Listen to ‘South Park’ hit ‘Chocolate Salty Balls’ with full orchestra

‘Chocolate Salty Balls’ is the latest South Park favourite to be re-recorded with a group of Broadway stars and a 30-piece orchestra to celebrate the show’s 25th anniversary – you can watch the performance below.

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Arranged by Broadway veteran Stephen Oremus, the new rendition once again features singers Nikki Renee Daniels, Tamar Greene, Jeff Kready and Elizabeth Stanley. “I like it,” Stan adds at the end of the clip, with Kenny murmuring in agreement.

“I was thrilled to get to reimagine these South Park classics in a more traditional orchestral concert setting,” Oremus previously told The Hollywood Reporter. “It was so much fun getting to blow them up and give them such proper classical renditions.

“I called some of the best musicians and singers I knew – friends and colleagues who I have worked with on Broadway and TV, and we got to make music and dress up and laugh our asses off for a few days.”

Watch the new version of ‘Chocolate Salty Balls’ below.

‘Chocolate Salty Balls’ was originally performed by the late Isaac Hayes, who played the character of Chef on the series for its first nine seasons. The song first appeared on the show’s first season, and went on to reach Number One in the Official UK Charts.

It’s not the only South Park song to get the Broadway treatment, with the song’s theme show and the Kanye-teasing ‘Gay Fish’ and ‘Kyle’s Mom’s A Bitch’ among the tracks also receiving an update.

“We worked with Stephen on The Book Of Mormon. [Parker and Stone] completely trust him with their work,” South Park executive producer Anne Garefino explained. “For the 25th season, we thought it would be fun to celebrate the music of South Park. This is just the beginning.”

The long-running Comedy Central animation recently returned for weekly episodes, starting February 2, with the new season consisting of just six episodes.

Following two standalone specials in September 2020 and March 2021 (which served as season 24), the new run of episodes will nonetheless be South Park’s first full season since 2019.

Last year, the animated show was renewed through to season 30 with 14 original films based on the series also ordered for production.

The first film, titled South Park: Post COVID, saw Cartman, Stan, Kyle and Kenny attempting to re-adjust back to normal society and was released November 2021. South Park: Post COVID: The Return Of COVID followed in December and was a direct continuation of the previous special which jumped 40 years into the future to depict adult versions of boys.

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