South Park Theme

Album: Chef Aid: The South Park Album (1997)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • With songs like "Wynona's Big Brown Beaver" and "Tommy The Cat," it's no surprise that Primus are favorites of Trey Parker and Matt Stone, creators of the TV series South Park. After creating some widely circulated shorts featuring the exploits of Stan, Cartman, Kyle and Kenny (and Jesus... and Santa...), Parker and Stone got a deal from Comedy Central to create the show, which first aired in 1997. Their choice for the theme song was Primus.

    In our interview with Les Claypool of Primus, he explained that he saw the Spirit of Christmas South Park short before writing the theme. He quickly came up with the "Going down to South Park, going to have..." idea, and filled it in from there, building a call-and-response with the kid characters into it.
  • The original theme song Primus submitted for the show was about 30 seconds long, which was deemed too lengthy. Parker and Stone simply sped up the song to make it shorter, later having Claypool re-record his vocals. The slower version can be heard in instrumental form over the closing credits. The full original version was used in a pilot created to demo the show.
  • When Kenny sings his line, he does so in his trademark mumble. What he sings is likely not suitable for broadcast.
  • The theme has been altered from time to time with different characters sometimes getting a line. In the 2013 "Dawn of the Posers" episode, the theme is sung by the Goth kids.
  • This was included on the 1998 compilation Chef Aid: The South Park Album, which tied into an episode of the show where Primus, Ozzy Osbourne, Elton John and several other acts participate in a benefit concert for the character Chef.

Comments: 1

  • Cara from WalesI love South Park.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Emmylou Harris

Emmylou HarrisSongwriter Interviews

She thinks of herself as a "song interpreter," but back in the '80s another country star convinced Emmylou to take a crack at songwriting.

Wherefore Art Thou Romeo Lyric

Wherefore Art Thou Romeo LyricMusic Quiz

In this quiz, spot the artist who put Romeo into a song lyric.

James Williamson of Iggy & the Stooges

James Williamson of Iggy & the StoogesSongwriter Interviews

The Stooges guitarist (and producer of the Kill City album) talks about those early recordings and what really happened with David Bowie.

Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and Black Star Riders

Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and Black Star RidersSongwriter Interviews

Writing with Phil Lynott, Scott saw their ill-fated frontman move to a darker place in his life and lyrics.

Shawn Mullins

Shawn MullinsSongwriter Interviews

"Lullaby" singer Shawn Mullins on "Beautiful Wreck," beating the Devil, and his writing credit on the Zac Brown Band song "Toes."

Jonathan Edwards - "Sunshine"

Jonathan Edwards - "Sunshine"They're Playing My Song

"How much does it cost? I'll buy it?" Another songwriter told Jonathan to change these lyrics. Good thing he ignored this advice.