Editing South Park (section)

===Music===
[[File:BLACK SOUL SINGER ISAAC HAYES PERFORMS AT THE INTERNATIONAL AMPHITHEATER IN CHICAGO AS PART OF THE ANNUAL PUSH 'BLACK... - NARA - 556307.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=An adult male with sunglasses plays a piano under a spotlight on a darkened stage, 1973|[[Chef (South Park)|Chef]] would often sing in a style reminiscent of that of his voice actor, [[Isaac Hayes]].]]

Parker says that the varying uses of music are of utmost importance to ''South Park''.<ref name="philomusic">Arp and Broman, pp. 236–49</ref> Several characters often play or sing songs in order to change or influence a group's behavior, or to educate, motivate, or indoctrinate others. The show also frequently features scenes in which its characters have disapproving reactions to the performances of certain popular musicians.<ref name="philomusic" />

[[Adam Berry]], the show's original score composer, used [[sound synthesis]] to simulate a small orchestra, and frequently alluded to existing famous pieces of music. Berry also used signature acoustic guitar and mandolin cues as [[leitmotif]]s for the show's establishing shots.<ref name="philomusic" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.soundtrack.net/content/article/?id=7|title=Eating Cheesy Poofs with Adam Berry|date=December 5, 1998|publisher=Soundtrack.net|access-date=February 21, 2022|last=Goldwasser|first=Dan|archive-date=February 21, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220221185233/https://www.soundtrack.net/content/article/?id=7|url-status=live}}</ref> After Berry left in 2001, Jamie Dunlap and Scott Nickoley of the Los Angeles-based Mad City Production Studios provided the show's original music for the next seven seasons.<ref name="digizine" /> Since 2008, Dunlap has been credited as the show's sole score composer.<ref name="showcredits">{{cite web|url=https://southpark.cc.com/fans/behind/cast.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080325234957/http://www.southparkstudios.com/fans/behind/cast.php |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 25, 2008 |title=Cast and Crew |publisher=Comedy Central |access-date=May 23, 2009 }}</ref> Dunlap's contributions to the show are one of the few that are not achieved at the show's own production offices. Dunlap reads a script, creates a score using digital audio software, and then e-mails the audio file to South Park Studios, where it is edited to fit with the completed episode.<ref name="digizine" />

In addition to singing in an effort to explain something to the children, Chef would also sing about things relevant to what had transpired in the plot. These songs were original compositions written by Parker, and they were performed by Hayes in the same sexually suggestive [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]] style he had used during his own music career. The band DVDA, which consists of Parker and Stone, along with show staff members Bruce Howell and D.A. Young, performed the music for these compositions and, until the character's death on the show, were listed as "Chef's Band" in the closing credits.<ref name="method" />

[[Rick James]], [[Elton John]], [[Meat Loaf]], [[Joe Strummer]], [[Ozzy Osbourne]], [[Primus (band)|Primus]], [[Rancid (band)|Rancid]], and [[Ween]] all guest starred and briefly performed in the [[South Park (season 2)|season two]] (1998) episode "[[Chef Aid]]". Korn debuted their single "[[Falling Away from Me]]" as guest stars on the [[South Park (season 3)|season three]] (1999) episode "[[Korn's Groovy Pirate Ghost Mystery]]".<ref name="mtvkorn" />

====Main theme====
The show's [[theme song]] was a musical score performed by the band [[Primus (band)|Primus]], with the lyrics alternately sung by the band's lead singer, [[Les Claypool]], and the show's four central characters during the opening title sequence. Kenny's muffled lines are altered after every few seasons. His lines are usually [[Obscenity|sexually explicit]] in nature, such as his original lines, "I like girls with big fat titties, I like girls with deep vaginas".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://southpark.cc.com/fans/faq/archives.php?month=9&year=2001 |title=South Park Studios FAQ |date=September 2001 |publisher=Comedy Central |access-date=October 21, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090814210126/http://www.southparkstudios.com/fans/faq/archives.php?month=9&year=2001 |archive-date=August 14, 2009 }}</ref>

The original unaired opening composition was originally slower and had a length of 40 seconds. It was deemed too long for the opening sequence. So Parker and Stone sped it up for the show's opening, having Claypool re-record his vocals. The [[instrumental music|instrumental]] version of the original composition is often played during the show's closing credits.<ref name="faq-27mar2002">{{cite web|url=https://southpark.cc.com/fans/faq/archives.php?month=3&year=2002 |title=FAQ: March 2002 |access-date=October 19, 2008 |date=March 27, 2002 |publisher=Comedy Central |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090410145547/http://www.southparkstudios.com/fans/faq/archives.php?month=3&year=2002 |archive-date=April 10, 2009 }}</ref>

The opening song played in the first four seasons (and the end credits in all seasons) has a [[folk rock]] instrumentation with [[bass guitar]], [[trumpet]]s and rhythmic drums. Its [[beat (music)|beat]] is fast in the opening and leisurely in the closing credits. It is in the [[minor key]] and it features a [[tritone]] or a diminished fifth, creating a melodic [[Consonance and dissonance|dissonance]], which captures the show's surrealistic nature.{{how|date=December 2024}} In the latter parts of seasons 4 and 5, the opening tune has an [[electro funk]] arrangement with [[pop music|pop]] qualities. Seasons 6–9 have a sprightly [[bluegrass music|bluegrass]] instrumentation with a usage of [[banjo]] and is set in the [[major key]]. For the later seasons, the arrangement is [[electro rock]] with a [[breakbeat]] influence, which feature [[electric guitars]] backed up by [[electronic music|synthesized]], [[Groove (music)|groovy]] drumbeats.<ref name="digizine" />

The opening theme song has been remixed three times during the course of the series, including a remix performed by [[Paul Robb]].<ref name="robb">{{cite news|url=http://www.smmirror.com/MainPages/DisplayArticleDetails.asp?eid=7480|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120916043750/http://www.smmirror.com/MainPages/DisplayArticleDetails.asp?eid=7480|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 16, 2012|title=Paul Robb: Leading a Double Life|last=Ohanesian|first=Liz|date=March 20, 2008|publisher=Santa Monica Mirror|access-date=November 10, 2009}}</ref> In 2006, the theme music was remixed with the song "Whamola" by [[Colonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade]], from the album ''[[Purple Onion (album)|Purple Onion]]''.<ref name="whamola">{{cite web|url=https://southpark.cc.com/fans/faq/archives.php?id=72639 |title=South Park Studios FAQ |date=August 18, 2008 |publisher=Comedy Central |access-date=November 10, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080913151046/http://www.southparkstudios.com/fans/faq/archives.php?id=72639 |archive-date=September 13, 2008 }}</ref>