Broflovski's voice stood out more in his and Stan Marsh's lines, and Eric Cartman's voice was updated. Additionally, Kenny McCormick's line was completely changed, with the replacement of his lines and a higher pitch.
Over the course of the series, certain lyrics have been changed, including an entire verse, originally sung by Kenny McCormick, sung by Timmy Burch in the Season Six intro due to Kenny's temporary death in the Season Five episode "Kenny Dies".
Ver 2: 4th grade theme[]
From the episode "Fourth Grade", to "Kenny Dies", a breakbeat version of the song was used, which was remixed by Paul Robb.
Ver 3: Bluegrass Theme[]
They used a bluegrass version of the song until mid-Season Ten, still performed by Les Claypool but without Primus as they went on hiatus when this version of the theme was made. It's Played with a banjo, fiddle, harmonica, acoustic bass and a washboard.
When Comedy Central started airing reruns of Season One through Nine episodes in syndication, the bluegrass remix was used, with an added cash register sound right before Claypool starts singing; the visuals resemble those from the first four seasons, with the addition of more recent characters.
From Season Six up until mid-Season Ten, as clips from numerous episodes played, the theme song showed animation director Eric Stough designing the boys with construction paper, an animation technique that was used for the very first episode, "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe".
Ver 4: Whamola Theme[]
Image of Les Claypool playing a Whamola during the South Park: The 25th Anniversary Concert
Les Claypool and his group, The Frog Brigade, came into make a new version of the theme. It is a modified version of the song "Whamola" which was a song made by the group. The song uses the instrument of the same name which was a custom electric bass instrument that Les Claypool made inspired by the Washtub bass (An instrument often used in American folk music)
From Season Seventeen and onwards, a 3D computer-animated version of the intro is used, and it consists of the bus driver driving past various South Park locations as the the boys sing their lines, resembling the original Season One-Four intro in many respects, with the exception of the 3D animation and "Whamola" instrumental.
Special Themes[]
There are a few episodes that have a unique intro. "Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo" starts with a cold open of the school choir singing "We Wish you a Merry Christmas".
In "Pinkeye", the intro was changed to include cheesey Halloween synth sounds.
"Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics" begins with a parody of the 1970 Christmas special "Santa Claus is Coming to Town."
"Pip" begins with a live-action introduction from Malcolm McDowell
For the special "Goth Kids 3: Dawn of the Posers", a new theme song was made specifically for the episode. The lyrics were altered to fit the personality of the characters.
In the episode "Sons A Witches", the theme song was altered with many Halloween-themed elements added.
In Season Twenty-Three, a whole new Tegridy Farms intro based on the intro of Green Acres, sung by Randy Marsh, is used, replacing the normal opening theme since the latter half of Season Ten. The clips from the intro contain various scenes from the season's episodes. The closing theme retains the same, but it features Randy Marsh scatting "Tegridy Farms" over the song. The intro was only used for the first 6 episodes of the season.
In the episode "Tegridy Farms Halloween Special", the intro, along with some lines, were altered with many Halloween-themed elements added.
The episode "Board Girls" features a PC Babies intro to coincide with the storyline, but still kept Randy Marsh's "Tegridy Farms" scat during the ending.
"Turd Burglars" features a funk remix of the show's theme song for the One For The Ladies show which sang by the female members of the show with the announcer announcing the title. This episode brought back the original instrumental ending theme without Randy Marsh's "Tegridy Farms" scat over the song as it was in the previous seasons.
"Basic Cable" features a James Bond-inspired theme song for the Scott Malkinson Show, which had a James Bond styled animation featuring Scott Malkinson.
The show's normal theme from the latter half of Season Ten returns for the only time in the twenty-third season in the finale "Christmas Snow".
"The Pandemic Special", "South ParQ Vaccination Special" and Paramount Plus exclusive events contain no intro.
In the lead up to Season Twenty-Five, the song was re-recorded with an orchestral rendition. The lyrics for Kenny used between Seasons One and Two are adopted in this rendition, sung uncensored and unmuffled.
Lyrics[]
Original[]
Les Claypool:
I'm goin' down to South Park, gonna have myself a time.
Kyle Broflovski and Stan Marsh:
Friendly faces everywhere, humble folks without temptation!
Les Claypool:
I'm goin' down to South Park, gonna leave my woes behind.
Eric Cartman:
Ample parking day or night, people spouting: "HOWDY, NEIGHBOR!"
Les Claypool:
I'm headin' on up to South Park, see, see if I can't unwind.
Kenny McCormick or Timmy Burch:
See below
Les Claypool (Unaired pilot-Season 5):
So Come on down to South Park, and meet some friends of mine.
Les Claypool (Season 6-onwards):
Come on down to South Park, and meet some friends of mine.
Kenny McCormick's Lines[]
Kenny McCormick (Unaired Pilot): Our whole town is bigger dammit, right down to the little granite.
Kenny McCormick (S1-S2): I like girls with deep vaginas, I like girls with big fat titties!
Kenny McCormick (S3-S5; remastered S1-S2): Hey, I've got a 10-inch penis, use your mouth if you wanna clean it!
Timmy Burch (S6): Timmy, Timmy, Timmy, Timmy, Timmy, Timmy, livin'la Timmy!
Kenny McCormick (S7-S10): Someday I'll be old enough to stick my dick up Britney's butt!
Kenny McCormick (S10 Episode 8-Present): I like fucking silly bitches 'cause I know my penis likes it!
"Goth Kids 3: Dawn of the Posers"[]
Singer:
Goin' down to South Park
Gonna have myself a time
Michael and Henrietta:
Death and sadness everywhere
Loneliness and degradation
Singer:
Goin' down to South Park
Gonna take my woes with me
Pete:
Nightmares every night
Posers spouting "Let's go shopping".
Singer:
Heading out to South Park
'Cause I cannot unwind
Firkle:
I like spiders, loss and rain
I'm only happy when I'm in pain
Singer:
So I'm goin' down to South Paaaaaaaaark... to die! (echoes at the word " to die")
Season Twenty-Three[]
Randy Marsh:
Goin' down to Tegridy Farms,
Gonna have myself a time
Friendly faces everywhere,
Humble folks without temptation.
Goin' down to Tegridy Farms,
Gonna leave my woes behind.1
There's ample parking day or night,
People spouting: "Howdy, neighbor!"
I'm headin' down to Tegridy Farms,
Gonna see if I can't unwind.
Towelie:
I got some weed and I don't
know what's going on.2
Randy Marsh:
So come on down to Tegridy Farms,
And meet some friends of mine.3
- 1 - This line was replaced in the episode "Tegridy Farms Halloween Special" with Randy Marsh saying: "The Tegridy Farms Halloween Special!" (with a woman screaming in the background)
- 2 - This line was removed in the intro used in "Tegridy Farms Halloween Special"
- 3 - This line was replaced in the episode "Tegridy Farms Halloween Special" with Randy Marsh saying "The Tegridy Farms "Halloween Special! Brought to you by!" and a voice saying "Tegridy Weed"
Videos[]
Trivia[]
- The German dub of the intro uses a different instrumental in the first four seasons.
- On other non-Comedy Central television networks, a special variant of the show would be shown with a similar style to the one seen prior to its change in Fourth Grade, albeit with a lot more characters and references featured.
- The theme song in the unaired pilot has the same lyrics (despite Kenny's line, which is very dependent on the season number), but it is just slower.
- This song was a DLC song in Rocksmith 2014.
- Despite the show having the same intro since Season Seventeen, some characters that appear in the intro, like Principal Victoria and Mr. Hankey, have stopped appearing on the show, while major characters added after this season such as PC Principal (Victoria's replacement) do not appear.
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ South Park the 25th Anniversary Concert (Full Broadcast Version). South Park Studios on YouTube (August 26, 2022). Retrieved on August 27, 2022.