The boys of South Park are gonna have themselves a time … at an orchestra concert! In a new promo for the animated show’s upcoming 25th season that Comedy Central is sharing exclusively with Billboard, the iconic theme song by Primus gets an orchestral reinvention to mark the milestone.
The clip kicks off with the conductor stepping forward in an extravagant theater before the full orchestra bursts into action playing the song. Four singers then chime in, but despite performing in such a classy setting, the vocalists dive right into the raunchy, NSFW lyrics, with a more upbeat feel than the original.
As the tune finishes, the theater’s audience roars with approval, and the scene cuts to Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny clapping in their balcony seats. But rather than their usual casual winter wear, the boys are dressed in tuxes perfect for the occasion, though they kept their favorite accessories — their hats — on.
Five years ago, South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, along with Primus lead singer Les Claypool, chatted with The Hollywood Reporter about the song’s origins to mark the 20th season. “If you listen to the outro, that’s actually the original song,” Claypool shared at the time. He added that Comedy Central thought the original version was a bit “too slow and not peppy enough,” but the band was on tour and wasn’t able to get to a studio to rerecord it.
What happened, Claypool shared, was Comedy Central ended up speeding up the music, and the singer redid his vocals. Explained the musician, “[Stone and Parker] sent one of their old high-school chums up with a handheld tape recorder, and I just did my vocals into that.”
South Park premiered Aug. 13, 1997, and kicks off its 25th season Feb. 2 on Comedy Central. Parker and Stone have signed a deal to continue the Emmy-winning show — which has featured numerous guest appearances and parodies of musical acts — through 2027 for a 30th season. The deal also includes 14 “made-for-streaming events” on Paramount+. Two of those already available to stream: South Park: Post Covid and South Park: Post Covid: The Return of Covid.